Chapter 67: Resentment Slowly Brewing

"Honored sirs, three bowls of soup come to a total of 270 taels."

Inside Muye Cun, today was the last day of Muye Year 49. Taking advantage of the New Year shopping rush, Sima Yi, Shisui, and Hui finally had some rare free time to stroll around.

Though the snowmelt day was especially cold, the streets were bustling with activity.

At Sima Yi's insistence, the three came to the very place where they had once drunk lamb offal soup.

Hearing the price, Hui's hand reaching for his money paused. He looked at the woman and asked, "Wasn't it eighty taels a bowl last time? How long has it been that it's gone up to ninety taels?"

"Well..."

The woman faltered, her face full of difficulty as she said, "The snow has been too heavy these past few days, and with the New Year, everything's gone up in price. We can't help it."

Hui opened his mouth to ask further, but Sima Yi pulled him back.

"Alright, just give her the money. We still have other places to visit."

"I was just asking, it's not like I wasn't going to pay..."

Hui muttered a complaint, then obediently took out the money. Shisui glanced at the empty shop and asked curiously, "Has business always been this bad here?"

"It used to be a bit better, but lately, I don't know why..."

The woman looked at the clan crests on the two men, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes, along with what seemed like fear, and she dared not say more.

"Ah, heh heh, alright, thank you."

Shisui gave an awkward smile, and the three left the shop.

"Why did she look so scared? We didn't do anything, did we? Even the Police Department shouldn't have interfered with a little shop like this, right?"

Shisui was somewhat puzzled. A shop like this might never attract the Uchiha's attention in a lifetime, let alone be harassed by Uchiha members.

Sima Yi heard this and explained in a calm tone, "A lie repeated a thousand times becomes truth. People hear enough about the Police Department's affairs, and they naturally start believing it. No need to mind it."

"Uncle Yi, something doesn't seem right. A lot of goods in the Village are going up in price."

Hui looked at the prices on the surrounding stalls, couldn't help frowning, and said in a low voice.

Sima Yi glanced at the passing villagers and smiled meaningfully, "The New Year is coming, and with the heavy snow, isn't a price hike only natural?"

Sima Yi didn't explain further. After speaking, he walked off along the street.

Hui watched his back and recalled their previous mission, while Shisui remembered Sima Yi's warning to observe and learn more. The two exchanged a glance and silently followed.

Along the way, Sima Yi kept stopping to buy small snacks to taste, while also observing the passing crowd.

"Did you take the day off just to go shopping?"

The three walked and stopped, and around noon they suddenly ran into Uchiha Tie Huo, who was on patrol.

Tie Huo had four others with him; two clansmen from the Police Department were each escorting a villager.

The three from the Police Department had different expressions when they saw Hui. The two in the back secretly waved a greeting, while Tie Huo swept his gaze over expressionlessly, only softening slightly when he saw Shisui.

"Yeah, tomorrow's the New Year. I can't spend the whole year with a straight face getting pointed at, can I~"

Seeing others work while he was off gave Hui a strange sense of pleasure.

Tie Huo paused, too lazy to bother with him.

Shisui looked at the people behind him and asked, "What happened to them?"

"We just got a report. These two were arguing fiercely at a gathering, and by the time we arrived, they'd already come to blows. To keep it from affecting others, I had no choice but to bring them back."

Seeing the Police Department mention them, the two immediately got agitated. One, a fat man, shouted, "I told you, he threw the first punch! Why are you arresting me?"

The other, a thin, small man, immediately burst into a torrent of curses upon hearing this.

"Bastard! You swindler cheated me first! Last night I came to buy three catties of mutton from you. We agreed on 190 taels a catty, and I paid the money. Today I come to pick up the meat, and you want me to pay another sixty taels, or you won't sell it to me! Bastard, swindler, why don't you just die!"

All this trouble over just sixty taels? Shisui's expression froze at the sight, and he sighed inwardly. Then he looked at the fat man and said, "Since you already agreed with him yesterday, why did you go back on your word today?"

The fat man, seeing that Shisui wasn't wearing Police Department attire, showed no fear. "When I sold the mutton yesterday, I never said it would be at yesterday's price." Shisui's eyes widened, and he blurted out, "But you already took his money!"

"That was just a deposit. Anyway, he has to make up the sixty taels!"

"Shut up! Behave yourselves. If you have something to say, say it after we get back." Seeing the two start bickering again, Tie Huo frowned and swept a cold glance at them. The two, intimidated, fell silent.

"No need to mind them. Once they sit inside for a while, they'll know who's right and who's wrong. You three keep shopping; I'll take them back first."

Tie Huo had seen plenty of such incidents and was long used to it. After greeting them, he led the four away.

"Common folk haggle over every penny. For people like them, many principles just can't be reasoned through."

Such matters were hard to handle fairly. By moral standards, the fat man deserved punishment, but by legal standards, the thin man had no written contract with him and had struck first, disturbing public order, so he too deserved punishment.

Sima Yi knew the trouble involved but paid it no mind, only offering a slight caution to keep Shisui from stirring up more trouble at this time.

"If just sixty taels can cause such a dispute, what happens when it's more? How should that be handled?"

Shisui thought seriously about how to deal with it, but then recalled the events of the previous jonin meeting and shook his head repeatedly.

This problem was still too complex for him at the moment.

"Why think so much? We've been out all morning and have run into no fewer than five arguments. Tomorrow's the New Year—why is everyone so irritable? Good thing I took the day off, or it'd be another busy day."

Hui said boisterously, looking around. He quickly spotted a restaurant and pulled the two toward it.

"Let's eat first. I've still got a bunch of stuff to do at home this afternoon."

Shisui heard this and teased with a smile, "This is just an ordinary restaurant. Not going to the Akimichi barbecue place?"

"... Forget it. I've been eating a bit too much lately. I need to take it easy." Hui gave an embarrassed smile. Lately, to build better relations with the others in the Police Department, he'd been frequenting the barbecue place and was feeling a bit greasy.

After eating a bit, the three returned to the clan compound. Hui had to help his father clean the yard, while Shisui and Sima Yi also went home to prepare for what was to come.

"These are for the clan elders and the clan head. These are for the Third Hokage and the three assistants. Tomorrow is the clan's first shrine visit of the year. After the ceremony, you'll have time to take these things and pay visits.

Remember not to get the order wrong. Visit the clan head first, then the elders' homes, and after that, the Third Hokage and the three assistants."

In the main hall, Sima Yi pointed at the pre-prepared gifts and arranged Shisui's schedule.

"Shouldn't we visit the Third Hokage first?"

Sima Yi couldn't help but laugh at this. "No need. The clan has elders; naturally, you should visit them first, so as not to give others something to talk about."

"Do we really have to give gifts to the three assistants?"

Shisui found it somewhat hard to accept; he even imagined the scene of being turned away at the door by Tuan Zang or Zhuan Qin Xiao Chun.

Sima Yi stroked his mustache and chuckled, "Broaden your mind a bit; you still remember what I told you, right? A person with generosity becomes great. When the attitude is right, whether they accept it or not is their business."

Shisui was suspicious, always feeling that Sima Yi had secretly done something he didn't know, but he didn't ask further; he believed that when the time was ripe Sima Yi would naturally tell him.

"Alright, then who are these for?" Shisui pointed at another pile of gift boxes and asked.

"These are for the Police Department and the subordinates you once had; I will send people to deliver them, to show our grace."

Sima Yi said this while looking toward the hall outside, where Jin Huo, Ying Shu and six others were moving food and clothing.

"The rest are for ordinary clan members; I originally planned to have Jin Huo and his group deliver them, but when I observed your last test I found Itachi's temperament still hasn't changed. If you don't want to meet him on the battlefield in the future, take him down there and have a look; the timing is right these few days."

Itachi always, in one breath, gives a narrow, magnanimous, generous assessment of the Uchiha, and it is from this place that Sima Yi discovered Itachi to be somewhat conceited, looking down on others.

His gaze constantly stared at the upper level, continuously scrutinizing those around, yet he ignored the ordinary people at the bottom.

If his thinking cannot be changed, future turmoil is inevitable.

Shisui's expression grew solemn, and he nodded heavily.

"I will, Grandfather!"