Chapter 51: Former Clerk, Today

In the restaurant.

Big Brother Lin Liang told Lin Chen about the things at home.

It was said to be things at home, but more of it was things in the village.

In less than two months, there were no major changes in the Lin family. Lin Liang was not the kind of person who could speak well, and he finished speaking in a few sentences

The brothers chatted as they spoke, and during this time, Zhao Dongyang came over to have a few drinks.

Just as the brothers finished their meal and set down their bowls and chopsticks, Zhao Dongyang walked over again with a smile.

"Young Master Lin, how is your family's fishing harvest? Are you able to keep up with delivering fish to our restaurant?"

Hearing this, Lin Liang hurriedly assured him: "Shopkeeper Zhao, we can keep up, we can keep up."

It was just a trip to town to deliver fish, but the price the restaurant paid was much higher than the fish markets and fish shops, and each trip earned them several dozen more copper coins.

Seeing Lin Liang's anxious look, Zhao Dongyang smiled gently: "Young Master Lin, don't be agitated. It's like this: one of my in-laws runs a fish shop in our town. The amount of fish my restaurant can consume daily is limited. If your family catches more fish, you can send it to my in-law. My in-law hasn't complained to me less about not having enough fish to sell, so perhaps this can solve his urgent need."

Hearing Zhao Dongyang's words, Lin Chen instantly understood; Uncle Zhao was providing his family with another source of income.

How could a fish shop possibly be short of fish?

The laws of the Liang Dynasty had strict regulations on the professions commoners could engage in. The Lin family were fishing households, so they could only catch fish and not sell them.

Of course, imperial law does not reach the countryside.

If the fishermen in the village secretly sold some, it would be fine, but there were many fishermen in Linhu Village, and even if the Lin family caught a lot of fish, there was no one to buy them.

Delivering fish to the restaurant was actually already illegal, but for this kind of operation, as long as no one reported it, the government officials and runners far away in the county seat naturally wouldn't bother to manage it.

Lin Chen had originally been somewhat worried that his family delivering fish to Uncle Zhao's restaurant would steal business from the town's fish shops and provoke the fish shop proprietors to report them, but now it seemed his worry was unnecessary.

Uncle Zhao must have already reached an agreement with the fish shop proprietor, and saying these words now was to provide his family with another path to wealth and to grant him a personal favor.

"Zhao Lin Shidi is a good person."

Lin Chen understood in his heart that Uncle Zhao would suddenly say this was definitely not because he was present and granting a favor to his face.

If he needed to grant a favor to his face, Uncle Zhao could have informed him of the good deed of delivering fish to the restaurant before he left the village for the city; there was no need to wait until after he had left.

Therefore, it was because Zhao Lin Shidi had written something in his letter that Uncle Zhao made this decision on the spot.

Lin Liang did not respond, but instead looked toward his younger brother.

His mind was not slow; he had dealt with several fish shops in town, and the fish shops were not short of fish at all; sometimes they would desperately try to suppress the price of their catch.

Facing the price suppression from the fish shops, they, as fishermen, were helpless. Unless they sent the fish to the county seat's fish market, but not only was the journey long, they had to pay fees to dock their boats at the county wharf, and the prices offered by the fish market were not much higher than those of the fish shops, and they were also picky, so they couldn't earn much more money.

"This nephew thanks Uncle Zhao here."

Lin Chen did not refuse insincerely; his family lacked money, and he himself also lacked money for his subsequent martial arts training.

Because of the Liang Dynasty's strict control over commoners' professions, it was difficult for him to earn money even if he wanted to; those highly profitable industries had long been monopolized by the various great families in the city.

In the world of martial artists, ultimately, it is still force that speaks.

The only thing he could do was to quickly improve his own strength; only when his strength allowed him to stand firm in the county seat would it be time for him to lead his family to rise.

Now, it was still too early.

Yu Yu Jiaoxi had also instructed him in the notes he gave him, telling him to put all his focus on martial arts training for now.

Once his strength increased, there would naturally be ways to earn money in the future.

If his strength was insufficient, even with business acumen, he would only be suppressed by the powerful and wealthy in the city.

Yu Yu Jiaoxi could be said to have held nothing back from him, and Lin Chen also trusted Yu Yu Jiaoxi incomparably.

In the notes, Yu Yu Jiaoxi also mentioned one sentence.

If a young martial artist has potential, the major forces and those powerful families' first choice is to befriend rather than offend, but if one wants to intervene in the various trades of the county seat, the attitude of these powerful people will become subtle.

Lin Chen understood the instructor's meaning: he had only displayed his talent for the Martial Way, and since he would not threaten the interests of these forces, these forces would only befriend him.

Organ Cultivation Stage!

Only when he stepped into the Organ Cultivation Stage would he have the qualifications to seek his share amidst the intricate interests of Poyang County.

Before that, all his thoughts should be placed on the Martial Way.

Lin Chen felt that his thoughts and the instructor's coincided perfectly. From the time he transmigrated until now, he had not experienced the darkness and cruelty of this world, and the main reason was that he had not touched the interests of those powerful people.

……

……

Zhao Dongyang took the Lin brothers straight to the fish shop. Ever since he finished reading the contents of his son's letter, which told him as a father to help Lin Chen if he had a way, he had thought of his in-law who sold fish, and he had even written a note in advance and had a shop assistant deliver it.

The several fish shops in town were all in the same area. When he saw Uncle Zhao walk into one of the fish shops, Lin Chen's expression was dazed for a split second, and then it became strange.

"In-law, how do you have time to come to my place today?"

Inside the fish shop, a pot-bellied middle-aged man wearing silk clothes greeted them with a smile, his gaze quickly sweeping over the Lin brothers behind Zhao Dongyang.

"In-law, I came this time to solve your urgent need. Isn't your fish shop short of fish? I've brought you fish."

Bestowing kindness upon others must be done skillfully.

As a merchant, Zhao Dongyang understood this principle extremely well. He had already agreed with his in-law via the note he had the assistant deliver in advance; what was happening now was just a play, and he believed Lin Chen also understood.

"That truly solves my urgent need. In-law, where is the fish you mentioned?"

However, this fish shop proprietor's acting was somewhat poor.

Watching the other party keep staring at him, Lin Chen almost laughed; the acting wasn't as natural as Uncle Zhao's.

"It's right here before our eyes. Young Nephew Lin's family catches fish, and it just so happens they can deliver it to you, in-law."

Zhao Dongyang also felt his in-law's acting was clumsy, but he bit the bullet and continued the conversation.

"Young Nephew Lin? Isn't he..."

After the fish shop proprietor walked out, two people followed behind him, one old and one young. When these two saw Lin Chen, their expressions were extremely colorful.

"Shopkeeper Yang, Brother Li."

Lin Chen also hadn't expected that the fish shop run by Uncle Zhao's in-law would be the very same fish shop where he had worked odd jobs.

This world is truly small.

"You... you are the Young Master Lin the proprietor mentioned?"

Because Shopkeeper Yang was too shocked, he forgot what the proprietor had instructed and blurted out the bottom line.

Just a moment ago, the proprietor had instructed them to cooperate in a play.

The proprietor had clearly stated that among the people coming later, there would be an Open-Acupuncture martial artist, and he was also the number one genius of the Wu Tang last year.

That Lin Liang was dressed in coarse linen clothes and couldn't possibly be a martial artist, so it could only be Lin Chen.

So, the poor kid who used to do odd jobs at the fish shop had really succeeded in learning martial arts?

"You all?"

On the scene, the fish shop proprietor, Zhao Dongyang, and Lin Liang were all full of confusion, not knowing what had happened.

"Uncle Zhao, when this nephew was learning martial arts at the Wu Tang, in order to earn some money to subsidize my expenses for the Martial Way, I worked odd jobs at this fish shop for a period of time."

Lin Chen was calm and composed as he briefly recounted his past experience.

After speaking, Lin Chen bowed to Shopkeeper Yang: "I still have to thank Shopkeeper Yang for giving me this opportunity back then."

"No... I don't deserve it."

Shopkeeper Yang dodged and waved his hands repeatedly; he had used Lin Chen back then only because Lin Chen could bring extra income to the fish shop.

Lin Chen also mocked himself inwardly; he was becoming more and more hypocritical.

"You... you are that young man surnamed Lin from back then..."

The fish shop proprietor suddenly realized. He vaguely recalled that Shopkeeper Yang had mentioned to him back then that a young man learning martial arts at the Wu Tang had come to the fish shop, and he had even exaggerated that the young man was quick-witted, saying that if he stayed at the fish shop, he would definitely make the fish shop's business more prosperous.

"Haha, this is called fate. I didn't expect such fate between my in-law and Young Nephew Lin."

Zhao Dongyang's eyes rolled, and he also understood the gist of it. He laughed loudly, and what followed was very simple.

With the fish shop proprietor intentionally making concessions, they reached an agreement with the Lin family that after catching fish and delivering them to the restaurant, any surplus would be sent to the fish shop.

The acquisition price was one copper coin higher than the market price.

Done!

The Lin brothers took their leave, and Zhao Dongyang also left the fish shop with his in-law; clearly, there were matters to discuss.

"Shopkeeper, how did this Lin Chen become an Open-Acupuncture martial artist? He was originally..."

"Shut up!"

Shopkeeper Yang glared fiercely at the assistant: "You must address him as Young Master Lin."

"Young... Young Master Lin, how did he do it? Shopkeeper, didn't you say that learning martial arts costs a lot of money, and with Young Master Lin's family background, he definitely couldn't learn it."

"If I knew how Lin Chen... Young Master Lin did it, I wouldn't be a shopkeeper at a fish shop." Shopkeeper Yang also couldn't change his habit for a moment; even now, his emotions hadn't calmed down.

"If not a fish shop shopkeeper, then what?"

"I'd go to the Wu Tang to be an instructor."

Assistant:...

"You remember this for me: don't spread the word that Young Master Lin worked odd jobs at our fish shop. Don't look at how Young Master Lin bowed and thanked me; who knows what he's really thinking? Don't go looking for trouble for yourself."

……

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(End of chapter)