Chapter 247: Gift of Property and Moving House

On the table was a plate of spiced beef, a large basin of salted boiled edamame, and several other home-cooked side dishes.

A jar of aged wine had long been unsealed, its fragrance diffusing throughout the entire room.

"Dad, congratulations on your promotion and raise."

At the family dinner, Zhou You raised his wine cup to congratulate Zhou Laodie.

The firm's official appointment had been issued; Zhou Laodie had finally been promoted to steward, becoming one of the few members of the senior management.

Having worked for so many years, finally reaching this step was no easy feat!

Zhou Laodie was grinning from ear to ear; during the day, the number of colleagues who had come to give him gifts was countless.

But he knew in his heart that if it weren't for having such a good son as Zhou You, he would likely still be an aging clerk, or perhaps even have ended up among those laid off.

"You'er, this steward position of mine is just a formality; they are doing it for your sake."

He had also realized that when the Clan Head previously brought up the marriage alliance, it was to win over his son.

Since the eldest miss did not agree, the Shen family was now promoting him to mend the relationship.

After the firm established itself in the small town, transport costs dropped significantly, and several merchant caravans had returned to Gongliang City one after another.

After calculating the earnings, it was a huge profit! This meant that from now on, it was a foregone conclusion that the firm's transit through the small town would result in lower costs and higher profits.

The greatest contributor behind the scenes was his good son, Zhou You! Master Shen even sincerely addressed him as "younger brother" and asked when he would invite Zhou You over to help.

Although Zhou Laodie was floating on air from the flattery, he managed to remain uncharacteristically rational and did not agree on the spot.

"Son, I see that the firm's reliance on martial artists is becoming increasingly important. First, there was the addition of Xu Ying, and now the young master is also running about everywhere; there is a severe shortage of manpower."

"The boss's meaning is that if you agree to join the firm, your status will be transcendent, and you would cooperate in the form of equity dividends."

This visibly sincere offer still could not move Zhou You.

The firm's meager earnings were no longer in his eyes, and running about everywhere to escort caravans was of no benefit to his fist practice; on the contrary, it would only cause it to fall into disuse.

Practicing fists and martial arts requires a massive amount of time and resources; once one enters a purely consumptive phase, only using without practicing, one would be lucky just to maintain their original realm.

Had he not seen how Xu Ying and Shen Sijing were entangled in affairs, their fist techniques having made no progress for a long time?

"Dad, I have no interest in these things."

Mother also chimed in from the side to persuade him, "You have been promoted to steward now, and the family is not short on money. If our son wants to follow the tutor to learn knowledge, just let him be!"

"That works too!"

Zhou Laodie took a sip of the wine, picked up a large chopstick-full of beef to chew, and felt incredibly satisfied.

Just as they were eating, *thump, thump, thump*, someone knocked on the door.

"I'll go!"

Zhou Laodie shuffled over in his shoes and opened the door; standing outside were two people, Master Shen and Steward Xu.

He hurriedly swallowed the food in his mouth, "Boss, you didn't send anyone to notify us beforehand for such a late visit. Please, come in quickly."

Master Shen nodded with a gentle smile, scanning the room, "Old Zhou, you've tidied up your home quite well."

Mother scrambled to move stools and chairs, took out a handkerchief to wipe them clean, and invited the guests to sit.

"No rush, no need to rush, we will be leaving in a moment."

Master Shen nodded, and Steward Xu stepped forward, holding a wooden box to present.

"Old Zhou, now that you've been promoted to steward, it's time to move."

"Although this place is not bad, it is a bit too cramped for a whole family to live in."

"I have a property in the Inner City that has been vacant for a long time. I just dug it out a few days ago, so I'm giving it to you as a favor to congratulate you on your promotion."

Zhou Laodie was stunned. What? You promote me, and you still want to give me a gift to celebrate? He blinked his eyes, realized what was happening, and hurriedly shook his head, "I can't accept this, Boss, I can't!" Master Shen looked at Zhou You with a smile, "Little Zhou, is it alright if I address you like this?"

"Master Shen is too polite, just calling me Little Zhou is fine."

"That's too distant. I call you Little Zhou, it wouldn't be too much for you to call me Uncle, would it?"

Master Shen sighed, "You are not a member of the firm, but my family owes you a massive favor that we cannot repay. You must accept this property, otherwise, how could I, Shen, face the world in the future?"

His meaning was very clear: the favor regarding the small town was too heavy; no amount of money could repay it.

Not only was Zhou Laodie promoted and given a raise, but they were also delivering this Inner City property under the cover of night.

Zhou Laodie and Mother were honest people; having lived for more than half their lives, they knew the value of an Inner City property.

That was a sky-high asset they could never reach even if they worked for ten more lifetimes.

"Boss, it's too valuable, I really can't accept it. If I accept it, I won't be able to stay in the firm tomorrow."

Zhou Laodie also knew his own standing; if he rashly accepted the boss's property, how would his colleagues view him?

Master Shen looked at Zhou You as if asking for help, his meaning being: it's up to you.

Zhou You reached out and took the wooden box, which contained the Property Deed, the transfer contract, and a large ring of keys for the doors and windows.

"Many thanks, Uncle!"

After Master Shen left...

"You child, did I not teach you what should be taken and what should not?"

Zhou Laodie was frustrated, smoking frantically; not only could it not extinguish his anger, but it only made him more heated.

Accepting this property was easy; the hard part was how to repay this heavy debt of gratitude.

A poor family has nothing; once they obtain wealth that does not belong to their class, they can only repay it with their lives.

He could not bear for his son to sell his life to the Shen family just for some money and property.

"Dad, this thing isn't as hot to handle as you imagine. We should move there tomorrow."

The Inner City was a gathering area for the rich and noble; the environment was safer, and the location was better.

Perhaps in the imagination of outsiders, the structure of the Outer City and Inner City was similar to the relationship between an egg yolk and the egg white wrapping it.

In reality, it was not; the Inner City occupied the safest zone of Gongliang City and also possessed superior transportation that the Outer City could not compare to. Once a disaster occurred, Inner City residents could quickly evacuate and flee outside the city.

The destroyed Su Cheng, and even the more magnificent Dufu Cheng, all had similar structures.

The residence Zhou You had in Fucheng was also located on the edge of the Inner City.

On this trip out of the city, he saw many parched and cracked farmlands, deserted villages, and everywhere there were swarms of beasts, insects, and refugees, crazily destroying everything in their path.

It was easy to imagine that Gongliang City was about to face an unavoidable catastrophe.

The Inner City was far safer than the Outer City; even if the city walls were breached, one could escape at the first opportunity.

Although the old couple was worried, their son insisted on moving, and as it happened, the rent was almost due.

After packing throughout the night, the family carried their bags and bundles out the door, moving toward the Inner City amidst the envious and amazed gazes of their neighbors.

Crossing the city wall that separated the Inner and Outer cities, the Inner City they entered was a completely different world.

Here, refugees were nowhere to be found; there were no beggars or stray dogs, and patrolling Constables could be seen everywhere.

In the Outer City, one Constable was responsible for ten streets, but in the Inner City, it was the reverse: ten Constables patrolled a single street.

These Constables were not fierce or menacing either; they spent their days wearing smiles, beaming at everyone they met.

Zhou You immediately understood: this was moving from a residential district to a villa district; how could the service attitude be anything but different?

(End of chapter)