Chapter 53: Chapter 49: Regret

After his patrol, Chen Qing returned straight home to Mute Bay.

He pushed open the creaking cabin door and his eyes fell upon a pile of coarse cloth, rice, flour, pork, and cured fish in the corner.

Seeing the confusion on his face, Ms. Han smiled and explained, “They’re all gifts from the neighbors. The coarse cloth is from the Gao Family, the five catties of flour are from your second uncle, the pork is from your great-aunt, the cured fish from Auntie Cuihua… I’m keeping a record of everything so we can repay the favors later.”

She paused, then lowered her voice. “A steward from the Cheng Family brought ten taels, and the Tiger Gang also sent someone with five taels of silver.”

Chen Qing nodded.

Although Xu Chengfeng was only a Little Gang Leader, he was a shrewd and smooth operator.

Hearing that Chen Qing had passed the Martial Arts Examination, he sent a generous gift to make a good impression.

As for Cheng Ming sending ten taels, it was clear he highly valued their relationship.

A thought occurred to Chen Qing, and he said, “Mother, let’s go look at some houses in a couple of days.”

Mute Bay was a den of thieves and vagabonds, far less safe and convenient than the area around the Zhou Family Martial Arts Institute. Many of his fellow disciples’ families had settled there.

“Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Ms. Han nodded in agreement, then hesitated for a moment before saying, “Should you maybe pay a visit to the old mansion?”

Chen Qing’s eyes narrowed. “I should,” he said softly. “I’ll take the rice and flour Second Uncle prepared, and these two cured fish.”

’This trip is mainly to put them in their place and prevent them from causing trouble for me down the line.’

「The next day.」

Carrying the gifted rice, flour, and cured fish, Chen Qing wound through the streets and alleys, soon arriving at the Chen Family’s Old Mansion in Chaiyu Square.

Before long, he had arrived at the Chen Family’s Old Mansion.

“CREAK—”

The old courtyard gate was pushed open.

Elder Chen was sitting on the steps, a grim look on his face as he smoked his long-stemmed pipe. The moment he saw Chen Qing, his cloudy eyes burst with ecstatic light. “Xiaoqing! You’re here!”

His second aunt was sorting vegetables, but they PATtered to the ground as her face turned white as a sheet, her flustered gaze darting away.

“Grandfather,” Chen Qing greeted calmly.

“Quick! Come inside!”

Elder Chen scrambled to his feet excitedly and yelled into the house, “Second Son! Get the water boiling! Make some good tea!”

Hearing the shout, his second uncle, Chen Wen, ran out. A trace of panic crossed his face before he forced an extremely ugly smile. “Ah Qing… y-you’re here…”

“What are you standing around for? Go!”

Elder Chen urged him on, enthusiastically inviting Chen Qing into the main hall.

“The ancestors are watching over us!”

Elder Chen’s voice trembled as he gripped Chen Qing’s hand tightly. “The Chen Family… we’ve finally produced someone with an official rank! Ah Qing, you… you’ve made it! You’ve really made it!”

He repeated “made it” several times, tears streaming down his old face. The gloom that had built up for days was washed away by this tremendous surprise.

At this moment, the grandson he had once ignored seemed to have become the future glory and pillar of the Chen Family.

Everything had changed!

Elder Chen’s attitude was more polite than ever, his joy tinged with a hint of cautious restraint.

Without needing to be told, the second aunt deftly served hot tea and even made an exception by bringing out a dish of malt sprouts candy she was normally too frugal to eat.

Chen Wen also abandoned his usual harshness, his mouth full of flattering words.

After a few moments of small talk, Chen Qing stood up to leave.

Elder Chen hastily tried to keep him. “Xiaoqing, stay for lunch, won’t you? It’s been so long since Grandfather has…”

“I can’t. I have things to do.”

Chen Qing cut him off, his tone distant. “Take care of yourself, Elder.”

A flicker of disappointment appeared in Elder Chen’s heart.

Watching his determined back, the second aunt couldn’t help but whisper, “Father, maybe we should ask Ah Qing to help Xiaoheng…”

“Silence!”

Elder Chen snapped, his gaze sharp. “From now on, even if we’re in trouble, do not go to Xiaoqing! If he wants to help, he will offer. If he doesn’t, no one is to go and be a nuisance!”

He looked at the untouched rice, flour, and cured fish that Chen Qing had brought back and understood with perfect clarity. This was Chen Qing drawing a line in the sand.

Thanks to their blood ties, the Chen Family could still bask in some of his reflected glory. But if they didn’t know their place and angered Chen Qing, then everything would be lost.

Looking at the ashen, desperate faces of his second son and daughter-in-law, a great sense of loss and regret washed over him.

Elder Chen staggered back a step and collapsed onto the stone steps, his long-stemmed pipe falling to the ground with a “CLANG.”

…

「Four Directions Street, Wang’s Cloth Shop.」

The dye house was stuffy and pungent.

Yang Huien gritted her teeth, leaning halfway into the rinsing pool as she struggled to drag a bolt of cotton cloth onto the stone trough.

Sweat mixed with dye dripped into her eyes, but she didn’t have time to wipe it away.

“THUD! THUD!”

She picked up a heavy wooden mallet and pounded the wet cloth, making a dull sound.

“What are you dawdling for? You’re slower than a turtle!”

The stewardess walked over, poking at the cloth with a critical finger. “Look at this! The color isn’t beaten in evenly, and this part is as wrinkled as old tree bark.”

Yang Huien’s heart tightened, but her hands didn’t stop moving. She only said in a low voice, “Steward Wang, this bolt is thick and heavy. I just pulled it out and am pounding it with all my might.”

“What a sin…”

An old weaver in the corner stopped her shuttle and whispered, “Hui Niang is such a good girl, quick-handed and willing to work hard. That Wang Po is deliberately trying to drive her to her death.”

“Exactly! Who doesn’t know about that foolish grandson of hers? He can’t even stop himself from drooling! Marrying him would be jumping into a pit of fire for Hui Niang! That Wang Po’s heart is too black!”

“But what can she do? She doesn’t have any tough brothers from her mother’s side to back her up. We should just mind our own business.”

At these words, the surrounding female workers fell silent. Only the monotonous clatter of the looms remained, and the atmosphere grew oppressive.

Wang Po had a foolish grandson and had long set her sights on Yang Huien, wanting to bring her home as a free servant girl and a tool for bearing children.

When Yang Huien refused, Wang Po had her transferred to this dye house, the most arduous and exhausting place, to wear her down.

“Look at this miserable life. Why suffer like this?”

The stewardess leaned close to Yang Huien and whispered, “Just agree to my proposal. Marry into my family, and I guarantee you’ll have food and clothing, new outfits for all four seasons, and ten catties of white flour. I, an old woman, always keep my word!”

Her voice suddenly turned cold, like a poisoned needle. “But if you don’t know what’s good for you… you can prepare to work yourself to death in this sweatshop.”

Yang Huien’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside the dye house.

A young man with an extraordinary air, dressed in a long indigo silk robe, walked in.

It was none other than the young master of Wang’s Cloth Shop, Wang Zhi.

“Young Master!”

“Young Master!”

The women all stopped their work and lowered their heads respectfully.

Wang Po’s expression changed in a flash. Piling on the flattery, she hurried over. “Aiyo! Young Master! What brings you to this filthy place today? Do you have any instructions for us…?”

Wang Zhi’s gaze swept coldly over Wang Po’s sycophantic face. He said to the two guards behind him in a low voice, “Drag her out.”

“Yes, sir!”

The two burly guards acknowledged the order, stepped forward, and without a word, seized Wang Po and began to drag her out.

The smile on Wang Po’s face froze instantly, replaced by terror. “Y-Young Master?! Why is th— AHHH—!”

Her question was immediately replaced by muffled thuds from outside, followed by pig-like squeals of agony and pleas for mercy.

The dye house fell deathly silent. The women were as quiet as cicadas in winter, not daring to breathe.

Wang Zhi scanned the room and announced, “Effective immediately, Wang Po is stripped of her position as steward! Pack your bags and get out of the cloth shop. You will never be rehired!”

His gaze then turned to the still-shaken Yang Huien, and his tone softened. “From this moment on, the position of Internal Affairs Steward for the cloth shop will be held by Miss Yang. If you face any difficulties in the future, you may report them directly to me.”

The entire room was stunned by his words!

The workers stared, dumbfounded, looking at Yang Huien in disbelief.

Yang Huien’s mind went blank, as if this sudden, monumental change had shocked the soul right out of her.

Wang Zhi gave a slight nod to Yang Huien. “Please give my regards to Brother Chen for me, Miss Yang.”

With that, he turned and left.

The moment the young master’s figure disappeared from the doorway, the dye house erupted! The women surged forward, chattering all at once like a nest of startled sparrows:

“Hui Niang! Congratulations!”

“You’re still calling her Hui Niang? It should be Steward Yang now!”

“Steward Yang! The ’Brother Chen’ the young master mentioned, could that be your cousin who practices martial arts!?”

…

(Starting tomorrow, Chapters will be released at 18:00.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep