Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2690 Still Vigorous in Old Age 74.0
When Merlin returned with the kitchen staff carrying everyone's breakfast and ginger soup, Shadow Five and Shadow Thirteen had already explained the whole story. She hadn't even heard the ending and felt very regretful. So, while everyone was eating together, she grabbed Shadow Thirteen and made him tell the story again.

"That rascal," Merlin sighed, slurped up a mouthful of noodles, exhaled a puff of hot air, and said, "He really dares to take on any job. In this freezing weather, isn't he afraid of losing his life? Last time he took his group of brothers to climb a mountain in a torrential downpour, he almost slipped and fell to his death. Hasn't he learned his lesson yet?"

"When did this happen?"

"Last summer, wasn't it?" Merlin rolled his eyes. "Anyway, that kid is always courting death, like he's afraid of living too long."

“Lai Mazi may seem carefree and irresponsible all day, but he actually has a lot on his mind.” Ying Shisan sighed. “His desire to die is probably not an act, but something he truly feels.”

“It’s not that he doesn’t want to live, it’s that he just wants to hide, to escape, to not acknowledge what happened to him.” Merlin rolled his eyes, snorted twice, took a piece of fried dough for himself, took a bite, and said, “He’d rather believe that his only family is his mother than believe that his grandfather, father, uncles, and other relatives all died in battle. He doesn’t want to admit it himself, nor does he want others to mention it. Moreover, he feels like a jinx; his family died shortly after he was born, and his mother went blind while raising him.”

"Yes, but his avoidance is useless. Everyone except him admits it. He is... I can't explain it clearly, I don't really understand his thinking." Ying Shisan sighed and said, "If you ask me, I think he's just a silly child. He clearly knows that we take good care of him because of this, but he refuses to accept it and insists that it's his own fault. Moreover, he treats our concern as a flood or a beast. If it weren't for his young age and the fact that he has a blind old mother to take care of, he probably would have run away and left the border long ago."

“Who says otherwise!” Merlin nodded, took a sip of noodle soup, sighed softly, and said, “The last time I went with my second brother to deliver things to his family, his reaction was very strong. That was before the New Year. According to the usual practice, the Duke’s Mansion and the Marquis’ Mansion would send New Year’s goods to every household in the city, it was just a matter of how much. When he saw that he had more New Year’s goods than other households, he looked very unhappy.”

"It's not just that. We set up a school for these orphans and hired teachers to teach them to read. At first, Lai Mazi refused. If his mother hadn't said that reading could help him find a very good job and earn a lot of money, he wouldn't have been willing to go. In short, he wouldn't accept anything related to this."

"At such a young age, I don't know where he gets the courage from." Merlin rolled his eyes. "But he wasn't very old when his family wasn't around, was he?"

“Hmm!” Ying Shisan nodded. “I heard from the old Duke that when he was about seven or eight months old, before he could remember anything, it went relatively smoothly when we delivered things. But ever since he could remember, he started causing trouble for himself and for us. For the first two years, his mother could still keep an eye on him, since she could still see. But in the last two years, her eyesight has deteriorated, and she can’t control him anymore. He’s always leading a bunch of boys to cause trouble in the city.”

"It's not that he's causing trouble, there's no major problem, it's just that he keeps attracting unwanted attention, which is annoying to watch."

“That’s true, but,” Ying Shisan shrugged helplessly, took a bite of the crispy fried dough stick, and sighed with satisfaction, “This is the taste. This is the taste I’ve been craving all this time in Xijing City.”

"There are so many delicious foods in the capital, why are you thinking about this?" Merlin pursed his lips and finished the last drop of soup in his bowl. "Anyway, I'll leave this kid to me for interrogation."

"You want to do it yourself?"

"Sister will show him with her actions that in this world, might makes right. If I don't beat him into submission this time and make him obediently find me a proper job, I'll change my mind." Merlin looked at Shadow Thirteen. "Let me tell you, no one is allowed to stop me this time!" "Alright, this brat really deserves a beating." Shadow Thirteen nodded. "Before, I only showed him some leniency because of his mother and the relatives who died in battle. This time, I won't show any leniency. I also want to show this kid that not every kind of money can be earned easily."

"Speaking of which, how much did those two Taoist priests pay to go to the inn in the middle of the night?" Shen Cha overheard their conversation, looked at Shadow Five, then at Shadow Thirteen, and asked, "Have you found it?"

"Deposit?" Seeing Shen Cha nod, Ying Shisan yawned and took another bite of the fried dough stick. "Two ingots of gold. I've already sent my brother to his house to collect them."

"How much?" Xue Ruitian, Bai Meng, and Song Yaojia were startled. "How much did you say?"

"Two ingots of gold, this is just a deposit. Lai Mazi's brother said that after the deal is done, there will be another two ingots of gold as a reward."

"Just to check the situation at the inn and see where my uncle is staying, and you gave him so much silver?" Song Yaojia said, taking a sip of meat porridge. "Where did these two Taoists get so much money? Interrogate them properly and see what they've done that they shouldn't have done."

"Your Highness, rest assured, we will conduct a thorough investigation."

"I have to say, these people are incredibly generous. Is this what they mean by the longer you live, the richer you get?" Xue Ruitian lowered his voice and complained to Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, "It seems that the Qinglian Sect's business is the least profitable one."

"Not only will we not make money, we'll probably lose money."

“Who says otherwise!” Xue Ruitian rolled his eyes. “But the loss would probably only be a drop in the ocean.” He looked at Shen Cha. “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m becoming more and more curious about these people, even more so than Master Falian.” Shen Cha stroked his chin. “By the way, I’ll ask my great-uncle later if he wants to come with us to interrogate those two old Taoists and see what their background is.”

"They're probably just two small fry. I don't know why they're so fixated on my great-uncle." Xue Ruitian yawned and quickly finished his breakfast. "I can't take it anymore. I'm going to sleep now. I'll deal with anything important after I wake up."

Xue Ruitian was the first to leave, followed by Song Yaojia and Bai Meng. After a night of turmoil, everyone was exhausted and staggered as they left. If someone hadn't been there to support them, they would have almost fallen into the snow.

Shen Cha stood up, walked to the entrance of the flower hall, and looked at the snowflakes falling in the air. Although they were a little lighter than at night, they still felt like heavy snow. She wondered when they would stop completely.