I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 104: Little New Year, Return to Wuqiao Town

Click.

Xie An dismounted and stepped forward to help Liang Zhi up. "No need to be so polite. Let's forget about it."

Among so many people present, Xie An was the only one who went to support Liang Zhi, which gave Liang Zhi enough face and also hinted at Liang Zhi's weight in the Xueling black market.

This touched Liang Zhi deeply. "The boss is taking over as the incense master. This is a great joyous event. We must be polite. What's more, this is a token of our appreciation."

Xie An glanced around and saw a pair of fiery eyes and a smile as beautiful as a flower.

When Xie An left this place for the hall this morning, he didn't expect that everyone would have such an arrangement. In fact, Xie An didn't like to hold such a scene, but at this moment he felt that...it was necessary to hold one:

Everyone has worked so hard with me for so many days. I was worried that the Black Market incense Master of Blood Ridge would be replaced by someone else, but now that the dust has settled, it's time to enjoy it.

Thinking of this, Xie An said, "Okay. Everyone has worked hard. Brother Zhang, bring the money."

Zhang Lin dismounted, took out the fine cotton bag and handed it to Xie An.

Xie An handed the bag to Liang Zhi, "This is the two hundred taels of silver the hall master gave me as a reward. Divide it among everyone. Let everyone have a good new year."

Liang Zhi was very happy to take on this job that paid him.

Giving money to brothers in public is something that only bosses can do.

Although Liang Zhi is an accountant, his position is essentially no different from that of an ordinary boy.

Now this detail has revealed Xie An's intention.

Liang Zhi immediately returned the favor, shouting "Thank you, Master of Incense, for your reward!" He then took out a scale and a weight, weighed the silver, cut it into pieces, and distributed it to everyone. The disciples were naturally delighted and shouted "Thank you, Master of Incense, for your reward."

Ok?
Xie An couldn't help but look at Liang Zhi again, and he became more and more satisfied with this guy.

Originally, Fang Baiyu rewarded each of the four incense masters with 200 taels of silver and asked them to distribute it to their subordinates... When the subordinates received the money, they had to thank Master Fang.

Xie An never thought of embezzling the source of the reward money.

This is a minor section and unnecessary.

But... Liang Zhi is smart and knows how to handle things.

He took the lead in expressing his gratitude to the incense master... and his subordinates followed suit.

This person can be of great use!

After receiving the silver and money, the young men all smiled happily. Some of them even walked up to Xie An and bowed deeply to express their gratitude.

Most of the disciples did dirty and backbreaking work, earning only a few dozen taels of silver a year. After deducting the expenses for martial arts training and medicine, there was little left. Now, they could receive nearly seven taels of silver in one go, which was no small sum.

When it was finally Li Shaoyun's turn, he was extremely embarrassed. He stood there trembling, not daring to collect the money, his body shaking uncontrollably.

Xie An glanced at him, and Li Shaoyun fell to his knees as if a straw had broken the camel's stalk. He kowtowed repeatedly, "Thank you, thank you... Xiangzhu. Yes, I'm sorry! I was wrong!"

Bang bang bang!
Li Shaoyun was so nervous that he was speechless. His mind was blank and he could only kowtow frantically. His legs and feet were shaking violently.

Da da da.

Xie An walked towards him step by step.

Listening to the approaching footsteps, Li Shaoyun felt as if he had heard a chorus of death. He immediately lowered his head and huddled up tightly. He tried hard to control the trembling in his hands and feet, but he couldn't control it. Instead, the trembling became even more severe.

Snapped!
Xie An finally walked up to him and patted him on the forehead.

The moment Xie An's palm touched his forehead, Li Shaoyun's defense was broken and he actually cried out "Wow", as if Xie An would kill him with just one slap. He was so scared that... he peed his pants.

Driven by the fear of death, Li Shaoyun actually uttered a complete sentence, "Master, I'm sorry... I really know I was wrong. I shouldn't have hit you with a bamboo stick when you redeemed yourself, and I shouldn't have provided convenience for Zhang Biao, allowing Li He to arrest He Chunli and torture him... I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!"

Snapped!
Xie An continued to pat Li Shaoyun's forehead, "Go get the silver, then change your clothes and come to the banquet. From now on, concentrate on practicing martial arts. Try to pass the martial arts exam in the future, and then... be filial to your mother! Don't let her down!"

"Yes, I will definitely not let mother down..."

Li Shaoyun sobbed, and slowly felt the hand pressing on his forehead disappear, and then heard the sound of footsteps going away. He raised his head and saw Xie An walking away.

Looking at the back, Li Shaoyun suddenly felt an indescribable feeling.

Then, Li Shaoyun knelt on the ground and said to the figure behind him, "Thank you, Master Xiang. I, Li Shaoyun, will definitely be filial to my mother!"

The banquet hasn't started yet.

Xie An, Lin Yun and Zhang Lin sat at the chief round table drinking tea, while Yuhe poured tea for everyone.

As Yuhe was one of the few women here, and she had an outstanding figure and appearance, she immediately attracted the attention of countless people. Many people privately discussed that she was the maid bought by Xie An and were very envious.

"Being an incense master is different. I even have maids."

"This maid is so beautiful. I wonder how much silver she cost..."

"I wish I could be a master like this in the future..."

Xie An had a keen sense of hearing everyone's discussion. He was thinking that this would make Yu He very uncomfortable and whether he should come out to explain. However, he glanced at Yu He next to him and found that Yu He didn't care at all.

forget about it……

You can’t stop people from talking.

The more you explain, the more people will think you are covering up.

While waiting for the meal to start, Xie An began to calculate the money.

The two hundred taels I just gave you haven't even warmed up yet, and it's gone...

Xie An's current income, which doubled from his salary as the second deacon, reached eight hundred taels a year. This was just his basic income, and with Xie An becoming the incense master and fully controlling the black market, his future income would surely be even greater.

There will be no shortage of money in the future, the problem is now...

In order to break through the pass, Xie An had previously advanced five hundred taels.

The black market's year-end audit is coming soon, and Xie An is thinking about how to fill this deficit...

Just then——

"Congratulations, Master Xiang. This is a small gift from me. I hope you don't think it's too little."

A shopkeeper came over with silver in his hands.

Xie An took a glance and saw two large ingots of precious silver.

Fifty taels per ingot, a total of one hundred taels.

Turtle...

Is this the treatment for the incense master?

Xie An looked up and saw that there was a long queue behind the shopkeeper, with at least fifty or sixty shopkeepers... all holding silver, waiting to receive gifts.

Xie An suddenly understood... No wonder Liang Zhi wanted to hold a grand banquet.

In this world, there is also the custom of giving gifts when eating banquets. Many officials, in order to make money, find excuses to hold banquets every now and then, and some even hold grand banquets for the birth of their own sons...

Before, Xie An was a deacon, so it was naturally not easy for him to hold a big banquet because his rank was not high enough.

Now that he is the incense master, he has control over all the power in the Blood Ridge black market, which is more than enough.

But, isn’t one hundred taels too much?

Xie An was not in a hurry to accept it, but asked Lin Yun, who said that this was a common gift in the black market. Wei Dian had also held banquets before, and the amount of gifts given by the shopkeepers usually ranged from ten to one hundred taels.

In this case, Xie An felt there was no need to refuse, and immediately asked Liang Zhi to bring pen and ink to record everyone's gifts.

"When you give a gift, the main thing is the thought; don't overdo it. The thought is what matters. If you have any happy events in the future, you can let me know and I will return the favor."

Although Xie An spoke modestly, how could anyone take him seriously?

With the title of Xiangzhu in hand, the shopkeepers naturally gave as much as they could, and the assistants also gave as much as they could.

As for hosting their own banquets in the future, how could they dare to inform the incense master? Wouldn't that make it difficult for the incense master?

They just listen to some things.

When all the gifts were distributed, the gift money alone amounted to 1,300 taels!

Xie An was simply shocked. This was just a banquet held in the black market. If the wealthy merchants in the six towns were informed, wouldn't the gifts collected from the banquet alone reach several thousand taels?

Xie An was secretly astonished, and he had a preliminary understanding of the benefits brought by power, fame and status.

It is said that fame and fortune come first and fortune comes second.

It can be seen that the ancients were wise.

However, Xie An also knew that maintaining reputation required effort, and over-exertion... could easily hurt oneself.

Soon, the banquet started.

As it was the first time for Xie An to receive a gift, he did not act arrogantly. Instead, he took the initiative to take the two deacons, Lin Yun and Zhang Lin, to each table to toast. Especially when they came to Liang Xiang's table, he drank two more glasses with Liang Xiang to thank him for forging the big sword.

Xie An's action really made all the clerks and shopkeepers flattered. They felt that the new incense master was approachable and had more to talk about.

During the banquet, everyone was toasting each other, chatting and having fun, and the atmosphere was very lively.

Since Xie An arrived at the black market, this was the first time he'd witnessed such a bustling scene. Everyone came from all walks of life: shopkeepers, skilled workers, odd jobs, and even scions of the Tiger and Wolf Sect. Normally, they toiled here to earn a living, hoping for a better future. But now, they put aside their industry prejudices, forgetting their status and position, and gathered together to drink and eat heartily.

This harmonious and lively atmosphere made Xie An feel very relieved.

The meal lasted until the early afternoon.

When Xie An returned to the courtyard, he was supported by Yu He. Xie An repeatedly said that he was not drunk, but he could not resist Yu He's enthusiasm and had to give up.

As soon as they sat down in the living room, Yuhe was busy lighting the stove, making tea, and preparing sobering soup for Xie An.

Although Xie An felt that it was unnecessary, he did feel much better after taking a sip of the sobering soup.

Well, it is still necessary...

"Master, do you need to rest for a while?"

Xie An refused, saying that he was not that delicate. But Yuhe was very considerate and went around to Xie An's back and gently massaged him.

Xie An felt that this was unnecessary.

Well, the back massage technique is good, very comfortable...

Although they had only known each other for half a day, Xie An found that Yuhe was a girl who really knew everything. It was easy for people to indulge in her gentleness and neglect their work.

This can't go on...

Xie An coughed twice and said, "Oh, go get Liang Zhi."

"Okay sir."

Soon, Liang Zhi came over with the gift money.

Xie An made arrangements for the gift money: return the 500 taels of silver that had been advanced to the treasury, and let Liang Zhi use the remaining 400 taels to buy tiger meat soup for Xie An.

Xie An planned to keep the remaining four hundred taels.

After making all the arrangements, Xie An asked Yuhe to bring a jar of wine to the top of Xueling Mountain in the north to visit Abao, and to talk to the direction where Wei Dian left.

Xie An was able to achieve his current success so quickly thanks to Wei Dian’s great kindness.

Xie An would naturally not forget it.

When Xie An approached the top of the mountain, he found that Lin Yun had been sitting on a rock next to a lonely grave, drinking alone.

Xie An extended his hand to Yuhe. Yuhe understood and handed the jar of wine to Xie An. Then she stood there waiting tactfully and did not follow him.

"Brother Lin."

Xie An walked over with the wine in his hand, sat down next to Lin Yun, and opened the seal of the wine jar. "I'll drink with you."

The two men clinked their wine jars together and drank passionately.

Drinking from the same jar is very enjoyable and makes people feel generous.

After drinking most of the wine, Lin Yun felt very happy. "It's really refreshing to drink like this. Brother Xie, I want to thank you. On behalf of Abao, on behalf of Brother Wei, on behalf of the Xueling Black Market, thank you."

Xie An said at the right moment: "Brother Lin, there is something I want to say but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

"If there is anything between you and me that cannot be discussed, please tell me."

Xie An did not speak immediately, but raised the wine jar and toasted in the direction where Wei Dian left from afar, then took two big gulps, letting the wine slide down from the corners of his mouth.

After taking a big sip, a warm current rolled through my abdomen and my whole body seemed to be energized.

Xie An then said, "Brother Lin, I know you and Abao and Brother Wei have a deep relationship, but in life, there will always be various separations and helplessness. You still need to focus on the road ahead. If you dwell too much on the past, not only will it hurt yourself, but even Abao and Brother Wei would not want to see you like this."

Lin Yun suddenly burst into tears. After a long while, he picked up the wine jar and took two swigs, revealing a sad but relieved smile. "Brother Xie is right. I should focus on the road ahead. Come, Brother Xie, I toast you."

Xie An felt relieved and said with a smile: "There is no big brother today, only wine, come."

……

"Cheers to Po."

"Cheers to Brother Wei."

……

After Xie An officially took office as the incense master, he did not do anything to show off in front of others.

His days were no different from usual. Apart from patrolling the black market, he spent the rest of his time in the courtyard practicing martial arts and health-preserving exercises. The only difference was the addition of Yuhe, which made the courtyard a little more lively.

Life is also of higher quality.

For example, Yuhe takes care of the three meals a day, makes the bed, does the laundry, takes care of the house, etc. She always keeps the yard tidy inside and out.

But the price is... Xie An is no longer so comfortable, and it is not easy for him to go and look for the magic treasure alone.

Time quickly came to December 24th.

Little year.

During the Daqian Dynasty, customs differed between the north and the south. The northern Xiaonian was on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, while the southern Xiaonian was on the 24th. Qingwu County, located on the southeastern border, naturally followed southern customs.

That morning, Xie An finished practicing his health-preserving exercises, washed up, and went out to the courtyard. He found Yuhe sitting under the eaves, cutting paper-cuts. The sunlight fell on her beautiful face, making it look particularly beautiful.

When Yuhe saw Xie An coming out, she immediately put down her work and bowed, saying, "Master, you're up. Breakfast is heating up in the kitchen. I'll go get it for you."

Xie An did not stop her, but looked at the beautiful figure.

Over the past ten days, Xie An has been paying special attention to Yuhe.

Yuhe had implicitly expressed that if he wanted to sleep with her, that was fine.

But Xie An declined on the grounds of practicing martial arts.

On the one hand, it was because Xie An still had the values ​​of his previous life, and he still felt that if he let someone sleep with him, he had to be responsible.

Of course, if you spend money at a brothel, that’s another story.

What's more, Yuhe is pretty, but Xie An doesn't have that kind of feeling for her and is not attracted to her.

Besides, at Xie An's age, he really didn't care much about matters between men and women.

On the other hand, Xie An knew that this woman had a complicated background and was backed by both Chen Qinglang and Tangjiabao. She was a double agent... How could Xie An be careless?
However, after ten days of observation, nothing was found to be different about Yuhe.

After breakfast, Xie An changed into his ordinary brocade robe and said, "Yuhe, take the silver and go out with me."

Over the past period of time, Yuhe has been responsible for the family's food and daily life, so Xie An naturally has to give her living expenses.

Although Xie An knew that Yuhe was definitely not short of money, as a grown man, it was not appropriate for him to spend a woman's money.

Yuhe took the money bag and said, "It's the Little New Year today, Master, are you planning to go out and buy some New Year's goods and festive items?"

Xie An shook his head: "Buy some gifts and go to Wuqiao Town to see my two disciples. By the way, go to see Madam Li."

Xie An naturally remembered Madam Li's kindness that day. He felt it was only right to visit her during the New Year's Eve. As for his two disciples, he hadn't seen them for a year, and he missed them terribly.

(End of this chapter)