I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 353 The Fourth Master of the Shao Family, the Change of Generations

During the visit to the workshop, Xu Qing felt that Wang Jia's younger sister had changed in some way. She seemed more poised and confident than before, and when she spoke to him, she acted like an old friend she had known for many years, without any restraint.

Upon leaving the workshop, Xu Qingshan found that his River Map contained tens of thousands of incense sticks and candles, and the various paper money and paper used for paper offerings in the Underworld River had been replenished.

“This girl is indeed capable. Even if her brother really doesn’t come looking for her, she will probably live a very good life.”

Looking at the scene before him, which had become the largest incense and paper workshop in Tianjin, Xu Qing felt deeply moved. Wang Yue'e could now truly be called a strong woman.

Just as Xu Qing was feeling sentimental, a dispute suddenly broke out outside the workshop:
"Fourth Master, this old servant has served you for ten years, and has been utterly loyal. How can you bear to send this servant away? Fourth Master, listen carefully. Back when I was being plotted against by Feng Dehai, it was you who spoke up and saved my life. You have done me a great favor, and this old servant is determined to follow you for the rest of my life. If you insist on forcing this servant to leave, I will jump into the Baisha River right now!"

A strange yet familiar hoarse voice rang out. Xu Qing glanced to the side and saw a servant dressed like an ordinary person arguing with his master.

"Brother Zhang, what's going on?"

Although the man before him was nearly fifty years old and had gray hair at his temples, Xu Qing still recognized him as Zhang Jun, the constable Zhang, who had desperately sought Miss Shuyu at the Shuhuang Pavilion years ago but failed to win her over.

Na Shuyu later joined the Tianxin Sect and went to the Prince's mansion to participate in the assassination of Prince Changting. Zhang Jun discovered this and tried to dissuade her, but Shuyu regarded him as an enemy instead. Fortunately, Zhang Jun realized his mistake and killed Shuyu with a heavy heart.

However, due to the trauma he suffered, he completely severed his attachment to romantic love and became a servant eunuch to the Crown Prince Zhao You.

Later, when the crown prince died, Zhang Jun became the godfather of Li Zhong, an old eunuch who served the crown prince, and became the seal-bearer of the Mirror Bureau.

When Xu Qing met Zhang Jun in Tianjin, the latter was full of vigor and wanted to take him to the palace to become a eunuch, but Xu Qing refused.

He never heard from Zhang Jun again after that.

However, Xu Qing could guess that with the death of the old Crown Prince Zhao You and the ascension of the new Crown Prince Zhao Rong, he would definitely purge those who had been around the former Crown Prince.

Zhang Jun may seem glamorous, but in reality, he is on the edge of a precipice, and could fall into an abyss of no return at any moment.

Xu Qingyuan didn't intend to persuade the other party, but when Zhang Jun gave him the two golden carp, he still offered a few words of advice.

Now, more than a decade later, the two meet again, but dynasties have changed.
When Zhang Jun saw Xu Qing for the first time, he was stunned and couldn't come back to his senses for a long time.

"Brother Xu?"

Xu Qing cupped his hands and smiled, "Brother Zhang, how have you been?"

Zhang Jun forced a smile and said, "I didn't expect to meet Brother Xu here. Brother Xu, are you still doing the same business as before?"

Xu Qing nodded and said, "I don't have any special skills, so I can only do some small business to support my family."

After exchanging pleasantries, Xu Qing turned his attention to Zhang Jun's master, the playboy known as Fourth Master.

Xu Qing had never met this person in Tianjin, but he had seen him more than once in the revolving lanterns of Zhao You and Jing Xinghuang.

The other party was none other than Zhao Qi, the fourth prince of Dayong and later Prince Suizhi.

Zhao Qi suffered from mental retardation when he was around ten years old, and even after he came of age, he still couldn't do basic arithmetic. But it was precisely because of this that Zhao Qi was able to survive the struggle for the throne among his older brothers.

Even so, the former Crown Prince faction and the few who wanted to support the foolish Fourth Prince were all purged to varying degrees.

Xu Qing looked at Zhao Qi in front of him. Although the man was old, his eyes were still bright and piercing. No one could tell that he was mentally challenged.

"Who is this?"

Zhang Jun's heart tightened, and he hurriedly explained, "This is the master I followed after leaving the capital, surnamed Shao."

邵？
"Brother Zhao, my surname is Xu. I run a small business in Linjiang and I am fairly well-known. If you have time, you are welcome to come and visit me often."

Xu Qing smiled and cupped his hands in greeting to Zhao Qi, but whether intentionally or unintentionally, he pronounced "Shao" as "Zhao" when he spoke.

Zhao Qi paused, the walnuts he was playing with in his hand, and stared intently at the middle-aged man in front of him.

"You misunderstood. My surname is Shao, the Shao of the knife-edge, not Zhao."

"Oh—" Xu Qing exclaimed in realization, "So it's Brother Zhao! My apologies for not recognizing you!"

"."

Zhao Qi narrowed his eyes. At this moment, he knew perfectly well that this person had recognized him and was deliberately making fun of him!

"You ever met me?"

Zhao Qi became wary. After the current emperor captured the capital, he fled the capital with Zhang Jun, the only person loyal to him, and hid in an ordinary family's home. They lived in Linjiang County for ten years.

The reason he chose to settle in Linjiang County was because Zhang Jun's hometown was there. With Zhang Jun, who was familiar with the local customs and culture, there was no problem going to an unfamiliar place.

Over the past decade, Zhao Qi has undergone tremendous changes. He opened a calligraphy and painting studio and spends his days like the playboys of the flower and bird market, walking his birds and playing with his dogs. He has completely integrated into the Tianjin social circle.

But I never expected that I would be recognized by someone else.

Xu Qing looked at Zhao Qi, who had escaped the capital and was living a more comfortable life than anyone else, and smiled:
"Brother Shao, do you want me to recognize you, or do you want me not to?"

Before the other party could answer, Xu Qing continued, "Zhang Jun and I are old acquaintances. He may have some shortcomings, but he is loyal and righteous. Since he has chosen to follow Brother Shao, I hope Brother Shao will not let him down."

Seeing Zhao Qi, Xu Qing seemed to see the girl Shuyu from back then again. Zhang Jun wondered if he had some special constitution, but all the people he followed were the kind of people who started relationships and then abandoned them.

Zhao Qi opened his mouth to speak, but Zhang Jun, as if protecting his master, hurriedly explained for Zhao Qi: "Brother Xu, you misunderstand. My master is just angry. He doesn't really want to send me away."

"."

Xu Qing watched Zhang Jun, who was defending Zhao Qi, without saying a word. They say it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature, and he had seen it for himself today.

"Fine, I can't be bothered with you anymore. But since we've known each other for a while, I'll give you a membership card so you won't be left alone in your old age."

Zhang Jun took the iron certificate and glanced at it; it looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

"Many people in Linjiang County know the purpose of this iron certificate. You can ask around. If you really don't know, go to the bulletin boards inside and outside the city. The purpose of the iron certificate will be written on them."

Zhang Jun looked up, about to speak, but found that Xu Qing had already turned and left.

Standing nearby, Master Shao, who was fiddling with a walnut in his hand, frowned and asked, "Is this your friend? He's a strange person."

Zhang Jun's feelings were complicated and difficult to understand. He had met many people in his life, but in the end, the only one who truly treated him like a normal person was Xu Qing.

"As for friends, besides Fourth Master, I'm afraid only Brother Xu treats me like a human being."

Master Shao raised an eyebrow and casually asked, "What kind of business does your friend run? I'll go and patronize his business sometime."

"."

Zhang Jun, standing beside Master Shao, chuckled dryly and said, "His business is rather niche, so Master Shao, you don't need to worry about it."

"What are you saying? Is there any business in Linjiang that I, Fourth Master, can't handle? Didn't he say he had some reputation in Linjiang? If you don't tell me, I'll go and inquire myself when I have time!" Seeing that he couldn't sway Fourth Master's stubbornness, Zhang Jun had no choice but to say tactfully, "Fourth Master, Brother Xu's business is on Jingxia Street. You should have heard of that place."

Jingxia Street?
Master Shao raised an eyebrow; he had heard much about this place.

When he first arrived in Tianjin, he went to listen to storytelling for the first time. Before the storyteller in the teahouse could finish speaking, he would interrupt with a ditty about how professional, considerate, and prestigious the funeral arrangements were in the Jingxia Street area.
In any case, if someone's life is filled with the hands of the Jingxia Street family, then their life is considered incomplete and lacking in something!

Master Shao initially thought the storyteller was just joking around, using Jingxia Street as a punchline to get rid of people. But after staying in Tianjin for a while, Master Shao finally realized something was amiss!

The songs of Jingxia Street were not only widely sung in teahouses, but also posted on bulletin boards in front of city gates and on empty walls next to arrest warrants.

That's not all. If you live in Tianjin for a while, you'll always see children running and jumping on the street with all sorts of free trinkets like sugar figurines and windmills, singing nursery rhymes about the underworld, with lyrics about the funeral shops on Jingxia Street.

It's said that those free trinkets were given out by the teahouse, and the lines were taught to them by the storyteller.
Master Shao, though puzzled, sensed the hidden business opportunity within.

In order to quickly establish a foothold in Tianjin, Master Shao followed suit and thought of spreading the reputation of his calligraphy and painting studio in the same way. However, the storytellers refused to accept the invitation, saying that this was a rule set by Master Dongyang. When telling someone else's story, one must follow that rule!

For this matter, Master Shao personally sought out Guo Dongyang, the legendary figure in the storytelling world.

The person didn't agree.

Furthermore, the funeral advertisements displayed on the bulletin board at the city gate and on Jingxia Street were actually authorized by the government.

Master Shao couldn't understand where a funeral shop got such a grand air!

Upon hearing the words "Jingxia Street" again, Master Shao asked incredulously, "Is that Xu the manager of the funeral parlor on Jingxia Street?"

Zhang Jun nodded: "Before I came to the capital, when I was still a yamen runner, Brother Xu was already doing this job. It must have been at least twenty years now."

Master Shao grinned and said, "We men really can't do business with him!"

"Unless I die someday."

"Pah, pah, pah! You can't say such things. Fourth Master still has a chance to live. If anyone is to die, it will be this servant who dies before him."

"Nonsense! If I die after you, who will take care of me in my final moments?"

Zhang Jun opened his mouth, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He handed the membership certificate in his arms to Master Shao and said, "This certificate is for you, Master Shao. Didn't Brother Xu say that he would take care of the funeral arrangements if you had this certificate?"

"."

Master Shao subconsciously took the iron certificate, but when he came to his senses, he threw it back to Zhang Jun and then started cursing.

"I won't use your iron certificate. You might not find it unlucky, but I certainly will! Even if I were to kick the bucket one day, I wouldn't need your favor!"

The master and servant bickered as they entered the workshop on Changdeng Street. Master Shao ran a calligraphy and painting shop, and he purchased his daily sustenance, incense, and various types of paper from Boss Wang.
Flower and Bird Street, North Gate Alley.

Xu Qing strolled along, not forgetting to buy a fruit basket and a bag of rice weevils, which the local geeks used to feed their chickens and birds.

This insect is very expensive. It usually eats tree heartwood. The reason why it is called "rice-fighting insect" in the hobby circle is because one dou (a unit of dry measure) of rice can only be exchanged for one insect. It can be said to be a fine feed specially made for those precious birds.

This is also why Xu Qing was unwilling to feed the golden luan in the first place.

Insects at the Tianjin flower and bird market are more expensive than grain!

Arriving at Beimen Hutong, Xu Qing, familiar with the place, arrived at the residence where Master Feng lived.

Give your name and the doorman will inform him.

Before long, a middle-aged butler, about the same age as Xu Qing, came out to greet them.

"Mr. Xu, please come inside!"

Xu Qing noticed that the other person's features looked familiar and couldn't help but ask, "Who is Butler He to you?"

The butler hurriedly replied, "Sir, you must be referring to my father. He passed away several years ago, and I am now the butler here."

Xu Qing remained silent. In just a few years, many of the people he had met in the past were no longer alive. What if a hundred years or so passed?
Before Xu Qing even reached the front hall, after passing the screen wall, a sprightly old man with white hair came forward to greet him.

"Brother Xu, it really is Brother Xu! I've missed you so much!"

"How is Master Feng doing these days?"

"Great! Excellent!"

With a ruddy complexion, Master Feng said, "Thanks to the health regimen you taught me, I feel younger and younger these past few years!"

Xu Qing rarely smiled. This timid Second Master Feng actually listened to him and was much stronger than the average young man.

However, it's not accurate to say that he gets younger as he lives. Xu Qing's pills only help Master Feng avoid being troubled by diseases within his limited lifespan and enhance some physical functions, nothing more.

Xu Qing followed Master Feng through the corridor. Before they had gone far, they bumped into a boy of about seventeen or eighteen carrying a birdcage and walnuts, shouting and yelling as he walked out.

When Master Feng saw the young man with two or three servants, about to go out again, he immediately frowned and said:
"Xiaosheng, why aren't you coming over here to greet your Uncle Xu? Don't you have any manners at all!"

Master Feng was an elderly man who had a young son, whom he cherished dearly.

Feng Xiaosheng had never seen Old Deng's face darken before. Today, he was suddenly glared at, and his heart immediately panicked. Could it be that the old man had discovered him when he went to Chunxiang Pavilion the day before yesterday?

No, when he did these things, did he ever do them behind the old man's back? Visiting brothels, playing with crickets, walking birds, and dog fighting—he did it all openly and honestly!
Feng Xiaosheng was always running around, and his little brain was so sharp. He could tell just by looking at Feng Erye's expression and combining it with the fact that his father often mentioned Brother Xu.

Although they had never met before, Feng Xiaosheng still managed to figure out the situation.

Hey! It's my uncle back!
"Nephew greets Uncle Xu!"

Without saying a word, Feng Xiaosheng put down the birdcage, put away the walnuts, knelt down in front of Xu Qing, and kowtowed loudly.

"."

Xu Qing was caught off guard. He quickly stepped forward to help him up, while glancing at Master Feng.

This child is so polite!
Master Feng was completely bewildered. How could this child, who was so defiant of everyone, bow down and pay homage to Brother Xu the moment he saw him?

"Good child, you have a truly unique appearance, with a nose and eyes!"

Xu Qing originally wanted to praise Feng Xiaosheng for his handsome appearance, but after seeing the other man's face, he was unwilling to say such a thing against his conscience.

With its mismatched eyes, upturned nose, and every tooth that seemed to have its own thoughts when it opened its mouth, Xu Qing, at a loss for words, was truly speechless.

They managed to help the child up, then checked their pockets and slipped the child a small denomination silver note from the Dayong era, which was enough to get away with it.

(End of this chapter)