Promise!

Chapter 93, Divestment

Zhuang Jin stopped the maidservant whom Chen Yun had asked to pawn her jewelry and asked, "Yunniang, what is this?"

He was surprised. Was the family so short of money? Or was there something else that urgently needed money?
"Things have been a little tight at home lately, but don't worry, husband. We can still make ends meet." Chen Yun handed over the accounts.

When Zhuang Jin saw it, he immediately understood that it was his fault.

Because war merits could be exchanged for silver, but silver could not be exchanged for war merits, he did not exchange his war merits, intending to exchange them temporarily when needed. As a result, the amount of silver that actually came into his home was not much.

The money in the family: the down payment of fifty taels for Chang He and Tong to buy Shuluo Pills, the wedding money, the basic monthly allowance and errand money for the past two or three months, and the apology money sent by Zhang Zigao and Huang Chuanhe this month, all together amounted to no more than one hundred and thirty taels.

This amount of money seems to be a lot, and it is definitely a huge sum for ordinary families in the capital city. They basically have to sell their houses and properties to get it together, but for Zhuang Jin now?
To date, he has accumulated 80% of the Five Classics realm. This is certainly not something that came out of thin air, but there is a considerable expenditure behind it.

At the Four Classics level, two sets of Black Yuan Powder are required per day; at the Five Classics level, three sets of Black Yuan Powder are required per day. This is only based on the standard of five hours a day, but Zhuang Jin's actual daily training time exceeds six hours. In addition, there is the acceleration of exotic beast meat, which accelerates the Four Classics by 50% and the Five Classics by 30%. The consumption of Black Yuan Powder also increases by the same amount.

Starting from the tenth day of May, Zhuang Jin put his focus back on his cultivation. It has been nearly three months since then, and during this period he has spent one hundred and forty to fifty taels of silver on Black Yuan Powder alone, not to mention various daily expenses. Isn't this a financial deficit?
Even so, Chen Yun still had to be frugal and sell some of her dowry jewelry to make up for the loss.

"correct,"

Zhuang Jin discovered a blind spot and mentioned that the Shuluo Pills awarded in May were sold to Chang Hetong in installments for 600 taels. He asked, "Hasn't the other party sent the installment money in the past two months?"

Chen Yun thought carefully and confirmed that there was nothing wrong before she said, "I don't know about this matter, and I certainly didn't see Manager Chang send anyone to deliver any money."

Zhuang Jin fell silent after hearing this.

If you say that his potential has been exhausted, the other party may indeed remain silent, but now that it is still growing rapidly, the other party's behavior is tantamount to investing in a hot stock in the angel round and then withdrawing the capital in the second round.

"After Chang Hetong broke through the four classics, he was short of money, so he suspended the installment payment? Based on my understanding of this person, even if that was the case, he would at least tell me."

"However, people change and we can't look at them with the same old perspective. Or perhaps there are other reasons."

Zhuang Jin didn't care about all this and only looked at the facts. What he saw was that the subsequent installments of Chang Hetong had not been delivered, and there had been no explanation so far.

"Husband, is there any misunderstanding in this matter? Why don't you go and ask about it?" Chen Yun asked.

Zhuang Jin considered it for a moment: "If I go, he'll think I'm desperate for money... He's done me some favors, so I'll just give him some face and see what he does next!"

Chang Hetong is not a fool. Whether it is a real "withdrawal of investment" or an omission, it represents a change in the other party's mentality. If they really come to the door, they will tear off the last layer of fig leaf.

"I still have over 200 military merits left in my account. I'll be heading north next month, and with the intensity of the war right now, I won't be short of them... However, I won't be so generous as to give away over 500 taels."

Simply put, Zhuang Jin is not short of money for the time being, and considering the relationship, he is not in a hurry to collect the money. He gives the other party a decent face and hopes that the other party will be self-aware. However, if he gives face like this, if the other party really wants to... It depends on the specific situation today, and he reserves the right to collect the money later.

He owed the other party a favor, but he would not give in without any bottom line.

"Yunniang, let's not talk about this for now. If my family needs anything, I can exchange my military merits for silver. I don't need to touch your dowry jewelry."

"I know the rules for exchanging military merit for silver. It's better not to use military merit... Husband, focus on training your martial arts, and leave these trivial matters to me!"

Seeing what Zhuang Jin was about to say, Chen Yun consoled her, "My dear husband, you know I don't like wearing jewelry. Those things are just sitting there anyway, and it's a hassle to move them around. It's better to pawn them and put them to good use."

Indeed, what she wore at home was usually plain, and her shoes and clothes were basically made by herself. She preferred calligraphy and paintings and books, either for her own viewing or to decorate her room, but she would only choose those that caught her eye and were cheap, even if they were a little more expensive.

The couple are very similar in this respect. They don't care about vanity, face, or value, and only focus on practicality.

"But, Yunniang was wronged after all."

"I'm not wronged. I'm lucky to have met my husband!"

Chen Yun looked back and shook her head gently. "I used to wonder what married life would be like, but it felt like the clouds in the sky, ever-changing and shapeless... Now, being with my husband, it's like seeing flowers through the mist, taking shape... I've heard that a person's blessings in life are predetermined. I'm already extremely satisfied with my current life, and I often worry that it's too perfect and won't last."

"I truly love this kind of peace and tranquility. I really don't want my husband to risk his life for the sake of military merit and money... I can live happily with my husband, wearing simple clothes and eating simple food."

Zhuang Jin didn't know what to feel when he heard this. He secretly felt lucky. After thinking for a while, he said that he had basically decided to go to the north of the city next month.

According to Yue Song's information, the intensity of the cleanup in the north of the city this month is even worse than last month. Now all the small gangs have been basically cleared out. Because of this high-intensity war, there are many injured street guards who need to be resettled. People like him who have a shallow relationship and do not have deep roots in the Shen family will naturally have to make room.

"Don't worry, Yunniang. I'm confident we can make it to the north of the city."

Zhuang Jin has now completed 80% of his Five Classics Realm accumulation, and estimates he'll be able to break through to the Six Classics within ten days. While the intensity of the fighting in the north of the city is high, it hasn't reached the point where the wardens are engaging in a full-scale fight. At the Six Classics Realm, as long as the wardens don't make any advances, they're generally safe. "Also, I performed meritorious service in Furong Street in May, leaving some goodwill with Xing Yan, who invited me back then... Going north, I'll be assigned to his staff, who values ​​me and knows me well, so it's relatively safer... Now that the situation has changed, the rules have also changed. The General Affairs Department is only assigned to the wards, and the specific streets are determined by the wardens themselves. According to the rules of Xing, the wardens choose streets based on their strength. Now that I'm at the Five Classics Realm, I can choose some of the safer streets within the inner city, away from the Medicine King Gang."

'Finally, I still have my core team.'

Last month, Lin Hong had already broken through the three classics, and this month Bi Kai also broke through the three classics, as well as Qian Wende, Wu Hao, and other people in the small circle.

The difference between the core team and the non-confidants can be seen in the following examples: Lin Hong, Bi Kai, and Zhang Zigao, Huang Chuanhe, and others from Yaotian. If they were like the latter in the north of the city, with their superficial but insincere relationship and suspicion between the upper and lower levels, missing an opportunity would be a minor matter, but in special circumstances, it could be fatal.

"It takes three to make a fence, and it takes three to make a hero. For warriors of the fourth and fifth classics, those above them are more powerful than those below them. Warriors below the fourth classics are basically no threat. However, if they interfere with you in a battle of the same level, it will be fatal."

However, if one has one's own trusted team, who are trustworthy and can carry out orders as easily as if they were his own arm, this situation can be avoided to a great extent. This was the reason why Duan Tao warned Zhuang Jinchu when he went to the north of the city.

"Taking all these factors into consideration, the risks of heading north are still manageable," Zhuang Jin thought to himself.

Seeing Zhuang Jin's preparedness, Chen Yun nodded gently, "Since my husband has made a decision, I will naturally support him... You can continue your martial arts training and pack up your things. I will take care of all the trivial matters!"

……

Chang family.

Chang Hetong asked his youngest son, Chang Kaijie, "Have you delivered this month's installment payment for Shuluo Pills to Zhuang Sheng?"

He has three sons. The eldest son, Chang Kaiheng, is a warrior and is now at the second level of the realm of martial arts. He works for the Shen family. The second son, Chang Kaizhan, does not have good aptitude in martial arts, but he is smart and manages some of the family businesses. Only the youngest son, Chang Kaijie, is not good at either literature or martial arts, which makes him most worried.

Therefore, when Zhuang Jin got married last month, Chang Hetong brought his youngest son to the wedding. Later, when delivering the installment money for Shuluo Pills, he also asked Chang Kaijie to go, just to get acquainted with Zhuang Jin and continue this relationship in the future.

"It has been delivered a long time ago." Chang Kaijie agreed. Although he said so, he actually kept it for himself.

Dad Chang Hetong bought the Shuluo Pill with a down payment of fifty taels, and then drew on the family's liquid funds. After breaking through the fourth meridian, there was another period of rapid progress in refining the Black Yuan Powder, which required even more money.

Therefore, in the past two months, the Chang family has not only been living frugally, but their quality of life has also declined. They are living a tight life. How can Chang Kaijie live a hard life? Naturally, he has to make up for it from other places and intercepted the silver money he was asked to send.

"That's good. When you go to see Zhuang Sheng, be sweet-talking and behave as an elder... You must maintain this friendship, it will benefit you in the future..." Chang Hetong advised.

When Chang Kaijie heard this, thinking of Zhuang Jin's age and the rumors outside, he said indignantly, "If it weren't for your help, how could Zhuang Jin be where he is today? Do I have to humble myself so much to please him? If Zhuang Jin really had a conscience, he would come to our house and visit us on his own initiative. Why does he want us to maintain a relationship with him?"

"Nonsense! Where did you hear that?" Chang Hetong glared at him angrily.

Chang Kaijie shrank his neck in fear: "That's what people say outside..."

It turned out that Zhuang Jin had given Chang Hetong the Shuluo Pill largely out of favor. After the news got out, people outside spread rumors and exaggerated the story. There was a rumor that said, "If it weren't for the great favor, how could Zhuang Jin give Chang Hetong the Shuluo Pill, which cost 600 military merits and required a long queue to pre-order, for 600 taels of silver in installments."

Zhuang Jin had heard something about this, but he didn't care; Chang Hetong had also heard about it and explained it many times, but the more he explained, the worse it got. People just thought you were deliberately hiding it, and he had no choice but to ignore it and deal with it coldly.

But he didn't expect that the ridiculous rumors spread by outsiders would actually deceive his own son.

Chang Hetong was also involved, so he naturally knew everything. After explaining the situation between himself and Zhuang Jin, he said, "Actually, my friendship with Zhuang Sheng isn't that deep. Some of the favors I've shown you were actually initiated by your father..."

"It's that Shuluo Pill. Zhuang Sheng gave it to me out of gratitude, to give your father face... He's so talented, and so grateful. Where can you find such a person? Meeting one is a great blessing, so you must seize it and maintain it..."

He looked at his youngest son and spoke earnestly, "I'm not worried about your elder and second brothers. It's just you. You're not up to anything, so I have to think more about you... As for Zhuang Sheng's relationship, if you can handle it, and if nothing serious happens, you'll benefit from it for the rest of your life."

"Dad, I know!"

Chang Kaijie acted as sincerely as he did in the past when he tried to coax money from his father. He acted like a "good son", but after hearing this, he still had no intention of giving the money to him.

"If Zhuang Jin really comes looking for me, I can give him the money later. If he doesn't come looking for me, then it means he doesn't need the money for the time being, so there's no need to give him the money. I might as well use it first and then pay him when I have more money in the future..."

What he didn't understand was that Zhuang Jin didn't need it and he didn't give it to her were two completely different things.

"Besides, who knows, he might forget about the money if things get too slow. I heard that Zhuang Jin has already mastered the Five Classics, and in the future, the Six Classics won't be a problem. I'm afraid he'll even master the Seven Classics. By then, this little money will be nothing to him. Even if he remembers it, he probably won't come to ask for it."

Chang Kaijie had a beautiful idea and thought he was smart, thinking to himself with pride.

……

(End of this chapter)