Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Before Uncle Shen could reply, someone next to him said sourly:

"You call that training? People who train have strength and skin as firm as cowhide. They can carry a 500-pound bluestone with ease."

Hearing this, Li felt a little uncomfortable and wanted to refute it, but she saw that Uncle Shen was also shaking his head:

"It's tough... I've heard that wealthy families who practice martial arts receive monthly supplements equivalent to several years' worth of our food. Even the cheapest medicinal bath costs at least one tael of silver per session, one tael per session..."

"Xiao Ci didn't mention any of that, she only said that there wasn't enough time."

Li frowned, thinking to herself that Ye Ci always said the people at the martial arts school were good, that he had many friends, and that he had a master to help him with his martial arts training.

Over there, the argument between Aunt Wang and Aunt Li escalated, attracting more onlookers.

"If your son can't master it, neither can your grandson, and neither can your grandson's grandson..."

"At least I have a son! You've had three daughters, and if you have another one... you'll be full of daughters..."

Li silently lowered her head and pulled her stall further inside, afraid that the bamboo baskets would be trampled by onlookers and the products would be ruined and unsellable.

"grandmother."

Hearing the voice, she looked up abruptly and saw Ye Ci standing in front of her.

"Why are you here?"

She originally wanted to scold Ye Ci for not practicing martial arts at the martial arts school and instead wasting her time here... but she swallowed the words back.

"Grandma, let's pack up and go home. We'll move to the county town today."

"Huh? Where to?"

The amount of information was so overwhelming that Li's eyes widened like saucers, and she couldn't process it for a long time.

Uncle Shen, who was standing nearby, hadn't left yet. He heard everything clearly and subconsciously said:

"Are you moving to the city?"

He subconsciously didn't quite believe it.

"Uncle Shen."

Ye Ci recognized the neighboring stall; they had been there for many years, so he greeted them and then said to Li Shi:

"Brother Jiang has already called the carriages, let's hurry up. Old Chen, the driver, is still waiting outside the market. It's inconvenient for the moving carriages to come in. The accommodations are quite nice, right near the Ping An Escort Agency, so we can look out for each other if needed."

Li was stunned for a long time, as if in a dream, and asked:

"How much is the rent?"

There is no rent.

Ye Ci replied, "Senior Brother Jiang said he'd let me stay for a while. If I become a full-time bodyguard, I'll be able to buy a house very soon."

He spoke softly, but his voice still attracted a lot of attention.

"Just staying for a few days for free..."

Uncle Shen, standing nearby, stared wide-eyed, thinking he had misheard. Suddenly realizing something, he quickly asked:

"Ye Ci, did you develop some martial arts skills? Is that why wealthy families are sponsoring you?"

"I've reached the level of Ming Jin..."

"What is Mingjin?" Li asked, puzzled.

"My God!!!"

Uncle Shen suddenly raised his voice, almost startling Ye Ci. He heard him shout loudly and strode forward to help Li Shi tidy up the stall.

"Wow, my nephew's really done! He's really made it in martial arts!"

He said this to those around him, with a sense of pride in being the first to discover it.

"Let me help you pack... Oh, old lady! You're really lucky! We won't see each other again..."

Ye Ci felt that the sentence was somewhat grammatically incorrect.

"What have you mastered?"

Those around them then realized what was happening.

The surroundings fell silent for a few moments, then countless people gathered around.

That's how it is in the market; as soon as something interesting comes up, everyone gathers around.

Aunt Wang and Aunt Li were arguing and almost came to blows, but in the blink of an eye, no one was around.

Many people surrounded Li's stall, asking him a barrage of questions.

Uncle Shen then acted as the mouth double.

"Ye Ci has succeeded in his training, and someone is sponsoring his family to move his aunt to the county."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true. They gave him a house to live in for free. He's the young head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of the Ping An Escort Agency."

"Young镖头 (Young Master of Escorts)? The Jiang family?"

Aunt Wang rushed over and asked Li, "Is your grandson going to work for the Jiang family?"

"Do you know the Chiang family?"

Ye Ci didn't know much about Ping An Escort Agency, so he asked casually.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Wang quickly replied, "That's a well-established brand in the county, with so many years of history, everyone knows it!"

Ye Ci nodded and said, "Jiang Ding'an is my senior brother."

"Hey, Jiang Ding'an! The one who won the county martial arts competition one year, the one who took on several opponents at once... That's right, I've heard my brother mention that name often!"

After demonstrating her knowledge, Aunt Wang slapped her thigh and asked Ye Ci:

"I know a bit about martial arts. What's your skill level now? How far have you progressed?"

"Ming Jin"

"My God! You've mastered the Ming Jin technique! You won't be an ordinary handyman in the Jiang family! You'll be earning a lot of money every month."

Aunt Wang quickly stepped forward, grabbed Li, and said:

"Come, come, you're about to go into town, let me get you some clothes so you can look presentable..."

"Oh, how can that be..." Mrs. Li quickly refused.

"Auntie, have some dates."

"Here are some sunflower seeds for you to take with you on the road..."

Everyone clearly heard "Ming Jin" and received confirmation from Aunt Wang, so they all gathered around.

Li was in a panic, like a leaf falling in a storm. Mu Mu was like a little chick, jostled and confused, her face full of bewilderment.

Aunt Li, who was standing nearby, brought over two pairs of new shoes to give to Mrs. Li.

Other vendors also brought their own fruits and snacks.

They weren't familiar with Ye Ci and knew they couldn't curry favor with him, but since Li was an acquaintance, they quickly tried to get on his good side.

In case someone in the family moves to the city in the future, at least there will be someone to look after them.

With Uncle Shen's help, Ye Ci packed up his stall, hung his bamboo basket and straw sandals on the carrying pole, and finally added a pile of fruits and snacks before squeezing out of the crowd.

"Xiao Ci... what is Ming Jin?"

Having finally escaped the crowd, Li asked about Ye Ci.

Ye Ci then briefly explained, which made Li Shi overjoyed, her old face crinkling with smiles.

"That's impressive! He's stronger than most martial artists, isn't he? My Xiao Ci is truly remarkable!"

"By the way, are we really moving to the county seat? And we really won't have to pay rent?"

"real."

"Go now? Does your second aunt know?"

"I went to tell her that the house is a bit small, but we can bring Yao Yao to the city first."

"The house is small, but we can squeeze in. After all, it's in the city. We can do odd jobs during the off-season..."

result.

When I went to my second aunt's house, she said she wouldn't go to the county, otherwise her family's fields would be taken over.

Ye Ci didn't force her, and moved to the county with Yao Yao and everyone else.

Before leaving, the shrew Wu next door gave him a piece of the gift, and he seemed a little reluctant to part with it.

The streets paved with blue bricks were much smoother than the dirt roads in the village. Although the new house was not spacious, it was clean and bright, enough for a family to live in.

My second aunt also helped with the move, tidying up the house inside and out. She had now officially become a resident of the county and kept saying, "It will be much easier to visit you in the city now."

After everything was settled, just as Ye Ci was busy wiping the tables and chairs, there was a knock at the door. When he opened the door, he saw two men from the escort agency carrying rice, flour, oil, salt, and two brand-new cotton quilts on their shoulders. They said that Senior Brother Jiang had specially arranged for these household items to be delivered.

Ye Ci quickly thanked them, and only after seeing the two off did he truly breathe a sigh of relief.

Although Senior Brother Jiang is a foul-mouthed person, he is a really good person.

As for the martial arts school, I've finally become an inner disciple and can learn fighting techniques from Master Yang.