Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 32 Why didn't you praise me last time?
When Lu Jia arrived at her doorstep, the Zhang family was already making a huge fuss.

The patriarch of the Zhang family was Zhang Qi's uncle, and everyone called him Third Uncle.

The arrival of the second and third sons and their wives was already quite a sight, but with the clan chief invited as well, this matter became anything but small.

Two days ago, Zhang Qi was driven crazy by those inexplicable ledgers. When he heard that they were going to split up the business and divide the shop, his head was about to explode.

How can you demolish a shop?
How can we do big business if it's demolished?
Even if there are losses, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse!
How will they fill the deficit of the eldest son's family after the demolition?
How can we continue with the business we're currently in?

The eldest son's family was determined not to demolish it.

The second wife was convinced that the eldest son had embezzled the silver from the counter and that it had to be removed.

Besides believing that the eldest son's family was greedy for money, the third branch of the family also had its own ulterior motives.

Last night, the young master Qin with the waist tag clearly had some shady business to do, and Zhang Laosan didn't want to miss this opportunity.

He had to get his shop back as soon as possible and then hurry to find that young master Qin.

No matter what kind of deal that young master Qin was up to, as long as Zhang Laosan got his hands on it, he would have a major client from the capital! From now on, he would have connections in the capital to rely on!

After Lu Jia started stewing the meat, she stood on the wall and watched the fire from across the river. Qiu Niang and Xie Yi, on the other hand, ran straight to the Zhang family's gate.

Qin Zhou's performance last night was a great success, even a great success, which was even more exciting than she had originally planned!

The second and third brothers have both invited their third uncle, so the shop is now indisputable. If the third uncle could dissuade them, wouldn't he have persuaded them to come back when the second brothers came to invite him?
Shen Qingzhou had originally planned to arrive before dark, but Guo Yi suddenly sent him a message, so by the time he arrived at the Xie family's house, it was already completely dark.

As soon as he entered, he saw Lu Jia standing on the top of the chicken coop by the wall, practically peering into the Zhang family's courtyard.

Before he could even ask about the stewed meat, Lu Jia stood on the chicken coop and made a gesture: "Can you climb over walls?"

She knew that people who practice martial arts usually learn some obstacle-crossing skills. He was good at fighting, so he should be able to help her climb over this wall too, right?

Shen Qingzhou recalled the last time she asked Shen Qingzhou to help her climb over the wall, crossed her arms, and nodded at Shen Qingzhou on the chicken coop: "I know a little bit."

At this time, she was slightly fatter than she would be six years later, while he was slightly thinner. But as long as he wasn't carrying her through a massive army, it wouldn't be a problem.

Lu Jia then stepped aside on the chicken coop, saying, "Then come on over!"
"It's dark and windy now, take me over the wall to take a look. Don't worry, I know the layout of the Zhang family mansion like the back of my hand. As long as you do as I say, I guarantee you won't be at risk of getting caught."

Although the Zhang family mansion was large, it was still a merchant's house after all. The height of the walls and gates was limited, and the guards they hired weren't that formidable. Moreover, with the commotion in the front, seven or eight out of ten people had fled there. The loss of the backyard presented them with their opportunity.

She remembered that snowy night before she died, when the peacock assassin, dressed in a black cloak and wearing a silver mask, swept her up a high wall in a flash, like a magic trick, giving her the most shocking scene she had ever witnessed in both her lives.

The assassin's background was obviously extraordinary, and his skills must have been honed through rigorous training from a young age.

Qin Zhou was just a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person who walks the martial arts world), so naturally he couldn't be expected to be as good as that assassin.

Lu Jia only hoped that he could jump over the wall and then quietly slip her over there; that would be enough.

Shen Qingzhou stepped onto the chicken coop with one step, and then, with the second step, led her over the wall.

...Too fast!

After landing, Lu Jia was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses: "You've been hiding your true abilities all along?"

Shen Qingzhou, with his hands behind his back, leisurely gazed at the Zhang family's house wall: "How do I get there?" What's this? It's like stepping over a threshold.

He was even more impressive last time, leading her into battle, overcoming all obstacles and killing countless people, but she didn't praise him then.

"Come with me."

Lu Jia's heart was in turmoil.

She's good at fighting, gambling, and even scaling walls—she's really struck gold!
Yes, she could tell. This person from the martial arts world was definitely not an ordinary one!
From the west wing of the Zhang family's house, we passed through the donkey shed, circled around to the backyard of the Zhang family's house, and then came through the alley to the back of their main hall.

Through the window, one could see the room filled with tension, as if swords were about to be drawn.

This battle over the division of assets appears to have reached its climax.

The old rivals, He and Zhao from the second wife's family, had long been at odds, and both sides were already shouting themselves hoarse.

When Zhao married into the Zhang family, she was ostracized because of her status as the eldest daughter-in-law. The two had long since broken off relations, and Zhao had long wanted revenge. Now that things had come to this, how could she leave any room for reconciliation?

"Third Uncle has heard enough about how the eldest son has acted tonight, and it's time for him to uphold justice for us!" Zhang Laosan's voice was hoarse, indicating that he had used a lot of persuasion to get to this point.

He handed a cup of tea to his third uncle, who took it and then let out a long sigh.

Zhang Qi panicked and said, "Uncle, please don't agree! They've all been bewitched!"

Third Uncle looked at them and said, "This morning, they both showed me your accounts for the past two years. I also heard about the big scandal that happened at Yufeng. Your father didn't earn this fortune easily, so I won't comment on right or wrong. Just say that the shop has already been divided. Since they don't agree to give it to you again, your insistence on doing so is unreasonable."

"That's right! They're holding onto the shops and land and refusing to return them; they're seizing our family's wealth!"

Zhang Laosan said.

Zhang Qi and He Shi glared at them, looking like red-eyed chickens, finally deflated.

Zhang Qi said, "The shop's accounts are complicated and can't be dismantled just like that. At least we need to summarize the existing accounts first!"

“Then let’s draw up the division agreement tonight, and sit down to settle the accounts tomorrow. Once the accounts are clear, we will divide the assets immediately.”

Zhang Lao Er covered the teacup.

Zhang Qi had no choice but to send someone to fetch pen and ink.

With the third uncle as witness, four copies of the document were made, and each person signed and sealed them.

This farce has finally come to a temporary end.

After everyone left, Zhang Qi was still filled with resentment and stormed back to his room.

Lu Jia waved to Shen Qingzhou and then quietly went to the window of their main room to eavesdrop.

Just as he hid, Madam He hurried in, turned around, slammed the door shut, and began to berate him:
"Those two brothers are really reaping the benefits and still acting innocent! Back when the old lady was afraid the old man would give all the family property to his daughter and son-in-law, she secretly transferred public property to her private property. We did all of that, but didn't those two benefit? Those two scoundrels, they've been blinded by greed!"

Lu Jiayuan had only come to see a joke, but upon hearing this, it was as if he had been hit by a boomerang, and his back immediately stiffened!

(End of this chapter)