Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 59 Amulet

A man stepped forward timidly, bowed deeply, and said, "Your Majesty, I am guilty!"

As he spoke, he knelt down.

Guo Yi recognized the man: "County Magistrate He?"

He Qing looked up and cupped his hands in greeting: "It is indeed your humble servant."

Guo Yi raised an eyebrow: "I remember now. You and Zhang Qi have a good personal relationship."

"Please forgive me, Your Excellency!" He Qing prostrated himself on the ground. "I was confused for a moment and was bewitched by that flag. I obtained some of his money, all of which is here. I haven't touched a single penny. Please take a look, Your Excellency!"

He pulled out a bulging bundle from behind him, along with an account book.

Guo Yi took it and flipped through it, then looked at the top of his head: "Is there any more?"

"They are all here! If even a single penny is hidden, I am willing to accept any punishment!"

Guo Yi paused for a moment, glanced at the inner courtyard behind him, closed the ledger, and said, "I will thoroughly investigate everyone in the entire yamen. Whether your story is true or not will be determined. You may leave now!"

After He Qing bowed and withdrew, he handed the items to the attendant behind him: "Let the young master take a look first."

The attendant peeked out and said, "The young master is not here."

Guo Yi clicked his tongue: "Out again?!"

……

As soon as Shen Qingzhou arrived outside the Xie family's gate, he smelled the rich aroma of meat wafting from inside the courtyard.

The door was ajar, and he stepped right in. He immediately saw Lu Jia and Qiu Niang busy in the kitchen, Xie Yi chopping wood in the yard, and he was arguing with Lu Jia through the window.

"I can't stand that old scholar's pedantic air, always spouting classical phrases. Our Xie family has always been merchants, what kind of education did I go to study?"

"Just because you're a merchant doesn't mean you can't study? You only eat rice and don't eat vegetables? If you keep nagging me, you can stay at the old scholar's house and never come back!"

Lu Jia slammed the basin down in the kitchen.

A little yellow dog had appeared in the yard at some point, and when it saw Shen Qingzhou at the door, it barked in a soft, babyish voice.

"Brother Qin!"

Xie Yi seemed to have seen a savior and rushed over, dropping his wood-chopping knife.

Shen Qingzhou entered the courtyard, and Lu Jia and Qiu Niang also came out.

"You've come at just the right time. We've stewed lotus root and pig's feet, and we also have fresh fish today. It'll be delicious cooked together in one pot."

Shen Qingzhou said, "There's no need to be so polite."

“You are now a great benefactor to our Xie family, so we should be as polite as possible.” Lu Jia smiled. She poured him a cup of tea and then said in a serious tone, “Yanglu tea from Shawan, pre-Qingming tea! Please, esteemed guest.”

After she finished speaking, she moved two bamboo chairs and placed them under the tree in the yard.

Summer has arrived, and the weather is no longer cold, so I sent him to sit in the yard.

Shen Qingzhou took a look and saw that it was indeed a cluster of tender green buds, no longer the thick tea sticks that were like old tree bark.

He said, "You're living a comfortable life now."

A red mark the size of a coin appeared on her forehead. Summer is here, and it seems there are more mosquitoes now.

Lu Jia chuckled: "Thanks to you, Young Master Qin! Don't worry, as long as I have meat to eat, I'll never just let you have soup!"

After saying that, she gracefully turned and went back to the kitchen.

Even after being cooked in Xie's hot pot, it's still spicy.

But Shen Qingzhou also found the food quite palatable.

He calmly and slowly drank three bowls.

By the time I put down my rice bowl, it was already completely dark outside.

Lu Jia called Qiu Niang and Xie Yi, and they went out together to take care of some business.

Apart from the deeds to the houses and land, the Zhang family's assets were mostly in the form of banknotes, with only a few hundred taels of silver in cash.

Lu Jia loaded them all onto the hired carriage and then drove to another bank, where he converted them all into banknotes and deposited them. In the end, even the banknotes filled a large box.

Back home, Qiu Niang asked Xie Yi to brew tea and bring it over, while Lu Jia led Shen Qingzhou into the house to pay him.

Watching Lu Jia happily counting her silver notes under the lamp, Shen Qingzhou was a little curious about how she planned to handle the money. "What are your plans next?"

"Of course, we should open a shop and keep making money!"

Lu Jia pulled out a stack of silver notes and pushed them in front of him. "These are yours. Keep them safe."

Shen Qingzhou counted them, and was quite surprised: "So many?"

"Of course! This couldn't be done without you," Lu Jia said with relief. "You absolutely mustn't refuse!"

Shen Qingzhou had no intention of refusing.

She's a rich woman now. Since she's a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person who lives on the edge of a knife and blood) who makes a living by risking her life, it wouldn't be right not to make a lot of money after pulling off such a big heist.

He asked, "Why do you insist on opening your own shop?"

With these tens of thousands of taels of silver, they should have had enough to live on. They could easily rent out the shops they owned.

"Because we have to think about the Xie family."

Xie Yi, carrying two cups of tea, had just walked to the window when he heard this and immediately stopped.

Lu Jia locked all the banknotes back into the box: "The future of the Xie family rests on Yi Ge'er's shoulders."

"He doesn't have to be a big merchant, and he can live his whole life without expanding, but he must have the ability to protect his family business."

"I opened the shop so that he could gain experience in advance."

Lu Jia didn't have much time left. The Jiang family already knew she was in Tanzhou and might come looking for her at any time.

Lu Jia didn't want to be so passive. No matter how tight the time was, she would do her best to help Xie Yi.

"This kid isn't stupid; he's quite quick-witted and decisive. He's a bit hot-tempered, but he doesn't act recklessly. Besides, he's just a teenager, and he's had such hateful relatives like the Zhang family, so it's normal for him to have a bit of temper."

"And most importantly, he was kind-hearted."

"He just lacks a bit of skill."

"It would be such a pity if he didn't have a good ending in his life."

Xie Yi, standing by the window, stared blankly at her in the lamplight, silently gripping the bamboo tray tightly.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingzhou, sitting opposite Lu Jia, was also feeling a pang in her heart.

Lu Jia sat with her eyes half-closed, her face calm. Her fingertips twirled a half-embroidered tassel on the table, her gaze still peering through the window towards the kitchen. Her words just now clearly reflected the fate of the Xie family mother and son in her previous life, yet they seemed like completely unintentional remarks.

He calmed his emotions.

He realized he had been too impatient.

He was fortunate enough to come back to life; it must be that God didn't want the Yan family to continue to wreak havoc on the world and gave him another chance.

While her death in her previous life was indeed tragic, she was merely a weak woman and shouldn't have had to bear such a dangerous responsibility. She had already suffered enough in her past life; why should she suffer again upon returning?
In this life, she should stay away from people like herself and live a peaceful and stable life.

As the night deepened, Shen Qingzhou's heart grew colder.

He stood up and said calmly, "I'm leaving."

Lu Jia, who was lost in thought, paused and stood up as well.

The tassel in her hand was pulled to the ground, and a bright red cotton pouch fell with a thud in front of Shen Qingzhou.

Shen Qingzhou picked it up and found that there was something inside, but it still smelled a bit like incense ash.

"Oh! I almost forgot!"

Lu Jia's face brightened again. She took the pouch, pulled out a silk thread from the opening, and deftly slipped it onto his wrist: "This is a talisman I got for you!"

"Wear it, and you'll get better soon!"

(End of this chapter)