From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 32 Stability
Xunmei's residence was right next to the parade ground, in a simple courtyard with two rooms.

The parade ground area is located outside the palace. It is not far from the stables and is convenient for entering and exiting.

The room had been tidied. Meng Yuan left Zhao Datou and Old Man Jiang to talk, while he took Jiang Tang with him to go out and buy things.

The palace provides food and accommodation, but Meng Yuan now has higher requirements for food, so he plans to set up a small kitchen.

You don’t have to cook every meal, but at least have one meal every day.

Besides, Mr. Jiang is not in good health and needs to take medicine to recuperate, and the little girl also needs to eat something good.

In addition to purchasing pots, pans, and bedding, Meng Yuan also bought ten pounds of mutton and half a pound of sesame candy, as well as some dried fruits.

"Today is also a happy day for us to move to a new house. Uncle Big Head and Tie Niu are here, as well as two new friends. Let's have some good food at home." Meng Yuan pinched a piece of sesame candy from the oil paper bag and stuffed it into Jiang Tang's mouth, asking, "Is it delicious?"

"Delicious!" Jiang Tang chewed it gently, and her big round eyes lit up. She asked with satisfaction, "Brother, what is the joy of moving to a new house?"

"It's just moving." Meng Yuan stuffed the paper bag into Jiang Tang's hand and tapped her forehead. "Read and learn to read with me tonight."

As he spoke, Meng Yuan became determined and went to buy writing brushes, inkstones, and several collections of literary texts for children to read.

After returning to his residence, he tidied up a bit, cooked mutton, and then called Zhao Tieniu, Wu Changsheng and Hu Qian.

Zhao Datou saw that Hu Qian was pretty and tall, and came from a good family. She was obviously a lady. He used to be very eloquent, but now that he met an important person, he was very polite and toasted her humbly.

"Miss Hu, my son Tie Niu is stupid and can't speak, so please take care of him. If you know a suitable girl, please pay more attention to her. We don't care about her background or appearance, as long as we can live a stable life." Zhao Datou smiled apologetically.

Now that Tie Niu has found a place to learn martial arts and has no worries about food and drink, Zhao Datou has no desires and only wants to arrange a marriage for Tie Niu as soon as possible.

This is the case for all poor people. When they are young, they worry about getting married and having children. When they are old, they worry about their children’s marriage. They worry about it all their lives.

This goes on from generation to generation until one generation can no longer survive and the bloodline is cut off, and then there is no need to worry anymore.

Hu Qian was a polite person, and she didn't look down on the peasant at all. She just said, "I'll keep an eye out for him."

After cooking ten pounds of mutton, only seven or eight pounds were left, and a group of people sat around and started eating.

Chive sauce is the most delicious with lamb, but it has a slightly spicy taste. Hu Qian took a few bites, and seeing that everyone was uncomfortable with her being there, she said she wanted to go back to do the laundry and then said goodbye.

After Hu Qian left, Zhao Datou finally felt more at ease, and Wu Changsheng dared to eat meat with big mouthfuls.

"Xiao Meng is sensible and capable. How could Teacher Nie not like Xiao Meng? And he even let him be your leader? Come on, Brother Wu, I'll toast you a glass. Please also help worry about Tie Niu's marriage."

"Big Head Uncle, fuck!"

The two of them chatted endlessly, but Meng Yuan didn't say much. He just focused on eating with Tie Niu.

Wu Changsheng and Zhao Tieniu have been reminded by Meng Yuan that they are not allowed to mention fighting or going out on business.

After a long time of fussing, the mutton was finished. After chatting for a while and sending Tie Niu and Wu Changsheng away, Meng Yuan came to Jiang Tang's room and taught her how to read.

"Brother, you and grandpa both have jobs, what should I do?" Jiang Tang asked while writing his own name.

"Let's wait and see." Meng Yuan hadn't made up his mind yet. He planned to let the girl read books and learn to read at home for the time being and make arrangements later.

Of course, if there was a job to be arranged, Mei would be the one to be found. But Meng Yuan didn't want this girl to do the job of serving tea and water. Anyway, he had money now, so he would just keep her.

On the second day, after seeing off Zhao Datou, Meng Yuan took Grandpa Jiang and his grandson to the clinic for treatment.

When we arrived at the place, we saw many people waiting there, and the doctor was taking their pulses inside.

This clinic is called Jimin Clinic. It was introduced by Hu Qian, who said it was very famous and that her mother came here every month to check Ping An's pulse.

Meng Yuan had experience dealing with wine-selling scammers, so he liked to ask about the price first, so he directly pulled an apprentice to ask for the price.

"The consultation fee is five taels, and the prescription and medicinal materials are charged separately. The fee depends on the distance of the consultation. Ten taels for the South City, twenty taels for the North City, and an extra fee for rainy or snowy days. The fee is doubled for consultations in the middle of the night. No credit is accepted." said the apprentice.

"Five taels just for taking the pulse and diagnosing patients?" Meng Yuan even wanted to change his career.

Yesterday I bought wine, meat, and various things, including pens, ink, paper, and inkstone, which are very expensive. I have spent more than eight taels, and only have twenty-one taels left.

But since I'm here, it doesn't matter if it's more expensive. Money is borrowed, not saved.

After waiting for more than half an hour, it was finally Mr. Jiang's turn.

The three of them went in together and saw that the doctor was an old man with a white beard. He looked like an immortal and he looked trustworthy.

"You suffered a lot when you were young, and you've injured your body recently. Now that you're old, it's normal for you to have a lot of problems. Go back and don't do any heavy or tiring work. I'll prescribe some medicine for you to regulate your body." The old doctor quickly wrote out the prescription, very efficiently.

Meng Yuan thought, since he was already here and had spent the money, he might as well let someone feel his pulse.

"The pulse is strong and vigorous, and the blood is vigorous. It's not a bad thing to strengthen your muscles and bones when you are young. Well, you should get married as soon as possible to cool down your temper." The old doctor made a diagnosis. Then it was Jiang Tang again.

"There's nothing wrong with the little girl, she's just a little thin. It looks like she's been hungry, otherwise her menstruation would have come long ago. Go back and eat more good food and talk more with your aunts and sisters-in-law." The old doctor was old, but he was not shy about talking about gynecology and said whatever he had to say.

Seeing that what the other person said was not wrong, Meng Yuan thought that the other person was indeed capable, so he quickly thanked him sincerely.

I went out to get the medicine, and together with the consultation fee, it cost eleven taels.

Old man Jiang and his grandson felt very sad. As the head of the family and the pillar of the family, Meng Yuan could not show any weakness and just acted calmly.

Although he felt sorry for the money, Meng Yuan still bought two more pieces of cloth, intending to make two new sets of clothes for the little girl.

Now I only have seven taels of silver left.

The three of them returned to the palace together. Jiang Shuanyou still had the duty of being a horse doctor, so he went to the stables and asked the manager to identify the person.

After all the busy work, I finally settled down.

After returning to the training ground, Meng Yuan began to practice the Kuangfeng Sword Technique to build up his strength.

Master Nie didn't show up until dark, and Meng Yuan wanted to borrow money but no one lent it to him, so he could only devote himself to practicing martial arts.

When he returned to his residence late at night, Jiang Tang was still working at his desk by candlelight, which made Meng Yuan very pleased.

But when he opened the door, he saw the girl sewing clothes, and it was his own undershirt.

"Brother," Jiang Tang saw Meng Yuan coming and stood up holding her shirt, "Why is this shirt torn?"

She didn't mean to feel sorry for her clothes, but she curiously walked around Meng Yuan twice, as if to see if Meng Yuan was injured.

It can be seen that this girl is not stupid and can see some clues.

"The dog from the pharmacy ran away, so I went into the mountains to look for it. It was just scratched, so it's not a big deal." Meng Yuan said.

"Then you have to be careful, there are many wolves in the mountains!" Jiang Tang didn't believe it. He grabbed Meng Yuan's hand, rolled up his sleeves and looked inside, then reached in and touched it. Seeing that there was nothing unusual, he felt relieved.

"There's mutton stewing on the stove. I'll bring it to you." She went out happily and came back in a flash.

Now that he still has money, Meng Yuan plans to have a meat meal every night. Old Man Jiang and Jiang Tang also need meat as a tonic.

With extra meals every day and not missing out on meals from the canteen on the parade grounds, Meng Yuan estimated that within a month at most, his essence and fire would be perfected again.

Five days passed, Meng Yuan was obsessed with practicing martial arts to open his mind, and all the acupoints on his right arm were opened.

Master Nie never showed up, and Meng Yuan didn't go out to look for him.

Before, Zhang Guinian had hinted that he should seduce Master Nie's widowed rich daughter, but Meng Yuan only had some thoughts about it when he woke up in the morning. But once he started practicing, he didn't think about anything else.

No matter how beautiful a woman is, or how fragrant and warm her body is, it is not as comfortable as practicing the Kuangfeng Sword Technique twice!

I can't let go of a 200-jin stone mill, but I sneer at an 80-jin beauty!
Besides, to seduce a girl, one must have a Panlu and a Dengxiaoxian. Of course, there is a Panlu and a Dengxiao, but there is no Denghexian.

Moreover, Meng Yuan considers himself an upright gentleman. It is not advisable to seduce a young widow. The right thing to do is to concentrate on practicing martial arts!
That morning, Meng Yuan got up before daybreak.

The spring breeze in February is like a pair of scissors, and a bit cold.

"Brother," Jiang Tang had already come out of her hut, "getting up so early every day to practice martial arts is more tiring than shoveling cow dung at the pasture farm!"

"Without the bone-chilling cold, how can the plum blossom smell fragrant?" Meng Yuan squeezed her hand and saw that it was warm. He took her hand into the room and wrote this calligraphy for her, "You must learn it today."

As he spoke, Meng Yuan braided her hair again.

"Brother, are we eating mutton tonight?" Jiang Tang asked.

Nowadays, Meng Yuan eats two kilograms of mutton every day as a midnight snack after returning from the training ground.

Meng Yuan gave Jiang Tang five taels of silver, and the little girl became the housekeeper. Every day, apart from practicing calligraphy and reading, she went out to purchase goods, and she already knew how to use an abacus.

"Brother, the money is almost gone." Jiang Tang whispered.

"..." A penny can make a hero fall. Meng Yuan's expression remained unchanged. He pinched her little face and said, "Don't save money. I'll give you more after you spend it. You can't be less than one pork knuckle every day, understand?"

Jiang Tang rubbed Meng Yuan's hand with her face obediently.

Now Master Nie has not been to the training ground for several days, and he can't even find anyone to borrow money from! Meng Yuan decided that if Master Nie didn't come today, he would go to Zuiyue Tower to eat and drink for free!

(End of this chapter)