Misty Rain of the Old Times

If we're talking about the entire Yang County, the most illustrious family is undoubtedly the Gao family. First, they produced Gao Jingyu, who became a princess; then, Master Gao was appointed as the prefect; and this year, Gao Jingming even became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Such a magnificent family name is unparalleled, not only in Yang County, but also in Jingting Prefecture, and even in Shangyun Prefecture.

Could it be that the beautiful, familiar yet unfamiliar neighbor came specifically for the Gao family?

As an assassin, Chen Xuan didn't believe that the other party would appear in a certain place for no reason, especially since he was an assassin at the Innate Realm. Other small and insignificant assassins wouldn't be able to get such a person to come out.

Anyway, Chen Xuan didn't think the other party was after her. If it weren't for the fact that he happened to save her when he returned south at the beginning of the year and left a letter as a farewell, she probably wouldn't have known that there were other people in the place where she had lived for seven years.

As for the possibility that he was assassinated because of the little princess or the Wu family, it is even more impossible. At that level, they would know more or less about his strength and would be too busy hiding to dare to provoke him.
Chen Xuan was quite surprised. He thought he would never cross paths with his "neighbor" again, but he actually ran into him again.

'Instead of figuring it out myself, I'd rather just ask her directly.'

With that thought, Chen Xuan immediately stopped worrying. He was no longer the 'small fry at the Innate Realm' he used to be, so there was no need for such complicated things. He could just get straight to the point.

Having lived like a young master in the Gao family for so many years, Chen Xuan would not stand idly by if anyone wanted to target the Gao family, even if they were his neighbors for seven years. If they dared to lay a hand on the Gao family, Chen Xuan would not be merciful and would also take down the Shadow Assassin Sect behind them, as well as the people who hired the Shadow Assassin Sect to cause trouble.

It's not that Chen Xuan is trying to think the worst, but it's always good to be cautious about things you care about. If something goes wrong, it will be too late to regret it. How many people have regretted it for the rest of their lives because of a little negligence?
Having made up his mind, Chen Xuan decided to talk to his neighbors as soon as possible.

The assassin sister probably never dreamed that delivering tofu would lead to her being targeted by a grandmaster...

Chen Xuan and Er Gou only spent a few days together back then, and there weren't many memorable topics. They talked more about the present and the future.

Everyone has a different attitude towards life. Chen Xuan is indifferent to everything, but Er Gou is different. He is positive about life, but he doesn't have much ambition. In short, he can be summarized in a few words.

His only wish was to run the shop well, save money, get married, have children, grow old surrounded by grandchildren, and pass on his cooking skills. This was his life goal, a simple wish, yet the life that countless people dream of.

Amidst eating, drinking, and chatting, the jar of wine that Chen Xuan brought was unknowingly finished, and it got dark.

Er Gou had some cultivation, but his rudimentary internal strength was no match for distilled liquor. After drinking half a jar, which weighed two or three jin, he eventually became completely drunk and collapsed on the table.

"Ah Xuan, thank you, really, thank you..."

He mumbled incoherently, a proud man, his eyes red and tears streaming down his face, as if he were thinking of something sad, but he didn't show it at all when he woke up.

After drinking the last drop of wine and finishing the last piece of meat on his plate, Chen Xuan let out a soft breath. Although the wine was strong, he couldn't get drunk at all.

Both of them had suffered hardship; back then, they wouldn't even eat half a piece of spoiled bread, so how could they waste food?

Since he's already drunk and had his fill, let's call it a day. Chen Xuan got up and walked to the door. He opened the door and said to the waiter waiting outside, "Master Luo is drunk. Please take care of him."

"Master, you flatter me. It's my pleasure. Is there anything else you need?" the waiter said respectfully. He had been waiting at the door and overheard their conversation. He knew that Chen Xuan was the big boss, so there was no reason for him not to comply.

Although Luo Erdan is one of the owners here, he is also the head chef, so it's perfectly fine for outsiders to call him Master Luo.

Shaking his head to indicate that there was nothing else, Chen Xuan started to walk downstairs. Just then, he ran into Su Roujia coming up the stairs. Chen Xuan smiled and asked, "Finished with the negotiations?"

After she nodded in agreement, before she could say anything, Chen Xuan said, "It's getting late, let's go back. Come again when you have time. Oh, and go settle the bill. Even though it's our own business, things should be done properly."

"Yes, sir," the little maid replied obediently, clearly delighted.

Chen Xuan could have easily just walked away, but if he doesn't even follow the rules himself, how can he expect others to behave?

After paying the bill, the young maid left the restaurant with the manager and others seeing her off. She chattered excitedly, "Master, our shop has been open for a few months, and after expenses, we've already received over four hundred taels in profit sharing. They've already given me that much! It's so much!"

So it's now ours? That's true.

It only cost a little over 400 taels of silver over several months. Even disregarding labor costs, and considering the economical approach, it's quite a lot. It probably benefited from the top scorer Gao Jingming achieved in the previous months. Normally, the profit shouldn't be that high in the future, since the traffic won't be that large.

Previously, when Chen Xuan worked as a page in the Gao family, aside from extra income, his highest wage was only thirty taels, which was equivalent to his annual wages.

In comparison, if you want to get rich, you have to start your own business. When will you ever get ahead if you work for someone else and get a fixed salary?

Although it wasn't much, it was still a legitimate business and a stable income, which put the young girl at ease. Chen Xuan didn't tease her, but instead asked, "Can you understand the ledger?"

"I studied at the Gao family for a while and followed the master without falling behind. Moreover, the accounts are clear. Even if I have a little doubt, the manager patiently explains, so I can understand them," the little girl said earnestly.

Chen Xuan thought to himself that the little girl was still a bit too green. Er Gou was definitely fine, but who knew about the people below? It was a small matter, no need to worry so much. He smiled and said, "From now on, you'll be in charge of liaising with them. I find it troublesome, but don't keep an eye on things all the time. We're going to be hands-off managers. Just check the accounts a few times a year, and that's enough. If you don't understand something, go ask Steward He." There are plenty of ways to tamper with accounts. How much does the little girl know? She needs a professional like Steward He to teach her. She's quite naive now. It would be fun to tease her about this later.

"Yes, sir," she nodded earnestly, eager to learn more, fearing she was useless. Then, she added indignantly, "Actually, the dividends could have been even higher, but the accounts show over three hundred taels already signed by government officials. There's a high chance we won't get them back."

"It's no big deal. You're pouting so much you could hang a soy sauce bottle on your lips. Don't worry, no one can take advantage of our family. They'll obediently return the money later," Chen Xuan said cheerfully.

The saying goes, "The King of Hell is easy to deal with, but his underlings are hard to handle." You know the Monkey King, right? Nobody in this world probably knows, but which underling doesn't respectfully call him "Grandpa"? Aren't they quite easy to talk to?

Chen Xuan didn't need to put in any effort. He just needed to find some time to have a meal with Magistrate Shu Yao and have Er Gou accompany him to introduce them. All the trivial matters would be easily resolved.

After strolling around for a while, Chen Xuan said, "Roujia, give me two large coins, then you can go back first. I'm going to buy something."

"Is that enough, sir? How about I give you all the hundreds of taels? If not, I'll go home and get it for you," the maid said, taking out two large coins and handing them over. Then, remembering her master's extravagant spending, she asked again.

Chen Xuan tossed two large coins aside, then waved his hand and said, "That's enough, that's enough."

"Then I'll go back and prepare hot water for Master to get rid of the smell of alcohol. Besides, it's nice to take a bath in this weather. Master, come back soon," she said to his retreating figure.

Actually, she wanted to say that the master could just tell her what he wanted to buy, but she was dutiful and didn't give any orders, so she just obediently listened to him.

In the dark, Chen Xuan wasn't worried about the pretty little girl's safety going back alone. Despite her shallow cultivation, she still possessed two superior martial arts skills. In the small Yang County, few who didn't know her could cause her trouble, and those who did wouldn't dare to provoke her. Besides, if she really encountered trouble, Chen Xuan would be there in the blink of an eye if she made a sound.

After they parted ways, Chen Xuan followed the scent of his neighbor toward her whereabouts. He wouldn't leave trouble for tomorrow; that's how lazy people are—they deal with things as soon as possible so they have more time to slack off.

Following the scent through the streets and alleys, he soon arrived at a relatively secluded courtyard, where a strong aroma of fermented bean juice filled the air in the cold wind.

Chen Xuan was immediately confused. What was this girl up to?
You're an assassin? How come you've actually started making tofu? Shouldn't you at least pretend? You seem quite diligent, working late into the night without rest. You've really made a living from this.

Interestingly, Chen Xuan went directly to the door, just like an ordinary person, without deliberately concealing his actions.

The courtyard was small, with a few tiled houses that looked quite old. Candlelight shone inside the houses, and there were also lights in the backyard. Chen Xuan's former neighbor was grinding tofu in the cold wind in the backyard.

She disguised herself as an ordinary, unremarkable woman and diligently ground tofu. However, being a person with innate cultivation, she had already pushed the millstone so far that it left afterimages. With such control over her cultivation, she was not worried about breaking the millstone. However, after noticing someone approaching her residence, she slowed down and pushed the millstone like a normal person.

Rowing a boat, blacksmithing, and selling tofu—these are the three hardships of life, and the difficulties they involve are hard for ordinary people to comprehend. But for those with innate abilities, it's like child's play.

She didn't pay any attention, assuming it was just a passerby, and would continue to finish her daily quota as quickly as possible after they left.

She came to live in seclusion in Laiyang County simply because she wanted to live a low-key life, not because she wanted to suffer without hardship.

Thanks to the pills left by Chen Xuan, she had already reached the Innate Realm half a year ago, but she kept it a secret. Then, she faked her death during a mission to escape from the Shadow Killing Sect. She wasn't sure if she could completely deceive the organization, so she came to Yang County because it was where the Gao family lived. Even if the Shadow Killing Sect knew that she had faked her death and escaped, they wouldn't dare to come and hunt her down openly. This provided an invisible layer of protection.

She originally thought the passerby would leave quickly, but the person actually stopped at her door and even knocked on the door.

This made her heart sink. Could it be that the Shadow Assassins had taken advantage of the Gao family matriarch's trip to the capital to catch up with them?

As a former assassin, she was extremely vigilant, because in this line of work, a single careless mistake could lead to total defeat.

The peaceful days have only lasted a few days.

With a heavy heart, she was prepared to fight desperately, but she stopped what she was doing and asked, "Who is it?"

Her voice was gentle, yet tinged with wariness and doubt, much like the reaction of a normal woman living alone.

"I heard your tofu is really good. I'd like to buy some to take home for a late-night snack. Do you have any left?"

Soon she heard a familiar voice, one she remembered even though she had only heard it once. It belonged to an assassin, whose attention to detail was impeccable.

'The owner of Zhiwei Restaurant was just drinking with Luo Erdan. He was originally a pageboy to Gao Jingming, the eldest son of the Gao family. We haven't yet found out why he left the Gao family. What's he doing here? Is he really just here to buy tofu?'

The assassin sister came here to live in seclusion, so of course she needed to understand her surroundings. It's just that the time was too short and there was no logistical support, so many details hadn't been investigated yet. But she did understand Chen Xuan's basic situation, which is what you call professional.

She recognized the visitor from the voice, but of course she couldn't reveal it. She remained vigilant and said through the house, "It's too late. It's inconvenient for an old woman to be alone. Please come again tomorrow."

...(End of chapter)