A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 7 Prodigal Son

The autumn winds in the north are far more biting than in the south; the seasons seem to have no place here.

Winter will soon pass and summer will arrive.

Similarly, summer can pass by and winter can arrive overnight.

After leaving Zuixianglou, Li Weizhou walked unhurriedly with his hands tucked into his sleeves.

I'm lucky to have met someone who understands things; that's very important.

Qi Erniang is easy to get along with. Interestingly, she doesn't resemble the madams in movies and TV dramas; she has a bit of the air of a gold-inlaid jade.

Her appetite is also quite large; she's not satisfied with just 100 yuan worth of soap a month, she wants 200 yuan, and she wants even more in the future.

This also shows that she has a solid foundation, otherwise she wouldn't have such a big appetite.

The price offered was equally generous, two taels of silver per square meter, which was definitely a fair price.

For ordinary people, two taels of silver could feed a family of four for a month.

Even in the capital city, two taels of silver were enough for ordinary people to enjoy a decent meal.

Of course, for the truly wealthy and powerful, three or five taels of silver may seem a bit expensive, but it is by no means unacceptable.

When they were in a good mood, they wouldn't even give a servant a reward, especially to noblewomen and courtesans.

Just like the wealthy ladies on the other side of the world who buy expensive perfumes...

Therefore, Qi Erniang was able to agree to even Li Weizhou's strange request to settle the bill with gold.

The only unpleasant thing was that Qi Erniang mocked Li Weizhou for still having dreams of learning martial arts, and bluntly told him that it was indeed too late.

But Li Weizhou really envied the charming and sophisticated old A8 in his thirties who could easily lift him up with one hand...

Wow, I long for that.

……

"Sanlang is back!"

As soon as I entered the second gate after returning home, I heard a warm greeting.

This little courtyard hasn't been this lively in many years.

The autumn wind rustled through the persimmon tree in the yard.

Sometimes Li Weizhou even wondered if it was a dream, or a hallucination caused by some mental problem.

But looking at the living faces, the bricks, stones, grass, and trees before him, and feeling the cool breeze on his face, he was still certain that this was real.

"Oh my, look at our Sanlang! Oh my, how could I have such a handsome brother-in-law! Mother, look at him, doesn't he look just like the fourth brother? If they stood together, they would probably be closer than blood brothers."

A young woman with a gold hairpin in her hair walked out quickly. She was of above-average appearance and wore a simple cloth jacket and skirt instead of silk or satin, but she was very warm and generous.

The other woman who came out with them was in her thirties and was of average appearance, with a calm demeanor.

The last one was a woman who looked a bit older, holding Ximei's hand with one hand, her face full of smiles. Ximei had already changed into new clothes.

Seeing her brother return home, Ximei happily ran over and said to Li Weizhou, "Brother, Aunt, sister-in-law, and second sister-in-law have come to see us."

Li Weizhou greeted them with a bow, but didn't show much enthusiasm, simply saying, "Aunt, Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law."

That does fit the impression he left on these people.

Apart from her sister-in-law's slightly displeased expression, her aunt, Madam Cao, spoke very gently, saying, "Sanlang, you're sixteen this year, aren't you?"

Li Weizhou nodded, still remaining taciturn. Madam Cao didn't seem to mind and said gently, "I remember clearly, you were born on the sixteenth day of the first month of the fourteenth year of the Qiande era, two months older than Silang. Your mother suffered quite a bit when she gave birth to you; there was so much snow."

The eldest sister-in-law, Luo, advised, "Mother, let's not talk about these things anymore. It's only been a long time since things turned around..." Then she said to Li Weizhou, "Third Brother, from now on, you and Ximei will each receive two taels of silver per month for living expenses, just like Fourth Brother. All other expenses will be the same." It seems she's a steward.

Cao interjected, saying, "Take another two taels from my monthly allowance. Poor thing, I've suffered a lot these past years."

Adding it all up, it's six taels, which is a lot. In total, it's more than double the county magistrate's salary for a year.

Of course, a county magistrate certainly doesn't rely on his salary to support his family...

Second sister-in-law Guo, with a much more cheerful personality, rolled her eyes at Li Weizhou and said, "Your reputation as a filial son has made things difficult for us for many years. But we're all family, what's past is past, there's nothing to say about it. Even if we have to endure a few more years, it's only right... Sanlang, Father said that you and Ximei don't want to go home and want to stay here and wait for Second Uncle and Second Aunt to return. We won't force you, we'll just visit each other more often in the future. But there's one thing, shouldn't you be together for ancestral worship during festivals? Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, are you going to let Ximei suffer alone like this?"

Cao Shi clearly agreed with this point and nodded.

Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunion. If the two children don't return to the Li family's old house for the Spring Festival, Li Delong will most likely be unhappy.

Although Li Weizhou's smile carried a certain distance, he wasn't unapproachable. He said softly, "I will go back."

Seeing his sparing use of words, the others also lost interest, feeling that their enthusiasm had been wasted.

After exchanging a few more brief words, they left together.

That's understandable. To be honest, they're only this close because of Li Delong.

From a fundamental bloodline perspective, they have no connection whatsoever with Li Weizhou and Ximei, so how could they possibly be truly close?

The same goes for the other way around... "Brother, Aunt and the others have brought two hundred taels of silver. They've also brought a cartload of rice, flour, and cooking oil, two cartloads of firewood, a few chickens and ducks, and two sheep."

Xi Mei was overjoyed; she had tasted the joy of becoming rich overnight!

Li Weizhou smiled; it seemed this uncle really doted on him…

After locking the door, he smiled and said, "I'll cook you a nice meal today."

Xi Mei hesitated upon hearing this, as she did not recall her brother being able to cook.

"You go boil some water, I'll kill the chicken, we're going to have a big feast tonight!"

……

In less than an hour, one of the chickens sent by my uncle's family was transformed into a genuine wood-fired chicken and served.

The various seasonings that are not available nowadays, and even red chili peppers, make this pot of chicken the most delicious dish in the world!

Half an hour later, Ximei sat in a chair with her round belly, her eyes slightly glazed with happiness. She looked at Li Weizhou and asked with some difficulty, "Brother, am I really not dreaming?"

Li Weizhou laughed heartily. Actually, cooking nowadays isn't without seasonings; there are scallions, ginger, and garlic, and even chili peppers.

Overall, however, the spiciness of dogwood is much less than that of chili peppers, and it's not as intensely spicy.

Furthermore, dogwood smells like a sachet, while chili peppers taste delicious.

Not to mention the addition of MSG, which elevates the umami flavor to a whole new level.

Li Weizhou stroked his younger sister's slightly yellowed and sparse hair and said, "Tomorrow I'll take the money to buy a storefront and open a restaurant. From now on, we can eat delicious food every day. You've suffered these past years, but from now on, every day will be a good day."

Upon hearing this, Xi Mei's peach blossom eyes widened, and she happily rubbed her head against her brother's palm like a kitten.

But I'm still a little worried. I hope my brother doesn't squander all the money so quickly. Oh dear, what a worry...

That doesn't seem so. Before my aunt sent the money over, my brother seemed to be quite wealthy. But where did the money come from?

That's right, my brother used to work at Zuixiang Pavilion. Could it be that some courtesan saw how handsome he was and gave him the treasure chest?
Oh dear, brother, don't be a heartless man!

But, letting my brother marry a courtesan... that really won't do...

Caught in this dilemma, Ximei dozed off, her little head bobbing up and down...

……

three days later.

Li Weizhou exchanged 200 taels of silver for 20 taels of gold, and after deducting various purity and fees, he exchanged it for 1,800 taels of silver at the Shuibei Market.

He then used two hundred taels of that money to buy a three-story storefront in the eastern part of the city, not far from Zuixianglou.

Upon hearing this, Li Delong's entire family remained speechless for a long time.

What a spendthrift! What a spendthrift!
They assumed the two hundred taels were a settlement payment sent by Madam Cao and her family...

Despite his scolding, Li Delong instructed his second son, Li Chang'an, to send Li Weizhou another hundred taels of silver the following day, telling him to live a good life.

The eldest son, Li Changping, was a clerk in the sixth branch of Qingzhou Prefecture. He loved reading from a young age, though he didn't achieve much academic success. He also had a rather upright personality, and people said he didn't seem like the son of Li Laohu, the prison warden.

He hesitated for a moment before offering a word of advice: "Father, it's not good to keep giving money like this. Let's find Sanlang a proper job. I remember Sanlang did very well in his early school days. The teacher always praised his intelligence and said he could pass the imperial examination..."

The more he spoke, the darker Li Delong's face became. Li Changping didn't react, but his wife, Luo, felt her scalp tingling and couldn't help but interrupt, "Just tell your father your idea, don't mention the past."

Li Changping was puzzled. Wasn't what he was talking about his idea?

Fortunately, he wasn't completely stupid. Seeing Li Delong's clenched fists and his face as red as the bottom of a pot, he immediately realized what was happening.

If it weren't for that unexpected turn of events, my cousin might have had limitless potential.

Moreover, that incident happened because of their fourth son. Now, saying these things is like stabbing his father in the heart with a sharp knife.
Li Changping quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Father, what I mean is, how about we let Sanlang work by my side and see if he can find a job as a clerk so he can support himself?"

Li Delong ignored her, snorted, and stood up, saying, "I've built this family business and can support my own nephew. I'm not dead yet, and this family isn't your place to make decisions!" With that, he strode away, snorting again as he passed his daughter-in-law.

Li Changping was somewhat bewildered; he had meant well.

Luo's face was very unpleasant. She knew that her father-in-law had misunderstood her as being concerned about the money.

Of course, it wasn't entirely a misunderstanding; she was reluctant to part with it.

But what Li Changping said really had nothing to do with her.

Even if she were stingy, she wouldn't be so short-sighted as to haggle over money right now.

After Li Delong left, Li Chang'an cheerfully said to his elder brother and sister-in-law, "Sanlang has only just changed his mind, and the old man is probably overjoyed. The angrier he was before, the more heartbroken he is now. Besides, in the end, it's our family that owes Second Uncle's family. Elder brother, you had to bring up money at this crucial moment, weren't you just making Dad unhappy? Think about how good Dad and Second Uncle were back then, you know that. Besides, Second Uncle has been good to us too... Look, you've even dragged Sister-in-law into this, haven't you?"

After saying that, he walked out happily with his hands behind his back.

His wife, Guo, was also delighted, smiling like a flower...

……

(End of this chapter)