Chương 43: Chapter 43: Distributing Wages

Qin Jianghe also nodded in agreement, saying, "Aunt, just treat us like your own nephews. No need to be so formal; otherwise, we'll feel awkward, won't we?"

Madam Sun laughed heartily, "Oh, look at me! You boys are such good friends with Yigao, and here I am, being overly polite. That's on me. You two just relax, have some water, and help yourselves to the snacks. I'll go hurry him up."

She added with a smile, "You know how he is—always wearing just his underclothes when he's indoors. But now that you're here, he insists on putting on proper clothes before seeing you. He thinks it's disrespectful otherwise. That stubborn boy, honestly!"

With that, Madam Sun left the room and headed to Sun Yigao's room.

Lin Xiao and Qin Jianghe exchanged glances in the now-empty hall, and suddenly, they both burst into laughter.

Qin Jianghe whispered, "It seems like Madam Sun is feeling a bit nervous too."

Lin Xiao nodded, "Indeed. She probably doesn't often have to host her son's friends like this."

After all, in the past, Madam Sun rarely allowed Sun Yigao to socialize with the other village kids, fearing it would interfere with his studies or lead him astray.

Old Master Sun came out upon hearing that Lin Xiao and Qin Jianghe had arrived. He greeted them warmly and exchanged a few polite words before Sun Yigao finally emerged, dressed neatly and ready to join them. Old Master Sun, sensing that the younger ones wanted some privacy, excused himself and left the hall.

When Lin Xiao and Qin Jianghe saw Sun Yigao, they couldn't help but chuckle at how prim and proper he looked.

Sun Yigao, noticing their amusement, made a respectful bow and said, "Apologies for keeping you waiting."

Lin Xiao quickly helped him up, saying, "Come on, Yigao, we're all close friends here. No need for such formalities; it makes us uncomfortable."

Qin Jianghe nodded in agreement, adding, "Exactly! If you're too polite, it'll make us feel like we're being rude by not doing the same."

Sun Yigao smiled softly and replied, "You're right. From now on, I'll drop the formalities when I'm with you two."

Only then did Lin Xiao and Qin Jianghe relax and smile.

When Sun Yigao learned that they had come to distribute sect wages, he didn't refuse. Instead, he smiled as he held the 100 copper coins in his hand, saying, "I used to think that before earning a title, there was no way I could make money on my own. I thought I'd just be a burden at home. But now, it seems I can earn a salary without having to pass the imperial exams."

Lin Xiao grinned and replied, "This 100 coins isn't much—it's just a start. Our sect is still in its early stages, but we're working hard to grow stronger so that one day, we can offer everyone much more! Speaking of which, we'll have more and more disciples joining us in the future. Many of them might not be well-educated, so Yigao, we'll rely on you, our teaching elder, to help them out."

Sun Yigao smiled modestly, "I will do my best."

After bidding farewell to the Sun family, Lin Xiao and Qin Jianghe walked to the back of the Sun residence and arrived at Jiang Youfu's home.

The Jiang family had a good number of people, but they all lived in harmony. Still, Lin Xiao and Qin Jianghe kept their visit brief, greeting the family before talking to Jiang Youfu outside in the courtyard.

When Lin Xiao handed the string of coins to Jiang Youfu, he accepted them with great excitement. "Xiao, this is a lot of money!"

Jiang Youfu had never thought of refusing. Whatever Lin Xiao gave or said, he always accepted without question.

Lin Xiao signaled for him to keep his voice down and then placed an arm around his shoulder, asking, "By the way, Tie Tou said he's having his dad bring back some roasted chicken from the new shop in town tomorrow. They say it's really good. Do you want some? If so, go talk to him later tonight."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Youfu nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking at grain. "Yes, yes, yes! I'll go find him right now!"

And so, Jiang Youfu, with his freshly earned copper coins, rushed off to the Hu family in the center of the village, while Lin Xiao and Qin Jianghe continued on to the eastern part of the village.

Only one stop remained: Liu Yunan's home.

Before they even reached the courtyard gate, Lin Xiao, with his sharp hearing, picked up on a conversation inside Liu's house.

"I went to the medical clinic today, and the old doctor said this batch of medicine will only work for one more round. After that, it'll be completely useless," said a woman's voice, which Lin Xiao guessed was Liu's widow.

"Tonight, this batch will get us through, but I don't think the fever will go down... I'm not sure what we'll do tomorrow..."

Lin Xiao glanced at Qin Jianghe, but seeing his oblivious expression, Lin Xiao remembered that his friend hadn't heard the conversation.

Tugging on Qin Jianghe's sleeve, Lin Xiao quickened his pace.

As soon as they reached the small courtyard gate, Lin Xiao called out loudly, "Yunan! Are you home? Jianghe and I are here!"

Inside the house, Lin Xiao heard the sound of hurried footsteps.

Moments later, Liu's widow and Liu Yunan came out to greet them. Liu's widow's eyes were slightly swollen from crying, but she forced a smile as she said, "Oh, it's Xiao and Jianghe! Come in and sit down. I'll get you some water."

Liu Yunan, surprised, asked, "Xiao, why are you two here so late? Is something wrong?"

Lin Xiao pulled Liu Yunan into the house and gestured for Qin Jianghe to close the door behind them. After all, the old wicker fence surrounding the courtyard barely provided any privacy, and anyone passing by could easily see inside.

Once the door was shut, Lin Xiao sat Liu Yunan down and said, "We're here to give you your sect wages."

Before Liu Yunan could even ask, Qin Jianghe took out a string of 100 copper coins from his storage bag and handed them to him.

Holding the money in disbelief, Liu Yunan's voice trembled as he asked, "Xiao, is this really for me?"

Lin Xiao nodded firmly, "Yes, it's your sect wage. Everyone gets one."

Liu Yunan's eyes glistened with unshed tears, but a smile tugged at his lips. "Our sect is... really great."

Qin Jianghe laughed and added, "Of course! Let's all work hard together and make our sect even better. Who knows? Someday our wages might get even bigger!"

After leaving Liu's house, Lin Xiao and Qin Jianghe walked along the road back home.

Lin Xiao was a bit puzzled. He had distributed wages to everyone, so why hadn't the mission of distributing sect wages been marked as complete yet?

Opening the sect members panel, he realized... he had forgotten about Xiao Luan.

But Xiao Luan was just a little spirit chicken—would copper coins really be useful to it?

Wages... had to be something the recipient could actually use, right?

Once Qin Jianghe returned home, Lin Xiao decided to head up the mountain to find out.

Otherwise, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Besides, with his current speed, it would only take him a few minutes to make the trip.

With that, Lin Xiao hurried up the mountain.

It had to be said, having higher cultivation seemed to make one much braver. Back in the day, if someone had told Lin Xiao to head up a pitch-black mountain at night, he would have flat-out refused!