章節 31: Chapter 30 Linfeng Hall
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"Brother Qingzi, my dad once sold a raccoon for six taels of silver, about the same size as yours. The steward sold it too cheaply."
Once the three of them moved away from the Wanfeng Building, Shen Xiaohu began to express indignation on behalf of Shen Qing.
"Hey, you guys still got lucky. If they decided to use force, they wouldn't give you anything, and you wouldn't even have a place to argue."
Zhang Shuyuan casually sat on the cart, having pulled out a small booklet at some point, reading it with great interest.
Shen Xiaohu exclaimed, "Doesn't the government care? We pay all kinds of taxes every year."
"This place is far from Dragon Court. The officials sent down here all look at the faces of the Four Great Eastern Families. A strong dragon can't suppress a local tyrant. After you've been around here for a while, you'll understand. The government here always collects the money but never handles the matters."
Zhang Shuyuan glanced at Shen Xiaohu and said meaningfully, "If you get the government into trouble, the first thing they'll do is deal with you, the troublemaker."
Shen Xiaohu's mouth opened slightly, his words stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
Although he had never traveled far since childhood, he had seen what Tian Chuan looked like when beaten to death.
He understood these principles.
But... he felt a bit unconvinced.
Shen Qing, who was beside them, listened to their conversation, silently.
Why was it so hard for people like them, at the bottom, to rise up?
Whenever they had any income and wanted to enter this county, they could not escape the exploitation of the Four Great Eastern Families and the government.
They were peeled once when they entered the city, once during trading, and peeled again every year under various pretexts.
For people like them, having enough to eat was a luxury, let alone having the energy and capital to rise up.
Like Zhang Shuyuan said, today, he was still relatively lucky.
Ultimately, it was because he was too weak; he had to practice martial arts and find a backer as soon as possible, change his martial arts register.
"Sir, do you know where Linfeng Hall is?" Shen Qing asked, holding the reins.
...
Shengshi Square.
Majestic courtyards were neatly arranged on both sides of the street. Looking out, the road on the street was paved with bluestone, and the road was clean and sparsely populated.
The snow on top had been cleared away and piled up on both sides of the street.
Shen Qing drove the cart to a flat courtyard.
At the gate, a pair of stone lions crouched on both sides, one paw gripping a ball, the other protecting the young, majestic and solemn.
Above the stone lion's gate tower hung a black plaque with gold characters, writing the three large characters "Linfeng Hall."
Standing at the door, Shen Qing and others could hear some sounds of training and shouting from inside.
Aunt Shen Xiu was initially sold to a big family in the county. Since she had some looks, her days there were not bad.
When her grandparents were still alive, she could visit once a year.
Even after her grandparents passed away, she didn't lose contact, occasionally sending something to the Shen Family.
However, she had been without a child for many years, and her days in the big family became increasingly difficult, so she rarely had the opportunity to come out and interacted less with them.
Even when his parents died that year, she couldn't return to the Shen Family.
Uncle had mentioned that not long ago, this aunt of theirs had been sold to the lord of Linfeng Hall, and even became a concubine.
It was a rare visit this time; he should pay a visit and, following uncle's instructions, inquire about Shanwa's entry into martial arts.
Shen Qing walked up the bluestone steps, grabbed the brass ring on the cinnabar door, and knocked slowly three times.
After waiting for a while, the cinnabar door opened inward from the outside, revealing a face with prominent brows and cheekbones.
"Who are you, and what are you here for?"
Shen Qing stepped forward and stated his purpose, saying, "My aunt is Shen Xiu, the concubine of Master Li inside. I happened to have some business in the county, and my family asked me to bring some mountain goods for her. Could you please pass the message?"
"A relative of Miss Qi? Wait here at the door."
As soon as the other party finished speaking, they closed the door with a bang.
Shen Qing remained composed, standing at the door patiently waiting.
A moment later, the cinnabar door opened again: "Come in."
"Thank you."
Shen Qing and Shen Xiaohu strode in, handing over the cart and the old horse to Zhang Shuyuan.
Inside the courtyard, as soon as they entered the gate, they saw a dozen strong men stripped to the waist, each lifting stone locks in their hands, their bodies steaming with heat.
Making the courtyard, though it was winter, warm as if it were spring, astonishing.
Shen Qing paused for a moment, then followed the gatekeeper to a side room in the front courtyard, waiting for Aunt Shen Xiu.
The Hall Master of Linfeng Hall, Li Linfeng, had been running a martial arts hall for many years and had some reputation in the county, with quite a few family members.
With a large household, there were more rules.
Outsiders, especially men, were not allowed into the inner courtyard to contact the female family members without permission.
After waiting in the side room for about a quarter of an hour, a beautiful lady who bore some resemblance to Shen Qing pushed open the wooden door and entered.
It had to be said, while the Shen Family could not compete with others in many ways, in terms of appearance and demeanor, they were impeccable.
This aunt of his had skin delicate as cream, thin lips, a high nose bridge, and almond eyes full of liveliness.
A striking beauty, without any trace of a hunter's background.
"Are you Shen Qing, the eldest son of my eldest brother's family? I didn't expect you to grow so much. The last time I saw you, you were just a little one."
Aunt Shen Xiu slowly entered the side room, her steps slightly cautious, with a subtle roundness about her waist.
Recognizing this nephew of hers, her face bore a warmth, her gaze gentle as she spoke.
Aunt Shen Xiu found a cushion to sit on a chair, chatting as she asked, "How are your second brother and the others?"
"Thank you for your concern, Aunt. Uncle and Aunt are all well."
"That's good. The last time the eldest brother had an accident, I couldn't return. Nephew, don't blame me. I had no choice." Aunt Shen Xiu's face darkened, as if recalling many sad things.
Shen Qing hurriedly said, "How could I blame Aunt? Our family's situation, if others don't know, our family members all have a clear understanding."
"Sigh..." Aunt Shen Fang sighed and asked, "Did something happen at home for you to come looking for me?"
"Aunt, nothing happened at home." Shen Qing stood up and pulled Shen Xiaohu over, saying, "This is Xiaohu. We rarely come to the county, and Uncle wanted me to bring some mountain products and visit Aunt together."
Aunt Shen Xiu's face showed a hint of joy, smiling, "You really have a heart."
After Shen Qing finished speaking, he patted Shen Xiaohu's back.
Shen Xiaohu understood, lifting the basket full of mountain treasures and placing it by Shen Xiu's feet.
"Just some worthless Hericium erinaceus, bamboo mushrooms, lamb's tripe, and the like. Aunt can have the cook make some hometown dishes in her spare time."
Aunt Shen Xiu laughed gently, "It's been a long time since I've had anything from home, so now I can satisfy my cravings."
"It's good that Aunt doesn't mind." Shen Qing stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "Apart from visiting Aunt this time, Uncle indeed entrusted me with some matters that need to trouble Aunt."
Aunt Shen Xiu's expression didn't change, still speaking softly, "What is it? Let me hear it first to see if I can help."
Shen Qing's expression became more respectful, showing a hint of the embarrassment of asking for a favor, "Uncle wants to ask Aunt if it is possible for several of our brothers to enter Linfeng Hall to practice martial arts?"
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