Chapter 49: Regret

Surviving In A Martial Arts World To Become A Saint

Chen Qing finished his patrol duty and returned directly home to Mute Bay.

Pushing open the creaking cabin door, he saw coarse cloth, rice, flour, pork, pickled fish and other items piled in the corner.

Seeing his puzzled expression, Lady Han explained with a smile, "These are all gifts from neighbors and friends. The coarse cloth is from Old Gao's family, five pounds of flour from your second uncle, pork from your eldest aunt, pickled fish from Aunt Cuihua... I'm keeping track of everything to return the favor later."

She paused, lowering her voice, "A steward from the Cheng family sent ten taels, and the Tiger Gang also had someone deliver five taels of silver."

Chen Qing nodded.

Although Xu Chengfeng was just a minor gang leader, he was quite clever and smooth in his dealings.

Knowing that Chen Qing had achieved high rank in the martial examination, he sent a generous gift, aiming to leave a good impression.

And Cheng Ming having someone deliver ten taels clearly showed he valued their relationship highly.

Chen Qing thought of something and said, "Mother, in a couple of days let's go look at houses."

"Alright, I'll listen to you in everything."

Lady Han nodded in agreement, then hesitated for a moment and said, "Do you want to visit the old house?"

Chen Qing's eyes narrowed slightly as he said softly, "I should go once, bringing the rice and flour that second uncle prepared, and these two pickled fish."

This visit was mainly to give them a warning, to prevent future troubles from coming to him.

The next day, Chen Qing carried the rice, flour, and pickled fish through streets and alleys, soon arriving at the old Chen family house in Firewood Fish Market.

Before long, he reached the old Chen family residence.

"Creak—"

The old courtyard gate was pushed open.

He saw Old Master Chen sitting on the stone steps smoking a pipe, his face full of worry. Upon seeing Chen Qing's figure, his cloudy eyes instantly burst with wild joy, "Ah Qing! You've come!"

Second Aunt was picking vegetables. The vegetables in her hands fell to the ground with a "plop," her face turning pale as paper, her eyes panicked and evasive.

"Grandfather." Chen Qing greeted calmly.

"Quick! Quick, come inside!"

Old Master Chen stood up excitedly, shouting urgently into the house, "Second son! Quick, boil water! Make good tea!"

Second Uncle Chen Wen ran out upon hearing this, a trace of panic appearing on his face, then forcing out an extremely ugly smile, "Ah Qing... you've... you've come..."

"What are you standing around for? Go quickly!"

Old Master Chen urged, enthusiastically inviting Chen Qing into the main hall.

"The ancestors have blessed us!"

Old Master Chen's voice trembled as he tightly grasped Chen Qing's hand, "Our old Chen family... has finally produced someone with an official title! Ah Qing, you... you've made it! Really made it!"

He repeated "made it" several times, tears streaming down his face, the gloom that had accumulated for days swept away by this enormous joy.

At this moment, this eldest grandson who had once been ignored by him seemed to have become the Chen family's future glory and support.

Everything had changed!

Old Master Chen's attitude was unprecedentedly polite, his joy mixed with a trace of careful restraint.

Second Aunt, without being asked, had already skillfully served hot tea and even brought out a plate of malt sugar that was usually too precious to eat.

Chen Wen also changed from his usual harshness, his mouth full of flattering words.

After chatting for a while, Chen Qing stood up to leave.

Old Master Chen hurriedly tried to keep him, "Ah Qing, stay for lunch? Grandfather hasn't talked with you for so long..."

"No, I have other matters."

Chen Qing interrupted him, his tone distant, "Take care of your health, Grandfather."

Old Master Chen felt a trace of disappointment in his heart.

Watching his resolute departing figure, Second Aunt couldn't help but whisper, "Father, why don't we ask Ah Qing to help Xiao Heng..."

"Shut up!"

Old Master Chen scolded harshly, his gaze sharp, "In the future, if there are difficulties, don't go looking for Ah Qing! If he wants to help, he'll reach out himself. If he doesn't want to, no one should go asking for trouble!"

Looking at the rice, flour, and pickled fish that Chen Qing had left untouched and returned, his heart was crystal clear, this was drawing a clear boundary.

With this blood relationship, the Chen family could still enjoy some residual benefits, but if they didn't know their place and angered Chen Qing, everything would be finished.

Looking at his second son and daughter-in-law's defeated and desperate faces, a huge sense of loss and regret surged in his heart.

Old Master Chen staggered a step and collapsed dejectedly on the stone steps, his pipe clattering to the ground.

...

Sifang Street, Wang's Cloth Shop.

The dye house was stuffy and pungent.

Yang Huiniang gritted her teeth, half her body leaning into the washing pool, struggling to drag cotton cloth onto the stone trough.

Sweat mixed with dye water flowed into her eyes, but she couldn't spare time to wipe it.

"Bang! Bang!"

Picking up the heavy wooden mallet, she pounded the wet cloth, producing dull thuds.

"What are you dawdling for? Your hands and feet are slower than a turtle!"

The supervisor came over, her finger pointing critically at the cloth surface, "Look at this, the color isn't beaten evenly, and here it's wrinkled like old tree bark."

Yang Huiniang's heart tightened, but her hands didn't stop moving. She only said quietly, "Supervisor Wang, this cloth is thick and heavy, just pulled out, I'm beating it hard."

"What a sin..."

An old weaver in the corner stopped her shuttle and said quietly, "What a good girl Huiniang is, quick-handed and hardworking, Supervisor Wang is clearly trying to force her to death."

"Exactly! Everyone knows about that fool grandson of hers! Can't even control his drool! If Huiniang marries him, it's jumping into a fire pit! Supervisor Wang's heart is too black!"

"But who told her she doesn't have a tough brother from her maiden family to back her up? Let's just mind our own business."

With these words, the surrounding female workers all fell silent, leaving only the monotonous clicking of looms, the atmosphere oppressive.

Supervisor Wang had a fool grandson. She had long set her sights on Yang Huiniang, wanting to bring her home as a free servant girl and breeding tool.

When Yang Huiniang refused, Supervisor Wang transferred her to this most bitter and tiring dye house to torment her.

"Look at these bitter days, why suffer so?"

The supervisor approached Yang Huiniang and whispered, "Agree to my proposal, marry over, and I guarantee you won't worry about food and clothing, four seasons of clothes, ten pounds of white flour, this old woman keeps her word!"

Her voice suddenly turned cold, like a poisoned needle, "But if you don't know what's good for you... prepare to work in this cloth shop's bitter kiln until you die."

Yang Huiniang's face turned pale as paper.

At this moment, footsteps came from outside the dye house.

A young man in an indigo silk robe with extraordinary bearing walked in.

It was Wang Zhi, the young master of Wang's Cloth Shop.

"Young Master!"

"Young Master!"

The female workers all stopped their work and bowed respectfully.

Supervisor Wang instantly changed her expression, putting on twelve parts of fawning as she rushed forward, "Oh my! Young Master! How do you have time to come to this filthy place today? Is there something you need..."

Wang Zhi's gaze swept coldly over Supervisor Wang's fawning face and said to the two guards behind him in a deep voice, "Drag her out."

"Yes!"

Two burly guards responded and stepped forward, grabbing Supervisor Wang without question and dragging her outside.

The smile on Supervisor Wang's face instantly froze, turning to horror, "Young... Young Master?! What is this for... Ah—!"

The questioning voice was immediately replaced by muffled thuds from outside and pig-like wails and pleas for mercy.

The dye house fell into dead silence, the female workers silent as cicadas, not daring to breathe.

Wang Zhi looked around and said, "Effective immediately, Supervisor Wang is removed from her position! Pack up and get out of the cloth shop, never to be employed again!"

His gaze turned to the still-shocked Yang Huiniang, his tone gentle, "From this moment on, the position of internal affairs supervisor of the cloth shop shall be taken over by Miss Yang. If there are any difficulties in the future, you may report directly to me."

With these words, everyone was shocked!

The female workers stared in amazement, looking at Yang Huiniang in disbelief.

Yang Huiniang's mind went blank, as if stunned by this sudden tremendous change.

Wang Zhi nodded slightly to Yang Huiniang, "Please convey my regards to Brother Chen."

With that, he turned and left.

As soon as the young master's figure disappeared from the doorway, the dye house instantly exploded! The female workers swarmed around like startled sparrows, chattering:

"Huiniang! Congratulations, congratulations!"

"Still calling her Huiniang? Should call her Supervisor Yang now!"

"Supervisor Yang! The 'Brother Chen' the young master mentioned, could it be your martial arts practicing cousin!?"