Gazing at the two figures lingering at the door, Liang Qu frowned.
Who were these two? In the dead of night, they don't sleep, lingering by my doorstep.
At the doorstep, a middle-aged man and a skinny young servant stood one in front of the other, the one asking questions was the fair-skinned middle-aged man. His clothes were clean and orderly, not at all like an ordinary commoner.
Looking at the evidently significant middle-aged man, Liang Qu rapidly searched his mind.
Seeing Liang Qu remain silent on the other side, Zheng Xiang thought he was still hesitant and waved his hand; the young servant immediately lifted a sack and pried open the mouth of the bag.
Zheng Xiang rolled up his sleeves and reached into it, and by the moonlight, Liang Qu saw him actually pull out a large handful of gleaming white rice!
Liang Qu swallowed hard; the stomach pain from when he had first arrived had indeed left him with some psychological shadows.
Zheng Xiang slowly poured the rice into a cloth bag, "How about it, just acknowledge our Old Master Zhao as your adoptive father, and this measure of rice is yours. Moreover, your food from now on will all be this good quality rice!"
Adoptive father!?
Hearing this word, Liang Qu's brain seemed to flip a switch, but it wasn't the "if you do not abandon me, I am willing to acknowledge you as my adoptive father" kind. Instead, it was the cause and consequence of the whole matter.
The middle-aged man before him was one of the stewards from the neighboring town's Zhao Manor that housed the famous cold pond, Zheng Xiang!
The purpose of his visit here was simple, to buy a servant!
Having come to the doorstep, who the servant being purchased was, is self-evident.
As for why buying a servant was described as acknowledging an adoptive father, it was because the founding emperor of Dashun decreed that common people were forbidden from keeping private slaves. Thus, many wealthy folks adopted servants under the guise of taking in adopted sons or daughters, which could be legitimized by a witness, much like a similar trick in later generations.
Logically speaking, with his original life in such dire straits, selling himself was not a bad way out, what with being approached by a steward and provided with fine food, he was indeed given due face.
But the key issue was here: who would take hiring a servant so seriously?
That Old Master Zhao, it was rumored, had a fondness for young men!
Liang Qu had discovered upon his arrival that the youth whom he had taken the place of not only shared his name but also his likeness, which could be considered a doppelgänger from a parallel universe. Even though he had spent years fishing with his father and his skin had become rough and dark, his facial features were excellent and his appearance was handsome. With a bit of care, he would surely not be lacking.
Putting two and two together, the so-called "rumors" were most likely true.
Thinking of this, Liang Qu shuddered, a wave of revulsion sweeping over him.
"What is your decision?" Zheng Xiang asked again.
During his last visit, he had been put off with the excuse that he needed to think about it, but now he was quite certain that, should the other party not accept his conditions this time, he would probably starve to death at home in the next few days!
Zheng Xiang had even brought along a person from the brokerage to act as a guarantor, to prevent Liang Qu from selling himself and then changing his mind and going to the officials to accuse the Zhao Family of forcing free citizens into servitude.
It wasn't that the Zhao Family feared the lawsuit; who would want to invite trouble? After all, cleaning up the mess would cost them a few pieces of paper.
The servant from the brokerage chimed in from the side: "Exactly, exactly, young master, to be able to go to the Zhao Manor is a blessing that ordinary folks like us couldn't cultivate in several lifetimes. Is it worth it to keep trudging through wind and rain as you do now, scarcely having a few grains to eat in a year?"
'Damn it, whoever wants that blessing can take it, and may they not worry about not being able to wipe their ass clean.'
Liang Qu inwardly cursed, but his face remained composed as he politely declined. The Zhao Family were powerful and wealthy; they were really not whom he could afford to offend at the moment: "I'm really sorry, Steward Zheng. With my own poor fate, I can't enjoy such a tremendous blessing, and I feel bad for wasting your time. Why don't you take this yellow croaker back with you, as my way of apologizing?"
The brokerage servant was stupefied.
Zheng Xiang's complexion changed, as he had not anticipated Liang Qu's refusal. He moved aggressively closer, forcing Liang Qu to step back twice, but they were still uncomfortably close, which suddenly made Liang Qu sense something abnormal.
Why did Liang Qu look so healthy? He didn't seem like someone who had been starving for days at all! And where did this yellow croaker come from? Did he catch it himself?
Zheng Xiang's mind reeled, failing to understand how a boy with no support could possibly have turned his luck around in so few days.
Liang Qu was startled and just as he was about to say something else to salvage his own little life, Zheng Xiang unexpectedly calmed down first: "No harm done; it was a mutual transaction to begin with. There's no need for apologies or compensation. Catching a yellow croaker is already not an easy task; young master should keep it. It's getting late, so I won't overstay my welcome. Farewell!"
As he spoke, Zheng Xiang had already left with the brokerage servant, leaving Liang Qu behind at the doorstep, holding the yellow croaker.
Did I really not offend him?
Liang Qu's expression fluctuated uncertainly, he should have the freedom to agree or not, but for the weaker to refuse the stronger was in itself a mistake.
The most critical point was that the whole affair reeked of incongruity, fraught with doubts.
The Zhao Family from neighboring Pingyang Town was a significant household; why did they find out so quickly about an orphan from Yixing City who was about to be unable to make ends meet?
Scabby Zhang, could the Zhao Family be...
"It seems I must become a martial master as soon as possible. Once I'm a martial master, the Zhao Family won't be able to do anything to me."
With his mind full of thoughts, Liang Qu fell into a deep sleep.
Early the next morning, to the surprise of the passing fishermen, Liang Qu sold a yellow croaker to the most luxurious restaurant in Yixing City, receiving eighty copper coins for it.
The time to pay the fishing taxes and other miscellaneous taxes was still far off, and neither he nor his ancestors had ever rented any equipment for fish pens, so without being exploited to pay debts, coupled with Yixing City's proximity to larger cities, good public order, and lack of fishing tyrants, the money he received could mostly end up in his own hands.
If it were some poverty-stricken backwater, then it would be tragic. With the fishing tyrants and fish pens colluding, they would strip you clean, always on the edge of inciting a peasant revolt, only lacking someone to lead the charge with a slogan.
With money in hand, Liang Qu found a cheap hostel, ordering two pounds of meat, a bowl of rice, and a plate of seasonal vegetables, and ate to his heart's content.
However, Yixing City was indeed small, and soon after, the news that he had caught a yellow croaker and sold it for eighty copper coins spread like wildfire. People kept coming around asking about the fishing spot, hoping to try their luck, annoying him endlessly.
"You lad, where did you catch that yellow croaker? Give us a hint," a young man a few years older than Liang Qu put his arm around Liang Qu's shoulder. While speaking, his hand sneakily reached for the fatty meat on the plate but was smacked away by a chopstick.
"Sss, you little jerk, that was too harsh," the young man hissed, shaking his hand.
Liang Qu remained unmoved. There were only so many people of his age in town, and he knew most of them. Li Libo was one such person, but to say they were close would be an overstatement, at least when it came to borrowing grain, his family hadn't lent any.
It wasn't worth harboring resentment, either. In an agricultural society with limited productivity, everyone was working hard just to eat. It was normal not to lend. It was rather the relatives who had refused to help and were rude that really upset him.
"I've already told you, it's just three miles to the right of Shangrao Wharf, by the reed marshes," Liang Qu said.
"I don't believe it. You must be hiding something. I wouldn't tell others either if I found a place where I could catch yellow croakers; I'd keep it to myself to make a fortune in silence," the young man reasoned.
Seeing there was no meat to be had, Li Libo could only pour himself a pot of tea, pouring for himself. Lazy by nature, he'd come to scrounge off Liang Qu after hearing about the yellow croaker.
But it was precisely Li Libo's character that made him well-informed about certain rumors. Liang Qu, thinking of recent events, had an idea: "I have a question for you. Answer well, and there will be meat for you to eat."
Li Libo's eyes lit up: "Really? That is a good deal. Ask away!"
"How much do you know about the martial arts schools in Pingyang Town?"
Li Libo eyed Liang Qu up and down, snickering, "Well, who doesn't dream of becoming a martial master? But you've come to the right person with that question."
"Go on," Liang Qu prompted.
"There are three martial arts schools in Pingyang Town. The most formidable one belongs to Master Yang, as the other two school heads are self-taught, while Master Yang is retired from the military! And I, Li Libo, am about to go and apprentice with Master Yang!"
Li Libo's response was more boasting than answering.
"You?" Liang Qu deliberately questioned.
Li Libo immediately got defensive, spilling everything in his haste, enlightening Liang Qu and giving him a better understanding of the extraordinary system in this world.
It was quite simple: refine the foundation, then undergo medicinal baths, refine again, take more medicinal baths, and finally attempt the breakthrough.
Skin, flesh, bones, blood—four minor stages. Once all conquered, one could be considered a martial master. Before achieving that, one could only be a martial artist. Supposedly, there were more realms beyond, but they were not for ordinary people to know.
The enrollment for martial arts schools was not difficult, requiring no special talent, only money!
The fees for Master Yang's martial arts school were seven taels of silver without room and board, ten taels with room, and twenty for room and medicinal baths, with food being extra. This was slightly more expensive than the other two schools but matched its superior reputation.
Just seven taels of silver, that was not too daunting. Liang Qu pondered, "Then you must be..."
"Shh, don't spread it around, but in two months, my family will be sending me off to the martial arts school," Libo said with pride. "Once I'm there, I'll definitely be stronger than the likes of Scabby Zhang. I'll have proper training, not just taking a beating."