"Brother Qingzi, my dad once sold a raccoon dog for six taels of silver, which was about the same size as yours, but the steward sold it for too cheap."
Once the three had moved away from Wanfeng Building, Shen Xiaohu began to express his indignation on behalf of Shen Qing.
"Hey, you guys are actually quite lucky. If they had started a fight and refused to pay you at all, you wouldn't even have a place to argue your case."
Zhang Shuyuan leisurely sat in the cart, somehow flipping out a small booklet and reading it with relish.
Shen Xiaohu exclaimed excitedly, "Doesn't the government here care? We've never missed paying all sorts of taxes every year."
"This place is far from Dragon Court. The officials sent here all look to the Four Great Eastern Families; a strong dragon does not suppress the local tyrant. You'll understand once you've struggled here for a while. The government here always takes the money but never gets things done."
Zhang Shuyuan glanced at Shen Xiaohu with a meaningful look and said, "If you cause trouble for the government, the first thing they do is take care of you, the troublemaker."
Shen Xiaohu's mouth fell open, and he was at a loss for words, speech choked in his throat.
Although he had never traveled far from home, he had witnessed the situation when Tian Chuan was beaten to death.
He understood all these principles.
It's just… he felt somewhat unreconciled.
At their side, Shen Qing listened to the conversation silently, without speaking.
Why was it so hard for people at the bottom to prosper?
Whenever they had some harvest and wanted to enter the county town, they couldn't escape the exploitation of the Four Great Eastern Families and the government.
They were exploited when entering the town, exploited in trade, and stripped yet again by various clever pretexts each year.
For people at the bottom like them, having enough food was already a luxury, let alone having the energy and capital to prosper.
Just like Zhang Shuyuan said, today he was rather lucky.
After all, he was still too weak. He needed to practice martial arts and quickly find a backer to change his martial arts register.
"Sir, do you know where Linfeng Hall is located?" Shen Qing asked, holding the reins in his hand.
...
Shengshi Square.
The majestic residence lined both sides of the street in neat rows, and looking down the street, the roads were paved with bluestone, clean and scarcely populated.
The snow from above had already been cleaned away, piled up on both sides of the street.
Shen Qing drove the cart and stopped in front of a large courtyard with a single-story house.
A pair of stone lions squatted at the gate, one clutching a ball, the other shielding a cub, both majestic and imposing.
Above the lion statues, a plaque hung on the gatehouse with the characters for "Linfeng Hall" inscribed in gold on a black background.
Standing at the entrance, Shen Qing and the others could faintly hear the sounds of shouting and training coming from inside.
His younger aunt, Shen Xiu, was initially sold to a wealthy family in the county town, and because of her looks, she had had a reasonably comfortable life there.
When her grandparents were still alive, she was able to visit home once every year.
Even after her grandparents passed away, she continued to maintain contact, occasionally sending things to the Shen Family via others.
However, as the years passed without her getting pregnant, her life in the wealthy household became increasingly difficult, and her opportunities to come out and mingle decreased.
Even when his parents died, she was unable to return to the Shen Family.
His uncle had told him that not long ago, his younger aunt had been sold to the home of the master of Linfeng Hall and had become a concubine there.
This time, having come here with great difficulty, he should visit her and, following his uncle's plea, inquire about Shanwa starting martial arts training.
Shen Qing walked up the bluestone steps and grabbed the brass knocker on the vermilion door, knocking three times without haste.
After a while, the vermilion door opened inward, revealing a face with prominent brow bones.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
Shen Qing stepped forward and explained his purpose, "My aunt is Shen Xiu, the concubine of Master Li from inside. I happened to be in town for some business, and my family asked me to bring some mountain goods for her. Could you please pass the message along?"
"A relative of Miss Qi from her mother's side? Wait at the door for a moment."
As soon as the other party had finished speaking, they slammed the door shut with a bang.
Shen Qing's face remained calm as he patiently waited at the door.
A moment later, the crimson door was reopened, "Come in."
"Thank you for your trouble."
Shen Qing, followed by Shen Xiaohu, strode in, handing the handcart and the tired horse to Zhang Shuyuan.
Inside the courtyard, right past the door was a sight of about twenty topless, robust men, each hefting stone weights, their bodies steaming with heat.
This caused the courtyard, despite being in the cold winter season, to feel as warm as early spring, astonishingly so.
After pausing for a moment, Shen Qing, led by the gatekeeper, went into a room in the front courtyard to await his aunt, Shen Xiu.
The Hall Master of Linfeng Hall, Li Linfeng, who had been running a Martial Arts Hall for many years, held some reputation in the town and had quite a large family.
With a large family came many rules.
Outsiders, even men, were not allowed into the inner courtyard to have contact with the women without permission.
After waiting in the room for about fifteen minutes, a beautiful lady who bore a slight resemblance to Shen Qing opened the wooden door and walked in.
It had to be said, no one in the Shen Family could compare to others in terms of appearance and demeanor.
His aunt's skin was as delicate as cream, her lips thin, her nose high and defined, and her almond eyes brimmed with a lively spark.
She was truly a beauty who bore no trace of her origins from a hunter's family.
"You're Shen Qing? The eldest son from your big brother's family? I didn't expect you to have grown so much. The last time I saw you, you were just a little boy."
Aunt Shen Xiu slowly stepped into the room, her steps slightly cautious, with a hint of roundness barely noticeable in her waist.
Recognizing her nephew, she spoke with a warm tone in her face and gentle eyes.
Aunt Shen Xiu found a soft cushion and sat down in a chair to make small talk, "How are your second uncle and his wife doing?"
"Thank you for your concern, Uncle and Aunt are doing well."
"That's good, I couldn't come back when your big uncle had an accident, don't be upset with me. It wasn't within my control." Aunt Shen Xiu's face darkened slightly as if recalling many sad memories.
Shen Qing quickly said, "How could I be upset with Auntie? Our family's situation is not known to others, but our own family is well aware of it."
"Ah…" Aunt Shen Fang sighed and asked, "Did you come to see me because something happened at home?"
"Aunt, there's nothing wrong at home," Shen Qing stood up and pulled Shen Xiaohu next to him, saying, "This is Xiao Hu. We rarely come to the town, Uncle thought I should bring some mountain goods over and visit Aunt."
Aunt Shen Xiu's face showed a hint of happiness as she smiled, "You really thought of everything."
Shen Qing finished speaking and patted Shen Xiaohu on the back.
Understanding the cue, Shen Xiaohu brought over a basket filled with mountain delicacies like Hericium erinaceus, bamboo mushrooms, and lamb's tripe, placing it at Shen Xiu's feet.
"They're just some inexpensive Hericium erinaceus, bamboo mushrooms, lamb's tripe, and the like. You can ask the cook to prepare some hometown flavors when you have time."
Aunt Shen Xiu warmly smiled and said, "I haven't eaten anything from home for a long time, now I can satisfy my craving."
"I'm glad you don't mind," Shen Qing stood up and bowed slightly, saying, "Besides visiting Aunt, Uncle also mentioned that he indeed has something he needs Aunt's help with."
Aunt Shen Xiu's face showed no change as she spoke warmly, "I don't know what it is? Let me hear it first and see if I can help."
Shen Qing looked even more respectful and showed a slight embarrassed expression as he sought help, "Uncle wants to ask Aunt if she could allow us brothers to enter Linfeng Hall to practice Martial Arts?"