Hu Ma knew the old shopkeeper had long been thinking of leaving, but he didn’t expect it to be so soon.
Seeing Hu Ma’s somewhat surprised expression, the old shopkeeper just smiled and nodded to the side. Sister Wu He, standing next to him, promptly poured wine into the cup before Hu Ma and then filled the old shopkeeper’s cup.
The old shopkeeper raised his cup, gestured towards Hu Ma, and sighed softly, "I’ve wanted to leave for a long time. It’s just that, firstly, if I leave now, it will be hard to explain to those above. Secondly, I always felt I owed you something and wanted to help plan your future."
"Now that the major matters are settled, I have no more hesitations. Why not hurry up and go?"
"Major matters are settled?"
Hu Ma noticed the key point in the old shopkeeper’s words and immediately looked at him with curiosity.
"HAHA, you accomplished your task well."
The old shopkeeper looked at Hu Ma with a smile, praising, "Young people are indeed more progressive in doing things. When I was young, I didn’t have the courage to fight for such a batch of Blood Food. In this matter, you also helped yourself."
Then he explained to Hu Ma, "Earlier, I had recommended you to the higher-ups, but the recommendation was suppressed, and no one gave a definite answer. It seemed they weren’t too confident about handing this Manor over to someone as young as you."
"However, this time, I received news. Those few Red Fragrance Disciples accomplished a great feat, and your name even reached those above."
"With this, my recommendation for you became much easier."
"With my backing and these two great accomplishments as a foundation, even though you’re young, managing this Manor would be sufficient."
Upon hearing the old shopkeeper’s words, Hu Ma felt a slight relief in his heart.
No wonder there was no sign of any reward coming down even after this batch of Blood Food had been in the city for four or five days.
Was it because it coincided with the old shopkeeper’s endorsement, merging the two matters into one?
"It’s a good thing you have skills, but..."
Seeing Hu Ma deep in thought and not getting carried away, the old shopkeeper paused. He remained silent for a while, his somewhat deep eyes looking at Hu Ma. After a long pause, he sighed lowly, "Before I leave, I must remind you of one thing."
"Now that you’re a Shopkeeper, cultivate steadily and don’t get involved too much in other things..."
Noticing something strange in his tone, Hu Ma looked up attentively, saying, "Please, Shopkeeper, give me guidance."
"There’s no special guidance, just a piece of advice behind closed doors."
The old shopkeeper waved his hand and sighed, "In this chaotic world, evil spirits are rampant and turmoil engulfs the heavens. Even noble families owning thousands of acres of fertile land in county and state government offices find it difficult to protect themselves. How much harder is it for us, the Blood Food Gang, who make a living by worshiping evil spirits and collecting Blood Food?"
"Those Disciples who worship Red Lantern Lady have already entrusted their lives to her since joining the society. It’s hard for them to have second thoughts; they have to fight to survive."
"But the skills of us Shousui men belong to us. We don’t necessarily need to get drawn into their circle..."
"No matter how powerful or prestigious Red Lantern Lady is..." He paused slightly, then slowly continued, "But in the end, she’s not a..."
Hearing these words unexpectedly, Hu Ma immediately looked up at the old shopkeeper.
This old shopkeeper, with his deep thoughts, bore a heavy grudge and was greatly concerned for his daughter. Although he taught me the skills of a Shousui man, there were always calculations on his part, and he mostly used me for his own ends.
These words were perhaps the most genuine he had spoken since they had known each other.
"I understand, Shopkeeper."
He respectfully bowed to the old shopkeeper, saying, "I only trust in my own skills and don’t covet anything else."
Hearing this, the old shopkeeper felt reassured and looked at Hu Ma deeply.
One couldn’t help but wonder if, in his heart, he regretted that momentary lapse in judgment back then.
"Brother Hu Ma, once you leave, who knows when we’ll see each other again..."
In the silence, Sister Wu He softly spoke up. She wore a black, fur-edged cotton coat, cinched at the waist with a belt. If her head and face were covered, she could almost pass for a young man.
The weather was warming up. The coat had been normal for winter wear, but now it seemed slightly thick. Considering her situation, however, one knew she could only cover herself this way.
Now, she lifted the wine pot, carefully pouring for Hu Ma, her eyes red.
"What are you saying?"
Hu Ma chuckled, "Once your injuries are healed, won’t we see each other then?"
While speaking, he turned to the old shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, you mentioned the Divine Hand Zhao Family. Is there any news about them?"
"It’s still uncertain."
Hearing this, the old shopkeeper also gave a bitter smile and said, "How easy do you think it is to find someone from the Ten Families?"
"However, relying on this old face of mine, I asked friends in the city to inquire widely. A bit of a lead has come up, so I must hurry over and try my luck. Fortunately, you previously obtained the Green Jade Paste from the Red Lantern Lady’s Club; it will allow the girl to withstand the hardship of travel."
"But this Divine Hand Zhao Family is said to be as elusive as a dragon. Whether we can find them or not still depends on our fate."
What are the Ten Families?
Hu Ma pondered silently. Seeing the father and daughter in low spirits, he didn’t say much more, merely offering a few words of comfort.
Since they were about to leave and had secured the best possible outcome for him, Hu Ma temporarily set aside other matters and joined them for the meal.
He had originally come as an invited guest. However, Shopkeeper Wu was weary and lacked enthusiasm. Sister Wu He was reluctant to part but, being a young girl, kept her feelings to herself. So, Hu Ma ended up accompanying them, deliberately leading the conversation toward Cultivation and matters of the jianghu to dispel the gloom.
Admittedly, Sister Wu He knew quite a bit about practices related to yin and yang and Cultivation.
Hu Ma had initially learned some basics of the Path of Yin and Yang from her, which helped him understand some dharma methods in the Age Suppressing Book. Now that they were about to part, Sister Wu He was even more forthcoming with information.
"When she was younger, the girl was quite sharp. Some even wanted to recruit her into the Haishou Path..."
Even the old shopkeeper sighed lightly when Hu Ma praised Sister Wu He for her knowledge, his expression showing a hint of pride, though it quickly turned to sorrow.
They drank a few cups of wine, expressing their heartfelt intentions.
As Hu Ma left the Manor, the moon had climbed above the willow branches.
Could I really secure the position of Shopkeeper? he pondered silently.
For a moment, it felt a bit surreal. After joining the Red Lantern Lady’s Club for less than a year and completing just one season’s work, to leap from a mere worker to Shopkeeper seemed a bit exaggerated.
But on second thought, it made sense.
I may have started as a low-level gangster in Temple Street, but I’ve already pulled off a major job for the society. Coupled with the boss’s recommendation, becoming the leader of a small place... is that really too much to ask?
He suddenly realized one last issue: since the higher-ups had given their word, he needed to prepare and manage the necessary arrangements...
Being a Shopkeeper was different from being a manager.
Managers were appointed by the Shopkeepers of their respective Manors. The Shopkeeper position, however, was truly a high one with a generous stipend. This included a monthly allowance of twenty taels of silver, thirty pounds of green food, and one hundred and twenty pounds of White Tai Sui.
Additionally, every three months, or during festivals and holidays, Blood Food Pills were distributed as rewards.
It was several levels above being a manager.
Many of the Manor managers within the Red Lantern Society, or the Worship members responsible for refining Blood Food Pills and other secret medicines, were often already celebrated figures who had been invited to join.
Climbing up from below truly required enduring eight to ten years of hardship, enough to shed layers of skin in the process.
I consider myself lucky. The old shopkeeper felt guilty and heavily recommended me. This, coupled with me helping Yang Gong achieve a significant feat, created an opportunity.
But even so, it doesn’t mean I can rest easy. The necessary gifts cannot be skipped, not a single one.
But how should these be given?
This isn’t like when I had just entered the Red Lantern Lady’s Club, where a few Green Tai Sui could make a manager beam with joy.
But if I were to go around the city now, just bringing a few Green Tai Sui as gifts, they’d probably laugh me out the door...
Yet, if I have to give valuable gifts...
...I do have quite a few valuable things on hand, but firstly, I’m reluctant to part with them, and secondly, they can’t see the light of day.
And what I have on the surface, saved over these past few months, is just over ten taels of silver. I can also get about ten pounds of green food from the Manor.
Forget about gifting everyone; it’s not even enough for one person.
Although I’m not very familiar with the social dynamics in the city, based on my past life experience, I estimate that if I want to secure the Shopkeeper’s position, the networking alone in the city might require three to five hundred taels of silver.
Where could I possibly find such a large sum?
As he was silently pondering and walking towards his room, a dark figure suddenly bumped into him.
Both were startled. It turned out to be Zhou Datong, hitching up his pants as he came out of the latrine. Seeing it was Hu Ma, he relaxed and said, "You scared me, Brother Ma Zi! Why aren’t you asleep yet? Are you out here hunting ghosts?"
Hu Ma, his mind full of worries, replied absently, "It’s nothing. Datong, do you have any money?"
Zhou Datong said, "Yeah, of course."
Hu Ma asked, "How much?"
Zhou Datong replied, "Several taels, plus a few copper coins."
Hu Ma sighed, "Never mind, go get some sleep!"
Even the richest of the Village second generation couldn’t help him. It seemed borrowing money for gifts was not feasible.
"Brother Old White, congratulations on your promotion..."
Resigned, he went back to his room to sleep. Unexpectedly, Er Guotou, with whom he hadn’t spoken for a long time, suddenly contacted him.
Since partnering with Miss White Wine and pulling off that major operation, the three of them had reduced contact. This was probably partly to settle the Blood Food allocations in their hands. Also, they subconsciously reduced contact to avoid any slip-ups...
...Though communication among Reincarnators was generally very discreet, they still had to follow the unwritten rules of their world, right?
Anyone who had ever pulled off a heist knew that after completing a job, there had to be a period of no contact.
"You knew about it too?"
Hearing Er Guotou’s voice, Hu Ma’s spirits lifted considerably.
"Not only did I know, but I was the one who handed over your batch of Blood Food. I even skimmed a little off the top..."
Er Guotou laughed, "Anyway, I actually came to ask you: are you ready to take on this Shopkeeper position?"
Hu Ma paused for a moment, then smiled, "It offers freedom and autonomy. Why wouldn’t I?"
"Well, what a coincidence..."
Er Guotou said, "I sought you out tonight specifically to warn you about this very matter. That Shopkeeper position... don’t be so quick to covet it."