Chapter 155: Speechless

  The third young lady of the Liang family, however, was not having it and said indignantly: "Since you know she's in the wrong, why didn't you let her go to the ancestral temple... send her to the Feng family for reflection? What right do you have to send her to the Feng family for reflection... Don't think I don't know what kind of tricks you're playing..."

  Jin Mama gently pulled her sleeve.

  The third young lady of the Liang family immediately turned around, her face sank, and she looked very unhappy: "What are you doing?" But her tone was softer.

  "Ah, Madam, you're finally out and about! If we don't hurry, the Wu family's braised pork head on West Street will be sold out."

  "Ah!" exclaimed the third young mistress of the Liang family, somewhat regretfully. "I should have come earlier... Let's go! I've long heard that the braised pork head at Wu's on Kyoto's West Main Street is unparalleled in the world. This time, we must give it a good try." With that, she didn't even glance at the others and strode straight out.

  Jin Mama nodded and smiled at Shen Muqing, then followed him.

  Liang Shu Xin then smiled wryly and bowed slightly towards Shen Mu Qing before walking out.

  Shen Mu Qing's legs went soft, and she sat down on a nearby rosewood chair, covering her chest mouth and taking a deep breath: "Where did Liang Yuan find such a treasure... it's really true that evil people will be punished by other evil people!"

  "Auntie, don't be angry," Chang Hui stuttered in consolation to Shen Muqing, "A family will fall when it produces a monster. I think this Liang family has committed too many wicked deeds and is bound to suffer retribution!"

  If everyone who did evil were punished, I don't know how many people would die!

  Shen Mu Qing lost his smile and sincerely said to Chang Hui: "Today, thanks to you, otherwise, I would have suffered a great loss."

  "Who would have thought that a woman from a respectable family could also possess such excellent martial arts skills?"

  "Is Golden Mother's kung fu very good?"

  Chang Hui nodded: "Among women, she is one of the top masters. When my elder sister was not ill, she was probably about equal to her!"

  Shen Mu Qing was taken aback for a moment.

  She didn't think Liu Niang also had excellent martial arts skills.

  "What's wrong with her?"

  Chang Hui sighed: "She's been working several jobs... even an iron body can't withstand such hardships... I wanted to go to the escort agency to be a master, but she wouldn't let me. She said Big Brother is no longer around, and can't let me...". He seemed to have many thoughts that couldn't be expressed, and muttered to Shen Muqing, "I've been away from home for 20 years, my parents rely on Big Brother and Sister-in-law's support... I'm guilty of the three unfilial things. I must listen to Sister-in-law's words... it was really helpless, so I borrowed those silver coins from Aunt..."

  Shen Mu Qing smiled and said, "Our family's economy is a bit better than yours, but your family members all have good skills... people are the same, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. When things get tough, we should help each other out. Uncle Chang's two kids are still young, once they grow up in a few years, life will be better."

  "It's not that," Chang Hui's eyes lit up, "My nephew is studying at the academy, and his teacher praises him for being clever and quick-witted, saying he'll definitely pass the imperial exam... I know I shouldn't be spineless and borrow money from your family. But as long as there are green hills, there's no need to worry about firewood. In the future, I'll repay your kindness with a flood of gratitude."

  Shen Muqing thought he was ugly but his conversation was very interesting. He smiled and nodded straight away.

  Chang Hui was originally a talkative person. Seeing Shen Muqing not despising her family's trivial matters, she felt happy and naturally said things that she didn't intend to say.

  "The poor are afraid of getting sick. When the body is fine, there's nothing to worry about, but once you fall ill, you realize what's good and bad. The elder sister waits for medicine, the nephew waits for rice and meat to take to school, the niece hasn't had a new dress since her older brother passed away... everywhere needs money... can bones be exchanged for silver? I've been alone in the desert for 15 years, seen the snow on Mount Tian, drunk water from Namtso Lake... when it's really tough, just thinking of surviving is enough, who cares if it's horse urine or leftover rice, both go down the throat..."

  Everyone has the need to pour out their heart!

  It's so hard to live, but being able to say it out loud makes me feel a lot better.

  Shen Mu smiled slightly and listened to Chang Hui's chatter.

  The two of them chatted for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, when Second Master Zhang called out from behind the curtain: "You see, do you think we should hire a few more masters tomorrow?"

  Shouldn't be needed anymore?

  Can't the third young lady of the Liang family go out every day?

  It would be great if there was someone like Chang Hui by my side!

  An idea flashed through Shen Muqing's mind, stirring her thoughts.

  She first instructed the second shopkeeper: "It's getting late, please ask the masters to take a break. I'll have a word with Master Chang, you accompany me, and we'll all go to Tianxiang Building for drinks!"

  As soon as Shen Muqing's words fell, Chang Hui had already waved his hand: "I won't go! I'm not used to that kind of place!"

  Tenshozan is a relatively well-known temple in Kyoto, it's okay if you don't go!

  "In that case, you go first!"

  The Second Master obeyed and left.

  Shen Muqing smiled and said: "Right, Master Chang, I don't know who you learned your martial arts from?"

  Chang Hui was taken aback and said, "This is a family heirloom. Our Chang family, forty years ago in the Jianghu was also somewhat famous. It's just that by my father's generation, there was only my father, this one male descendant, and gradually, people in the Jianghu didn't know much about our Chang family anymore."

  Chang En's death is really... Although later that what-six-grandfather didn't get a good end, he could die a thousand times and still couldn't exchange for Chang En's understanding.

  He has only one son, no wonder Liu Jie didn't want her son to follow Chang En's old path!

  Thinking of this, Shen Muqing couldn't help but let out a faint sigh and asked Chang Hui: "Then will you accept an apprentice?"

  Chang Hui had some doubts.

  Shen Muqing immediately realized that his words were inappropriate.

  In ancient times, taking on an apprentice was not like modern times. A teacher was like a parent to their students. Therefore, a master taking on an apprentice was a very serious matter, especially when it came to passing down a family's traditional martial arts like the Changs'.

  "Master Chang, it's like this." Shen Muqing hastily added, "You also know our family situation, I just want to invite you to come to our home as a live-in tutor and teach some martial arts skills to the young servants in our household... no need to learn too much, just enough so they won't be bullied by others."

  Chang Hui's expression was hesitant, and he didn't make a sound for a long time.

  "If it's too much trouble, then forget it......" Shen Muqing hastily said, "I don't understand these things either, I'm just mentioning them. If there are places where I've misspoken, please don't take it to heart."

  "Miss, you don't know, but anyone with a bit of martial arts skills thinks they're superior to others. If they have good breeding, they'll naturally be tolerant, but if they have poor breeding, they might start a fight. Even if you learn it perfectly, being invincible in the world is one thing, but if you only learn half of it, you can't even win a fight, and yet you still have some skills, people will take you as a Jianghu person to deal with... Better not to learn - In the Jianghu world, people won't easily kill those who don't know martial arts, this is an unwritten rule."

  Shen Muqing thought what he said made sense and couldn't help but smile: "Don't be surprised, Master Chang!"

  Chang Hui also smiled: "If you have anything, just send someone to deliver a message to Yangchang Hutong to find me - we've moved there now. No need to raise a pig just for eating pork!"

  Shen Muqing was amused by his words and burst out laughing.

  As the sky was getting late, Ming Xia wrapped another twenty taels of silver and gave it to Chang Hui.

  Chang Hui smiled and said, "I'm not bothered by many lice, nor am I worried about many debts!"

  Shen Mu Qing burst out laughing.

  She saw off Chang Hui, and Li Si Guan galloped towards the inner city. When she arrived at Zhengyang Gate, the gate was already closed. She had no choice but to turn back to Baizhi Fang and spend the night there.

  The next morning, Ying Fen rushed over early.

  "Yesterday when I went back, I heard that Auntie hadn't returned yet, and you said you would be staying at the White Paper Workshop, so I specifically came to inform my family." Ying Fen told Shen Muqing about last night's situation, fearing that their words might not match if Shen Muqing were to return home.

  "What did Master say?" Shen Muqing feared Shen Zhen would worry.

  "Master didn't sleep for half the night. He also said that from now on, when going to Baizhi Fang, he must return by the end of the third watch. Otherwise, he won't be allowed to go to the shop again."

  A child travels a thousand miles, his mother worries.

  "It's all because I wasn't paying attention!"

  Ying Fan was concerned about her leaving and asked: "Miss, what did those people from the Liang family come for?"

  Shen Muqing felt that his experience yesterday was simply unspeakable, and he let out a sigh, saying: "Ask Mingxia for the details!"

  Ying Fen looked puzzled, and Shen Mu Qing had already said: "Right, the thing I asked you to investigate, how did it go?"

  Ying's expression turned serious: "I pretended to be a person searching for relatives and asked the neighbors. They said that the courtyard was originally the villa of the Town Wu Bo family, but three years ago it was bought by a family with the surname Xiao. At first, there were still people living there, but in the past two years, it has been empty. Recently, there were rumors that it would be sold."

  How did this happen?

  "Did you hear anything else?"

  Ying shook her head.

  "The Xiao family just moved in and doesn't really interact with other families... anything more than that, nobody knows!"

  Shen Mu calmly thought for a moment, then called Lin Jincai over.

  "Go take a look at Bai Shu Hutong and see if there's a courtyard house for sale?"

  Lin Jincai left at the sound, and Shen Muqing furrowed his brow slightly in annoyance.

  It would be great if I could go to the Ministry of Personnel and ask... The appointment and removal of officials, they all have a foundation there... Who should I ask?

  Thinking of this, Shen Muqing suddenly stood up.

  "Get the carriage ready, I'm going to Minister Min's place in Tianjing Hutong."

  The swallow flew away with a flutter and quickly came back.

  "Auntie, Auntie, Xiao Gongzi is here!" She was all smiles.

  "Xiao Gongzi?" Shen Mu's eyes widened in surprise, "Xiao Sa?"

  "It's precisely Xiao Xiao Gongzi!"

  "Have him wait in the flower hall." Shen Muqing hastily said, "I'll change into some clothes and come right away!"

  He smiled and hurried away.

  Shen Muqing put on a bean green jacket over her white blouse and went to the flower hall.

  Yingfen and Mingxia one served tea, the other served dim sum, both were attentively entertaining Xiao Sa.

  Shen Mu Qing saw that he was dressed very differently from that day.

  A dark blue five-clawed dragon robe made of silk, a white jade-colored handkerchief, and a pair of black boots with a square toe cap on his feet. Not only was he dressed very plainly, but the creases on his clothes were also clearly visible - it was obviously a new set of clothes.

  Isn't it because you're going to see a guest, so you specially changed into new clothes?

  She felt a slight pang in her heart and didn't say any polite words, opening her mouth to ask: "What's going on? Why are you in Kyoto?"

  Xiao Xiao slowly stood up when Shen Mu Qing walked in.

  When she asked him, his eyes suddenly lit up, shooting out a scorching light like a summer day, and instead of answering, he asked: "What's the matter with you looking for me?"

  Xiao Ge has finally appeared... 555...

  []

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