Free Web NovelChapter 110: Chapter 102: The Sucker (Part 2)
Besides, when it came down to it, even if Fang Yue dared to deceive him by posing as a Martial Artist at the Marrow Transformation stage to claim excessive Martial Scholar benefits, the risks were enormous.
If discovered, his title would not only be stripped, but he would also be exiled and conscripted.
Therefore, there was no need to worry about someone impersonating a high-level Martial Artist to defraud the Martial Scholar benefits system.
"Get it! Why wouldn’t you? Hurry up, don’t keep Martial Scholar Fang waiting."
Huang Yuangu was on the verge of tears. His heart was bleeding, yet he still had to treat Fang Yue with courtesy.
At this moment, any conflicts his family had with Fang Yue, or any friction with the White Tiger Boxing Hall, were all thrown to the back of his mind.
His mind was now completely filled with the thought of his losses. His massive, staggering losses.
~~~~~~
「A quarter of an hour later.」
Fang Yue left the Government Office.
Of course, before leaving, he re-registered his Martial Arts Realm, changing it from Bone Forging to Marrow Transformation.
As for the County Magistrate, he was said to be out, so Fang Yue didn’t get to see him.
However, Fang Yue’s appearance truly stunned the officials in the Government Office who managed the registration of Martial Artist ranks.
After all, the news of his injuries had caused quite a stir back then.
No one had expected that not only did he seem completely recovered now, but his cultivation had even advanced by a whole realm.
It was naturally quite astonishing.
Fang Yue, of course, was unaware of all this. After leaving the Government Office, he first found an inn and booked a room.
Then he ordered a table full of dishes and enjoyed a wonderful meal.
「Early the next morning.」
Fang Yue went to his usual breakfast stall. The familiar donkey meat soup, griddle-baked flatbread, steamed buns, and fried dough sticks.
’Still the same familiar taste. It’s really good.’
Even though he hadn’t been here for over a year, the taste hadn’t changed; it was still just as authentic.
However, there weren’t many customers at the stall, making it seem a bit deserted.
"Sir, I haven’t seen you in a while! Here are two tea eggs, on the house. Try them and see how I did this time." Just then, the owner came up to Fang Yue, serving him two tea eggs.
Don’t underestimate the gesture of just two tea eggs. In these times, the price of eggs was not cheap, and tea eggs were considered a high-end food item.
They were much more expensive than a few flatbreads or fried dough sticks.
"Haha, it has been a while. I didn’t expect you to still remember me, old brother. How’s business been lately?"
Fang Yue didn’t refuse. After all, he was the one who had taught the stall owner how to make these tea eggs.
Before Fang Yue started eating breakfast at this stall, there were no such things as tea eggs. Eggs were so expensive that ordinary people couldn’t bear to eat them, so naturally, there weren’t many ways to prepare them.
Fang Yue had taught the stall owner the recipe for tea eggs. The owner tried making some, and to his surprise, they sold well. He was able to sell a few every day.
This time, upon seeing Fang Yue, he brought out the tea eggs he had set aside for himself to take home and gave them to Fang Yue instead.
"Sigh, in times like these, I’m lucky to be barely scraping by. If it weren’t for a few loyal customers, I would’ve closed up shop long ago," the breakfast stall owner said with a sigh.
"If this natural disaster doesn’t end soon, I’ll have to shut down sooner or later."
Fang Yue tapped the eggshell lightly. Pinching the egg between two fingers, he gave it a gentle twist, and the shell peeled off automatically.
Then, he took a bite. The flavor was authentic and quite good.
"Heh, don’t you worry, old brother. I think this famine will be over very soon," Fang Yue said with a small smile.
There were only a few days left until the end of the month. The truth would be revealed then.
"Alright then, I’ll take you at your good word." Hearing this, a smile appeared on the breakfast stall owner’s face.
He wouldn’t believe it if someone else said it, but when Fang Yue said it, for some reason, he found himself believing it a little.
With hope came renewed motivation.
"Alright, old brother, I’ve left the money on the table. I have some other business to attend to, so I’ll be going now."
Fang Yue immediately took his leave. He still had to buy some tea saplings today.
The White Tiger Martial Arts Hall had previously promised to provide a batch, but at that time, his budget was one thousand taels of silver. Now that his silver had doubled, he naturally wanted to look around and buy some more.
Just as he reached the banks of the Jade River, he saw that it had long since dried up. The pebbles in the riverbed were now covered with a layer of dirt.
"Hehe, Brother Zhou, you’re a generous man! You just got back yesterday, and you’re already taking us brothers out for a good time. From now on, we’ll definitely work hard for you, Brother Zhou."
A few government constables had their arms slung over each other’s shoulders, swaying as they walked. They had obviously just come out of a brothel.
"We’re all brothers here. As long as I’m around, I definitely won’t let any of you down."
Zhou Fangwu patted his chest. The stench of alcohol still clung to him as he, red-faced and grinning, continued,
"Oh, right, about what Treasury Huang said last night—you guys should put some effort into it. Find a sucker and get them to buy those Tea Gardens off of him."
"Don’t worry, Chief. We’ll definitely find a sucker for you."
The government constables roared with laughter. In times like these, buying a Tea Garden really was a job for a sucker.
Treasury Huang’s Tea Garden was on a piece of mountain land. Mountain land was cheap to begin with, and in a year like this, you couldn’t grow much grain on it either.
So, Treasury Huang hadn’t bothered to uproot the tea plants, just leaving them there untended.
As a result, although his Tea Garden could no longer produce tea, the tea plants themselves had surprisingly survived.
However, without producing any tea, there was no income from it at all.
Wouldn’t anyone who bought it be a complete sucker?
A sucker like that wasn’t easy to find. Who would be so stupid?
The problem was, anyone who could afford it was someone they couldn’t afford to offend, and anyone they could afford to offend couldn’t afford it.
Wouldn’t it be better to spend that silver on women?
"What were you all just saying? Who’s selling a Tea Garden?" At that moment, a voice called out.
Zhou Fangwu’s hazy, alcohol-addled eyes turned toward the speaker. ’Huh?’
’He looks a bit familiar... Where have I seen this person before?’
He shook his head, and the blurry figure before him gradually came into focus.
"Fang... Fang... Martial Scholar Fang!"
"You... what are you doing here? Perfect timing! If I remember correctly, your family’s taxes are still unpaid!"
The mention of silver sobered Zhou Fangwu up instantly. He no longer needed support and walked straight up to Fang Yue.
"It’s five hundred taels in total. Since we’ve run into each other today, you might as well pay up."
But in the next moment, Zhou Fangwu felt someone pulling him from behind.
"Boss, look! Look at Martial Scholar Fang! He’s... he’s recovered!"
One of them exclaimed, sending a shiver down Zhou Fangwu’s spine.
At that moment, he seemed to finally remember.
He looked at Fang Yue in disbelief.
He saw Fang Yue standing there, completely unharmed, watching him with a faint smile.
"You... you... you’re healed?!"
Zhou Fangwu’s tongue trembled and his voice quivered. He rubbed his eyes hard, confirming that he wasn’t seeing things, and was so frightened that he fell right on his rear and sat on the ground.
He had only dared to go to Fang Yue’s family home to demand silver because Fang Yue was crippled, and the White Tiger Boxing Hall had all but severed ties with him.
That was the only reason he had been so bold.
But now, seeing Fang Yue standing here completely unharmed, without a single sign of injury...
...he instantly lost his nerve.
"Martial Scholar Fang, I misspoke just now. I wasn’t fully sober, it was all just drunken nonsense. Please, don’t take it to heart," Zhou Fangwu said fawningly, the shock and fear setting in.
He couldn’t afford to offend a Martial Scholar, so he naturally had to apologize quickly.
"Oh, is that so? I seem to remember you coming to my home and acting quite arrogantly. Oh, and weren’t you just demanding five hundred taels of silver?" Fang Yue watched Zhou Fangwu with great interest.
His gaze made the constable’s skin crawl.
"It was my mistake! You’re a great man, sir. Please don’t stoop to my level. Forgive me this once," Zhou Fangwu said, immediately starting to slap his own face.
He hit himself hard, and his face swelled up after just a few slaps.
"Alright, stop."
Fang Yue then continued, "Who did you say was selling a Tea Garden just now?"
Zhou Fangwu immediately recounted what had happened with Treasury Huang the previous night. The man had a five-hundred-acre Tea Garden that he wanted to sell, and for some unknown reason, he was in a great hurry to do so.
’Ah, so it’s him!’
Fang Yue nodded, then looked at Zhou Fangwu. "I’ll take those Tea Gardens. But I don’t have the money right now. You go buy them for me first. When I sell the tea next year, I’ll definitely pay you back!"
