Free Web NovelChapter 16: Chapter 10: Family Ruin
SLICE! SLICE! SLICE!
Fang Rui didn’t stop. He cut the back of his hand five or six times before a shallow wound appeared. After sprinkling on the Hemostatic Powder, the bleeding stopped instantly, and a scab formed in just a few moments.
The effects were outstanding!
The medicine was potent, and with his own strength as a guarantee, his new business was off to an auspicious start.
"I’ll take a packet of Hemostatic Powder."
"I’ll take a packet of Nourishing Medicine."
"I’ll take two packets of Hemostatic Powder and two of Nourishing Medicine!"
...
It wasn’t just the Hemostatic Powder; he sold a good amount of Nourishing Medicine as well. However, the Nourishing Medicine sold a little more slowly.
The tall, skinny guy who sold secret manuals was there today, too. He even came over to say hello, but after a quick feeler, he abandoned the thought of pitching his manuals to Fang Rui.
—Over the last half-month, Fang Rui had varied his disguises for the Black Market, sometimes appearing fat, other times thin. He had encountered this man several times, but the man clearly didn’t recognize him now.
The lanky man was a natural at getting friendly, shamelessly chatting up Fang Rui with the clear intention of making an acquaintance.
After exchanging a few words, Fang Rui learned his name: Gao Yao, with the nickname "Bao Datong." They had become nodding acquaintances.
"Hey, want to know who that guy with the triangular eyes was?"
Without waiting for Fang Rui to answer, Gao Yao just kept talking. "That man is named Zhou Chu. He has an uncle who is an Entry Grade Martial Artist, and he’s one of the Elite Gang Members of the East City Wild Wolf Gang..."
He was doing Fang Rui a deliberate favor, seeing as he was an Entry Grade Martial Artist despite his youth.
’Zhou Chu... that name just screams ’troublemaker’!’
Fang Rui mentally filed the name away. ’Hmm, interesting. He’s in East City, too? If I recall correctly, the Wild Wolf Gang are old rivals of the Tiger Gang.’
It wasn’t that he wanted to settle things with the man immediately; their grudge wasn’t that deep, and Zhou Chu wasn’t some random nobody who could be dealt with casually.
Still, he was definitely putting him on his list.
Fang Rui was an immortal with an endless lifespan; he had all the patience in the world to play a long game with this man.
"Thanks," he said.
"Don’t mention it. I’m off. Gotta go find some more rich suckers."
Gao Yao waved his hand and went on his way.
It was true he wanted to befriend Fang Rui, but he also understood the principle that too much is as bad as not enough. People like him, who had clawed their way up through society, had a keen sense of propriety and knew how to maintain a very comfortable distance.
...
All told, it took about fifteen minutes for Fang Rui to sell out of the medicine packets he had prepared.
His mood was great, thanks to the auspicious opening day and the validation of this new source of income. Besides thirty-three pounds of Sorghum Flour, he also bought some cornmeal and a pound of eggs today.
Perhaps because he had revealed himself to be an Entry Grade Martial Artist, no one tailed him after he left the Black Market.
As for the boisterous Zhou Chu, he was nowhere to be seen.
’It feels so good... not having to deal with trouble!’
Fang Rui sighed to himself and headed back along the familiar route.
Halfway home, a light rain began to fall.
"It’s raining. This should relieve the drought a little. But it doesn’t look like it’ll be a heavy downpour, and... a slow remedy won’t solve an urgent crisis!"
"I’m afraid the chaos in Changshan County will continue."
A traveler returning home on a windy, rainy night.
When Fang Rui got home, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family was, as expected, still waiting in the main room.
"How did it go?" The moment Fang Rui stepped through the door, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family circled him, and after confirming he wasn’t hurt, she eagerly asked about the medicine business.
"Very well. I sold out of all the packets I prepared," Fang Rui said with a smile.
"My son is so capable!"
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family was so delighted she clapped her hands.
People of her generation were terrified of simply living off their savings. With no stable source of income, watching the family’s money dwindle away filled her with immense anxiety. freēwēbnovel.com
For the past few nights, she had been losing sleep over money, but now... that problem was finally solved.
"Mother, besides the Sorghum Flour, I also bought some cornmeal and eggs to supplement your and younger sister’s nutrition. Tomorrow morning, the three of us will each have a boiled egg."
It was unclear whether Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family even heard him; she was already gleefully gathering and storing the goods.
Perhaps it was the memory of hunger and the deep-seated fear of starvation, but people of this era had a special attachment to food. Just having these provisions, even just seeing them sitting there, brought a sense of peace and security.
In these hard times, one of the few things that brought Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family joy was stockpiling supplies. She was happy just seeing the food cabinet filled with more and more grain.
Because it meant that she wouldn’t be a skilled housewife unable to cook for lack of ingredients; it meant she could keep her children and husband from going hungry.
—It was, in a way, finding joy amidst hardship.
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family put the items away, counting the family’s food stores on her fingers. After a moment of calculation, she said happily, "Brother Rui, we have nearly eleven hundred pounds of grain stored up now! Our family has never had so much food!"
She chattered on, "Life is getting better and better... It’s just... it’s just... if only your father were here too..."
"Yes," Fang Rui said, his movements pausing. He, too, thought of the man who had stepped forward to take his place in the army, and his heart filled with gratitude.
"Sigh..."
"Sigh..."
Two long sighs. freёweɓnovel.com
"Mother, don’t worry. Good men are protected by heaven; Dad will be fine... It’s getting late, you should go to bed," Fang Rui said. Seeing his mother’s mood dip, he didn’t know what else to say to comfort her.
They each returned to their rooms.
In the inner room, Fang Ling was already fast asleep on the bed. For once, the little girl hadn’t ended up sprawled out every which way in her sleep, which deserved some praise.
MWAH!
Fang Rui planted a kiss on her cheek and lay down to sleep beside her.
Outside the window, nameless insects chirped. A cool breeze wafted in, blowing away the oppressive heat of the summer night. Time itself seemed to drift on the breeze like water, flowing slowly by.
...
「The next morning.」
The Fang Family’s breakfast consisted of cornmeal porridge, stir-fried wild greens, and a boiled egg.
"Wow, cornmeal porridge!"
Fang Ling cheered when she saw it wasn’t Sorghum Flour porridge. Her eyes went wide when she saw the boiled egg, and she practically started drooling, but she was sensible enough not to ask for it.
