Chen Jiechang turned his head when he heard the voice and sneered at Li Libo, "Why can't it be me? If you can come, why can't I?"
"Heh, looking for trouble, are you?" Li Libo rolled up his sleeves, ready to teach Chen Jiechang a lesson.
Xiang Changsong stepped in between them and laughed, "You two have quite the friendship, don't you?"
"Who said we were friends?"
Liang Qu scratched his head from the side.
He remembered Chen Jiechang too.
In Righteous Prosperity City, there were many people, over a thousand households, with half being fishing families.
Among their age group, only a few dozen were around.
Li Libo was one, Chen Jiechang was another.
They saw each other often and knew each other well.
Liang Qu was fifteen or sixteen, Li Libo was seventeen or eighteen, and Chen Jiechang was about nineteen or twenty.
Unlike the carefree Li Libo, who had two elder brothers, Chen Jiechang had only one sister.
He was famous for his fishing skills, earning over a hundred coins daily, much like Liang Qu at that time.
Chen Jiechang relied completely on his own skills, not any special abilities.
Xiang Changsong said, "It's not unusual for people from Righteous Prosperity City to come, but seeing three of you at once is quite rare. Since you all know each other, I’ll leave the next tasks to Junior Brother Liang and Junior Brother Li."
Liang Qu nodded, "Alright."
"Brother Jie."
"Ah Shui."
Chen Jiechang nodded, clearly more respectful to Liang Qu than to Li Libo.
There was some influence from Liang Qu in his decision to learn martial arts too.
The day they both caught the Treasure Fish, Liang Qu outshone Chen Jiechang completely.
Naturally, as young people, there's some unrest in one's heart, feeling like his limelight was stolen for no reason.
But when the Autumn Tax was due, Chen Jiechang witnessed Liang Qu's actions firsthand, turning his resentment into admiration.
In all honesty, if it were him, he wouldn't have been willing to contribute that stone of rice.
Then he heard Liang Qu went to learn martial arts.
Chen Jiechang had earned quite a bit from selling Treasure Fish, and with his previous savings, he had surplus even after paying the Autumn Tax.
This moved him to also try his luck at a new path.
A moment later, Lu Shaohui returned.
Learning that there was another student, also from Righteous Prosperity City, he frowned again but quickly regained his composure.
Chen Jiechang sensed something amiss, and soon enough his experience confirmed it.
Without Liang Qu and Li Libo pointing out mistakes, he wouldn't have known if his stance training was right at all.
He had considered that with his fisherman's status, he might be looked down on.
He didn't expect it to be so severe.
If not for the solid foundation Liang Qu and Li Libo had under Hu Qi's guidance, they wouldn't have been able to substitute as instructors, and maybe not even learn a proper stance in a day.
If Liang Qu hadn't mentioned relying on Master Hu, Chen Jiechang would've already lost his patience.
Liang Qu comforted, "Just bear with it a little longer. Once I'm done with the Crane Fist, I'll teach you."
In the Three Fist Techniques, some stance trainings are similar, with only about a third being different.
With prior foundation, learning goes quickly.
By the end of today, having finished Tiger Fist, Liang Qu estimated he'd finish Crane Fist by tomorrow.
Chen Jiechang took a deep breath, suppressing his irritation, "Troubling you, Ah Shui."
"It's nothing. We're the only three from the same hometown in the Martial Hall, we have to help each other."
Li Libo chimed in, "Why aren't you saying I'm a trouble? Didn't I just teach you too?"
"You? Hah."
"?"
"You say that lad went to learn martial arts?"
In the courtyard, Zheng Xiang in white silk circled the peach tree, fallen leaves dancing around, mirroring his unsettled mood.
The servant in linen clothes bowed.
"Yes, sir. I followed him for many days. That Liang lad seemed to have suddenly had an epiphany. His fishing skills have grown sharper. About half a month ago, he caught a Treasure Fish called a Horned Pomfret, sold it for six taels and five coins, and went to learn martial arts at the Yang Clan Martial Hall. Master Hu from the Martial Hall even commented on his good physique. It's been over ten days now."
"Yang Clan Martial Hall? Third Young Master is also learning there, right?"
"Yes."
The servant hesitated.
"Oh, one more thing. During the Autumn Tax, a fisherman named Chen Qingjiang owed seven dou of rice and was almost sent to Azure Prefecture to dig the Grand Canal. This lad paid three dou of rice and six coins in his place. I found out it was because Chen Qingjiang had once given him a pancake and a few pounds of grain."
Zheng Xiang was surprised, then squinted and sneered.
"A pancake and a few pounds of grain in exchange for a stone of high-grade rice, even I'd like such a deal."
The servant, Ah Quan, stayed silent.
Zheng Xiang circled the peach tree once more, suddenly cursing, "That cursed Lin, keeping me away for over a month like a lowly wretch!"
In the Zhao Manor, there were two stewards.
The Chief Steward was Lin Guiyong, and the Second Steward was Zheng Xiang.
Zheng Xiang hadn’t begun as a steward.
He started as a house servant but, with cleverness and tact, he gradually became the second steward.
Where there are people, there are complexities.
The Chief Steward Lin Guiyong wasn’t about to let Zheng Xiang climb up without a fight, thus they often clashed and competed.
Zheng Xiang endeavored to win the old master's favor.
Liang Qu was a part of his plan, but before it bore fruit, the Chief Steward found a way to send him off to Yellow Prefecture on errands for the Second Young Master.
By the time he returned over a month later, he missed the prime opportunity during the master's 64th birthday.
Even his gift had to be sent hurriedly.
Though the Second Young Master was pleased and praised his efficiency, it was the master who held the power, not the Second Young Master, and certainly not over the First Young Master.
Only when he recalled the promising youth in Righteous Prosperity City did he hear from the servant that the lad went to learn martial arts, which infuriated him.
Master Yang dearly valued his reputation.
If anything happened to a student during the training period, the Yang Clan Martial Hall would investigate thoroughly.
Even if just for appearances, there would be an inquiry.
It was going to cause trouble for Zheng Xiang if anyone found out about his coercive actions.
Zheng Xiang found it odd how, according to Scabby-head Zhang, someone on the brink of starvation had turned their life around so dramatically.
Could it really be what people say, a sudden enlightenment?
Zheng Xiang was skeptical, yet he couldn’t help but believe.
At this point, rash actions were out of the question.
The Zhao Manor was untouchable in Peaceful Sun Town, but that was the Zhao Manor, not him!
He aimed to climb higher!
Bulling a young boy was a minor concern, but stirring up trouble was also minor.
However, costing the Zhao Manor to fix his reckless actions was a major concern!
If word reached the master’s ears, he could forget ever replacing Lin Guiyong as the Chief Steward of the Zhao Manor!
Caution and vigilance, navigating cautiously, were Zheng Xiang’s life principles.
"By the way, where’s Scabby-head Zhang?"
"Hasn't shown up since last time, probably hiding out of shame."
"Useless."
Zheng Xiang cursed again, then after a moment, he asked out of the blue, "Ah Quan, in Peaceful Sun Town, has anyone from the common folk ever made a name learning martial arts?"
"I think so."
Ah Quan grinned sheepishly, "The other two places didn’t stand out, but the Yang Clan Martial Hall has been there for over a decade and has produced a few common folks who broke through barriers, but definitely not more than thirty."
"And over those ten years, how many common folk entered the Yang Clan Martial Hall?"
Ah Quan quickly calculated, "Around five or six a month, adding up over ten years, close to a thousand."
"Close to a thousand? Hah, then we'll just patiently wait a couple of months."
(Chapter End)