NOVPUBSi Xi said, "Hmm, then I’ll go back and report to Mr. Feng exactly as it happened. Fifth Master, I take my leave."
The carriage sped off, and Chen Jie, followed by Xiao Hu, entered the courtyard. It was then that Xiao Hu remarked, "Master, this courtyard is really nice, much better than our house at home; it’s all built with blue bricks. Look at these walls."
Xiao Hu excitedly slapped the blue brick courtyard walls.
Back in Xiantao Village, Chen Jie’s home had a fence made of tree branches, and the house itself was made of yellow mud with a thatched roof on top—it was quite modest.
But the small courtyard given by Peng Shizhong was all constructed with blue bricks; it wasn’t big, but it had style.
Xiao Hu was thrilled. Xiao Hu had seen impressive houses before—the White Tiger Hall was certainly grand, yet Xiao Hu felt no attachment to it. But this modest courtyard, at most just not rudimentary, made Xiao Hu overjoyed beyond measure.
The reason was simple; it belonged to his Jiu Si.
Moreover, he even had a small side room to live in, practically his own.
This made the sense of belonging much stronger.
Chen Jie surveyed the small courtyard, which was a small quadrangle with a total of three rooms and a kitchen.
There was a well in the courtyard, with a large Chinese parasol tree next to it, symbolizing a phoenix landing, bringing auspiciousness and good fortune.
There was also a small leveled training ground in the courtyard; it used to be a vegetable garden, but later it was decorated and paved with blue bricks. 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
This was convenient for Chen Jie to practice martial arts, but unfortunately, without a small garden, it was not convenient for Su Yunjin to grow vegetables.
What to say, the courtyard was somewhat small, but still acceptable. As a place to settle down, it was passable.
As for the future, Chen Jie was certainly going to strive for a bigger house, but for now, as a temporary lodging, it was quite nice.
"Dinner’s ready!"
Chen Jie was just exploring the courtyard with Xiao Hu when Su Yunjin peeked out from the kitchen.
Upon seeing her, Chen Jie remarked, "You’ve worked hard, wife."
"No trouble. Hu Zi, set the table."
"Alright!"
Xiao Hu quickly brought over a table. The weather this season wasn’t cold, so they all ate outside in the courtyard.
Each person moved over a small stool, and today’s meal was noodles with a meat sauce.
Looking at a large bowl of drained noodles, Chen Jie said, "Wife, how are you adapting here?"
Su Yunjin smiled and replied, "Not bad. The brothers from the Fishing Guild take good care of us, and the vegetable market is not far away, so it’s very convenient to buy groceries."
Hearing this, Chen Jie said, "Is that so? As long as you’re accustomed, that’s good."
Chen Jie then started eating.
"Hmm, this tofu is good."
Chen Jie commented while eating the tofu. Su Yunjin responded, "Oh, this tofu was given by the tofu shop not far from the door!"
"Given?"
Chen Jie appeared surprised; was there such a thing as free tofu?
Su Yunjin said, "Hmm, when I went to buy it today, the owner had sold out all his tofu, leaving just this last piece that wasn’t properly shaped, so he gave it to me, telling me to come back if it tasted good."
Chen Jie said, "Hmm, then buy more in the future. This tofu is quite tasty."
Su Yunjin nodded.
After they finished the meal, Su Yunjin cleared the dishes and bowls. Xiao Hu wanted to help but was pushed out of the kitchen by Su Yunjin, who said, "No need. You men attend to your matters."
Hearing this, Xiao Hu had nothing more to say.
Chen Jie said, "Sleep early, get up early tomorrow. The White Tiger Hall is teeming with hidden talents. You need to enter the Skin Buff Realm quickly!"
Xiao Hu nodded at those words.
At night, Su Yunjin tiptoed out of Ruirui’s room, finally having put the little girl to sleep.
Chen Jie, lying in bed, watched his wife come in and said, "Wife, you can’t spoil that little girl like this. Every day, I can only sleep after she’s asleep."
Su Yunjin responded, "We’ll take it slowly; Ruirui is a bit picky about new environments."
She then rustled as she took off her clothes.
Chen Jie felt a soft bundle slide into his bed, and snuggling with this softness, a woman’s voice said, "Husband."
"Hmm?"
Chen Jie murmured a response, and the woman said, "I’m a bit scared!"
"Scared? Scared of what?"
Chen Jie asked cluelessly.
"I’m scared I’ll get used to your niceness, and if one day you stop loving me, what should I do?"
"Hehe, nonsense! How could I not love you?"
"But..."
"There are no buts..."
"Ah, husband, you... be gentle..."
...
The night passed without further conversation, and in the early morning, the sound of intelligence updates began.
[Today’s intelligence update (Level 2)]
[1. Today you’ve arrived in Mianshui County and have gathered intelligence. Mianshui County is located within the heartland of the Jiang Han Plain, with Mianshui to the north and the Yangtze River to the south, bordering Han Yang Prefecture in the east and Jingzhou in the west. It boasts thriving water transport and commerce and is a land of wealth. The city is home to numerous guilds intertwined in complexity, making it difficult for one to gain a foothold.]
[2. Today you entered the White Tiger Hall and have gathered intelligence. The White Tiger Hall is the largest hall of the Fishing Guild, a thorn in the side and a bone in the throat of Nan Batian, who dares not intervene too much. The Guild Cao’s gang leader has repeatedly issued invitations to Peng Shizhong, hence, Peng Shizhong’s position within the Fishing Guild is lofty, second only to the Gang Leader.]
[3. Today you met Peng Shizhong and have gathered intelligence. Peng Shizhong recently has a passion for watching operas, especially favoring an actor named Huadie, hence the woman’s appearance is a dead ringer for his deceased junior sister.]
[4. Today you practiced "Thirteen Breaking Tribulation Strokes" and have gathered intelligence. This spear technique was established during the Song Dynasty, considered top-notch at that time. With thirteen strokes unleashed, few adversaries stood a chance. The last seven strokes were once taught to the famous general Gao Chong, who was unmatched in battle!]
[5. Because you focused on practicing the spear today, you have gathered intelligence. "Thirteen Breaking Tribulation Strokes" arise from emotion; once all thirteen strokes are learned, they break through tribulations, qualifying the practitioner as a top-notch expert of the time. Practicing with emotion invested will yield twice the result with half the effort.]
Chen Jie opened his eyes and looked at today’s refreshed intelligence.
Today’s intelligence was somewhat interesting.
The first piece didn’t need to be explained—it just described the location of Mianshui County, exceptionally well-situated as a bustling trade hub due to thriving water transportation, making it an affluent economy, not a poor place.
