Chapter 275 Senior Brother Wants to Buy a Shop

Hearing her senior brother say that, Song Chunxue pondered it for a moment.

Thinking of the sixty taels that Black Rabbit had sent, she still had to carefully consider this number.

If I were to arouse my senior brother's jealousy again, that would be a sin.

She held up three fingers. "Thirty taels?"

The senior brother waved his hand, "That's too many. If your wealth-attracting talisman were that effective, why would I need to cultivate Taoism? I could just take your wealth-attracting talisman out for a stroll every day."

Too high?

Song Chunxue pressed down one finger, "Twenty taels."

The Taoist priest chuckled and stroked his beard. "That's right, twenty taels. I won't need to go out for the next few days."

He sat down in a good mood and poured himself a glass of water.

"By the way, you just told the two children that they gave you six taels of silver. I don't think that's true," the Taoist priest asked curiously. "Tell your senior brother the truth."

Song Chunxue put the bracelet that Sanwa had given her on her wrist. "Thirty taels, a little more than my senior brother."

The Taoist priest's expression was complex, a mixture of suspicion and resentment.

"Is that bracelet worth thirty taels? And you're only getting this much?"

"And what are you feeling guilty about? You lied, didn't you?"

Song Chunxue looked at him and said, "How did you get the idea that I was guilty? I wasn't."

"Ha! I wasn't sure before, but now that you look at me, you're definitely lying." The Taoist priest poured himself another cup of tea. "Tell me, how much did they give you?"

Song Chunxue stopped what she was doing. "Let's just forget about it, otherwise you'll be too angry to sleep tonight."

The Taoist priest laughed, showing none of his usual composure and maturity, and unconsciously rolled up his sleeves.

"Why should I be so angry that I can't sleep? Junior brother, I'm happy for you that you've suddenly received such a windfall. After all, you've suffered so much in the past, and this good fortune is a compensation from heaven. Tell me, your senior brother isn't the kind of person who's petty and narrow-minded..."

"Sixty taels." Song Chunxue uttered three words calmly, staring intently at her senior brother.

"..." The Taoist priest fell silent.

“At first, he brought a hundred taels. After all, it was Mei Yang who took on the task and almost lost his life because of it. I gave him forty taels.”

"..." The Taoist priest looked at her quietly and poured himself another cup of tea.

Song Chunxue felt a little uneasy under his gaze.

"How about I buy some wine for my senior brother tomorrow, and a few hens to stew?"

The senior brother remained silent.

"How about I give you ten taels of silver?"

The senior brother turned around and looked at the doorway, letting out a long sigh.

"Forget it, comparisons only make you miserable," the Taoist priest muttered to himself. "It seems my cultivation is too shallow; I can still feel jealousy."

"I received twenty taels today, which is quite a lot. If it were two years ago, it would have been enough for me to live on for several years. What's there to be unhappy about?"

Seeing his dejected look, Song Chunxue couldn't help but slump over the table and laugh silently, her shoulders shaking.

"What are you laughing at? Draw me two lucky charms tonight, and I'll go out and wander around every day from now on."

"And what about the other talismans? Have you learned how to draw them yet?"

The Taoist priest, with a stern face and the demeanor of a strict teacher, took out a piece of paper from his pocket. "This is a meridian chart. Be more careful when you circulate your qi in the future. Walk through all these meridians in your mind at least twice every night before you go to sleep."

Song Chunxue forced a smile and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

The Taoist priest got up irritably. "Tomorrow I want to eat big meat buns. Remember to add some chopped wild mushrooms."

Watching him storm out of the room, Song Chunxue laughed so hard she slapped the table.

I thought my senior brother was extraordinary and otherworldly, but it turns out that sometimes his personality is similar to that of the fourth brother.

Hahaha, you know what, my senior brother looks kind of funny.

*

In the blink of an eye, the fourth brother was packing his bags again and leaving with the caravan.

Song Chunxue got up early and made more than a dozen small guokui (a type of flatbread), and also made two plates of pastries, just like others.

The pastries have fillings inside, so they're not too dry when eaten on the go.

A whole bag full of clean clothes and shoes.

This time, she still didn't dare to give him too much money.

"You can spend these three or four taels of silver on the road. If you need more, look for it in the socks you've stuffed in your shoes. Remember, don't flaunt your wealth when you're out and about."

Listening to Song Chunxue's instructions, the fourth brother nodded repeatedly.

“Compared to last time, this time I feel like I’m my mother’s own son.” As he spoke, the fourth son pouted and buried his head in Song Chunxue’s arms.

"Mom, I'll be back as soon as possible. If you make anything delicious, remember to save some for me."

As he spoke, he glanced at the Taoist priest and said, "Mother, don't be lazy. Learn skills from the Taoist priest. If I don't make a name for myself in the future, I can still brag to my classmates that my mother is doing better than me."

Song Chunxue was feeling sad, but upon hearing this, she burst into laughter through her tears.

She slapped him on the back, annoyed. "You little rascal, you're thinking pretty far ahead."

"That's right. Although I'm not good at studying, I'm still quite smart. Mom, just wait for me to come back and I'll treat you to the best of everything."

As he spoke, he turned back and waved his arms as he walked.

"Mother, Taoist priest, you should go back now. I'm off to explore the world!"

Song Chunxue rubbed her eyes and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"This child is never serious."

She couldn't help but ask the elder brother, "Senior brother, have you calculated his fortune? Will his trip go smoothly?"

“It will go smoothly, otherwise I would definitely stop him.” The Taoist priest turned and walked back. “Don’t worry, with my talisman protecting him, he will turn bad luck into good.”

Previously, Song Chunxue had completely believed what he said.

But now, her senior brother is asking her for a wealth-attracting talisman, which makes her feel a little uneasy.

"Don't worry, the wealth-attracting talismans I draw may not work for me, but they're still effective for others. Your senior brother is best at creating talismans for warding off disasters and difficulties. Because everyone's attributes are different, my junior brother is associated with water, so he naturally attracts wealth, while I am associated with fire, understand?"

Song Chunxue shook her head. "I don't understand."

"..." the Taoist priest said calmly, "I'll teach you when we get back."

"Okay." Song Chunxue followed behind him, smiling ingratiatingly, "What would you like to eat for lunch, Senior Brother?"

"Don't indulge in gluttony. Simple meals are enough. You can't eat well every day. What will happen when famine comes in a few years?"

Song Chunxue quickly caught up with him and walked alongside him.

"Keep your voice down, or you'll get beaten up."

When the topic turned to the future, she couldn't help but ask, "Does Senior Brother know anything about the plague?"

“Of course I know. You grow medicinal herbs because you know the plague over there will eventually spread here. Speaking of which, I have a plan I've been wanting to tell you. I wonder if you would be willing to conspire with me, junior brother?”

Song Chunxue was very curious. "Senior brother, please just tell me."

"Let's go somewhere first."

At this point, the Taoist priest moved with great speed, his wide Taoist robe billowing like a silver butterfly.

"Senior brother, slow down, my legs are too short to keep up."

The Taoist priest turned his head and glanced at her. "Hmm, it is indeed short enough."

"..." Song Chunxue gritted her teeth. Her good senior brother had only moved her for a few days.

"We've arrived. What do you think of this shop?"

Song Chunxue looked up following his gaze, her expression somewhat indescribable.

"Senior brother, you want to buy this shop?" she kindly advised. "This shop is too dilapidated. If you want it, I have a shop there."