Chapter 142: Inquiring [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The butcher shop was open for business as usual.

With a few swift, decisive movements, the butcher chopped a front hoof into a dozen or so pieces, then quickly wrapped them in lotus leaves, tied them with thin hemp rope, and the transaction was complete. Occasionally, one could hear him haggling with customers over a few coins or a few pieces of meat and bones, forming a glimpse into the everyday life of the market.

"Arong!"

A summons suddenly came from outside the butcher shop.

As soon as he finished speaking, the butcher's chubby son suddenly looked up, dropped his boning knife with a clatter, and practically ran towards the person who had come, shouting as he ran, "Teacher, why did you take so long to come?"

The butcher didn't even need to look to know who this person was. He glared at him with his big, round eyes and shouted angrily, "You old geezer, where have you been these past few days? You didn't even say goodbye before leaving. If you've died somewhere, who's going to collect your body?"

The chubby boy wanted to hug Chu Yao, but Chu Yao had been helping out at the butcher shop that day, and his hands were covered in animal grease and blood. He realized his mistake halfway through reaching out, chuckled, and wiped his hands back and forth on his clothes, getting covered in grease.

This scene made the butcher both heartbroken and furious.

But his son, quite seriously, corrected his disrespectful words, urging him to be mindful of his speech and respect his teachers. The butcher could only mutter curses, "You good-for-nothing! You're just wasting the new clothes your mother bought you? Are you tired of living?!"

After saying that, he raised his large palm-leaf fan, which was not holding a knife.

The chubby boy felt a sharp pain in his bottom at the sight of the gesture and quickly hid behind Chu Yao, trying to cover himself completely. This only fueled the butcher's anger. Chu Yao tried to calm him down, but the butcher snapped, "Ever since this little brat learned a few words from you, he's been calling you 'teacher' all the time, acting like he's your adopted son! Who am I working so hard for every day?"

Chu Yao laughed and said, "This shows that Arong is filial and polite. If he treats his teachers and elders like this, how much more so his parents? What's wrong with that?"

Young Chu Yao might not have been able to tolerate derogatory terms like "old thing" or "old guy," but now, after so many years in the lower rungs of Xiaocheng, some of his rough edges have long been smoothed out.

He knew these neighbors well and was aware of their quirks; they spoke crudely and unpleasantly, and were far from being simple and honest. But it was unlikely that they harbored any ill will.

It's enough to forget it as soon as you hear it.

The butcher disliked Chu Yao's flowery language, only caring that it was nice talk, so he softened his tone and lowered his voice to inquire about Chu Yao's whereabouts. During Chu Yao's absence, his little tyrant had nearly driven him crazy with his antics.

Chu Yao replied, "I moved to a new place with the new master's family."

The butcher then began to scrutinize Chu Yao closely and suddenly noticed that the usually quiet old man had changed. Although his clothes were still faded from washing, they were clean and without patches. Most importantly, his demeanor had completely changed; the gloomy, lifeless look between his brows was gone, and he even seemed to be sitting straighter than before, looking several years younger.

Upon seeing this, the butcher knew that Chu Yao's life at his new master's house was much better than at Yuehua Tower, and he was secretly happy for him.

Butcher: "Since that's the case, then my son..."

He had originally intended to say that there was no need to teach him, but he had only suggested that Chu Yao teach his son because he was looking for a cheap job and felt sorry for Chu Yao. Now that Chu Yao had changed masters and moved, he probably didn't have the extra energy to take care of his son.

He then spent more money to send his son to another private school.

Thinking of this, the butcher's face trembled slightly with heartache.

The private tutor was younger than Chu Yao, but even more pedantic, rigid, and old-fashioned. He constantly used classical Chinese phrases and liked to put on airs of a scholar. If a family with a little money wanted to send their child to school, his face would fall, and his words would imply that the child was "unworthy." The poorer the student, the less lenient he was with his tuition fees.

Coincidentally, the butcher was the one he looked down on the most.

I can almost imagine how long that pedantic, lifeless face would stretch if I went to his door begging for a place in school.

To everyone's surprise, Chu Yao said that his son should continue reading along.

The butcher was naturally happy to agree, but still asked, "Does your master agree?"

Chu Yao said, "I took on a new student a couple of days ago. I'm going to mentor one, and I'm going to mentor two anyway, so I might as well mentor them both. But I'm a bit busy, so I'll have to come over every now and then. Ah Rong, you'd better work hard and not slack off or lose to your junior sister."

The chubby boy's surname is Tu and his given name is Rong.

This proper name was given to him by Chu Yao.

His previous nickname was Da Shuan, Tu Da Shuan.

(*ΦωΦ*)

The butcher gasped in surprise: "It's a girl?"

Chu Yao said, "Although she is a girl, her talent is indeed remarkable."

The butcher found it intriguing, raised his large palm-leaf fan and slapped his son on the back of the head, glaring at him and threatening him to study hard and not be lazy.

The chubby boy shrank his neck, puffed out his cheeks, and snorted. He quickly hid behind Chu Yao again, his eyes blinking as he watched his teacher, hoping he would teach something new. Little did he know that Chu Yao hadn't come to give him a lesson this time, but rather to inquire about some information.

Inquire about news from several households.

While they claimed to be inquiring, they were actually just casually steer the conversation towards those few households.

This butcher shop is a time-honored brand passed down through three generations. It never sells rotten or smelly meat, and its meat is of high quality, inexpensive, and weighed carefully. Most of the local residents buy their meat from him, which has given the butcher a huge network of connections. He can gossip about every household.

The butcher wasn't a meticulous person, so naturally he didn't suspect anything. Besides, he was a big mouth who couldn't keep a secret. Once the gossip and idle chatter started, he couldn't stop, and talked for quite a while, including some crucial information that Chu Yao wanted to know.

To be honest, Chu Yao didn't ask any questions. He just started by saying, "On the way here, I saw an old man who looked a lot like the X family carrying several pounds of meat. He was all ruddy-faced. Could it be that the old man's youngest son is getting married soon?" The rest was left to the butcher to elaborate on.

That old man was a "celebrity" in the neighborhood. He was stingy, loved to take advantage of others, boasted, and almost beat his wife, who had given birth to three daughters, to death. He exploited his three daughters to support his two precious sons, to the point that even the neighbors couldn't stand it anymore.

The eldest son was a gambling scoundrel, while the younger son, though somewhat successful and lucky, was a low-ranking official who now worked at the Xiaocheng Treasury. Everyone knew it was a lucrative job. However, he was too old when he started, and stealing from the treasury required childhood training, so the family's situation hadn't improved much.

Chu Yao asked this question for two reasons: first, to get the conversation flowing, and second, to probe the recent situation of his youngest son through his loose-lipped father-in-law. Counting and loading tax silver wasn't something that could be done in a day or two. To ensure the dedication of those below, the higher-ups would not only issue warnings but also reward and appease them—a two-pronged approach.

If a family suddenly receives a small sum of money, or if family members prepare provisions and clothing for their youngest son's long journey, it means the travel date is approaching.

Worried that the child from that family might not be in the escort team, Chu Yao decided to inquire about several other families.

(End of this chapter)