“Okay,” An’an replied obediently.

Chen Yongnian took the things from Mo Lin's hands and followed Xue Jiang into the house, saying, "Master, these are some snacks I bought at the county government office. My uncle said you like them."

Xue Jiang paused for a moment, then turned around and sat down in the main seat, saying, "I'm getting old, my teeth aren't what they used to be, I can't eat sweets."

Chen Yongnian put the snacks aside and said, "Then I'll get something different next time. These are for Junior Sister Qing'er."

Xue Jiang lowered his eyes slightly, as if he was pondering something.

After a moment, he replied, "I have chosen a marriage for Qing'er. If the marriage goes through, you can have Qiqi come. You can continue with your work at the yamen."

Chen Yongnian sensed something was amiss in the conversation, but didn't press for details, replying, "Okay."

Xue Jiang picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and said, "Besides the food and wages, you also get other money in the county government. But you must remember, you are beholden to those who take your money and eat your food. Don't let these small favors tarnish your reputation and leave you with a bad name."

Chen Yongnian was taken aback, and quickly replied, "Master's teachings will be remembered by your disciple."

He roughly understood Xue Jiang's meaning, but he never associated with others, and the money in his hands was all given by his superiors. Could there be a problem here?

There seemed to be another meaning behind what my wife said yesterday.

Looking back on his days working in the county government, he didn't feel anything was wrong; he was no different from ordinary people.

If there's anything special about him, it seems that only the county magistrate and the county assistant often consult him about his duties, but he doesn't seem to pay much attention to others. Could that be the problem?

Seeing him deep in thought, Xue Jiang did not interrupt him.

After a long pause, he said, "Don't worry, you are my disciple, and Qiqi is your wife, so she is also half my disciple. Even if the Tang family wants to harm her, they won't do it openly. Li Wei knows some martial arts, so he can go and run errands a few times when he has nothing to do."

Chen Yongnian said almost nothing, but Xue Jiang had already figured out his purpose for coming and even guessed who he wanted.

He quickly bowed to Xue Jiang and said, "Thank you, Master."

Xue Jiang tapped the table and sighed, "Alas, of all my disciples, you are the one who cares about me the most?"

He gestured for Chen Yongnian to bring over the pastries, took a small bite, and said, "As expected, I can't handle sweets..."