Master Family's Grace

"So, we still have to drink the Meridian Nourishing Soup!"

Li Shan spoke eloquently, unaware that he had almost become rations, rolling around in his brother's mouth twice.

Xu Yuan frowned, looking towards the Martial Masters' dining area.

Should he go and pay for some meat?

As he was weighing his options, a cheer suddenly erupted ahead.

"Hooray, there's meat today!"

"And pork rib soup? Damn, it smells amazing!"

"Quick, quick, before all the meat is gone."

There's meat?

Xu Yuan was equally surprised and looked eagerly ahead.

At this moment, Fatty Wang strode forward, his small eyes scanning the crowd. He said in a sharp voice:

"Our Master Family is benevolent and supremely kind, like Bodhisattvas. Seeing that the Laborers have been depleted of strength these past two days, they truly couldn't bear it and specially arranged this care. For the two months you are practicing martial arts, you will have one meat meal daily."

"Thank you, Master Family, for your grace!"

"We can never repay the Master Family's kindness!!"

Hearing this, all the laborers were moved to tears of joy, their voices making the surrounding walls hum.

If it were usual times, the plain broth and watery soup would have been fine.

But once they started practicing martial arts, their physical exertion became immense, and it would be difficult to persevere without eating meat.

Now that the Master Family was giving them the opportunity to practice martial arts and also providing meat, they were naturally grateful beyond words, wishing they could repay them in kind.

Xu Yuan felt grateful for this as well, and then he realized the cleverness of the Shangyang Family's strategy.

First, they offered the opportunity to practice martial arts, explicitly stating they would select those with good potential.

Then, they let them wait for a few days. Once the laborers were too hungry to bear it, they released the news about the meat. The timing wasn't excessive.

With a push and a pull, they naturally won the laborers' goodwill.

Xu Yuan took his bowl and chopsticks and walked closer to take a look.

Today's meal was stir-fried cucumber with meat, accompanied by a clear soup made from boiled bones. Although there wasn't much meat visible, it was much better than before.

It was at a level that could satisfy the laborers without significantly increasing costs.

"No wonder the Shangyang Family, after only a hundred years in Prefecture City, has become the foremost great clan. They truly know how to calculate things carefully."

Xu Yuan sighed twice, quickly finished his meal, and then, feeling solid, walked to the backyard to continue his practice.

The next day.

Xu Yuan was practicing his Fist Stance with everyone when a Servant Boy suddenly ran over, saying someone was looking for him outside the gate.

"Looking for me?"

Xu Yuan was stunned for a moment, then realized it could only be his elder brother.

He went to the back gate and saw a man in an old cotton coat, looking a bit stiff. It was none other than Xu Zheng.

"Brother."

Xu Yuan hurried over and asked curiously, "Why did you come here?"

Xu Zheng glanced around, pulled him to a corner, and then carefully took out a cloth bundle from his embrace and handed it to him.

The cloth bundle had some weight. Xu Yuan opened it and saw a tael of Silver Ingots lying quietly inside. His heart tightened, and he quickly closed it.

"Brother, where did you get so much money?"

The price of rice often fluctuated these days, with a dou (12.5 jin) costing around eighty wen. Coarse salt was more expensive, nearly three qian of silver per jin.

The tael in his hand was enough for a small two-person family to live on for several months if they were frugal.

He knew his elder brother was working for the Labor Gang through a referral, but he only earned three qian of loose silver a month. There was no way he could have this much money.

"I got an advance from the master craftsman," Xu Zheng said with a smile.

Xu Yuan remained silent and handed the money back.

Xu Zheng frowned and said in a low voice, "Take it with peace of mind. I know that people practicing martial arts need to eat more meat to have strength. This is a rare opportunity, you must seize it!"

Seeing his determined attitude, Xu Yuan took the money back, but then he grabbed his hand, "Brother, tell me the truth, did you borrow money from someone?"

"How did you..."

Xu Zheng's expression changed. He glanced around before reluctantly lowering his voice and saying:

"I borrowed some money from Li Daqiang on the front street, with a monthly interest rate of 2.7 percent, which is the normal market rate. I'll pay it back within five months."

"Don't worry, I have my monthly wages from my work, and although our family has fallen on hard times, we still have some foundation..."

Xu Yuan wanted to ask for more details, but he saw the servant at the gate suddenly cough heavily, his eyes looking in their direction.

"Alright, you go back and focus on practicing martial arts. Don't worry about things at home," Xu Zheng waved at him and turned to leave the alley.

Xu Yuan paced through the gate, his mind racing.

"Li Daqiang from the front street? He seems to be part of some small gang. 2.7% monthly interest. That's considered fair in my memory."

With that thought, he felt a little relieved.

Although his elder brother was simple and honest, he was also steady and reliable. He had managed to pay off some of the debts left by their deceased father on his own, so he must have thought things through.

But then again, could anyone involved in loan sharking be a good person?

Thinking of the notorious debt collection scenes from his past life, Xu Yuan's heart sank, and a sense of urgency grew within him.

"Money! I still need money!"

If he had money, his elder brother and sister-in-law wouldn't have to work so hard, and he would have ample resources to practice martial arts.

"But before that, I need to master Tai Chi Fist!"

And so, Xu Yuan's life continued on a simple routine: martial arts practice and work, neither neglected.

Though somewhat monotonous, it was incredibly fulfilling.

Soon, a month passed.

Xu Yuan spent most of his time practicing Tai Chi Fist, without affecting his work the next day. In the mornings, he practiced stance training with everyone else.

Although Li Shan had stated he would no longer offer guidance, he couldn't help but soften his heart after repeated, earnest pleas from his friends, spending considerable time on it.

During this period, Chen Sanli approached them again, expressing his desire to join their stance training, but was once again rejected by the group.

He didn't get angry, maintaining his cheerful demeanor. To foster goodwill, he proactively shared tidbits of information he had gathered.

Liu Hong, from the same dormitory, would ask everyone else about their progress every single night without fail, seemingly needing to do so to put his own mind at ease.

As for Tian Yang, he became even more enthusiastic after that, showing off his progress whenever he got the chance, reveling in the praise and envy of his dorm mates.

Xiao Sheng, as usual, remained silent.

Ignored by everyone.

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