Phoenix from a Crow's Nest

Silvery white reeds sway and dance in the wind, while fishing boats ply the open lake with their sails side by side, creating a bustling scene.

Time flies.

Liang Qu stood at the bow of the boat, gazing at Yi Xing Town so close at hand, filled with emotion.

They left in late August and returned in mid-October.

When I left, it was the height of summer; when I returned, it was autumn. And on the low hill behind the town, a towering pavilion had somehow appeared.

The pavilion was not yet fully topped, and the beams and pillars were uneven, but the five-tiered, eight-sided pavilion was beginning to take shape. Fishermen boating on the lake could see it at a glance, and under the hazy mist, it added a touch of humanistic atmosphere.

"The Confucian Temple Kui Pavilion?"

Liang Qu had excellent eyesight and, after observing the style of the pavilions, he had a vague idea of what was going on.

Each county town has three temples: Confucian Temple, a Martial Temple, City God Temple, which aim to encourage the people to uphold morality and martial arts, and to promote prosperity and development.

If it is near a river, a River God Temple or Dragon King Temple should be added.

Liang Qu had heard people say before that Ping Yang County intended to build the Confucian Temple and the River God Temple in Yi Xing Town, but he didn't expect the move to be so fast.

As the boat approached Shang Rao Wharf, the Water Beast that had been playing in the water dispersed.

The Fat Catfish and River Dolphin, following instructions, rushed into the Great Marsh to catch Big Crab full of roe and fat, in preparation for Crab Feast.

Cannot Move or Fist, they follow the underground river and head home first.

Liang Qu rowed forward alone.

The continuous influx and settlement of people from various places has led to rapid development in Ping Yang County and surrounding towns.

Compared to August, more than a dozen new Small Restaurant have opened along the Shang Rao Wharf waterfront, where boatmen chat and drink under the awnings.

Two restaurants even had Wooden Token that read "Eight copper coins to eat your fill, twelve copper coins to eat well," and large pots were set up at the entrance, with dark red broth bubbling and the pungent aroma of meat filling the air.

Even before mealtime, hungry cooks would come and put down coins to serve rice, then happily shovel their food around the iron pot.

When the villagers saw the iconic boat of Liang Qu passing by the shore, they were surprised and went up to greet it one after another.

Liang Qu nodded in agreement.

Fishermen rowed up in their boats, pulled Big Fish out of their baskets, and warmly greeted Liang Qu they hadn't seen in a long time.

"Master Liang! Here's a fresh, big crucian carp. Take it home and make soup!"

"What's so good about crucian carp? It's all small bones. I have bighead carp here. Want to have some fish head soup?"

The teahouse Shopkeeper on the shore laughed loudly, "There's no shortage of fish in Great Marsh. Master Liang is a native of Pingyang. Why would he care about your two fish? Luan Zi, go and get two catties of cold-cut mutton!"

"Hey, there's no need for that," Liang Qu politely declined the crowd's offer. "We appreciate your kindness, but really..."

Small Restaurant, a busy waiter wiping tables glanced at Liang Qu's retreating figure and asked curiously, "Boss, who's that guy? He's got such an air about him. Is he here to deliver fish?"

The diners around looked at each other in bewilderment, when suddenly bursts of laughter erupted in the hall, making the roof tiles tremble slightly.

"Old shopkeeper, where did you find this naive young man? Is he some undocumented immigrant who escaped from the mountains?"

"If people in Yi Xing Town don't know Master Liang, they're like those who ride a donkey to herd chickens—they don't know their place!"

"Hey, you little rascal, all talk and no action." The old shopkeeper, who had just gone out to greet them, turned around, slapped the waiter on the back of the head, and then gave him a thumbs up. "Remember this, Master Liang is the one in our town!"

"With your small frame, if it weren't for Master Liang, how would you have managed to save any wages? They'd all be stolen by those hooligans! Every year, after borrowing and paying taxes on our two acres of paddy fields, we wouldn't have a single bite to eat before we died! From now on, open your eyes wide! Even if you don't recognize the constables, you must recognize Master Liang!"

After saying this, the old shopkeeper bowed to the many diners and apologized. "This little ox doesn't know a tiger. He's just a country bumpkin from Nan Xun Village who came out to make a living. He's never seen a big shot before. Please don't take offense."

Everyone naturally took the old shopkeeper's words as a joke.

No one would take such a trivial matter to heart; they would make a few jokes and then ignore it, going about their own meals.

The young man covered the back of his head, seemingly lost in thought.

The surrounding towns all say that Yi Xing Town is good; there are no ruthless scoundrels or cunning people, and even the prices for large households that borrow grain seeds every year are lower than in the neighboring towns.

So that's where it all started.

On the wharf.

Liang Qu politely declined the fishermen's and Shopkeeper ' offers of help, moored his boat Shang An, and picked up the rhinoceros-hide box and money box.

"Water Bro! I just heard you were back, and I thought someone was playing a prank on me, but I didn't expect it to be true!"

Liang Qu turned around. "Song Bao? What brings you to the Fishing Wharf today?"

Lin Songbao, whom we haven't seen for a long time, was dressed in a black martial arts uniform. He helped carry the gangplank out of the Fishing Wharf, boarded the boat, and pointed to the hired workers digging pits and carrying mud on both sides of the dock.

"There have been many merchant ships coming and going at the port recently. My father said he wants to expand the port, build a deep-sea port and a shipyard, and asked me to come and take a look every day during my mealtime."

"That's perfect. I have a big ship that I'm just worried about having nowhere to put it once it's built."

"What kind of ship is it? I'll ask my dad to reserve one more seat."

"A Fujianese ship less than six zhang long."

Red Mountain stepped onto the trampoline to reach the dock, shaking his muscles and hair.

Liang Qu hung the box on Red Mountain and looked Lin Songbao up and down. "Breaking Skin Realm?"

Lin Songbao chuckled, "It broke in early September."

"Then we need to hurry, Li Bo and Jie Chang Second Barrier in Erguan right now."

Lin Songbao was taken aback. "So fast?"

"Hua Zhu County is flooded, and all the fish have been washed out, including many Treasure Fish. Baozhi and Treasure Plant go out to collect them every day, and they even eat the dead ones. Come on, give me a hand."

Lin Songbao took the large wooden box.

Liang Qu carried Fubo on his back and led Red Mountain home, pointing to the low hill in the distance. "What's the situation with that tower?"

"Construction started a long time ago, around the time of the auction, around October. It was said to be some kind of pavilion in the Confucian Temple, dedicated to Wen Chang."

"Kui Pavilion?"

"Yes, Kui Pavilion!"

"Greetings, Master Liang!"

Liang Qu nodded slightly, then turned to look at the backs of the passersby, quite puzzled. "Why is everyone so happy to see me back today?"

"Long time no see." Lin Songbao said without hesitation, then paused for a moment, "Hmm... perhaps it's because of the autumn harvest?"

Liang Qu was stunned. "What does this have to do with the autumn harvest?"

"After the autumn harvest, people have to repay their rent. This year, many people went to repay their grain, and as a result, several major grain lenders all lowered their interest rates. Everyone is grateful to you."

"Thank me for my favor? I didn't ask the big investors to lower interest rates!"

Liang Qu became increasingly puzzled as he listened; he knew about the grain loan.

Villagers could not always have enough food to eat on a daily basis, and with illnesses and other complications, many had to borrow grain from wealthy households to survive.

Not to mention that in Yi Xing Town, many disaster victims from other places borrowed grain, which was quite common.

However, there is no such thing as a loan without a reason, and interest must be calculated.

"But Water Bro, you're the boss of town now, the most powerful one! You have a noble title, a seventh-rank official, and a Martial Master. The owners of the two Martial Arts School in town are all dependent on you."

When Chen Jiechang and Li LiBo go out to teach local thugs a lesson, everyone assumes it's your doing.

It's not really our business to manage other places. Yi Xing Town is such a small place. The big landlords know your temperament, so they naturally have to be careful what you say. How could they dare to do anything reckless?

"Water Bro, haven't you noticed that even scoundrels are rare in town these days? People like Niu Er and Pan Wu used to be so well-behaved."

Liang Qu looked around and thought it over carefully, and it seemed to be true.

"Everyone in the surrounding villages says that the people in our town are incredibly lucky, Phoenix from a Crow's Nest."

Liang Qu suddenly realized.

No wonder the fishermen brought him fish, the farmers brought him grain, the shopkeepers brought him side dishes, and the tea sellers invited him to sit down and have some tea when he came back today.

Liang Qu didn't do many things at all, but his status kept rising. Even if he stayed in the town and did nothing, no one dared to ignore him.

During their conversation, Liang Qu and Lin Songbao at Liang Residence.

"Woof!"

Before the door was even opened, a black head peeked out from over the wall.

Oolong scrambled over the wall and quickly flipped himself over, landing headfirst with a hard thud. But Oolong was tough and resilient; he shook his head a couple of times and then hopped and skipped around Liang Qu.

Two months later, Oolong has grown much bigger, his ears are mostly standing up, and he's chubby and black.

Liang Qu picked up Oolong with one hand, opened the door with the other, carried the dog around the screen wall, and finally returned to the familiar courtyard.

Fan Xinglai the backyard rushed over upon hearing the commotion. He was overjoyed to see Liang Qu and quickly went to help him move things.

Liang Qu unloaded several large boxes from Red Mountain's body. "I've been gone for two months. Has anything happened at home? Has anyone come looking for me?"

"Master Yang sent someone to see you, saying that you should go there when you have time after you return. It's not a big deal. As for the family... I hope nothing has happened."

Fan Xinglai's tone was uncertain.

Liang Qu sensed something was amiss.

"Should?"