Officially Settled

The carriage traveled for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense before finally clearing the boundaries of the Xie Family estate.

Steward Shen gazed at the bustling main street, then glanced at Chen Ye's silent profile, unable to help but sigh, "What we earn is hard-won money; no matter how hard we work, we can't compare to those powerful nobles. They enjoy the shade of their ancestors and are born into silk and luxury. A mere crumb falling from their fingers is enough to feed us commoners for half a lifetime. There's just no comparison."

Chen Ye sensed the envy in Steward Shen's words, but he remained silent and did not respond.

As they passed the Xie Family gates, he silently committed the location to memory.

Before long, the carriage rolled out of the city gates.

Once they reached an open stretch, Steward Shen handed the reins to Chen Ye, letting him take over to test his competence.

Fortunately, Chen Ye had been paying close attention. Under Steward Shen's guidance, he fumbled for a moment before grasping the essentials, revealing no flaws.

After leaving the city, they followed the instructions of the Liu Family steward, galloping at full speed until the city's silhouette grew hazy and the horses began to tire, at which point they gradually slowed down.

Chen Ye noticed that the Liu Family steward seemed particularly concerned with the carriage's durability, specifically directing them over sandy ground, rocky paths, and even shallow water crossings, inspecting it repeatedly until he was certain there were no issues.

By the afternoon, Steward Shen brought Chen Ye into the Liu Estate to settle the remaining payment for the carriage.

With that, the escort job finally came to an end.

"How does it feel? Can you adapt?" Back at the carriage firm, Steward Shen took a rare moment to rest, sipping tea in his office chair.

Chen Ye nodded, "It's fine. Not too difficult."

Steward Shen gave a slight nod.

He had been watching the boy's conduct throughout the day.

Though he looked unremarkable and rarely smiled, he was sharp, sensible, and proactive—more than enough to be an escort hand.

He made his decision on the spot, "Start working at the firm tomorrow. The monthly wage is one tael, and any tips from the clients while on the road are yours to keep. How much you earn depends on your own ability."

Chen Ye did not haggle.

When he was a servant at the Gao Family in Qinghe, he had received two taels a month.

Now that he was in the Capital City, the pay was actually worse than before.

But since he was currently in a position of needing help, what room did he have to negotiate?

Chen Ye cupped his hands in a salute and accepted, asking, "Does our firm provide lodging?"

Steward Shen pointed outside, "There's a storage room by the gatehouse that's always been filled with junk. If you don't mind, you can stay there for now. You can move out once you've collected your wages."

"Many thanks, Steward."

After giving a few more instructions on the firm's rules, Steward Shen led him to the door of the storage room.

Chen Ye pushed the door open, and a wave of damp air rushed out to meet him.

He fetched clean water and spent a long time scrubbing and tidying until he had barely managed to make it livable.

Just as he was planning to head out to buy daily necessities, an old woman arrived carrying a food box and a bundle of bedding, which she handed to him.

"Steward Shen said since you're new, he's left you some food. Also, use these things for now; make do for a few days, and you can return them later."

Chen Ye opened the food box. There were no delicacies inside—just a dish of chili paste and a dish of minced garlic on the top layer, with four or five solid steamed buns stacked on the bottom.

Even so, he said with genuine gratitude, "Thank you for the trouble, ma'am."

For the next few days, Chen Ye would stand in the storage room every morning before the firm got busy, practicing his stance and tempering his blood and qi.

Since he knew that increasing his cultivation could extend his lifespan, he was even less willing to let his martial arts go to waste.

Once he finished his training and grew ravenous, he would head to a breakfast stall outside the firm, habitually ordering a bowl of wontons to fill his stomach.

Thus began his daily routine.

The customers in the wonton shop sat together, and the idle chatter of a few men drifted clearly into Chen Ye's ears.

"Did you hear? Yesterday, a young master from the Liu Family wanted to propose marriage to the Cui Family, hoping to wed the third young lady, Pei Xijun. Guess what happened?"

"What happened?"

The surrounding crowd was clearly intrigued, pricking up their ears to listen.

The customer continued, "He didn't even get to see the third young lady of the Cui Family before the second young lady threw him out the door with a single move. Oh, it was miserable... tsk tsk tsk, I heard he even broke his tailbone."

"Hahaha... there's such a thing..."

"That Liu Family young master doesn't know his own worth. The Cui Family is a prestigious second-rank noble house; why would they marry their legitimate daughter to him? A toad really wanted to eat swan meat."

Chen Ye listened with great interest from the side.

Listening to gossip was his only rare form of entertainment each day.

After filling his stomach, Chen Ye returned to the carriage firm as usual to await orders.

In these few days, he had already figured out the ropes of being an escort hand at the firm.

When there was work, he would go out with the carriage and do his job diligently.

When there were no carriages to escort, he would wait quietly in the hall, doing odd jobs like serving tea and water.

It was an easy life.

Just as he was waiting in the hall that day, a burly figure strode through the entrance.

The man was in his early thirties, with a leopard-like head and round eyes, looking tall and fierce; he was none other than Zuo Dongxi, the deputy manager of the carriage firm.

It was said that this man was a well-regarded leader of the hired hands in the Capital City Patrol Horse Gang. He held significant sway over several streets in the South City and possessed a fearsome reputation, having deterred many petty criminals on behalf of the carriage firm.

Zuo Dongxi walked straight to Shen Chongsan to state his purpose.

"The Feng Family needs to assemble a caravan on short notice to escort a shipment of silk and ceremonial vessels to Luoyang, and they are currently short a few carriages. I recall the firm having a few that were just finished; you should set those aside for the Feng Family, and they will pay the market price."

"Furthermore, the Feng Family also needs to requisition a hand from you to accompany the caravan. Arrange someone reliable for me."

Shen Chongsan was momentarily troubled.

It was currently spring, the time when the north was warming up and flowers were in bloom.

During this season, young masters and ladies of the Capital City loved to travel by carriage for outings, making it one of the two peak seasons for the firm throughout the year.

The firm was short-handed everywhere, and he truly could not spare anyone.

While he was hesitating, Shen Chongsan's gaze shifted and caught sight of Chen Ye waiting to the side, so he pointed his finger toward him: "Let him go."

"Is he reliable?" Zuo Dongxi looked him up and down, his tone quite skeptical.

Shen Chongsan immediately smiled and introduced him: "He was recommended by my uncle-in-law. He is a martial artist with astonishing strength. The round trip from the Capital City to Luoyang takes three to five days, and the road is not without bandits or wild beasts. Him going is just right."

Zuo Dongxi was quite surprised after hearing this: "A martial artist working as a carriage hand here is truly a waste of talent. Fine, he will do."

With that, Shen Chongsan led him over to Chen Ye.

He got straight to the point: "The Feng Family has purchased some carriages from the firm on short notice and needs to pull one hand to accompany them to Luoyang. The round trip will take about three days. You take this job."

Zuo Dongxi, standing to the side, held up four fingers and waved them in front of him: "Run this trip with me, and once the job is done and you return, I will reward you with an extra four taels of silver."

Chen Ye was unfamiliar with the place called Luoyang and could not place it, but for the sake of the silver, he pondered for a moment and immediately agreed.

He was very short on money right now.

He would take whatever he could earn.