Filial Piety Money (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"Speak! Who sent you!" Sun Chengjie crouched down and demanded sharply.

The Black Dragon Gang member clutched his crotch, grimacing in pain, and sneered, "Jianghu rules—I won't tell you. Think about who you've offended lately."

He staggered to his feet and turned to look, only to see his companion unconscious on the ground, his mouth foaming with blood in a miserable state. Where had he gone...

He cast a deep look at Chen Yuan; this kid really knew how to strike hard.

"Brother Chen, are we just letting them go like this?" Watching the man carry his companion away, Sun Chengjie was deeply indignant!

Although he had vented some of his frustration with that groin kick and a flurry of blows, he was still furious about being ambushed for no reason.

If Chen Yuan hadn't been by his side, he would have been terrified just thinking about it!

Chen Yuan said in a low voice, "Since they've already revealed their affiliation, it's impractical to deal a heavy blow. We can only be more careful."

Killing two people here would inevitably lead to discovery, and the Black Dragon Gang would not let it go.

They were not yet in a position to provoke them.

Sun Chengjie said bitterly, "It was definitely those two dog bastards, Zhou Qian and Zhou Mo, who called them. They actually dared to make a move; I won't let them off."

He was already calculating how to take his revenge.

Chen Yuan nodded slightly; those two brothers were indeed suspicious.

Besides them, there was also Gao Mingchang.

Given his recent behavior, it was not impossible that he had hired someone to deal with him.

Chen Yuan felt a chill in his heart and kept all of this in mind.

"Brother Chen, thanks to you today, thank you..." Sun Chengjie cupped his hands in gratitude.

Chen Yuan waved his hand, "Don't mention it. It's possible they were coming for me, too."

After seeing Sun Chengjie off, he returned to his aunt's house in Hundred Herb Lane.

His aunt was preparing a meal in the kitchen. Hearing the noise, she poked her head out. Seeing it was Chen Yuan, she was slightly surprised, then broke into a smile.

"A-Yuan, why are you back so early today?"

Chen Yuan walked into the kitchen with a smile and took out the beef wrapped in oil paper.

"Aunt, heat this beef up too, so Xiaoyu can nourish her body."

Seeing so much beef, his aunt waved her hands repeatedly and chided, "You child, isn't martial arts training exhausting enough? Keep it for yourself to eat. We can manage at home; she won't go hungry."

Chen Yuan laughed, "Aunt, don't worry about me. I've already eaten a portion of this amount of beef, and I drank two bowls of meat soup. I'm stuffed, so please, just cook it."

Seeing his aunt still wanting to say something, he added:

"I'm not spending money recklessly. Today was the Gu Family assessment, and I performed well. They increased my monthly stipend to five taels. This beef didn't cost me anything, so it would be a waste not to eat it."

Hearing this, his aunt was instantly stunned, stuttering in disbelief:

"How much? Fi... five taels?"

She couldn't earn that much in a whole year of working hard at the dye house.

And now, A-Yuan was getting that much every month.

Chen Yuan smiled and massaged her shoulders, saying, "That's right, five taels. Aunt, keep an eye on the pot, the vegetables are about to burn."

"Oh, right..." His aunt snapped out of it and hurriedly stirred the pot, falling silent. Her body trembled slightly as she set down the spatula and wiped the corners of her eyes.

"Good, so good. Sister, do you see this? A-Yuan has made something of himself..."

Chen Yuan hadn't thought much of it, but seeing his aunt cry, he felt a pang of bitterness in his heart and comforted her:

"Aunt, this is a good thing. Life will only get better from here..."

"It's nothing, Aunt is just happy, so happy..." She had watched Chen Yuan grow up and knew how much he had suffered. How could she not be moved to tears hearing such good news?

At the dinner table, Cheng Xiaoyu looked at Chen Yuan with admiration:

"Brother Yuan, you're amazing! I even heard about you from the Young Miss today. She said she saw you from the side chamber at noon, and your martial arts were clean and crisp!"

Chen Yuan smiled and placed a piece of beef in her bowl, "The Young Miss is just being polite."

He hadn't even noticed that the Young Miss had been watching his sparring match with Gao Mingchang.

Cheng Xiaoyu giggled, her eyes crafty, "Brother, even if I'm silly, the Gu Family isn't. Five taels of silver a month! You must have real talent. Besides, the look in the Young Miss's eyes when she mentioned you... tsk tsk, it wasn't ordinary."

Chen Yuan shook his head and laughed. He didn't believe that watching a sparring match could spark any feelings, and Yu Yan was far more outstanding than him, save for his looks.

It was likely just the girl's overactive imagination.

Cheng Xiaoyu continued to chatter, "The Young Miss is the family head's youngest daughter, named Gu Wantong. She's intelligent, gentle, and beautiful, and she's proficient in all the arts. The point is, she has no airs at all and takes great care of me! If only she could be my sister-in-law..."

Her blissful daydream was interrupted by the pain of her mother pinching her ear, and she let out a howl:

"Mom, what are you doing! Ouch!"

"You brat, is the Gu Family's Young Miss someone you can just gossip about? Eat your dinner properly," his aunt said crossly.

Chen Yuan smiled without a word and looked at Cheng Yong, greeting him, "Uncle, you should eat more meat too. Selling sesame cakes is hard work."

Cheng Yong nodded, his tone gratified, "A-Yuan, you've really made something of yourself. You must seize this opportunity to train hard and stop thinking about other messy things. Once you make a name for yourself, everything else will follow."

While gratified, he also worried that Chen Yuan might be dazzled by the temptations of the world now that he had achieved a little success.

There were far too many young people who lacked composure.

Chen Yuan nodded. "Uncle, I'll keep that in mind."

His aunt chided playfully, "You're lecturing him already? A-Yuan is much more steady than you are."

Cheng Yong took a sip of his cloudy wine, smiled, and did not argue.

Just as the family was enjoying their harmonious meal, a frantic knocking echoed at the door, followed by a loud, boisterous voice:

"Anyone inside? Damn, smells so good! Open up! Time to pay the residence fee and the filial piety tax!"

It was the Black Dragon Gang.

Cheng Yong's face darkened as he prepared to stand, but Chen Yuan had already walked out and opened the door, smiling indifferently.

"Ah, Master Qian, please, come in."

The man who arrived was indeed Qian Bao, though the two lackeys behind him were new faces.

He wondered if they had been reassigned, or if they had... become cannon fodder.

Qian Bao caught a glimpse of the beef on the table, then looked Chen Yuan up and down, surprised.

"You're the eldest boy of the Chen Family? Yo, haven't seen you in a month, you've bulked up quite a bit, haven't you?"

He had a vague memory of that evening when Chen Yuan left home with his pack, claiming to have had a falling out with his family; he had even invited the boy to join the gang back then.

To think he had changed so much.

Chen Yuan gave a hum, neither servile nor overbearing. "Master Qian, thanks to the kindness of the Gu Family, I am currently practicing martial arts at the Huo Academy."

With one sentence, he pointed out his two protectors, both of whom were well-known figures. The Black Dragon Gang was only a mid-tier gang in the outer city of Qingyuan County and could not afford to offend them.

Furthermore, the fact that Chen Yuan was practicing martial arts was enough to make Qian Bao show some respect.

Sure enough, after hearing this, the arrogance on Qian Bao's face receded significantly. He nodded.

"Indeed, not bad. You have a future. But I wonder, how exactly is this Gu Family supporting you?"

Still probing.

Chen Yuan smiled. "Thanks to the Gu Family's regard, I currently receive five taels of silver a month."

Qian Bao's expression turned serious, and he looked at him with some astonishment.

Five taels a month was a sign of considerable regard; clearly, Chen Yuan's potential was quite good.

He cleared his throat twice. "Brother Chen Yuan, you truly have me looking at you in a new light. However, the residence fee and the filial piety tax still must be paid."

Chen Yuan nodded. "I understand, those are the rules. But this filial piety tax..."

Qian Bao put on a suitably mournful expression. "The Old Madam, she... has passed away."

The Old Madam referred to the gang leader's mother.

Chen Yuan couldn't help but think: how does this Old Madam die every two or three years? Is she using Reanimation Jutsu?

He barely managed to keep a straight face, relieved he hadn't laughed out loud.

He had no choice but to play along, sighing, "Master Qian, you see, I'm practicing martial arts now, and I'm still sending money home..."

Qian Bao patted Chen Yuan on the shoulder, speaking in a tone of earnest advice.

"Brother Chen, I won't cheat you. The residence fee for the four of you is sixty wen, plus fifty wen per household for the filial piety tax, totaling one hundred and ten wen. Not a copper less."

He then lowered his voice. "As for this filial piety tax, I charge everyone else sixty wen."

So greedy, skimming twenty percent off the top. Chen Yuan clicked his tongue, knowing there was no room for negotiation.

He stopped his aunt, paid the money with a pained expression, and finally sent Qian Bao on his way.

Afterward, he pushed his aunt back to the dining table and comforted her. "Aunt, I still have money left, don't worry. Now that I'm making five taels a month, it's enough to feed me."

His aunt complained indignantly, "This Black Dragon Gang, every three days they find some excuse to extort extra money. They won't be satisfied until they've squeezed us dry."

Cheng Yong also sighed. "I heard at the morning market that the Black Dragon Gang has been having friction and disputes with surrounding gangs lately, so they immediately found an excuse like this filial piety tax. It's us who suffer."

Chen Yuan couldn't help but recall the saying: When the state prospers, the people suffer; when the state falls, the people suffer.

He could only sigh softly. "Aunt, Uncle, once I succeed in breaking through the barrier, things should get better."