Not a Single One Sold

Lu Chuan agreed, then drew a bucket of well water from the courtyard and set it to boil on the stove.

He went to the shop out front. A bundle of Jiang Ziya's bamboo strainers still lay on the floor.

Lu Chuan closed the shop door. Not even a mosquito usually came in, but he didn't want anyone stealing Jiang Ziya's strainers.

After that, Lu Chuan sat by the stove in the courtyard and boiled water.

Once the water was ready, he carried the kettle into the room. The two men were sitting cross-legged across from each other at a low table, chatting merrily.

"My immortal tea is in that cabinet."

When Lu Chuan entered, Shen Gongbao pointed to the bamboo cabinet in the room. Inside was indeed a packet of tea leaves, along with two cups of jade.

I never knew my master was so particular...

Lu Chuan stared at the two jade cups. Even his tea things were so exquisite.

He picked up the cups and rinsed them with boiling water. Then he pinched a little tea into each one, brought them over to the low table, and carefully poured in the hot water.

Come to think of it, this was the first time Lu Chuan had seen Shen Gongbao's tea.

As soon as the boiling water steeped the leaves, white mist curled above the jade cups. A fresh fragrance filled the room, and when Lu Chuan breathed it in, a nameless comfort spread through his body.

At the scent, Lu Chuan's mouth nearly watered.

It wasn't that he lacked self-control. The tea's fragrance seemed to have a kind of magic, making people unable to resist it.

"Oh, hahaha..."

Seeing Lu Chuan's expression, Jiang Ziya glanced at Shen Gongbao, then burst out laughing.

"You little brat!"

Shen Gongbao glared, his beard bristling with anger. "Go wait over there."

Lu Chuan answered, "Oh," and dutifully sat cross-legged to one side, ready to serve the two of them once Shen Gongbao gave the word.

Jiang Ziya picked up his tea and slowly closed his eyes. He sniffed it, then sighed contentedly. "The taste of Kunlun Mountain's immortal tea is truly unforgettable..."

"If you want some, Senior Brother, just let me know. I'll pick some for you the next time I return to the mountain."

"..."

Jiang Ziya gazed at the tea leaves drifting in his cup, his expression complicated. After watching them for a long while, he suddenly shook his head with a smile. "There's no need to trouble you, Junior Brother. What's destined to be yours will come to you; what isn't, you shouldn't force."

Hearing this, Shen Gongbao let the matter drop. He took a sip of hot tea, his face just as content.

"By the way, Junior Brother, how is Xiao Chuan doing in his studies with you?"

Shen Gongbao looked at Lu Chuan and smiled. "Xiao Chuan, you've been gone two months now, haven't you? Your father misses you."

"Oh!"

Lu Chuan lowered his head and answered, "Oh," so it was impossible to make out his expression.

His relationship with Lu Liang was complicated.

At first, after waking up, he had accepted that man as his father. But then Lu Liang had actually suspected him of stealing something from the Song family.

That suspicion had instantly wiped away all the joy he'd felt after killing the big black dog and getting a little payback for the suffering he'd endured in his past life.

Besides, Lu Liang had seen his injuries. After the dog disappeared, Lu Liang would surely figure out what he had done.

But Lu Liang was fiercely loyal to the Song Mansion!

Lu Chuan didn't know if, once the truth came out, his old man would uphold justice and report him. He didn't dare take that gamble, so he'd gone to find Jiang Ziya in the middle of the night.

He'd planned that if Jiang Ziya refused to take him in, he'd set out to find a famous mountain and seek a master. In any case, he couldn't stay with the Song family.

Even if Lu Liang didn't report him, someone else might find out. Lu Chuan believed that in this era, where people were worth less than dogs, he'd surely be arrested and made to pay with his life for the dog.

He just hadn't expected to run into Shen Gongbao on that journey.

Fortunately, he had met Shen Gongbao. By now, he'd learned swordsmanship and begun cultivating qi. He reckoned seven or eight grown men would no longer be able to handle him.

And even if he couldn't beat them, he could still use the Five Elements Escape Technique to flee.

He was no longer the helpless Lu Chuan who had just woken up two months ago. In this world, he now had some means of protecting himself.

"Lu Chuan is doing very well!"

Noticing the mood had grown a little quiet, Shen Gongbao's eyes flickered before he smiled. "This time, I really must thank you, Senior Brother, for recommending such a fine disciple to me!"

"As long as he's doing well."

Jiang Ziya no longer brought up Lu Liang. He smiled. "Then his firm determination to study the Dao hasn't gone to waste."

"By the way, Senior Brother, you said earlier that you came to Chaoge to... sell strainers." Shen Gongbao smiled. "What's that all about?"

Jiang Ziya sighed and explained the whole story.

It turned out that after he married Ma, their days had been peaceful enough, and they had spent two months living at the Song Mansion.

But yesterday, Ma had suddenly said that they couldn't live in the Song Mansion forever, eating and drinking at someone else's expense.

Song Yiren was alive now, but if he were to die, what right would they have to keep staying there?

Jiang Ziya thought Ma had a point, so the two of them discussed how to make a living. As it happened, Jiang Ziya had known how to weave strainers before he went to Kunlun to study the Dao, and the Song Mansion had a bamboo grove.

So yesterday, he cut down some bamboo and worked hard to weave a bundle of strainers. This morning, he walked thirty-five li into Chaoge City to sell them.

"I see... Your sister-in-law is right this time."

Shen Gongbao nodded lightly when he finished, then smiled. "So, how did you do today, Senior Brother?"

How did he do?

Lu Chuan grumbled inwardly. Not a single strainer in the whole bundle has sold. They're all sitting in the shop out front. What do you think, Master?

In truth, Lu Chuan and Jiang Ziya knew each other well enough by now, and Lu Chuan understood him: Jiang Ziya really wasn't suited to selling things.

He didn't have the gift of gab. He'd carried those strainers around all morning without managing to shout a single sales pitch, so naturally, no one had bought any.

Unlike the wooden carvings Lu Chuan sold, which were pretty but useless, strainers were kitchen tools every household needed. They were genuinely useful to buy.

Sure enough.

At Shen Gongbao's question, Jiang Ziya's smile slowly stiffened.

Then he let out a long sigh and said with an embarrassed smile, "To be honest, Junior Brother, I've been walking around Chaoge City for half the day, and I haven't sold a single one."

"Ah, how could that be?"

Shen Gongbao looked astonished. "Every household needs strainers. How could you... go half a day without selling even one?"

"It's not that they wouldn't sell..."

Jiang Ziya's old face reddened. Somewhat sheepishly, he said, "It's just that I... couldn't bring myself to call out."

Lu Chuan shook his head to himself.

Jiang Ziya really wasn't suited to business. What mattered most when selling things? Calling out to customers.

But some people couldn't shout even once when you asked them to sell something. You could worry yourself to death, and they still wouldn't get the words out.

And you could see how miserable it made them, too. They'd be struggling to call out, yet they just couldn't manage it.

If it were him, he could definitely sell the whole lot—and make a little profit, to boot. If it were...

Lu Chuan secretly glanced at Shen Gongbao beside him.

If it were his master, he'd probably sell that whole bundle of strainers before they'd even finished a meal, and make a tidy profit besides.

Lu Chuan had more confidence in him than in himself.

"Uh..."

Shen Gongbao was taken aback. In the end, all he could do was shake his head with a wry smile.

It was nearly noon. Jiang Ziya hadn't eaten, so Shen Gongbao told Lu Chuan to make lunch for the three of them.

Lu Chuan made three bowls of plain noodles and stir-fried a few vegetable dishes. After they finished eating, Jiang Ziya said goodbye to the two of them. After all, he still had to go sell his strainers.

But Lu Chuan knew he'd carry that bundle around all day and bring it back just as he'd brought it there.

The round trip was about seventy li. Even though Jiang Ziya had studied the Dao, Lu Chuan guessed it would still wear him out.

"Martial Uncle Jiang, could I ask you for a favor?" Lu Chuan said as he saw Jiang Ziya out.

"Go ahead!"

"I hope... you won't tell my father that I'm in Chaoge. Just tell him I'm doing well with my master."

Lu Chuan continued, "Once I've learned enough, I'll go back and find him. But while I'm away, please tell him he must take good care of himself."

He no longer blamed Lu Liang for being loyal to the Song family, because he was slowly coming to understand this world.

The values upheld here were loyalty, righteousness, and filial piety, with loyalty placed above the other two. The way of loyalty demanded that ministers be loyal to their ruler, servants to their master, and subordinates to their superiors.

That was the prevailing way of thinking now.

The ruler ordered the minister to die; if he didn't, he was disloyal. A servant was loyal to his master; if the master was disgraced, the servant should die. A servant had to consider the master's household in everything...

After decades of being shaped by these beliefs, it wasn't hard to understand why there was a generation gap between Lu Liang and him.

He couldn't change Lu Liang. Perhaps all he could do was make something of himself, then help Lu Liang leave the Song family so he could be his own master!

"Mm, I promise."

Jiang Ziya's face showed his relief. He patted Lu Chuan on the shoulder and smiled. "I'll pass that along. Good child, study hard and learn your skills from your master!"

Lu Chuan nodded and watched as Jiang Ziya walked away with the strainers on his back.