Wealthy Households

After leaving the county yamen, Li Chengfeng did not hurry straight to Lingfeng Pavilion for the banquet. Instead, after some thought, he first made a trip to the blacksmith's shop and bought thirty throwing knives.

After that, he went to a clothing shop and bought a refined, elegant, high-end women's outfit that cost a full two taels of silver, then spent eight hundred wen on a pair of women's embroidered shoes.

While he was at it, he bought several more sets of inner and outer clothing like the kind Yuniang usually wore, and also bought two sets of clothes for himself. Only then did he set off for home in satisfaction.

"Husband, you're back."

When he returned to the courtyard, opened the gate, and knocked on the door of the inner room, Liu Yuniang immediately opened it. Seeing Li Chengfeng standing outside laden with packages large and small, her brows and eyes bright with joy, she said, "Is your warrior registry complete?"

"Yes, it's complete!"

Looking at Liu Yuniang's delighted expression, Li Chengfeng smiled as he spoke. As he talked, he took out his identity waist token and five household plaques marked with the character for "warrior," then showed them to her with a beaming smile.

"Look, this is the identity waist token, and these are the warrior household plaques. Once we hang up this household plaque, our family won't have to pay taxes anymore. And with this identity waist token, disasters from the imperial court won't implicate me."

"No taxes, and disasters from the imperial court."

Liu Yuniang's eyes shone. Then, unable to contain herself, she eagerly took the things from him and toyed with them in her hands, studying them. Her eyes bright, she said to Li Chengfeng, "We don't have to pay the government taxes either? What kind of disasters from the imperial court?"

"No need to pay. As for what disasters from the imperial court, I don't know."

Li Chengfeng nodded with a smile, then raised his brows and guessed, "Maybe things like exterminating nine clans, ten clans, three clans—great crimes won't drag us in?"

"Hiss, so that's how it is. Perhaps it really is as Husband says."

Hearing Li Chengfeng's words, Liu Yuniang sucked in a breath of cold air. She could not help patting her chest with her jade-like hand and letting out a breath. Then she took the things he was carrying from him. "Let's not talk about such unlucky matters. Why did you buy so many things back?"

"Since I already made a trip to the clothing shop anyway, I bought a few extra sets to keep for later."

Li Chengfeng said this with a smile as he walked into the house with Liu Yuniang. When they opened the bundles and took out the clothes he had bought, he displayed the most expensive set to her with a grin.

"Ah, why did you buy such expensive clothes?"

The moment Liu Yuniang saw that the fabric was anything but ordinary, her lovely brows instantly furrowed. She spoke to Li Chengfeng with a pained heart.

"Hehe, even the prettiest clothes depend on who they're bought for. If they were for someone like Aunt Wang next door, then of course it would be a waste. But for someone like my sister-in-law, they set each other off perfectly."

Li Chengfeng chuckled and raised his brows as he spoke to Liu Yuniang. His words brought a blush to Liu Yuniang's face. After that, Li Chengfeng held her and fooled around with her for a while. Her face flushed and ears red, she was personally stripped and changed into the clothes by Li Chengfeng, then after a spell of touching and kneading, things finally settled down, and she accepted wearing such an expensive outfit.

Afterward, she looked herself over in the new mirror Li Chengfeng had bought earlier and nodded slightly.

"As expected of my wife. You can make any clothes look good."

Looking at Liu Yuniang like this, Li Chengfeng could not help smiling and praising her, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Hmph, I'm afraid only you think so."

Liu Yuniang wrinkled her delicate nose and spoke in a coquettish huff. But after she finished, the corners of her lips curved into a smile as she thanked him. "Still, thank you, Husband, for buying me such pretty clothes."

"Buying clothes for my own woman—isn't that the principle of Heaven and earth?"

Li Chengfeng spoke with a face full of smiles. As he said this, he turned and changed into one of the sets of clothes he had bought for himself. With a flick of his sleeves, he asked her with a beaming smile, "How about it, wife? Is your husband handsome or not?"

"Hehe, Husband is extremely handsome."

Looking at Li Chengfeng in his fitted martial attire, looking heroic and full of vigor, Liu Yuniang spoke with a face full of smiles. After she finished, she hugged Li Chengfeng's arm and said with a smile, "Then let's wash up and tidy ourselves, and go to the banquet, Husband."

"Wait, you still haven't changed your shoes. Come, wife, I'll put them on for you."

"Ah, no, I want to change them myself..."

Lingfeng Pavilion was the finest restaurant in Green Mountain City.

The building was seven stories tall. Outside, its upturned eaves and arched tiles were grand and elegant. Inside, the lower two floors had white walls and red pillars, the middle two floors had pearl curtains and fabric drapes, and the upper three floors had green bamboo, refined paintings, light curtains, and delicate latticework. Every floor and every room was exceedingly elegant.

With his identity token hanging at his waist, Li Chengfeng, bearing an imposing and heroic air, slowly walked to the entrance of the restaurant with Liu Yuniang at his side, dressed in a long skirt and looking bright and beautiful. There, he saw that someone had already been waiting in expectation.

"Brother Chengfeng, you truly are a man who keeps his word."

Zhao Lie was still wearing a brown long robe, and his own martial artist identity waist token also hung at his waist. Seeing Li Chengfeng arrive with Liu Yuniang, he could not help stepping forward with a cupped-fist salute and speaking with a smile. After he finished, he praised them again, "What a perfect pair of earthly lovers you two are."

"Many thanks for your praise, Gang Leader Zhao. Sorry to trouble Gang Leader Zhao with waiting here so long."

Hearing this, Li Chengfeng smiled and cupped his hands to Zhao Lie as he spoke.

"Thank you for your praise, Gang Leader Zhao."

Liu Yuniang also rose in a salute, quietly standing a little behind Li Chengfeng as she spoke.

"How is that praise? I'm only telling the truth."

Zhao Lie laughed heartily, then repeatedly gestured them in. "Brother Chengfeng has registered his name and entered the rolls today; this is a joyous occasion. What harm is there in Zhao waiting here a little while? Please come in, please come in. The banquet is already fully prepared!"

Zhao Lie spoke with a face full of smiles. Hearing this, Li Chengfeng raised his brows, then immediately exchanged a glance with Liu Yuniang. Arm in arm, both wearing smiles, they followed him into Lingfeng Pavilion and went straight up to the seventh floor.

Once they reached the seventh floor, they saw embroidered folding screens placed all around and tassels of various colors hanging overhead. Inside, more than ten maidservants in green skirts attended them, and at the staircase waited five masters dressed in brocade robes, looking wealthy and noble, each accompanied by a dignified wife.

"Brother Chengfeng, these five are the wealthy households I told you about. This Master Wang runs a cloth shop, this Master Zhang trades in livestock and poultry, this Master Chen's family owns three mu of mountain forest and five hundred mu of good farmland, and this Master Zhao is in the carriage business."

After going upstairs, Zhao Lie pointed to the five wealthy men and introduced them one by one to Li Chengfeng, speaking to him with a smile. When he finished and Li Chengfeng looked at each of them in turn, nodding amicably, Zhao Lie smiled again and introduced Li Chengfeng to them. "This is the Brother Chengfeng I told you about, born a commoner and self-taught into success!"

"Young Friend Chengfeng is a young hero of outstanding talent. I regret that we did not meet sooner. To congratulate Young Friend Chengfeng on martial fortune like a soaring azure dragon and on registering your name and entering the rolls, Zhao has specially prepared a gift."

Hearing Zhao Lie's words, Master Zhao, who was in the carriage business, was the first to speak. As soon as his words fell, he took out a gift box he had prepared in advance with a face full of smiles.

"We have as well. To congratulate Young Friend Chengfeng on the flourishing of your martial path and on registering your name and entering the rolls, we have also prepared gifts."

The other four masters were not willing to fall behind either. One after another, they took out the gifts they had prepared and handed them to Li Chengfeng with faces full of smiles.

"Thank you, everyone! Thank you, everyone!"

Li Chengfeng cupped his hands again and again. Just as he was feeling that there were too many gifts and that it would be unseemly for him to go take them himself, a maid at the side bent down of her own accord, picked up their gifts one by one, and placed them on the table by the exit.

A smile immediately appeared on his face. Then, amid Zhao Lie and the others' warm invitations, he walked into the venue.

Once he went inside and looked around, pitch-pot, fruit, dartboards, archery targets, and all sorts of other things were fully prepared—enough to let people enjoy themselves for quite a while.

But after they entered the venue, sure enough, Zhao Lie and the others took the initiative to lead Li Chengfeng around, while their wives led Liu Yuniang, and they played all kinds of little games one after another.

After they finished those games, it was also time for lunch. The men and women each sat in separate rooms and began chatting among themselves.

"I wonder, young friend Chengfeng, now that you have stepped onto the martial path, what ambitions do you have?"

After they took their seats, Master Zhao took the initiative to rise and toast Li Chengfeng with a cup of wine, then probed with a question. As soon as he said this, several masters, Zhao Lie included, all looked over together.

"For now, I'll first practice martial arts properly in Green Mountain City. Once my cultivation reaches the Strength Training stage, I'll make further plans."

Li Chengfeng smiled faintly and said indifferently. As soon as he said this, the wealthy households exchanged glances, then all warmly entertained him with beaming smiles.

"Brother Chengfeng, these wealthy masters were thinking that today is the day you registered, so they specially called over a few girls. What do you think—shall we bring them in to liven things up?"

After they had drunk and eaten to half satisfaction, Zhao Lie leaned close to Li Chengfeng's ear and said with a grin, "They're all tender little chicks in their sweet sixteen..."

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