That evening, everyone at the Anzhi Hall had gone to sleep.
With her bare feet on the ground, Jin Shanyao channeled Spiritual Power along the earth's veins to Lush Mountain, uprooting the dead plants and infusing the dormant trees with Spiritual Power.
After doing all this, Spiritual Power arrived at the First Manor. At this time, the people in the manor were still grinding medicinal herbs and making frostbite ointment all night long. Tao Yunshan was checking the account books, his eyes were dark from staying up all night.
Feng Shun brought in hot noodles. "Boss, have a bowl of noodles to warm yourself up," he said. He placed the noodles on the table, picked up the fire tongs, and added two pieces of wood to the stove.
Turning her head, she saw Tao Yunshan still doing accounts. She thought about what she was going to say and said, "Manager, people say that if you're going to work, you should do it openly. The boss doesn't come here all year round, so why do you have to make yourself so tired?"
"Can't you be like the other shopkeepers, leisurely drinking tea and listening to music, planting one crop in spring and harvesting another in autumn...? You work yourself to the bone, and whatever you earn all goes to the boss."
Tao Yunshan frowned. "Do you have anything else to say? If not, you can leave."
"I'm doing this for your own good. We're different from Qin Baitang. He was hired by the employer, and if he doesn't work his ass off, the employer will replace him... But you were bought. This mill is tied to you, and whether you turn it or not is up to you."
The landlord is kind and wouldn't refrain from whipping you, so why whip yourself?
Upon hearing this, Tao Yunshan pushed the ledger aside and said coldly, " Feng Shun, just say what you mean, don't beat around the bush."
Seeing that he had made his point clear, Feng Shun stopped pretending and said sarcastically, "You're the manager now, your status is different from ours."
We won't stop you if you want to do it, but don't drag the guys on the farm into this mess. We just want to find a place to live comfortably for twenty years. Once we've saved enough money, we can go home and retire...
Lush Mountain is so big, and the First Manor produces so many medicinal herbs every year. Losing a few hundred catties wouldn't be noticed. Qin Baitang is so stubborn, and he didn't expect his apprentice to be just as stubborn.
Feng Shun's eyes flashed with ruthlessness, " Tao Yunshan, we call you manager, but don't actually think of yourself as one. Don't forget... we were all bought back by the same boss on the same day."
If we all say you've embezzled funds, who do you think the employer will believe?
"You... Feng Shun, how dare you collude with others to slander me! I will definitely report you to the authorities."
Feng Shun wasn't afraid of Tao Yunshan at all. "Think carefully about what I said. It's a win-win situation for everyone... You're guarding such a big mountain, and the boss isn't coming over. Don't be so stubborn, okay?"
After saying that, he picked up the bowl of noodles, turned around, and left the study.
Seeing Feng Shun come out, the people outside quickly asked, "So, did you agree?"
Feng Shun scoffed, "He has no choice but to agree, whether he likes it or not. The emperor is far away, and Tao Yunshan can't possibly block our path to wealth."
"Brother Feng is really bold. It's all Qin Baitang's fault for interfering; otherwise, this manager position would definitely be yours."
"Alright... Now that we have Tao Yunshan as a shield, won't it be easier for us to make our fortune?"
"Yes, yes, yes... Brother Feng really has foresight."
inside the house.
Tao Yunshan's face flushed red with anger at Feng Shun... Jin Shanyao suddenly felt that Tao Yunshan resembled the monkey from earlier that day.
Everyone wanted to tame him and turn him into their tool for profit...
As Jin Shanyao retracted her Spiritual Power, she quickly went to the acrobatic performance's location, a dilapidated inn. Inside, Monkey Treasure was terrified and huddled under the table.
The iron chain around its neck was attached to the table leg. The man had made money today and, in his excitement, had drunk two cups. He was now quite drunk, holding a knife in one hand and a chicken in the other. Right in front of Monkey Treasure, he chopped off the chicken's head with a single stroke.
The Monkey Treasure was so frightened that it started babbling incoherently. The man threw the dead chicken in front of the monkey and mumbled a warning, "If you dare to ask passersby for help again, I'll kill you with one knife."
After saying that, he collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), pulled the quilt over his head, and fell fast asleep.
Jin Shanyao's mind kept replaying the phrase, "Kill the chicken to scare the monkey..." She couldn't remember what she'd said again; idioms are always descriptive.
Silence returned to the room. Monkey Treasure kicked away the dead chicken, trembling, and huddled in the corner with its knees drawn up to its chest. After what seemed like an eternity, it finally moved.
It clung tightly to the table leg with both hands, slowly lifting it up. A screeching sound as the table leg scraped against the floor startled it, and it froze, too terrified to move.
Time passed slowly, Monkey Treasure gradually could no longer support the weight of the table. It mustered its courage and used its legs to pull the dead chicken over to place under the table legs, and then took the iron ring out from under the table legs.
Afraid of making a noise, it carefully cradled the iron chain in its arms and slowly moved to the door. Finding it couldn't reach the latch, it circled the room in despair several times.
When it saw the chair, its eyes lit up. As if it had thought of something, it quietly moved onto the chair and climbed up to the windowsill.
The iron chain accidentally snagged a teacup on the table, and with a thud, it fell to the ground...
The man sat up abruptly, looked around groggily, and when he saw the Monkey Treasure on the windowsill, he shouted angrily, "You beast, get down here!"
The Monkey Treasure suddenly went berserk, frantically shaking the window. In winter, the window was tightly closed, and it cried out in panic and fear, just as the man was about to grab the chain.
Suddenly the window was opened, and Monkey Treasure jumped down without a second thought, regardless of what was below. The chains clattered down the windowpane.
When the man saw that Monkey Treasure had escaped, his eyes widened in fury... He rushed out like a madman, but when he reached the street, Monkey Treasure was nowhere to be seen.
He listened intently, following the sound of the chains, but there was no sound at all after turning the corner. He then followed the scratches on the ground, searching little by little by the moonlight.
Finally, they stopped in front of a house, the scratches on the chain disappearing... The man was certain that Monkey Treasure had escaped to this house, but it was the middle of the night, and he didn't want to knock on the door and go in.
The man wanted to stay outside, but even a mild winter in the dead of winter could freeze someone to death, so he gritted his teeth and had no choice but to return to his residence.
The next day, Nanny Chen came to the kitchen to remove ashes with a winnowing basket. As soon as she opened the door, she saw a furry thing nestled by the stove pit, which startled her so much that she screamed.
This shout immediately brought out everyone from the Anzhi Hall. Xiaoli was the first to rush out. A blur of motion appeared in the kitchen, and Xiaoli leaped up. When she landed, she had a monkey in her mouth.
The monkey trembled with fear and dared not resist. Xiaoli tossed Monkey Treasure to the feet of Jin Shanyao, turned around and stood beside her, staring sharply at Monkey Treasure.
Monkey Treasure shakily raised his head and saw that it was the immortal from yesterday. He scrambled to his feet and began to kowtow to the Jin Shanyao.
Meng Anzhi softened and said, "Stop kowtowing. Are you lost? I'll take you home in a bit."
Upon hearing this, Monkey Treasure's fur stood on end, and he squeaked in fright...
Meng Anzhi smiled and said, "No need to get so excited, doing good deeds is the right thing to do..."
Monkey Treasure held up the chain for Meng Anzhi to see, then pulled at the collar around his neck, and finally stretched out his arms and legs to show her his bloodied limbs.
Meng Anzhi looked at Jin Shanyao with a puzzled expression, "Auntie... it didn't escape, did it?"
Meng Anci seemed thoughtful. "It escaped. Look at it, it's covered in wounds, its eyes are filled with fear. When it heard you were going to take it home, its fur stood on end."
Just then, there was a knock on the courtyard gate. Zhou Xiaosi stepped forward and asked, "Who is it?"
"Young man... I'm the owner of the juggling stall. Last night I saw my monkey run into your yard, but it was too late to disturb it, so I came over before dawn."
Could you do me a favor and help me find... that Monkey Treasure is very important to me, please, sir.