The Daily Business of Annoying Auntie

And so, Xu Qi'an earned one tael and four mace of silver. Adding that to the three mace he already had and the one mace he had picked up, he had two taels in total.

But the gold hairpin with dangling ornaments that Xu Qi'an had his eye on cost ten taels of silver.

He repeated the process, helping three more young ladies solve character riddles, and finally scraped together five taels of silver.

"That should be enough to buy one gold hairpin, but I still have to buy one for Auntie."

"Young master?" The shopkeeper's pale-faced call interrupted Xu Qi'an's thoughts.

Xu Qi'an looked at him in silence.

"Young master, could you be so kind as to let me off?"

"Come now, shopkeeper, that's hardly fair. You set the rules."

"Just tell me what you want, young master."

"I want to buy two gold hairpins, but I only have enough silver for one. Hmm, one at half price, at that."

"I... I'll give them to you, young master." The shopkeeper gritted his teeth.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly."

"...If you would refrain from coming back, I would be eternally grateful."

Can't he afford to play? Xu Qi'an left in high spirits, the two gold hairpins tucked inside his robes.

I really wasn't trying to get something for nothing. I'm not that kind of man, but the shopkeeper was simply too polite.

As for the shopkeeper's feelings, he didn't care. Someone who could afford to run a shop like that would certainly feel the pinch of losing twenty or thirty taels, but it wasn't too great a loss.

Besides, if the man played that kind of trick and profited from it, he had to be prepared to run into an expert.

There was no reason he alone should be allowed to make money off others while no one could fleece him in return.

Not long after leaving the shop, the hairs on his back suddenly stood on end, and it felt as though fine needles were pricking his pores.

His heart began to race, and adrenaline surged through him.

Someone is following me, watching me. They're hiding hostile intentions. Xu Qi'an began to understand.

Xu Qi'an gave nothing away, pretending nothing had happened as he weighed the matter in his mind.

Who's following me? The Treasure Artifact Pavilion? Obviously not. The shopkeeper looked like he wanted to beat me senseless, but an expert capable of making my hair stand on end would definitely have a powerful background. A mere Treasure Artifact Pavilion wouldn't have anyone like that.

The Cloud Deer Academy? That's not right either. The academy's great scholars were fighting over the chance to take me on as their attendant. Why would they harbor any hostility toward me?

It's the Zhou Residence!

At this point, if someone harbored hostility toward him and was watching him in secret, it had to be the Zhou Residence.

Xu Qi'an's heart tightened. Experience from his previous life told him that once someone was following and watching you, it meant they would make a move soon, perhaps even tonight.

"My plan to visit the Cloud Deer Academy was the right one. Even if Second Uncle and I are both capable fighters, the women of the family are a burden."

Xu Qi'an's expression grew grave. The plan to deal with the Zhou Residence could not wait.

Upon returning to the Xu Residence, Xu Qi'an immediately rummaged through his cabinet for the military crossbow he had obtained in an equal exchange (for free) with Song Qing of the Bureau of Astronomy and hung it from his waist. He strapped the heart-guard mirror to his chest.

Only then did he feel a little safer.

He climbed over the wall to the main residence and saw Xu Lingyin in the rear courtyard, chasing a flock of geese. With her hands on her hips, she stomped hard, frightening the goslings into squawking and scattering in all directions.

"Big Brother, Big Brother, look! Am I impressive?" When Xu Lingyin saw her eldest brother return, she grew even more pleased with herself.

"Where did the geese come from?" Xu Qi'an was taken aback. They definitely hadn't been there when he left home that morning.

"Mother had someone buy them. She said raising them ourselves..." Xu Lingyin tilted her head and said in her sweet voice, "I forgot the rest."

She probably said raising them ourselves is cheaper than buying them outside. "Oh," Xu Qi'an said. "Be careful not to step on the geese and kill them. Aren't there any grown geese?"

"The grown geese are over there. I'll go chase them out." Xu Lingyin volunteered and scurried into the flower bed on her short little legs.

A few seconds later, the child's screams rang out like a pig being slaughtered.

The bushes shook violently, and Xu Lingyin came fleeing out, wailing, a big white goose hanging from her foot with its beak clamped tight around her short little leg.

She looked as though she was about to die. "Big Brother, help!"

Xu Qi'an stood by with his hands in his sleeves, laughing like a squealing pig.

At dusk, Second Uncle Xu returned from duty in full military dress, a long saber and military crossbow hanging from his waist. His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's and a wolf's, his bearing utterly different from when he wore ordinary clothes.

The three men went to the study. After serving hot tea, Lü'e obediently withdrew.

Xu Cijiu said, "Big Brother and I have made all the arrangements. Tomorrow we can send Mother and the girls to the academy. It's just as well, since it's time for Lingyin to begin her education. The tutor you hired isn't quite good enough, Father. He can't teach her, but the academy's teachers will have no trouble."

Lingyin would surely cry with joy when she heard the good news. For no particular reason, Xu Qi'an thought of a funny story from his previous life about giving a helpful child a whole box of workbooks.

Second Uncle Xu was overjoyed. This undoubtedly resolved a worry that had weighed on his heart. Only with the women of the family properly settled could he be free of worries at home.

"Cijiu, we have you to thank for this. I knew that sending you to study was the best decision I ever made."

Xu Cijiu was somewhat abashed. "Father, the credit goes to Big Brother. I had nothing to do with it."

"Ningyan?" Second Uncle Xu looked at his nephew in surprise.

After hearing his son's explanation, Second Uncle Xu said regretfully, "Ningyan, the greatest mistake I ever made was sending you to train in martial arts."

Second Uncle Xu was now convinced that his nephew was a born scholar.

I'm only making good use of the knowledge I learned in my previous life. Xu Qi'an said gravely, "There's something I need to tell you, Second Uncle. I was followed when I came back just now. What about you, Cijiu?"

Father and son both changed expressions.

Xu Xinnian frowned. "Even if someone followed me, how would I know?"

He was only a scholar in the Aperture Opening Realm.

Second Uncle Xu stood and paced back and forth, somewhat agitated. He said gravely, "Ningyan, stay at the residence tonight. We should sleep close to each other so we can look after one another.

"Also, I'll go out later and notify the Imperial Saber Guard. I'll have them step up their patrols around here tonight."

Xu Xinnian and Xu Qi'an exchanged a look, their hearts heavy.

At dinner, Xu Qi'an glanced at his sister Xu Lingyue, who was eating gracefully, and coughed to draw the family's attention.

He took a small rosewood box engraved with the words "Treasure Artifact Pavilion" from inside his robes and slowly opened it. Inside was a finely crafted gold hairpin with dangling ornaments. Its head was an exquisitely carved flower set with pearls, and slender golden tassels hung from it.

Leaving the design aside, the weight of the gold alone drew the whole family's attention.

Xu Lingyue and Auntie stared, dumbstruck, both pairs of big, doll-like eyes fixed on the gold hairpin.

Gold hairpins with dangling ornaments had always been sought after by the daughters and wives of wealthy families for their fine workmanship and precious materials. Ordinary women could not afford such fine jewelry.

Auntie had once owned a gold hairpin carved with flowers, which she had treasured.

Xu Qi'an, a single dog, naturally wouldn't buy a gold hairpin for no reason. There were only two women in the family suited to wearing one, and Auntie was the mistress of the household.

A smile bloomed on Auntie's pretty face, and her gaze softened. "At least you have a little conscience. Hand it over."

No sooner had she spoken than Xu Qi'an placed the gold hairpin in front of Xu Lingyue. "Sister, this is for you!"

Xu Lingyue's eyes widened in disbelief. The Treasure Artifact Pavilion's jewelry was famous in the area, its fine, meticulous workmanship making it immensely popular with the daughters and wives of wealthy families nearby.

"Thank you, Big Brother." A heartfelt smile appeared on her lovely face, and her eyes curved like crescent moons.

Auntie's delicate body trembled, her chest heaving with anger. Her eyes reddened as she fiercely demanded of Second Uncle Xu:

"Tell me, do you want your nephew or me?"

She and that little bastard could not coexist.

Second Uncle Xu glared hard at his nephew, then hurriedly put some food in his wife's bowl. "Calm down. Don't lower yourself to that brat's level."

Xu Qi'an felt someone kick him in the calf and looked up at Xu Xinnian beside him.

Xu Erlang kept his head down and went on eating.

PS: I had a dream last night. I was sitting on the edge of a rooftop, and a crowd of readers below were shouting, "Newspaper seller, come down! We promise we'll give you recommendation votes!"

(￢_￢)