The Fairy: From the Traveling Merchant

Chapter 4 Parents
Seeing that her husband had already made up his mind about this matter, although Li Xiuling still felt that something was wrong, she, as a stepmother, was not too good at intervening in matters related to her stepson, so she changed the subject and asked:

"You guys have been discussing so late today, has the matter between the Sand Snake Gang and the Golden Dart Martial Hall come to fruition?"

As a side branch of the prefect Li's family and the concubine who guards the family in Bingquan Town, Li Xiuling is no stranger to affairs in the world, and even because of her wider knowledge, she can help her husband with advice on many issues.

Zhao Song leaned on a soft couch, rubbed his forehead with his fingers, nodded and said: "There is a result... The Golden Dart Martial Arts Hall will withdraw from the two towns and one township. From now on, the Sand Snake Gang will dominate the Chijin Mountain area." It's underworld."

Hearing this, Li Xiuling's eyes widened, showing a surprised expression, then she moved to her husband's side, put her slender fingers on the forehead of her husband and kept pressing, and asked suspiciously:

"How could it be? 'Golden Dart' Huang Xianjun has been powerful in Chijin for more than ten years. Even if he loses this time, it is not something he can do at will. Can he agree to such a result?
"Besides, the Sand Snake Gang has been defeated many times before and was not wiped out... Could it be that Ye Liwang not only found the 'Yellow Shirt Gunner', but also recruited other forces?"

When Li Xiuling's finger touched his forehead, Zhao Song's body trembled slightly at first, but soon he began to enjoy his wife's service, his eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of his mouth curled up and said:
"Xiu Ling, you are really smart...The 'Sand Snake' Ye Liwang somehow got the support of the Mayor Chen of Chijin Town and the Lan family of Jinwan Township, and proposed to ask the owner of Huang Lao to ask his younger brother Only by kowtowing and admitting his mistakes can he stay in Chijin's request...

"How could Mr. Huang be willing to suffer this humiliation? After all, Ye Liwang's younger brother was beaten to death in a martial arts competition, and Mr. Huang didn't take the blame.

"So the final result is that the Golden Dart Martial Art Museum will leave the two towns and one township within seven days, but as compensation, the Chen family of Chijin Town will provide a 'trade route' from Yumen County to Dunhuang as compensation."

The so-called "trade route" refers to the "tax exemption permit" or "tax reduction agreement" issued by the government between the two places, which is a very precious item for merchants.

"A 'trade route'? The Chen family is willing to do so! Their family only has two or three trade routes at most... What is the purpose of helping the 'Sand Snake' so much?" Li Xiuling frowned again.

"Master Yue Zhang and I didn't think about it, but the 'trade route' is indeed true, so we didn't object to the proposal of 'Sand Snake'." Zhao Song paused here, then smiled, "After all, Mr. Huang I don’t do business myself, so I can only find someone to partner with, maybe our ice spring wine can be sold directly in Dunhuang this time.”

Li Xiuling rolled her eyes at her husband who was showing a smug smile, leaned her upper body on the other's shoulder, pouted and asked, "Could it be that you had expected this a long time ago and sent Chen'er to the martial arts hall to be Huang Lao's apprentice in advance?"

Zhao Chen's dual identity as Huang Xianjun's apprentice and Zhao Song's second son is a natural middleman for cooperation.

"How could it be? How could I expect Huang Guanzhu to lose?" Zhao Song shook his head. He glanced at his wife who was getting closer and closer, and hesitated for a while. Menjuncheng has become the person in charge of that 'trade route'... This involves his future future, so we should call him over and ask him what he thinks."

"You should talk to him, lest you father and son have any quarrel... Heh, your eldest son, Zhao Angyuan, is studying in Zhangye, the state city, and now your second son is going to Yumen... In the eyes of outsiders, it must be my stepmother who can't tolerate them Ah!" Li Xiuling said reproachfully in her husband's ear, her tone was like being coquettish.

Zhao Song just shook her tender palm apologetically, then nodded and said, "Then call Chen'er over now."

"Now?" Li Xiuling raised her voice and straightened up all of a sudden.

She looked at the hands of the clock and said in disbelief: "It's late at night, what can't we talk about tomorrow?"

"Cough, I have something to do tomorrow, I'm afraid I have to leave before dawn...and calling him over will prevent him from continuing to sleep in that depressing feng shui bureau." Zhao Song coughed.

Li Xiuling stared at the other party for a while, and then ordered someone to call Zhao Chen over, and said to her husband in a rather resentful tone:

"Mian'er has been born for four months, and my body has recovered long ago... You can't always hide from me like this..."

Zhao Song took a sip from the tea cup soaked with goji berries, nodded solemnly and said, "I will definitely do it next time!"

……

Zhao Chen was still in a trance when he was woken up by the servant Feng Qu because he had just dreamed about some past experiences of the original owner.

He yawned, and while putting on the complicated coat with the help of the maid, he thought to himself:
"It seems that 'Fang Xuzi''s self-seeking of death can be regarded as avenging part of the original owner... So, 'Da Ri Xing Cha' will give me part of the memory of the pledge?
"That's right, that evil way is probably the direct murderer who killed the original owner...

"As for the person behind the scenes, based on what I saw in the dream just now, I probably guessed who it is."

Thinking of this, Zhao Chen sighed slightly, and a figure that was extremely "kind" to the original owner flashed in his mind.

That was the original owner's Aunt Mei, a housemaid married by his biological mother, and also the concubine of the original owner's father Zhao Song.

When the original owner's mother died of illness, he was still very young. Aunt Mei played the role of mother for a long time, until Zhao Song's successor, Mrs. Li, came in.

It was under Aunt Mei's series of bewitchments that the original Zhao Chen changed the layout of the bedroom by himself, forming a feng shui situation that was not conducive to his own temperament.

As for why she did that, in Zhao Chen's view, there are two possibilities.

First, she was also deceived, and she really thought that the layout of the room was good for the original owner...

The second is that her mind has been distorted, and she wants to achieve a certain purpose through the death of the original owner... For example, to make Zhao Song suspicious of Li Shi!
After all, the stepmother had just had her own son, and the original spouse's son died inexplicably. Li Shi was indeed the most suspicious.

Regarding these two possibilities, Zhao Chen prefers the latter.

From the perspective of a bystander, he easily discovered that Aunt Mei's hatred for Mrs. Li in the original owner's memory.

"If my guess is correct, the original owner died in a house fight... This is too sad.

"In my memory, that Aunt Mei was not so extreme before, was she stimulated by Li's childbirth, or was she instigated by the demon way?
"If it's the latter, that monster may have another purpose...

"Hey, it's a pity that although Zhao Song is a local tyrant and has three firecracker teams in his family, he has no defense against these insidious methods.

"But my cheap father called me over in the middle of the night and I don't know why."

While thinking, Zhao Chen had already dressed, and then led by Feng Qu and a few maids to the Bingling Courtyard where his stepmother lived.

After greeting Zhao Song and Li Xiuling according to the etiquette in memory, Zhao Chen raised his head and looked at the parents of this body.

Zhao Song looks to be in his 40s. He is tall, muscular, with a square face, a pair of deep brown eyes, a high nose bridge, and a bushy beard.

He was wearing a dark silk double-breasted gown, a tall short-brimmed hat, and beautifully crafted boots. Just sitting on the couch gave people a calm and majestic feeling.

Li Xiuling, on the other hand, was in her early twenties at the most, with exquisite appearance, sharp outlines, and soft features, showing a natural and elegant temperament, as if she were a work of art.

She is slender, not at all like a woman who has given birth to two children, she is like a young girl... and her clothes are very simple compared to her husband, there are almost no extra decorations, but they are very tastefully matched.

This is a typical old cow eating tender grass!Zhao Chen withdrew his gaze and cursed in his heart.

Although he is very clear that the combination of cheap father and stepmother is the most typical exchange of benefits... because the guardian who took office more than four years ago needs the support of his father, a local snake, to gain a foothold, and his father's business in Yumen and Zhangye is also very important. Need the backing of the Li family.

That's why Zhenshou married his newly grown concubine daughter to his middle-aged father who lost his wife as a sequel.

But this Mrs. Li is a very intelligent and resourceful person. Not only did she win Zhao Song's heart quickly with her beauty, but she was also able to make suggestions on many things and became a veritable mistress of the Zhao family. This aroused Aunt Mei's jealousy and resentment.

But Li Shi never responded directly to her various provocations, and didn't even take her seriously, which made her even more extreme, who had nowhere to vent.

At this time, Zhao Song had briefly told the story of the Golden Dart Martial Arts Academy. He looked at his son with lowered eyebrows and asked:

"Chen'er, what do you think?"

After hearing what "father" said, Zhao Chen responded without any hesitation: "I have already worshiped Master Huang as my teacher, so naturally I can't abandon my master at this time."

This answer is not only in line with the original owner's character of "honesty and honesty", but also what Zhao Chen expected.

Although he had obtained some memories of the original owner, he was still very different from the original Zhao Chen, and he wished to stay far away from those close to him so as not to be seen as a flaw.

It is a good choice to temporarily go to the county to host the "Business Road". After a while, even if there is a change in personality, it will only be regarded as the result of experience.

"Yes, this is what a man should do!" Zhao Song nodded with satisfaction, and continued, "When you go to the martial arts hall tomorrow, you can tell your master, and I will let a 12-member firecracker team go with you Door.

"Hey, I'm afraid your master will have to come up with one or two unique skills in order to repay this favor."

"Why?" Zhao Chen asked "at a loss".

"If I didn't send the firecrackers to accompany you, do you think the 'Sand Snake Gang' would allow your master to reach the county safely?" Zhao Song asked with a smile, and saw his son finally nodding his head suddenly, so he seemed to ask unintentionally He said: "By the way, do you still carry the vermilion pen that your mother left behind?"

Vermilion pen... Sealing the devil vermilion pen?Zhao Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his head and replied, "Just as I was about to report to my father, the pen was inexplicably shattered yesterday morning and turned into dust."

……

After Zhao Chen withdrew, Zhao Song left the house under the dissatisfied gaze of his wife, and thought to himself while walking:
"Turned into dust... Is that pen just an ordinary curse-proof item?

"Or, isn't it?"

(End of this chapter)