Chương 61: Making Money

The next morning. Song Que, following his newly established routine, went over to the Zhan family's stall to order a basket of steamed buns. Taking the opportunity, he chatted a bit with Xiaoxiao and Old Zhan, ultimately dawdling until Old Zhan, using the excuse that he was taking up space, chased him away. Only then did he slowly stroll back home. Quickly finishing breakfast, he and Brother Hong left the house together. They hadn't walked far before unexpectedly running into Guan Yu heading their way.

"Brother Guan, good morning!"

"Oh! Young Master Song, Brother Zhong, are you two heading out?"

"Haha, indeed. Brother Hong and I are going to take a stroll around the market district to look for business opportunities. Where is Brother Guan heading?"

"What a coincidence! I have the day off today and was just going to check on you all to see how you were settling in. Luckily I ran into you here; otherwise, I might have had to arrange another time." Hearing this, both Song Que and Zhong Hong smiled, feeling a warmth in their hearts. Meeting a friend in a foreign land was truly a joyful thing. As for Wu Yi's cousin, Wu Fan, they still hadn't seen a shadow of him! It seemed highly likely he looked down on these country bumpkins.

"Choosing a day is worse than hitting the right day! Since Brother Guan is here, why not show us around? We still have many questions, so we can conveniently ask you along the way." Zhong Hong had a straightforward and open personality. Seeing the other party being so enthusiastic, he found him agreeable and genuinely wanted to befriend him, speaking with a hearty laugh.

"Then I won't put on airs! I'll accompany you two on your stroll today. Whatever you want to ask, as long as I know, I absolutely won't hide anything."

"Excellent! Let's go then." The three cheerfully set off, talking and laughing, and soon arrived at the bustling market district in the South City. Although he had been here a few times already, Song Que still found the sights incredibly novel. Looking at the shops lined up side-by-side on both sides of the street and the vendors sitting crowded along the curbs, the scene was hardly inferior to the pedestrian streets of his past life.

"This place is the commercial center of the entire county. The territory is jointly managed by the Fierce Tiger and Golden Snake gangs. Don't be fooled by the chaotic crowds; there's very little trouble here. Sometimes, if a reckless person causes a scene, before our constables even need to act, those gang members will have quickly and quietly handled the situation." As they walked, Guan Yu explained to Song Que and Zhong Hong.

"Is the Lingjiang Gang really that generous, giving up such a massive chunk of profit?" Song Que asked curiously. Guan Yu just smiled and pointed up at the sky, implying:"The higher-ups have already negotiated this. The Lingjiang Gang won't interfere within the city limits. Furthermore, they control the docks; that is the true gold mine! No matter how much is earned here in total, one or two tenths of it will still end up in their pockets anyway.

It's not worth tearing up their relationship over a little extra profit." Hearing this, both Zhong Hong and Song Que inhaled sharply:"The Lingjiang Gang makes money just like that? That's too f*cking easy!"

"Hah, isn't it? After all, they are a major gang with rock-solid backing! An entire water route—from here, through Lingjiang Commandery, all the way to the border of the Yangnan Prefecture basin—is managed by them! If goods want to pass through, aren't they at their mercy for tolls?" Guan Yu replied with a wry smile, his heart filled with envy. Sometimes, he wanted to just join the Lingjiang Gang himself! Sitting at the docks waiting for money to fall into his pockets—how leisurely!

But thinking about how hard it was to earn his current uniform, and unsure if they would even want him, he managed to resist the temptation. Hearing this, Song Que was also incredibly envious! He really wanted to draw his saber, charge in, and seize the docks, living a life of comfortable luxury from then on! But alas, their background was too deep! Using pure willpower to restrain his craving to draw his great saber, he asked enviously: If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen.

Report the violation.

"Brother Guan, are those merchants just letting themselves be gouged like that? Do they have no other routes to transport their goods?"

"There are other routes, of course. There is a mountain path crossing through 'Eagle's Sorrow Ravine' that connects to Lingjiang Commandery. But bandits run rampant there, and the roads are so treacherous that carts will break down after just a few trips."

"Calculating it, the costs are actually much higher! That's exactly why the merchants have to grit their teeth and endure it. Only the Yun Family Chamber of Commerce has the sheer audacity and power to use that mountain trade route." No wonder the Sea of Clouds Pavilion built its shop right in the center of the county city like it owns the place! So their trade route doesn't even pass through the river! The Yun Family truly has immense audacity!

Their Chamber of Commerce must be massive; at the very least, they aren't inferior to the Lingjiang Gang. It seems the items inside the Sea of Clouds Pavilion are truly worth looking forward to. With Guan Yu here, the two brothers didn't have to expend any effort gathering intel. Very quickly, they managed to pry a ton of useful information out of him. The harvest from this trip was truly bountiful. When noon arrived, Song Que naturally didn't skimp.

Paying the bill to host his guest, the three chose the best restaurant in the area, booked a table, and drank and chatted merrily. After three rounds of drinks, their personalities proving quite similar, they felt an instant camaraderie, acting as if they had been brothers for years.

"Young Master Song, today I've benefited from your fortune! I finally got to taste the craftsmanship of the Welcoming Wind Pavilion's chef! It's truly a lingering flavor! Wait till I get back and share this with my colleagues; I bet they'll all be green with envy!" With a bit of a buzz, Guan Yu smiled excitedly at Song Que. Beside him, Zhong Hong shook his head disdainfully:"Little Guan, you don't know a good thing when you see it! Actually, A'Que's culinary skills are not one bit inferior to the chef here!

And his wine-brewing is absolutely divine! Someday when you're free, remember to come to our house. I'll have A'Que show off and broaden your horizons!" Hearing his flattery, Song Que smiled bitterly. He knew his own skills perfectly well. He only relied on unique, unorthodox recipes and formulas to barely make it presentable; his actual control over heat and cooking technique was far inferior. Moreover, cooking was just for entertainment and satisfying his cravings.

If Brother Hong kept casually inviting guests home like this, he'd be busy from dawn till dusk! He needed to remind Brother Hong later, but since it was already said today, he couldn't very well make him lose face. Thinking this, he smiled:"It's just a few rustic dishes. If Brother Guan doesn't mind, come over someday and taste my cooking."

"It's a promise! Then someday I will definitely have to trouble Young Master Song! As for the fine wine Brother Hong mentioned, my heart is already yearning for it!" Hearing his words, both of them laughed heartily, raised their glasses, and continued drinking. By the time they left, even though Guan Yu was a martial artist, his legs were wobbly. Facing two alcoholics forged through battle, if Song Que hadn't held back and stopped Zhong Hong, Guan Yu would have 'gloriously fallen in battle' today!

For this meal, Grandee Song had shelled out nearly 30 taels. No wonder Guan Yu hadn't dared set foot in there before. Can't afford it! With his meager constable salary of 3 taels a month, he'd have to save up for an entire year just for one meal. And in this era, there weren't even instant noodles to stave off hunger, so he could only dream about it. After seeing Guan Yu off, Song Que took Zhong Hong to buy a bunch of miscellaneous items before heading home together.

Full of food and wine, he also wanted to rest a bit to gather his energy for tonight's 'work'.... As night gradually fell. Waiting until the surrounding households had successively turned off their lights to sleep, Song Que slowly gathered his gear and prepared to head out. Looking at the man before them—a burly, broad-shouldered brute with a rugged, weather-beaten beard—Li Xin, Zhong Hong, and Xiong Ba were all struck dumb with shock.

If they hadn't heard his voice, and personally seen Song Que walk out of the room, they absolutely would not believe there was any connection between the two! Let alone that they were fundamentally the same person! The idiot Xiong Ba even curiously stepped forward, wanting to tug at the fake beard, only to receive a sharp rap on the head from Grandee Song. He was currently grimacing and laughing foolishly while rubbing his head.

Zhong Hong curiously circled around him, clicking his tongue in amazement:"A'Que, dressing up like this... what are you going out to do? Tsk tsk, with this look, forget strangers, even we couldn't recognize you! When did you learn this skill?!"

"Hah! I have plenty of skills; you'll slowly learn them all later. I'm going out tonight on an important matter. You all must keep your mouths tightly shut! Do not leak a single word of this!" Hearing him speak so seriously, although they didn't know what he was going to do, the group nodded solemnly.

"Don't worry! Tonight, you slept in your room the entire time! No matter how anyone presses us, we won't reveal a single detail!"

"It's not that serious; just keeping your mouths shut is enough. A'Xiong, remember to open the door for me tonight." Song Que smiled reassuringly.

"Understood, Young Master!"

"Everyone go to sleep. I'm leaving." Song Que said this, cracked open the back door, peeked out, and seeing no one, slipped out as nimbly as a lynx, vanishing at the end of the alley.

"Everyone go back to sleep. Remember A'Que's instructions: we pretend we know nothing about this." The three people here were all reliable. Zhong Hong didn't say much, just reiterated Song Que's words before returning to his room, turning off the lamp, and going to sleep. Li Xin obediently followed suit. Only Xiong Ba, this kid, casually found a spot and began to practice martial arts.

Since the Young Master had told him to wait by the door, following his logic, it meant he had to stand here and keep watch until he returned! Having no other hobbies besides eating and practicing martial arts, Xiong Ba didn't feel tired at all, continuing to focus intently on practicing the Black Tiger Fist. Compared to Song Que, who loved to indulge, this simpleton truly devoted the vast majority of his time to martial arts.

Because of this, even without 'cheating', his current martial power was only a step behind Song Que's! Compared to his peers, he had completely left them in the dust; he was an absolutely rare martial arts genius!