Chapter 40: Are You Interested in Working for Me?

Only then did Wood Qin realize what was happening, and he hurriedly ran to the back of the cart to help push. It must be said, Wood Qin possessed remarkable strength; with his assistance, the mule cart immediately began to move. In the blink of an eye, the cart crested the steep slope, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Mo smiled and said to Wood Qin, “Brother Qin, we meet again.”

Wood Qin turned to look and instantly recognized Xu Mo, exclaiming in surprise, “Aren’t you... the gentleman from the Delicacy House!”

Xu Mo nodded cheerfully.

Then Xu Mo turned to Chen Miaoyi and said, “Miaoyi, this is Brother Qin I’ve mentioned to you. He’s quite something—he can do a standing long jump of over ten feet! To this day, he’s still the only one who’s ever gotten a free meal at the Delicacy House.” As he spoke, Xu Mo laughed.

Wood Qin scratched his head and laughed sheepishly.

Seeing this, Xu Hui slapped Wood Qin on the shoulder and reminded him, “Hey, you wooden head, greet them! This is my cousin and his wife!”

“Hello, big brother. Hello, sister-in-law,” Wood Qin quickly greeted them.

Afterward, Wood Qin also greeted Xu Tieshu and Xu Ping’an, and the group made their way home.

Xu Hui’s grandmother’s house was at the end of the village, very close to Wood Qin’s home—they could usually see each other, and if they shouted loudly enough, they could hear each other too.

Perhaps because he had seen Xu Hui return, Wood Qin was in high spirits on the way home.

Xu Hui was lively and outgoing, chatting nonstop along the way. Wood Qin didn’t interrupt, listening intently, nodding, or grinning foolishly.

Soon, they arrived at Xu Hui’s grandmother’s house.

The ancestral house was extremely dilapidated; not only was the roof full of holes, but there were cracks in the walls as well—it really needed a proper repair.

Standing at the door, Xu Mo surveyed the surroundings and soon noticed a small farmhouse not far away, with three jujube trees planted by the entrance.

“Brother Qin, is that your house over there?” Xu Mo asked.

Wood Qin nodded quickly. “Yes, big brother.”

Xu Tieshu, not knowing that Wood Qin’s master had passed away, asked, “Wood, is your master at home? I’ll go have a drink with him later.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Mo quickly whispered a few words into Xu Tieshu’s ear.

Startled, Xu Tieshu asked, “Wood, your master—what happened? When did this occur?”

Wood Qin replied, “Just a short while ago.”

Xu Tieshu had always gotten along well with Wood Qin’s master and had done a lot of carpentry work for him in the past.

He turned to the cart, took out a small jar of wine, and said, “Wood, take us to pay our respects to your master.”

Wood Qin nodded and led everyone behind his house.

In the woods behind the house, on a small mound, stood a wooden tablet inscribed, “Grave of My Honored Master.”

Before the grave were wildflowers and a few burnt-out incense sticks.

Since they hadn’t brought incense, each person poured out some wine before the grave and bowed in respect—thus, the ritual was complete.

Afterward, Xu Tieshu inquired about Wood Qin’s current situation.

Upon learning he was having a hard time, Xu Tieshu took out a five-tael silver ingot and handed it to Xu Hui to give to Wood Qin.

But Wood Qin refused to take it no matter what, insisting his master had taught him never to accept money from others lightly.

Xu Hui, annoyed, shoved the silver into Wood Qin’s hand. “Getting stubborn, are you? My father wants you to have it, so take it!”

But Wood Qin was obstinate and immediately shoved the silver back into her hands. “I’ve told you, I can’t take it!”

With that, he slung his firewood onto his back and ran home.

Xu Hui looked at the silver in surprise. “What’s gotten into that wooden block today? He usually listens to whatever I say.”

Xu Mo said, “Actually, last time at the Delicacy House, I tried to give him money to fix his bronze hammer, but he wouldn’t take it then either.”

Xu Tieshu sighed softly. “Wood has had a hard life since childhood, relying solely on his master. Now that his master is gone, his life will only get harder...”

“No, I must make sure he accepts this silver, whether he wants to or not!”

Xu Tieshu thought for a while but remained adamant about giving him the silver—he couldn’t bear to see Wood Qin go hungry and suffer.

But Xu Mo stopped him. “Uncle, with Wood Qin’s temperament, even if he takes your silver now, he’ll just find a way to secretly return it later.”

“Then what should I do? The boy’s life is too hard—I have to help him!” Xu Tieshu frowned.

Xu Mo thought for a moment. “Uncle, leave this to me. I have a way to make him accept the money.”

Xu Tieshu was delighted and quickly handed the silver to Xu Mo.

But Xu Mo waved him off, patting his waist. “Uncle, I have money.”

With that, Xu Mo headed to Wood Qin’s house.

Standing at the front door, Xu Mo knocked and called out, “Brother Qin, I’m thirsty. Do you have any water?”

Wood Qin, expecting it to be Xu Tieshu or Xu Hui coming to press the silver on him, heard it was Xu Mo and hurried to open the door.

“Big brother, come in and sit. I’ll fetch you some water,” Wood Qin said, rushing to the kitchen.

As Xu Mo stepped inside, he was shocked: goodness! This house was the very definition of bare-bones poverty.

In the main room, aside from an old table and two battered benches, there was no other furniture.

It’s worth noting that the old table had only three legs and had to be propped against the wall to remain steady.

With so few possessions, the room felt unusually spacious.

Xu Mo had just taken a look around when Wood Qin returned with a bowl of water.

Xu Mo noticed at a glance that the bowl was chipped.

Seeing Xu Mo’s gaze, Wood Qin hastened to explain, “Big brother, all my bowls are like this. This is already the best one... But don’t worry, I washed it well—it’s definitely clean!”

Xu Mo smiled, then lifted the bowl and took a large gulp of water.

After drinking, Xu Mo set the bowl carefully on the table, then smiled and asked, “Brother Qin, as a martial artist, you must burn a lot of energy practicing every day. Your income isn’t high—are you able to get enough to eat?”

“Of course!” Wood Qin nodded immediately and pointed outside. “I grow my own vegetables, and I know how to forage and pick wild fruits. I always have enough to eat.”

“But just vegetables and fruit—how do you get any fat or protein? You’re still growing, and you practice every day. If you don’t eat some meat, how will you have strength?” Xu Mo pressed.

Xu Mo still remembered vividly how Wood Qin had wolfed down that bowl of braised pork at the Delicacy House.

Wood Qin replied, “I’m learning to hunt. Occasionally... occasionally, I do manage to eat some meat.”

“How often is occasionally? Every ten days, half a month? Or even longer?” Xu Mo asked.

Wood Qin bowed his head, embarrassed, and fell silent.

Xu Mo continued, “Brother Qin, would you be interested in working for me? I’ll pay you five strings of cash a month, and you’ll even get a big bonus at the end of the year. What do you think?”

Wood Qin was startled and looked up at Xu Mo. “Five strings a month?”

In Xinzhou City, earning sixty copper coins a day was already considered good. Yet Xu Mo was offering five strings a month—nearly one hundred and seventy coins a day.

Xu Mo nodded. “Yes. At the start, I can only offer five strings a month, but if you do well, I’ll give you a raise later on!”

“A raise too?” Wood Qin had never imagined anyone would pay him such high wages.

He was secretly moved, but then his master’s words echoed in his mind...

“Wood, remember, no one in this world is good to you for no reason!”

So Wood Qin asked, “Big brother, for such high wages, what do you need me to do?”

Xu Mo replied, “Here’s the thing: I’ve come to Gushan Village this time to see if I can set up a workshop here. You’ve practiced martial arts since you were a child, so I’d like to hire you to guard the house and grounds.”

Wood Qin’s face was filled with astonishment and disbelief. “Five strings a month, just... just to guard the house?”