SNT Chapter 4: Gathering

"It's Huiniang."

Chen Qing was somewhat surprised.

Lady Han quickly got up and opened the creaking cabin door.

Yang Huiniang stood outside, her small face frozen red, her faded gray old jacket blown tight against her body by the river wind.

"Huiniang!?"

Lady Han stepped aside in surprise, "Come in quickly, it's cold outside."

Yang Huiniang's gaze quickly swept over the bowl of thin gruel on the table, a flash of heartache in her eyes.

She pulled out a small cloth bundle from her bosom and carefully opened it, "These are mixed grain beans I just made."

"How can I accept this..." Lady Han declined politely, but her eyes couldn't help glancing at the beans.

"Auntie, don't be polite," Yang Huiniang pushed the bundle toward Lady Han.

Chen Qing noticed the calluses on her fingers, the eldest aunt's family had also been struggling financially these past years.

Lady Han bit her lip, "Alright, I'll put these mixed grain beans away first."

She clutched the cloth bundle and turned to duck into the inner cabin.

Yang Huiniang looked at Chen Qing and asked, "Ah Qing, what are your plans for the future?"

Chen Qing replied, "Take it one step at a time."

Yang Huiniang was silent for a moment, then suddenly pulled out a faded red pouch from her bosom and pressed it into Chen Qing's hands.

"This is..."

Chen Qing asked in confusion.

"I've been saving my private money for two years, originally planning to use it for my dowry," Yang Huiniang's face reddened slightly.

Chen Qing was slightly stunned, "Cousin, how can this work... this is yours..."

"What? Afraid you won't succeed at learning martial arts? Afraid you can't pay me back?"

Yang Huiniang blinked, "I'll be charging interest, you know."

Chen Qing felt the remaining warmth on the pouch and said seriously, "I will definitely pay you back, principal and interest."

"I was just joking."

Yang Huiniang giggled, then stood up, "It's getting dark, I should go back."

"I'll walk you home."

Chen Qing followed her out of the covered boat.

The two walked along the riverbank, with bone-chilling river wind howling.

The setting sun burned Mute Bay's silhouette into the muddy ground, broken pottery shards and fish scales competing for the last light in the sewage ditches.

The Yang family lived on Hundred Flowers Lane, an alley so narrow it was like a weak intestine, twisting and squeezing in the western corner of the outer city.

The bluestone road had long since cracked, with weeds growing through the gaps. The earthen walls on both sides of the alley were mottled and patchy, with some households using broken tile pieces to patch holes in their wind-leaking walls.

Compared to the precarious connected boats of Mute Bay, the brick and tile houses here at least provided shelter from wind and rain.

The two chatted about childhood, and Yang Huiniang also shared some trivial matters from the fabric shop.

Yang Huiniang looked at Chen Qing, "Cousin, you seem different."

Chen Qing chuckled lightly, "Do I?"

"But it's good."

Yang Huiniang nodded, "You used to be a bit... slow."

Saying this, her face reddened slightly.

Without realizing it, they had already reached the Yang family's door.

Yang Huiniang said softly, "I'm going in now, you should head back early too."

Chen Qing nodded, "Alright."

Not long after Yang Huiniang returned home, a sharp voice came from inside the house.

"This time is different! His father is a pig butcher, every meal has meat!"

"You're just too young, you don't know how expensive rice and firewood are!"

"Mother, how do I not know..."

This was eldest aunt Chen Jinhua's voice.

Chen Qing took a deep breath and hurried toward Mute Bay. Due to the dim light, there were very few pedestrians on the road at this time.

"Chase them! Don't let the Five Poison Gang scum escape!"

Suddenly, beast-like roars came from the distance.

Immediately after, dozens of men wielding sharp blades and radiating killing intent came fighting out from the alley ahead.

Blade light sparked chilling gleams in the darkness.

Crash! Clang!

The surrounding residents instantly turned pale, frantically closing doors and windows in panic, fearing they'd be caught in the crossfire.

"Not good!"

Chen Qing's heart tightened as he immediately ducked into the shadows of the nearest corner, holding his breath.

He had three principles for dealing with situations:

Don't cause trouble, don't fear trouble, run when trouble comes.

Only after the shouts of battle and clashing weapons had completely disappeared into the depths of the alley did he cautiously poke his head out, then take off running madly toward the connected boats.

"Huff... huff..."

Rushing into the boat cabin, Chen Qing supported his knees and gasped heavily, his heart still pounding.

This world was too chaotic.

Especially after dark, it was extremely frightening.

Chen Qing silently warned himself to be cautious, cautious, and more cautious.

"What happened?"

Seeing his appearance, Lady Han's face went white with fright as she rushed over to feel him up and down, "Was it bandits or gang fighting? Are you hurt anywhere? Let mother see!"

Chen Qing waved his hand, calming his breathing, "Mother, I'm fine, I just... walked too fast."

"That's good."

Lady Han's anxious heart finally settled as she turned toward the inner cabin.

Halfway there, she suddenly stopped and said with unusually serious expression, "Ah Qing, you've grown up now. Whatever you want to do, mother supports you."

She paused, her voice carrying a thread of determination, "Mother will start weaving more nets tomorrow, there will always... be a way."

After speaking, she lowered her head and ducked into the inner cabin.

Chen Qing felt warmth in his heart and stood silently in place for a long time before slowly sitting down.

As night deepened, cold wind howled outside, making continuous whistling sounds.

Cold moonlight slanted through gaps in the boat planks, shining into the cabin.

Chen Qing took out the pouch Yang Huiniang had given him. Five taels of broken silver and dozens of copper coins rolled out.

To learn martial arts, aside from family transmission, you could only take a master.

Taking a master naturally required tuition fees.

Chen Qing muttered quietly, "With this silver, I have a chance to learn martial arts."

All of this was what Yang Huiniang had painstakingly saved.

The broken silver in the pouch was brighter than any moonlight he'd ever seen.

The next morning, frost was heavy and wind was cold.

Chen Qing squatted by the stove, watching the rice bran gruel bubbling in the clay pot.

In the corner, Lady Han hunched her back, her withered fingers shuttling between fishing nets.

"Mother, I'm going out."

Chen Qing hastily swallowed the thin gruel in his bowl and wrapped himself tightly in his patched-upon-patched torn jacket.

Without looking up, Lady Han said, "Come back early, I'm keeping the mixed grain beans in the pot for you."

"I know."

Chen Qing jumped down from his family's boat plank, and cold wind immediately cut into his collar like knives.

The stone road was uneven, full of potholes of varying depths.

Garbage was everywhere, mountains of waste emitting nauseating odors.

Sewage flowed down the center of the street, forming black streams that gave off pungent stenches, with flies and mosquitoes buzzing chaotically over the garbage piles.

People on the street hurried past, some wore tattered clothes with patches everywhere, others were barefoot with mud-covered feet.

These poor people in the shoreline shacks also had to pay "eaves water fees," their lives no better than the fishermen making their living on the water.

Chen Qing kept his head down and quickened his pace.

Before long, he stopped in front of two low flat-roofed houses.

The main door was open, and inside a thin middle-aged man was holding a large pipe, taking a deep puff with an expression of enjoyment.

Chen Qing knocked on the door frame, "Third Master, I'd like to ask you to handle something."

This was the broker Zhang San, who had earned a small reputation in several nearby streets for his honesty and efficiency, many people sought him out.

To find someone to teach martial arts, you had to check family background and whether your origins were clean, so you needed a broker's recommendation.

Zhang San put down his pipe and stood up with a smile, "You're too polite. Just say what you need, if Zhang San can handle it, I absolutely won't hesitate."

Chen Qing pulled out a string of copper coins and said in a low voice, "I want to learn martial arts, but martial hall tuition is really expensive. I wonder if Third Master could help me find another way?"

"Learn martial arts?"

Zhang San looked Chen Qing up and down, his gaze pausing on his faded white collar, "Young man, learning martial arts isn't like learning a trade. If you don't succeed, that money is like water poured out, you can't get it back."

He had to speak the harsh truth upfront to avoid future entanglements.

Chen Qing nodded, "I've thought it through."

"Alright, let me think..."

Zhang San squinted and pondered for a moment, "There's an old escort master on Changping Street who used to work escorts for an escort agency. Later, because he got old and suffered internal injuries, he retired from the agency. Now he takes on some disciples to train at home. If you're interested, I can take you there right now."

Chen Qing took a deep breath and nodded, "Good."

"This old escort master is named Zhou Liang. In his youth he was quite skilled at the escort agency, and now he has considerable reputation on Changping Street. He's taken on quite a few apprentices in recent years."

On the way, Zhang San chattered about the old escort master's temperament and rules, "You're not too old, and as long as you can pay the tuition, eight or nine times out of ten you'll succeed."

Chen Qing listened silently, engraving every word Zhang San said in his heart.

Before long, the two arrived at the Zhou family courtyard gate on Changping Street.

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