Chapter 61: Fair Play
Chapter 61: Fair Play
Hu Ma wasn't just putting in effort; he was putting in a lot of effort.
He knew the importance of opportunities, so after receiving the promise, he diligently handled the village's affairs.
The village wasn't large, and it was a peaceful time, but the tasks were genuinely complex. He had to manage the needs of the inner courtyard, the cleaning and feeding of the livestock in the outer courtyard, chopping wood and buying rice for the kitchen, and nightly patrols. Occasionally, people from neighboring villages would come to report issues, and he would send someone to investigate.
The innkeeper didn't like to manage, so all these tasks fell on Hu Ma's shoulders.
Hu Ma didn't shirk his duties; he arranged everything meticulously each day. He knew he couldn't afford to make mistakes, so he personally handled every task. He also made a conscious effort to differentiate himself from Xu Ji's arrogant and tyrannical behavior. Whether it was night patrols or other chores, he distributed the tasks evenly among everyone, without favoritism, and rotated the responsibilities.
Initially, he was worried that his friends from Dazhong Village, like Zhou Datong, would be dissatisfied. After all, when Xu Ji was in charge, his two lackeys never did any chores and even demanded favors from others.
Now that Hu Ma held the real power, no one was offering him favors, and they had to take turns doing chores like fetching water and feeding horses.
But when Hu Ma asked Zhou Datong about it, he was surprisingly understanding.
"What are you talking about, Brother Hu Ma?"
"Isn't what you're doing now what our fathers do in the village every day?"
"Secretly sharing the benefits is one thing, but openly showing favoritism? That just makes the villagers resentful."
"..."
Hu Ma was impressed by Zhou Datong's insight.
The grandson of a politician indeed had a different perspective from others...
Despite being from the village, Zhou Datong's social skills were better than those of Xu Ji, who came from a family of worshippers.
After a while, the village's affairs were running smoothly. The helpers practiced their skills and did their tasks without complaints, and things were better than when Xu Ji was in charge. The helpers gradually began to see Hu Ma as the true manager, reporting any issues to him first. Hu Ma would handle everything and then report back to the innkeeper at the end of each night's patrol.
The innkeeper, though not showing much emotion, was clearly very satisfied with Hu Ma's performance. He entrusted Hu Ma with both big and small tasks, occasionally giving him pointers on what to pay attention to. By the tenth of the month, it was time to distribute the blood food to the new helpers, and the innkeeper even gave Hu Ma the key to the external warehouse to fetch it for them.
"Take an extra half pound for yourself."
He quietly instructed Hu Ma, "Nourish yourself well and improve your fire skills."
"Get your cultivation up early, so by next spring, you can truly handle things on your own and help us."
"..."
"This seems like a different kind of promise, doesn't it?"
Hu Ma understood the innkeeper's implication but didn't dare to relax.
Ha, wasn't the pie from his past life enough?
He remained vigilant, carefully handling his tasks and silently calculating his time.
His cultivation was now approaching the three-incense stage, and the jar of blood food pills was almost empty. But the more critical the moment, the more he couldn't afford to panic.
After taking over the actual management, the only thing Hu Ma truly did was kick Xu Ji's two lackeys out of the small room and move in with Zhou Datong, so they didn't have to share with others.
Of course, this was also to ensure that Little Hongtang could sleep well on the beam at night.
With everything proceeding step by step, the helpers became more familiar with the village's affairs.
Just then, the well-dressed young master Xu Ji, who had taken leave from the village, quietly returned, causing a stir among the helpers.
After fleeing from his responsibilities, Hu Ma had naturally taken over. Now that he was back, would the two have to compete again?
Especially his two lackeys, who thought their time to turn the tables had come, were eagerly preparing.
Surprisingly, this time, Xu Ji returned listlessly, showing no intention of challenging Hu Ma. When he found his bedding moved to the large side room, he didn't protest.
Even the next morning, when Hu Ma assigned him to work in the kitchen like everyone else, he simply nodded without any resistance.
The helpers were stunned, "What's going on? Did this arrogant young master really give up?"
"It's not that simple..."
Hu Ma, outwardly calm, was on high alert and asked Little Hongtang to keep an eye on him.
Until he learned the secret, he couldn't let his guard down for a moment.
Sure enough, the well-dressed young master Xu Ji, who seemed to have given up, quietly entered the innkeeper's inner courtyard on the third afternoon, while Hu Ma was out on a task.
Hu Ma, fearing that Little Hongtang might accidentally cause trouble and get hurt, didn't allow her to enter the inner courtyard, so she could only watch from outside.
When Hu Ma returned, he was told about the matter. A flicker of thought crossed his mind, and he asked, "How long were you in there?"
Little Hongtang thought for a moment and replied, "Long enough to eat a bowl of meat."
"…Very vivid!"
Hu Ma nodded, acknowledging he understood. He then gave Little Hongtang a piece of the Green Toadstool and sent her off to play.
He knew that Xu Ji's current situation was precarious. Logically, there was nothing left that could impress the old shopkeeper. However, Xu Ji had a significant background and substantial resources, so Hu Ma couldn't be too naive. He simply pretended not to know and continued to arrange his own affairs.
Sure enough, as soon as the night patrol returned, the old shopkeeper's servant came out and said, "Big Brother Hu, Second Brother Xu, the master wants you inside."
Hu Ma was an only child, while Xu Ji was the second son in his family, which was why he was addressed this way. It sounded as if Hu Ma was getting a slight advantage.
Hu Ma glanced at Xu Ji, who avoided his gaze and stood up, walking inside with a tense grip on his fists.
"Go back and rest first," Hu Ma instructed Zhou Datong. Then, he and Xu Ji entered the inner courtyard one after the other.
Inside, they found the old shopkeeper already waiting. On the stone table were a few small dishes, likely prepared by the servants in the small kitchen. There were peanuts, broad beans, a fried egg, and a plate of fatty beef that looked like flower paste.
Three cups were set out, and upon seeing them enter, the old shopkeeper said, "Sit down and join me."
Hu Ma and Xu Ji both took their seats, but neither spoke. Only Xu Ji eagerly poured the old shopkeeper a drink.
"Let's see, you two have been here at our village for almost a month now," the old shopkeeper said after taking a sip of wine. "In the grand scheme of things, that's still a short time. You haven't been following the worship of the Green Toadstool for many years, so you're still considered new in our Red Lantern Society."
"But I won't hide anything from you. You two are both blessed."
"I'm short on hands, and our village needs a proper manager. So, you two are getting a bit of a break…"
"Yes, yes…" Hu Ma listened silently, but Xu Ji couldn't contain his excitement. He stood up, cup in hand, and said, "Thank you, Father!"
"Sit down first."
The old shopkeeper glanced at him, not responding, and his expression turned a bit displeased.
Xu Ji quickly sat down, and his actions, along with the respectful title, made Hu Ma's heart skip a beat.
"I won't hide anything from you," Mr. Wu continued after a moment of contemplation. "They say that joining our Red Lantern Society can teach you skills, and that's true. The techniques I teach you are real and will help you earn a living."
"But these skills are still shallow."
"I have some more advanced techniques, and I want to find someone who can handle responsibility to train properly."
At this, not only Xu Ji but even Hu Ma lifted his head slightly.
After being here for so long, this was the first time Mr. Wu had clearly explained this to them.
So, he…
"And after observing for a while, I've found that among the dozen or so people in this village, the two of you have the most potential."
Mr. Wu looked at them both and said, "If I had my way, I'd take both of you as apprentices, but I can't teach two people right now."
"Even if I could, the blood offerings in our village wouldn't be enough to sustain two. So, I'm going to give you both a task. Whoever performs it better will become the manager of our village and the one to learn my advanced techniques."
"Those who don't succeed… don't worry, I'll teach you later when the village has more resources."
"…"
This was just a way to fool them…
Hu Ma immediately understood. He had heard such things before during the Red Lantern Society's selection process.
Between him and Xu Ji, only one could become the true manager and learn the advanced techniques.
But he had already given a precious gift, and Xu Ji's family had fallen from power.
What could Xu Ji have said to impress the old shopkeeper enough to have a fair competition with him?
"The task is simple…"
Mr. Wu didn't wait for their reactions and continued, "Twelve miles west of our village is a place called Yellow Dog Village. It's technically outside our patrol range, but it becomes dangerous during spring."
"From what I know, there's a well there where something has grown powerful. We can't let it continue to cause trouble. The two of you will go and deal with it."
"Whoever performs the task better will return as the manager. What do you say?"
"…"
Xu Ji was overjoyed and immediately stood up to accept the challenge.
But Hu Ma's heart skipped a beat, and he inwardly sneered, "So, I was overthinking it…"
"This isn't a fair competition at all!"
(End of Chapter)
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