Chapter 15 Preparing for the New Year

Having confirmed the affairs of the Altar Sect were concluded, it was truly time to prepare to return to the village for the New Year.

Hu Ma understood the implication in the shopkeeper's words. If he had the opportunity to become the manager of this manor, his income, whether in money, grain, or blood offerings, would naturally increase significantly.

Especially the managers of these branch manors, holding high positions and great power, lived comfortably and found it convenient to do anything. However, he suppressed this thought in his heart.

Initially, he had planned to find a way to leave and live in anonymity after learning the New Year's Eve Watchman's methods.

Now, because he knew the identities of Erguotou and Miss White Wine, a delicate balance had formed between the three of them, and there was no need to rush to leave.

But after analyzing himself, Hu Ma still felt that getting ahead too early was not a good thing.

After all, he hadn't even worshipped the Grand Duke of Jupiter once yet. Becoming a manager like this felt unsettling.

However, although the shopkeeper intended to leave, it wasn't a matter of the next few days. The immediate task was to arrange for the workers to return home for the New Year.

Hu Ma had already made promises to the workers. Now that he had received the shopkeeper's instructions, he carefully calculated the remaining money and grain in the manor. Apart from the surplus after the beginning of spring next year, the rest would be distributed to the workers in the manor.

Not only that, but the sheep that the manor had recently acquired were also slaughtered. He even ordered a pig from the village. Later, the meat would be divided and given to the workers to take home. In this era, being able to bring a large piece of pork home for the New Year was a very respectable thing.

Logically speaking, the manor couldn't be left empty. Even if people were allowed to go home for the New Year, someone had to guard the manor.

But the shopkeeper said that he would stay in the manor this year, which saved some trouble.

According to the old shopkeeper's kindness in imparting the Watchman's methods to him, Hu Ma should have stayed to accompany the old shopkeeper for the New Year. However, after the recent incident, Hu Ma no longer got too close to the inner courtyard.

This estrangement, on the contrary, made both the shopkeeper and Hu Ma feel much more relaxed.

Now, everyone simply understood each other tacitly. All Hu Ma could do was prepare money, grain, and meat for them.

There was no need to worry about them being unattended. The old servant and the young attendant had already returned to the manor.

It was laughable that these two had left before the people from the Altar Sect arrived. It seemed that the old shopkeeper had decided at that time to seize the blood offerings and not return to the manor. He just didn't expect things to go wrong and had to call them back.

"Brother Hu Ma, can we really take so much stuff home?"

When Hu Ma distributed all the money and grain to the workers and set the time for them to go home, not to mention the other workers' cheers, even Zhou Datong felt like he was in a dream.

The huge half-side of pork, the sheep, two bolts of cloth, and three bags of fine rice dazzled him.

Not to mention that everyone was carrying a few small silver coins in their pockets.

"Not enough."

Hu Ma glanced at it and said, "We have to rent a big cart. It takes several days to get back to Da Yang Village. How can we carry it?"

Zhou Datong said, "I wouldn't mind walking for a month carrying this stuff."

Not only did he nod, but Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and even Li Waizi, who was now as thin as a bag of bones, nodded repeatedly.

They had thought about earning money and returning home in glory, showing off in front of their parents, uncles, and the wives in the village, but they didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

They had only been out for a few months, and they could bring so much stuff back to the village?

It was faster than robbing a road...

But Hu Ma knew in his heart that bringing these things back to the village would certainly be glorious, but it was also hard-earned.

If he didn't have the help of a reincarnated person, if he hadn't survived the pit dug by the old shopkeeper, then not to mention bringing these things back to the village, it was questionable whether these five people could have survived.

It looked dreamlike on the surface, but they had all paid their tuition in secret.

Of course, it was also because he was a first-year manager and didn't want to be harsh on his subordinates.

Otherwise, if he had deducted the others' shares and brought them all back to the village, the money and grain would have been at least three times more.

There were plenty of good things in the warehouse.

These branch manors often kept accounts once a year, and the surplus was what the manor needed.

Because the situation of this branch manor was special, it basically didn't distribute green food, only these meat, cloth, money, and grain, which was already meager.

"If you want to walk and carry it back, I have no objection."

Thinking of this, Hu Ma smiled at Zhou Datong and said, "But I'm going to the city to rent a big cart, are you going?"

Zhou Datong immediately raised his hand high: "Go, I'll go..."

"Today, I can finally drill the hutongs?"

"..."

Hu Ma's face darkened when he heard this. Zhou Datong really didn't want good things.

They had just joined the Niangniang Society, and there were plenty of serious things to do in the spring next year. If he broke his body now, there would be many unlucky things next year!

But his words...

...it seemed that if he refined that place, he would be free!

...

Suppressing the reverie in his heart, Hu Ma got up early one morning, took Zhou Datong, Liang, and Zhu to the city, bought some fashionable gadgets that only city people had, such as couplets and firecrackers, and went to the mule and horse market. For two taels of silver, he hired a big cart.

They agreed that after two days, the mule and horse market would pick up people at the manor, send them all the way back to the village, and then let the driver return on his own.

Zhou Datong and others had never had the experience of controlling money themselves. They were dazzled by the dazzling array of new things on the street. Some bought tiger-head hats to wear, and some bought colorful kites and combs for their younger sisters.

Hu Ma just let them do as they pleased, but warned them not to rush to drill the hutongs. But he also assured them that when they earned more money, he would take them to listen to a song in a brothel next year!

To be fair, this world was short of supplies, and there were only a few things to buy in this lively city.

Of course, the joy of returning fully loaded was common to both worlds.

At noon, they had a hearty meal at a steamed bun shop. Then Hu Ma went to the meat market and bought two cages of chickens, asking Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu to carry them for him. Zhou Datong was a little strange: "It's enough to buy pigs and sheep, why buy so many chickens?"

"I have my own uses, of course."

Hu Ma didn't say much, and brought them back, putting the two cages of chickens on the small cart.

In the past, these things would have been sent directly by Xiao Hongtang, but now Xiao Hongtang couldn't handle these two cages, so Hu Ma decided to send them out himself.

Before leaving, after thinking about it, he brought Li Waizi with him.

Li Waizi was both excited and excited. He was useless now. Although Hu Ma took care of him, he couldn't participate in many things. What was going on now?

"Just follow, there's no danger."

Hu Ma saw his apprehension and said with a smile.

Li Waizi straightened his chest and said, "Following Brother Maizi, I'm not afraid of anything."

Of course, his face was slightly pale, indicating that he was still afraid.

Once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of well ropes. Now, not to mention that his stove was broken, even if it wasn't, it couldn't be lit.

His courage had been broken.

Hu Ma took Li Waizi and left the house at dusk. After a while, Xiao Hongtang pointed the way in front, and he pulled the small cart to a large rock in the wilderness. Hu Ma stopped and let Li Waizi sit aside for the two of them to rest.

Gradually, the night grew darker. Suddenly, he heard the chickens in the cage making a commotion. Hu Ma raised his head and knew that the guests had arrived.

"Aiya..."

A gust of yin wind blew past, and he first heard Li Waizi's sharp voice.

He had already jumped up, twisting his body and squatting beside the cage, saying in surprise, "So many?"

Hu Ma smiled and said, "Didn't I promise you ten?"

"Little Manager is a considerate person..."

In the roadside weeds, yellow-brown creatures ran around quickly, squeaking anxiously, scaring the chickens in the cage, who flapped their wings restlessly.

"One, two, three, two, three, one..."

Li Waizi was about to climb onto the cage, counting repeatedly, but he was illiterate and couldn't count clearly.

"Enough."

Hu Ma smiled and said, "But I have to say something to my good neighbors. I'm going back to the village for the New Year too. Don't be too rampant during this time, don't hurt the villagers, and don't break into people's homes."

"Moreover, there probably won't be any night patrols during this time, but you should also be careful. It's best not to get close to the manor either. Our shopkeeper is still in the manor. If he sees you, he probably won't be as easy to talk to as I am."

"What's there to be afraid of a shopkeeper?"

Li Waizi turned his head, raised his neck, and said proudly, "We have connections with the Red Lantern Goddess!"

"What?"

Hu Ma was startled: "When did you get on good terms with that one?"

"Just a few days ago..."

Li Waizi said, "You carried the lantern over, and my third son even helped the Red Lantern Goddess lead the way..."

"Just that thing?"

Hu Ma was stunned when he heard it: "How did that kid brag when he got back?"

He almost lost his life at that time, but now he feels like he has made connections?

It was a little funny, but this family of Yellow Immortals was used to being arrogant and domineering. This bunch of scoundrels definitely wouldn't listen to him.

He could only remind them.

After delivering the things, he pushed the small cart and left with Li Waizi and Xiao Hongtang. Li Waizi walked a dozen feet before suddenly waking up, completely unaware of what had just happened.

He only heard the sounds of chickens flying and dogs barking, the sound of chicken necks being bitten open and blood being sucked, and the fluttering of chicken feathers behind him, which was terrifying in the middle of the night. He hurriedly followed Hu Ma.

"Shopkeeper, we're leaving the day after tomorrow, and we'll be back before the fifteenth of the New Year."

When he arrived at the manor and asked Zhou Datong and the others to pack their things, Hu Ma still went to the inner courtyard and reported to the old shopkeeper: "I've already had someone grind the rice and flour in the kitchen. I've also told the village that when they kill the pig, they'll send half of it over."

"If there are any other instructions, I'll arrange them properly before I leave."

"..."

"There are none."

The old shopkeeper's voice sounded after a while, "Just don't wait until the fifteenth, come back earlier!"

"There are still many things to do in the spring, and I want to entrust them to you one by one."

"..."

"Yes!"

Hu Ma agreed.