Chapter 00006: Money Shouldn’t Be Spent Too Sparingly
# Money Shouldn’t Be Spent Too Sparingly
Chapter 6
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 6: Money Shouldn’t Be Spent Too Sparingly
For demons and some humans, these dried meats were delicious little snacks.
Father and son, along with Uncle Hao and the steward, searched diligently but still couldn’t find anything that caught their eye.
They had no choice but to give up.
He Lingchuan lowered his head and secretly glanced at the necklace around his neck.
This item was unusual—it was no longer the original.
He had repeatedly considered whether to offer it up, but a voice in his heart kept reminding him: Never show it to anyone!
The premonition was so strong that, after much internal struggle, he decided to follow his instincts.
"Take these back. Keep those two guards under the care of the Red-White Path. Oh, I remember the Red-White Path has a farmstead in the southern suburbs. It’s the off-season for farming, so there’s probably no one around. Lingchuan, do you understand? ... Good, go after dinner. Make sure it’s done cleanly."
He Chunhua turned to Uncle Hao.
"Ah Hao, stay for a moment."
He Lingchuan accepted the order and left, while Uncle Hao remained behind.
Only after the figure of the eldest son of the He family disappeared beyond the corridor did He Chunhua speak to Uncle Hao.
"Tell me everything that happened today, exactly as it was."
Uncle Hao recounted everything without embellishment.
After listening, He Chunhua nodded and let him leave.
The room fell quiet.
He Chunhua stared at the leopard corpse on the table, lost in thought for a long while.
Steward Wu waited nearby.
Only after two sticks of incense had burned did he speak up.
"Master, it’s time for dinner."
He Chunhua hummed in acknowledgment.
"What do you think about this matter?"
"Although the young master seems reckless, he handled it quite well," Steward Wu said with a smile.
"It was wise not to let those two guards roam freely in the city, asking questions."
"That little rascal has grown a bit wiser. It seems his serious injury was a blessing in disguise," He Chunhua said, exhaling softly.
"Master was initially worried about the sudden change in the young master’s temperament. Now, you can rest assured."
"Indeed," He Chunhua murmured.
"Let’s go. Time for dinner."
￥￥￥￥￥
No matter how much He Chunhua longed for his homeland, and no matter how much the He residence resembled the style of the capital, daily meals had to bow to reality.
They ate much like the locals of Blackwater City.
After all, one must live off the land they inhabit.
He Lingchuan devoured the half-boiled lamb leg in front of him.
It was truly boiled in plain water, with only a few slices of ginger and scallions added to remove the gaminess.
The simplicity brought out the natural flavor.
The lamb was tender and springy, and when dipped in a mix of pepper and spicy salt, it was indescribably delicious.
He Lingchuan personally sliced off pieces, dipped them, and ate them one by one, sighing in satisfaction.
The chef at the prefectural residence only used large-horned sheep under a year and a half old.
These sheep roamed the Gobi Desert, often feeding on medicinal herbs like dandelions and skullcap, which gave their meat a rich, unique flavor.
It was a specialty of the Red Cliff Road.
Beside He Chunhua sat a beautifully dressed woman, gently blowing on her bowl of millet porridge before sipping it slowly.
Her calm and unhurried demeanor contrasted sharply with He Lingchuan’s voracious eating.
This was He Chunhua’s first wife and the matriarch of the He household, Ying Hongchan.
She occasionally tasted a piece of lamb, but only after the steward had meticulously trimmed and arranged it for her.
She listened to her husband and younger son’s conversation with a smile, occasionally glancing at He Lingchuan.
The entire family of four was here, all together.
He Chunhua was discussing this year’s tax revenue for Qiansong County with his younger son.
Yes, taxes.
One of the most talked-about topics among the residents of Blackwater City was how He Chunhua’s most capable assistant wasn’t an experienced accountant or a trusted advisor, but his younger son, He Yue, who was not yet fourteen.
This child had learned to read at three, memorized three hundred poems by seven, and by the next year, he had sent two accountants to prison—He Yue, in his free time, had audited the household accounts, uncovering several long-standing discrepancies and exposing two well-fed embezzlers.
By the time He Yue turned twelve, aside from excelling in chess, calligraphy, and painting, he began offering advice on his father’s administrative affairs... or rather, making suggestions.
He Chunhua was no rigid scholar.
His younger son’s proposals were clear and effective, so of course, he encouraged them wholeheartedly.
He Yue grew more confident and even began taking on some of his father’s responsibilities.
Thus, scenes like this were common.
He Lingchuan didn’t participate in their discussion, not a single word.
He simply enjoyed his meal in silence, just as the original owner of this body had done.
He couldn’t get a word in edgewise.
Both He brothers had inherited their father’s good looks.
He Lingchuan had sharp features, tall and handsome, while He Yue was more delicate, resembling his mother, Ying Hongchan.
But their personalities were entirely different.
He Yue had a photographic memory, while He Lingchuan, the eldest son, would fall asleep within fifteen minutes of reading—more effective than any sedative.
The only thing more annoying than "someone else’s child" was "my younger brother is a genius."
It was a complete, all-around domination.
"Alright, let’s eat!" Ying Hongchan interrupted the conversation between father and son.
"If you don’t start, the food will get cold."
In truth, if they didn’t start soon, He Lingchuan would have eaten everything.
He practiced martial arts, so his appetite was more than double that of an ordinary person.
Watching Ying Hongchan place a soft-fried river shrimp on He Yue’s plate, He Lingchuan wiped his hands with a napkin.
"Second Brother, tomorrow, issue a clearance document for Liu Baobao’s merchant group. Their caravan is about to return, and they don’t want to be stuck at Baitong Pass."
"Don’t call me Second Brother!" He Yue genuinely disliked the nickname.
It sounded awful.
"I was just about to tell you, Liu’s merchant group has been拖欠ing their carriage tax for two years. Including late fees, it’s about seven hundred taels. They need to pay up before they get the clearance."
"If that caravan doesn’t return, they won’t be able to pay the seven hundred taels," He Lingchuan said with a smile.
"They’re old acquaintances. Let’s make an exception this time. I’ll keep an eye on it for you."
He Yue wanted to say more, but He Chunhua spoke first.
"It’s fine. Issue the document."
With that, the matter was settled.
He Yue could only reluctantly agree, shooting a glare at He Lingchuan.
What "exception"? This had happened ten or eight times already, and not once had his elder brother actually followed through.
He always forgot after saying it!
Yet, their father always sided with the eldest brother.
He Lingchuan raised his glass of sea buckthorn juice and flashed a toothy grin.
After a couple of times, he had figured it out.
This wasn’t about lining his own pockets but doing work on behalf of his father.
After all, He Chunhua was an official, and sometimes it was inconvenient for him to handle certain matters personally, so his son stepped in.
"Speaking of which, Elder Brother’s spending has indeed decreased this past month. He only withdrew a little over two hundred taels from the household funds. Normally, nine hundred taels wouldn’t even cover it," He Yue recounted meticulously.
"But after your injury, medical expenses, medicine, and tonics added up to over three hundred taels..."
He Lingchuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly feigned impatience.
"I know, I know! I’ve been bedridden for too long, so I didn’t have the chance. I know I’ve been spending less. I’ll make up for it next month!"
Mistakes were everywhere.
He hadn’t expected that spending less money would make him more suspicious.
Roughly, one tael of silver was equivalent to a thousand coins.
The monthly expenditure of the eldest son of the He family was normally nine hundred thousand coins!
(End of Chapter)