Chapter 46

Zhang Weixin and his companions rested for a while longer, and seeing that it was already mid-afternoon, he called everyone to gather their spirits and prepare to go to the Qi family to complete the transaction. The group responded with a loud agreement, and everyone began to busy themselves. Yang Xiaojun and her two servants, seeing that things were starting to move, knew that there was no need for them to get involved further, so they came over to say goodbye to Zhang Weixin and the others, then returned directly to their residence. Yang Xiaojun's expectant gaze as she left softened Zhang Weixin's heart, and he secretly resolved to convince the committee to accept her, determined not to let her down.

Liangxiang County was not large, so after leaving the Yuelai Inn, it did not take long to reach the Qi family's residence. The servants at the gate had already been informed by their master, and upon seeing Zhang Weixin sitting in the first carriage, they knew the buyer had arrived. They immediately opened the gates to let the carriages in and quickly sent someone to inform the inside. Upon receiving the news, Qi the Magistrate and his son came out to greet them. After some pleasantries, they all went to the main hall to sit down.

After sitting and drinking a few sips of tea, Zhang Weixin suggested that Qi the Magistrate send someone to count and move the gold and silver from the carriages, and then, while there was still plenty of time, they could all go to the county office to complete the necessary procedures. Qi the Magistrate naturally had no objections and immediately sent his steward and accountant to verify the gold and silver, while instructing his son to fetch the relevant documents and deeds from the inner chambers. Once the gold and silver were verified, they would immediately go to the county office to complete the procedures.

As the saying goes, many hands make light work. Although the amount of gold and silver was not small, with the joint efforts of both sides, it did not take long to verify everything, which matched the agreed amount exactly. Qi the Magistrate, seeing that the gold and silver were correct, immediately sent his son and steward to go to the county office with Zhang Weixin, Xu Shaohan, Fan Wucheng, and Zeng Zhilin, who represented Yu Xu Palace, to complete the necessary paperwork. The others from Yu Xu Palace stayed at the Qi residence to chat and drink tea, waiting for the procedures to be completed before going to Tianfu Tower to enjoy a delicious meal.

The procedures at the county office went smoothly, as everyone was familiar with each other and there was no intention to make things difficult, so it was done quickly. Just as they were about to leave the county office, they happened to meet Chief Zheng Boming. Chief Zheng, seeing Xu Shaohan and the others at the county office, thought something had happened and hurried over to ask. Upon learning that these so-called Taoists were planning to leave the monastic life and were here to complete the procedures for buying a residence, he was relieved. In the past few days, due to the auction, he had interacted a lot with Xu Shaohan and the security team, and they had become good friends. Now, knowing that they would be living in the county, he was very pleased. He congratulated them and joked with Xu Shaohan, saying that since they would be closer, he would often come to find him for drinks and chats. Xu Shaohan said he would be delighted to, and promised to have a good drink with Chief Zheng one day, not stopping until they were both drunk. Chief Zheng, patting his chest, guaranteed to stay until the end. After a few more jokes, Chief Zheng, having official business to attend to, left first, and Xu Shaohan and the others also left the county office and returned to the Qi residence.

Since Zhang Weixin and the others returned to the Qi residence early, it was not yet time for dinner, so after making an appointment with Qi the Magistrate to meet at Tianfu Tower in the evening, the people from Yu Xu Palace said goodbye and left.

Leaving the Qi residence, Zhang Weixin originally planned to return directly to the Yuelai Inn and go to Tianfu Tower in the evening. However, Wang Feng, Zeng Zhilin, Yang Xin, and other young people were restless, especially Wu Peng, who was visiting the city for the first time, and kept asking to explore the city, saying he had been cooped up in Yu Xu Palace for more than half a year and needed to relax, or he might get depressed. Zhang Weixin understood and, after discussing with Xu Shaohan, agreed to give everyone a break to explore the city, with the condition that they return to the inn by 5 PM. To ensure everything went smoothly, Zhang Weixin also asked Qingchen to go with them to prevent any trouble due to their unfamiliarity with the customs of the time. With his permission, Wang Feng and the others happily dragged Qingchen off. Zhang Weixin, Xu Shaohan, Fan Wucheng, and Zhao Dawei, the "old guys," returned to the inn by carriage.

After Zhang Weixin and the others returned to the inn and sat for a while, a servant came to knock on the door, saying that a young girl surnamed Yang was here to see him. Hearing that it was someone surnamed Yang, Zhang Weixin's first thought was Yang Xiaojun, but the servant's tone did not seem to match. Zhang Weixin went out of the room and opened the courtyard gate, only to find that it was not Yang Xiaojun, but someone he recognized—her younger sister, who said her original name was Yang Xiaolian. The young girl, seeing that Zhang Weixin had opened the door, greeted him with a smile. Zhang Weixin quickly invited her into the room, offered her a cup of tea, and then sat down to wait for her to explain her purpose.

Yang Xiaolian did not seem to be in a hurry. She sipped her tea slowly, her bright black eyes darting around Zhang Weixin as if she were appraising a commodity. Zhang Weixin, feeling a bit uncomfortable under her gaze, asked, "I wonder what brings Miss Xiaolian here, or if your sister has a message for me?"

Yang Xiaolian, seeing his somewhat nervous expression, couldn't help but laugh. She quickly covered her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter, and finally composed herself, answering seriously, "How could a girl like me dare to give advice to Daoist Zhang? My sister has no message for you."

Her answer left Zhang Weixin even more confused. If it wasn't that the young girl had something to say to him, and it wasn't that she was delivering a message from Yang Xiaojun, then why was she here? Could it be that Yang Xiaojun was in danger and had sent her to report? But her expression didn't seem to indicate any emergency. Or could it be that Yang Xiaojun was worried something had gone wrong and had sent someone to check, which didn't make sense either.

Seeing Zhang Weixin's puzzled expression, Yang Xiaolian struggled not to laugh, her face turning red. After a while, she finally decided to stop teasing him. She took another sip of tea and said crisply, "My sister said you were a very wise and learned man, but you can't figure this out. Does my sister sending me here mean I can only deliver a message? Can't it be for something else?" She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a beautifully crafted jade hairpin, handing it to Zhang Weixin. "This is my sister's favorite hairpin. She asked me to bring it to you and said you would understand her meaning."

Only then did Zhang Weixin realize that the young girl had come to deliver a token of affection from Yang Xiaojun, a more powerful expression of her previous promise. Thinking of her deep affection for him, Zhang Weixin was deeply moved. He carefully put the hairpin in his pocket. Feeling that he should respond to her gesture, he asked Yang Xiaolian to wait a moment and then went into his bedroom to search through his backpack.

Although, according to team rules, each person could keep some items that were not yet useful to the team, this trip was for completing a transaction, and he had not anticipated the need to exchange tokens of affection. Apart from a few daily necessities, his backpack only contained paper and pens for note-taking.

Going out to buy some expensive gifts at this point would be too late, and it would also lack sincerity. After much thought, Zhang Weixin decided to give her a fountain pen he had brought from his previous life, which he had kept with him. This pen was a gift from his father, a lifelong teacher, when he first became a teacher, symbolizing the passing of the torch. After the time travel, he had not used it much due to the lack of ink, but he kept it as a memento. This pen was now one of his most precious possessions and could serve as a token of affection.

Coming out of the bedroom, Zhang Weixin solemnly handed the pen, which he had kept for over ten years, to Yang Xiaolian, saying, "As the saying goes, reciprocity is a virtue. Since your sister has given me something, I must return the favor. Please take this fountain pen, brought from overseas, and give it to your sister to convey my feelings."

Yang Xiaolian took the pen, not quite understanding what this "fountain pen" was, but knowing that it must be significant or valuable, given that it was brought from far away. She carefully put it in her sleeve and said, "Rest assured, Daoist Zhang, I will deliver it to my sister."

She then clapped her hands and stood up, saying, "The task is done, and I must be off." As she walked towards the door, Zhang Weixin hurried to see her off. Just as they reached the door, she suddenly remembered something, slapping her forehead and saying, "Oh, it's all your fault, you old Taoist, with your word games. I almost forgot the message my sister asked me to give you."

Hearing this, Zhang Weixin felt like banging his head against the wall. Clearly, this mischievous girl was deliberately teasing him, yet he could not protest because he needed her help. He had to go along with her.

Thus, Zhang Weixin, in a state of great distress, had no choice but to criticize himself and promise to be more careful with his words in the future. This finally made the girl smile, and she accepted his sincere apology. She then delivered the message that should have been said long ago: "My sister said that if you plan to live in the county and want to contact her, you should go to the Huotian Tower in the eastern part of the city on the 5th and 10th of each month. She will go there alone to pray, and you can meet her without any interference." With a smile, she left, and Zhang Weixin saw her off until she was out of the inn before returning to his room.