Once you've identified the right direction, all that's left is to take things one step at a time. After all, you have to eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time.
To onlookers, Hu Ma suddenly became low-key. After returning from Anzhou, he only went into the city once.
First, he went to the Cao Xin Pharmacy to settle accounts, had a drink with Shopkeeper Wu Gui, and talked about the Dongzi Li family. Then, he went to Hall Master Xu, followed him to pay respects to the Red Lantern Goddess, and respectfully burned incense, thanking the Goddess for her help on the road.
The Red Lantern Goddess didn't react at all and didn't mention any conditions.
Hu Ma couldn't help but sigh, the Goddess was too kind, a truly honest person.
In the evening, there was naturally the Yang Bow Association feast, and he invited Hall Master Xu and a group of old acquaintances to a banquet at the Chunhe Restaurant. After the wine had flowed freely and everyone was flushed with excitement, Steward Xu brought up the matter of arranging for him to go to the blood food mine earlier.
Everyone understood, and it was a win-win situation.
After spending the night at Steward Xu's place, Hu Ma returned to the village the next day. Before returning, he first went to the carriage and horse shop to see the three cart drivers and two helpers who had accompanied him to Anzhou.
He not only paid their wages but also gave them extra bonuses, which moved them so much that they patted their chests and loudly promised that if Shopkeeper Hu ever had such a long-distance job again, he could come directly to them.
"Looks like they were really scared."
After leaving the mule and horse shop, before driving the carriage back to the village, Hu Ma took a detour to visit the old zougui (soul-leading) man who raised cattle, and then, led by him, went to Zhang Agu's place in another village.
"Shopkeeper, you don't need to worry about it."
But Zhang Agu blushed when she heard this and only said, "There are so many poor people in this world, what's one more like me?"
Later, Zhang Agu caught up, blushing, and said that thirty taels of silver was already too much for her to accept. She insisted that Hu Ma take back the other two blood food pills. Seeing her insistence, Hu Ma had no choice but to accept them, and only asked her with a smile:
After that, half a month before the New Year, he arranged for two helpers to guard the village, promising them that after the New Year, they could take more New Year goods home and rest for a few more days. Then, he and Zhou Datong and others got into the carriage, loaded with New Year goods, and returned to Da Yang Village to celebrate the New Year in a lively manner.
"It was all thanks to Agu's skills that Miss Ren Xiangyu was safely sent home."
Afraid she wouldn't accept it, he secretly stuffed it into her bedding.
Hu Ma didn't explain much but left the thirty taels of silver and drove the carriage back to the village.
But unexpectedly, after walking less than two miles, he saw a headless little ghost blocking the road with its arms outstretched.
Hu Ma thanked Zhang Agu, had a meal there, and before leaving, left thirty taels of silver and two blood food pills.
"Do you still remember what I said earlier, Agu?"
The cart driver and the two helpers repeatedly said yes and then refused the job.
After dealing with these matters, he felt relaxed. He cultivated and pondered silently, and as the days passed, the end of the year soon arrived.
Hu Ma had already made promises to these helpers, so naturally he couldn't let them down. He took out twenty taels of silver for Zhou Datong, asking him to go to the city to buy New Year goods and then come back to distribute them to the helpers.
""
"I'll take a rest after this trip back and then inquire around and help you."
We'll definitely recommend someone with even more courage to you.
She probably thought Hu Ma was young and impulsive, making promises casually and not taking them to heart.
Hu Ma only thanked them with a smile and agreed to go to Lao Yin Mountain next time, assuring them it wouldn't be so dangerous this time.
He saw that Zhang Agu lived outside the village, in a few thatched huts built on the mountainside. When she saw Hu Ma return, she was also a little happy and asked if the road ahead had been smooth.
This time, he simply didn't look for a cart driver. Anyway, this horse pulling the cart was too sensible.
The only thing was that now, whenever there was something important, Hu Ma would use this horse to help pull the cart, which made the donkey he brought back from Wutong Town much more relaxed.
Whenever it saw the horse being chosen to pull the cart and itself only needing to eat grass and lie in the stable to bask in the sun, the donkey felt very happy and occasionally chuckled when no one was looking.
Returning to the village, there was nothing much to say.
Second Uncle was still strong, and the old patriarch was getting tougher and tougher. Because Hu Ma and the others had returned the previous year, they knew they would definitely come this year. Several days in advance, they had people from the village waiting at the entrance.
After returning and seeing that the New Year goods brought back by these promising children were more than last year, they immediately felt relieved.
"I was worried that your little manager wouldn't do well and would be kidnapped in less than a year."
Second Uncle said with emotion, patting Hu Ma's shoulder, "Now it seems that you're doing well. You've managed to hold on to such a high position, so it must be stable."
"Actually, it's not too stable."
Hu Ma smiled wryly and thought to himself, "After all, I'm not a manager anymore."
Of course, because he had instructed them, none of those who came back dared to say that Hu Ma had become a shopkeeper.
It was just unfair to Zhou Datong, who was now a manager but still had to say that he was a helper.
In the following days, there were banquets, cleaning the house, worshiping the old fire pit, and then inviting the old woman back for the New Year. After the New Year, they would go to worship the forest as usual—no, worship their godmother, because it would be unbearable if they said they were worshiping the forest.
After a year apart, godmother seemed thinner.
Standing alone by the river, a few thin willow branches drooped weakly.
Under the roots of the tree, there were many traces of burning paper money, probably burned by people from the village who came to worship at ordinary times.
The first year they came to worship their godmother, Old Yangpi from Mang Village brought people to make trouble, but this year they came even earlier, but they came to worship their godmother together. Everyone happily offered sacrifices and kowtowed to their godmother.
As usual, they attracted many strange things from the forest to watch the ceremony. Godmother was now lying flat, just passively letting so many people kowtow, without moving.
However, unlike last year, after worshiping godmother this time, Hu Ma immediately found a secluded place.
He respectfully bowed and said in a low voice, "Senior, I have now officially begun to learn the skills in the Town of Years book."
"I have tried my best to prepare, but I still understand too little."
"I don't know if there will be any impact after learning it."
""
"Of course there will be an impact. Whether or not there are people in your Hu family is the biggest impact."
Old Tree Stump Senior really didn't rush to leave but quietly appeared behind Hu Ma and answered softly, "But you don't need to consider so much. All ten surnames have descendants, but the descendants of the Hu family have no one to teach them, which is already pitiful enough."
"If you just want to learn the skills of your family, and you still have to suffer some kind of secret scheme, then your grandmother would have asked me in vain."
""
"This"
Hu Ma was surprised. Old Tree Stump Senior, was he promising to block some things in the dark for himself?
His heart stirred slightly, and he quickly asked another question, "Also, it is said that there is something called the Five Fiends God in the hall?"
"I have a friend who has been targeted by him. I want to"
""
Old Tree Stump said, "You want to get rid of him?"
Hu Ma suddenly closed his mouth. He did have this idea, but what could be discussed still needed to be discussed!
"If you want to get rid of him, then get rid of him."
Old Tree Stump Senior seemed to feel the trace of hesitation in Hu Ma's heart, so he said straightforwardly, "It is impossible for the descendants of the Hu family to have a smooth journey. If you don't have the idea of getting rid of it, it may come to you."
"Now that your grandmother is in the ancestral hall, those who are afraid of you standing up are not the Meng family, nor the people of the ten surnames, but some things in the hall."
""
"Some things in the hall?"
Hu Ma asked this question, originally just wanting to ask about Old Tree Stump Senior's view of the Five Fiends God in a roundabout way, but he didn't expect it to elicit so much information.
There will be some things in the hall that are worried about the return of the descendants of the Hu family?
"This trip back, you also worshiped the old fire pit and changed the new ash."
Old Tree Stump Senior slowly said, "The hundreds of living people in Da Yang Village all rely on that old fire pit to survive in this Lao Yin Mountain. Even some evil spirits outside the village must be in awe of the old fire pit's majesty and protect the people in the village."
"But if these evil spirits have their own ideas, no longer protect Da Yang Village, and even want to take the old fire pit for themselves, who do you think is the person they most want to get rid of?"
""
These words immediately shocked Hu Ma, "So those who are thinking about my Hu family's things are not only reincarnators?"
"That's the way things are. The Hu family's things are there. If you don't think about them, sooner or later someone else, or something else, will think about them."
But Old Tree Stump Senior just smiled and said, "Now it seems that they can't think about it, but don't forget that people are the smartest. It doesn't work now, it doesn't mean it won't work in the future."
"Hehe, that's all for today, I won't say more. I'm giving you Hu family descendants face, that's why I came to your side first at this most important time, but do you know how many people in this Lao Yin Mountain are worshiping me today?"
"I'm in a hurry to go to the banquet."
""
Hu Ma was a little helpless.
You're talking about the most important thing, and you're still going to the banquet?
Because he had already discovered that Old Tree Stump Senior didn't listen to his head, he just bowed deeply and sent him away.
Also, because he got this reminder, before returning to the village, he went to Juehu Village again. This time, he didn't go in but carefully looked at the village's topography, customs, and the location and appearance of the four town gate stones and carefully remembered them in his heart before leaving.
He was already preparing in his heart to solve Juehu Village and get his family's Zhenwu (suppression object).
"Yes."
Two days later, Hu Ma, who had changed the new ash and put on new clothes and returned to the village, sighed silently in his heart, "This year should be lively."
"If you don't take the yuanbao (treasure) under the bed yourself, it will be targeted by thieves sooner or later, whether it's a family thief or an outside thief."
Chapter 13 End