Chapter 67: Known as Sharing Fortune!

A few little ones skipped and jumped all the way to the gates of the Qian family residence.

Yet, seeing so many adults, they still felt a bit timid.

The servants of the Qian family, seeing a group of children approach, assumed they were just coming to play and rushed forward to chase them away.

"Run along, little ones, go play somewhere else. This is no place for games."

Seeing that the adults were about to send them away, the chubby little boy hastily shouted:

"No, we're not here to play! Someone asked us to bring a message for you!"

Upon hearing this, several servants quickly turned to look at Qian Dafu and the others.

The men's faces immediately lit up as they strode forward briskly.

Then, doing their utmost to put on gentle expressions, they said to the little ones:

"Young friends, pray tell, was it a Daoist priest who sent you here?"

Even though they tried their best to look amiable, that intense eagerness still made them somewhat frightening in the eyes of the little ones.

Only the chubby boy, still mindful of his promise to Du Yuan, managed to say:

"It wasn't a Daoist priest."

This left Qian Dafu somewhat disappointed, but Qian Youde quickly pursued the matter, asking:

"Was it a gentleman who looked somewhat like a monk, with very short hair?"

"Yes, yes, yes! That's him!"

The chubby boy's eyes lit up.

Realizing it truly was the Daoist, the group asked with even greater fervor:

"Then, young friend, quickly tell us what this is all about."

"He said to tell you the Qian family need not wait for him any longer. Since you already know the gravity of the situation, he suggests you had best go quickly and pay respects to your ancestors."

Hearing these words caused a heavy sinking sensation in the hearts of Qian Dafu and the others.

It was over. The Daoist had already come, yet he had not chosen to see them!

The affinity between the Qian family and the Daoist was likely severed for good right here!

At this thought, Qian Dafu cast a cautious glance at the young master of the Han family standing beside him.

The latter, knowing what was on his mind, raised his hands in a salute and smiled:

"Master Qian, rest assured. My Han family will certainly fulfill the duty of sponsoring your esteemed son. By the end of the month at the latest, your son will take up his post in Heren."

He was no longer addressed as an uncle, but the Han family had no intention of breaking their end of the bargain.

Amidst a lingering trace of disappointment was a far greater sense of relief.

Perhaps it was for the best. The Qian family's temple was simply too small. They had preserved their lives, realized that their past actions had been gravely wrong, and even secured an official rank high enough to safeguard their status as a prominent clan under the Emperor's grace.

It was enough. Truly, it was more than enough.

It was only a pity for his Youcai—it was him, the father, who had failed the affinity you worked so hard to accumulate...

Sighing inwardly, Qian Dafu bowed to the young master in brocade:

"Please forgive me, Young Master. My body is truly frail and severely injured, so I must return to recuperate first."

"Please, do as you wish."

Watching Qian Dafu being supported as he walked away, the brocade-clad young master glanced at Qian Youde, who was still accompanying him.

With a slight smile, the young master produced a silver ingot from his robe and offered it to the chubby boy:

"Come, young friend, how about we forge a bond of good karma?"

The chubby boy waved his hands hastily:

"I can't accept this! I have nothing to do with you, how could I possibly take such a large piece of silver!"

The brocade-clad young master smiled and shook his head:

"How can you say you have nothing to do with me? You were entrusted by the Daoist to bring a message, and I have revered the Daoist for a very long time." Here he corrected himself, "Well, let's just consider it errand money for you, shall we?"

The chubby boy continued to shake his head:

"Even more reason not to! That kind-hearted man already gave us the leftover pastry crumbs as our reward!"

With that, the chubby boy even displayed the tiny scrap of pastry he had deliberately saved for his parents.

"Leftover?"

The brocade-clad young master had initially been asking in jest, but at these words, a sudden realization struck him, and he hurriedly asked:

"Young friend, could this possibly be what the Daoist left uneaten?!"

"That's right! Otherwise, we would be taking advantage of that kind-hearted man. Mother and Father said we must never take advantage of others!"

Having said this, the chubby boy proudly boasted:

"And let me tell you, this tastes so, so good! We've eaten it before in the past, but it never tasted anything like this!"

Hearing this made the brocade-clad young master's throat move in a hard swallow. Barely suppressing the tumultuous pounding in his heart, he said:

"Young friend, would you be willing to sell me what's left of that?"

Ordinary folk in this world would share sacrificial offerings after paying homage to their ancestors or deities. Aside from avoiding food waste, they did so because people believed it carried remaining blessings!

For these were foods that had been enjoyed by deities and immortals.

And the pastry in this child's hand, he believed, was precisely something of the like!

Yet, just as the chubby boy had continually exceeded Du Yuan's expectations, he now exceeded the young master's as well:

"No, no, I'm saving this for my mother and father!"

Yet these very words only made the brocade-clad young master all the more certain that there was profound meaning behind it!

Therefore, he quickly squatted down and coaxed:

"Don't worry, I am—uh, I am a kind-hearted person with plenty of money. I can give you something much better than this to take back to your parents. For instance, this single leaf of gold!"

He had actually wanted to say he was the young master of the Han family, but right as the words reached his lips, a sudden chill ran down his spine.

Thus, he changed his words instantly.

In that moment, he recalled the suffocating frustration he had felt earlier before those villagers.

The villagers stood before his eyes, the mountain deity hung over his head.

His heart burned with desire, yet what he wished for remained forever out of reach.

The prestige of the Han family to which he was accustomed—or more directly put, the practice of coercing others with power—was something he simply dared not employ.

This was also the second time he discovered that in the face of a power transcending mortal limits, royal authority and immense wealth were truly not worth mentioning.

Because of this, his heart burned with an even more desperate eagerness to obtain those few crumbs of pastry.

Yet very often, adults faced with children are indeed destined to meet with repeated setbacks.

The chubby boy shook his head without stopping:

"No, no, this pastry is so delicious. My mother and father have surely never tasted anything so wonderful, so I must let them try it."

Before the brocade-clad young master could add anything, the chubby boy continued:

"My mother and father also said that one must never take advantage of others. So even though your gold leaf is nice, my mother and father won't accept it. And if the trade is unequal, then there's even less reason to swap, because that makes it feel like *you* are trying to take advantage of *me*!"

With these words spoken, both the brocade-clad young master and Qian Youde were left completely speechless.

These truly did not sound like the words of a mere infant.

Was this an unfathomable, precocious wisdom, or...

The two grown men cast somewhat strained glances at the tiny scrap of pastry remaining in the child's hand.

Yet they also knew they could not force the matter. Taking a step back, the brocade-clad young master said:

"Since that is the case, I will not press the matter further. Please go on your way, young friend."

Watching the little ones skip away into the distance, Qian Youde could not help but remark:

"This child possesses an extraordinary aura. Might you...?"

The brocade-clad young master shook his head:

"I will have someone observe him for a while, and then my father will decide whether to instruct the child personally or send him to a private academy for his studies."

Since the blessed pastry could not be eaten, he had to forge some form of affinity with this child who bore no resemblance to a mere toddler.

Qian Youde said no more, letting out a faint sigh in his heart. In truth, he would have loved to instruct this child himself.

The Han family was a powerful noble clan; when facing someone possessing ties to immortality, this status might prove useless and even appear somewhat pitiful and laughable. But when facing people like themselves, it was truly like gazing upon Mount Tai—a colossal behemoth!

However, neither of them—nor perhaps even Du Yuan—could have anticipated what happened next.

When the chubby boy returned home with joy and excitement, proudly recounting today's events to his parents about how he had passed up a silver ingot and even a leaf of gold for a few bites of leftover pastry,

His parents were instantly sent into a towering rage.

Seizing the silly boy one after another, they subjected him to a mixed assault of tears and scoldings,

Beating the chubby boy until his cries shook the heavens.

When it was all over, seeing the chubby boy still sobbing continuously in the corner, his mother felt a pang of heartache and stuffed that very last scrap of pastry straight into his mouth.

"It's alright, it's alright, good child. Truly, it was your mother and father who were in the wrong, but our family is just so desperately short on silver and gold..."

With a sigh, she turned and walked away.

Thus, not a single adult was ever fortunate enough to taste a single bite of this blessed pastry.