Jiang Zhen only showed his face in the gambling shop before leaving with Zhao Jinge.

It was getting late and he was in a hurry to return home, otherwise his family would be worried.

When he walked out of the gambling shop, it was already dark. Jiang Zhen walked for a while, but soon noticed that Zhao Jinge, who was holding the bamboo basket, was a bit out of shape, so he turned around and took his hand.

Zhao Jinge was started and subconsciously broke free. Fearing that Jiang Zhen would be unhappy, he said, “There are a lot of people here, it’s not very good . . .”

“It’s getting dark now, and there’s no one left,” Jiang Zhen said, firmly taking  Zhao Jinge’s hand and by the way taking away the bamboo basket that Zhao Jinge was holding. “Let’s go!” 

Although Zhao Jinge felt a little ashamed to be held by the hand, he could not deny that he was also somewhat happy with it. He bowed his head and followed behind Jiang Zhen, adjusting his pace to that of Jiang Zhen. At the same time, his heart slowly settled down. 

Everything before had been a bit of a shock to Zhao Jinge, but then he was stunned. Jiang Zhen unexpectedly became the manager of the gambling shop . . . 

“Jinge, come to the county town with me tomorrow,” Jiang Zhen said.

“No, I’m not going,” Zhao Jinge quickly refused. He hadn’t done much today. Later, while Jiang Zhen was playing cards, he could only hold the bamboo basket and observe them. Not only was he useless but he also made Jiang Zhen lose face. He thought it would be better not to follow Jiang Zhen to the county town.

“Why?” Jiang Zhen asked

“There is still a lot of work to do at home. The land we bought hasn’t been planted yet . . . ,” Zhao Jinge said.

“He Chunsheng and He Xiasheng can plant the fields and work at home,” Jiang Zhen said, squeezing Zhao Jinge’s hand. “There are all kinds of things happening in this county town, and there are many people who would marry young ones. I met a shopkeeper before, his wife was helping him take care of his mother and children in the countryside, but his concubine accompanied him to the county town. He only goes back to the countryside once or twice a year and flirts with his concubine. Also there are many women and gers in this county town who are not living well, so they opened their doors to do business at night . . .  You should also know what this business is. I heard that Yang Jing often goes there . . .”

Zhao Jinge suddenly opened his eyes wide.  “I’ll go with you tomorrow.”

“Hmm.” Jiang Zhen nodded calmly.

Zhao Jinge did not want Jiang Zhen to find someone else, but he felt that he was useless and there was a big gap between him and Jiang Zhen. 

He looked at Jiang Zhen with a tangled expression and finally made up his mind. He would follow Jiang Zhen closely, unless he forbade him to do so. 

Jiang Zhen was very satisfied with Zhao Jinge’s attitude.

At present, the poor basically raised their ger children as women, but he always regarded Zhao Jinge as a man. In his opinion, Zhao Jinge was no worse than the others.

He could train Wang Haisheng, so there was no way he would not teach Zhao Jinge.

Thinking about it, Zhao Jinge would surely be better than Wang Haisheng in all aspects. Today, when they played cards, Zhao Jinge learned it very quickly. What about Wang Haisheng? They had been selling kelp for more than ten days, and he still made mistakes when he wasn’t careful.

After a while, Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge arrived at the place where they had stopped the boat. By this time, Wang Haisheng was already anxious. 

“Why haven’t Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge come back yet?”

“I saw Liu Heitou come to the county town before. Do you think it was Liu Heitou . . .”

“No! Think how powerful our boss is!”

 

…

 

All of a sudden, Wang Haisheng exclaimed, “Look, the boss is back!” 

When He Chunsheng and He Xiasheng looked over, they saw Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge coming back hand in hand and they suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. 

In their village, even the weakest little daughter-in-law would not let her husband  hold hands when they went out. Zhao Jinge was even taller than them. How could he be so sticky with Jiang Zhen? Jiang Zhen was indulging him and he obviously liked Zhao Jinge very much. 

It was a good thing their brother didn’t bother them too much, otherwise . . . 

He Chunsheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but Wang Haisheng asked, “Boss, why are you just coming back now?”

“I got a job in the county town,” Jiang Zhen said.

“Boss, you found a job in the county town? What is it?” Wang Haisheng asked again.

“Manager of the gambling shop,” Jiang Zhen said. 

“Manager?” How did Jiang Zhen become a manager after going out for one afternoon?

“Well, ten silver a month,” Jiang Zhen said again.

“Ten silver a month!” Wang Haisheng looked at Jiang Zhen in worship. He Chunsheng and He Xiasheng were also shocked.

At the beginning, when Jiang Chengxiang found a job for two silver per month in the county town, he was already one of the most promising people in their village. Now . . . how could Jiang Zhen get ten silver a month?

This . . . if he saved up for a year, he would be able to buy five mu of land!

When Jiang Zhen and the others returned to Hexi Village, it was already completely dark, but up until then Wang Haisheng and the others were still confused.

Jiang Zhen… he was really amazing!

The ship slowly approached Hexi Village and after stopping at the place where it had been docked before, Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge came out of the cabin together. As soon as they walked out, they saw several people on the shore.

“Dad!” Zhao Jinge shouted. It was Zhao Fugui, who was waiting for them on the shore.

“Dad, what are you doing here?” Jiang Zhen also asked, feeling warm at the same time. In the modern era, he was not an orphan, but his parents divorced when he was very young, so he lived with his grandmother.

Both of his parents remarried and did not welcome him. Even his grandmother preferred his stepmother’s children . . .  Later, when his grandmother died, those people refused to support him or pay for his high school tuition, so he completely cut off the contact with them. 

He had never received love from his parents before, but not when he was already an adult he received it from Zhao Fugui and Zhao Liu . . . 

In the past, he particularly envied those classmates who were picked up from school, but now he also experienced it for once.

“I just came to take a look around,” Zhao Fugui said. “Do you want to bring something? You’ve been busy all day. I’ll carry it.”

“No, the porcelain is all sold out. We don’t have anything to take now,” Jiang Zhen said, following Zhao Fugui as they walked home.

Before, in front of Wang Haisheng, Jiang Zhen showed off a little, but in front of Zhao Fugui, he didn’t say anything. Yet even if he didn’t say it, Zhao Jinge would.

Soon, Zhao Jinge said that Jiang Zhen would be the manager of the gambling shop.

“Gambling shop?” Zhao Fugui frowned slightly. 

It was really good to be in charge, but a manager of the gambling house . . .  He was afraid that Jiang Zhen would be led astray by the people in the gambling shop. It was just that he couldn’t talk about it in front of Jiang Zhen, so he intended to find an opportunity to mention it to Zhao Jinge tomorrow and let him keep an eye on Jiang Zhen and not let him become addicted to gambling.

Zhao Fugui didn’t say much, but Jiang Zhen could already guess his thoughts. “Dad, don’t worry. Gambling is not good. I won’t do these things.”

Zhao Fugui was immediately relieved. “Good! Alright!”

Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge returned home very late, but Zhao Liu had put the dishes on the steaming rack, and these were still warm. The dishes did not even seem to have been touched, the rice in the pot was still full. Zhao Fugui and his wife probably had eaten the cold rice left over the day before. 

“We’ve already eaten, so hurry up and eat!” Zhao Liu said with a smile.

“Hmm.” Jiang Zhen nodded and filled his bowl with rice and ate it. After eating, he took out the silver he earned after selling porcelain today from the bamboo basket.

Although he had spent some money on buying paper, he later won some money from Zheng Yi and others, so at this moment there was still a little over a hundred silver left.

“Mom, Dad, I have made another hundred silver from selling porcelain today. Keep it first, and then go to see if you can buy some more land.” Jiang Zhen said. Zhao Fugui and his wife were used to living a hard life and were reluctant to eat good things, but if their family had more money and land, they would be willing to eat better.

Another one hundred silver? Zhao Liu and Zhao Fugui were so shocked that, for a moment, they were unable to recover. Why did Jiang Zhen do something to frighten them from time to time? 

“This . . . This . . .”  Zhao Fugui was at a loss. “Shall we build a house?”

People in their village liked to build houses when they had some extra money. They built houses in a very magnificent manner, but Jiang Zhen didn’t think it was necessary.

Some people in the village had no money to buy furniture and daily necessities after their houses were built. Although they lived in a big house, it was empty or there were only left in rags. In that case, it was better to live in a smaller house and use the things at home better. In particular, they had to eat better!

Jiang Zhen refused the proposal to build a house, and Zhao Fugui thought it was also very good  “Yes, for now our house is enough, it is better to buy some more land first. With the land, how can you worry about not having a house?”

Zhao Fugui took the money and went back to his room with Zhao Liu, and Jiang Zhen took Zhao Jinge to have a bath. “Jinge, shall I wipe your back?”

Wipe his back? Zhao Jinge  was a little embarrassed, but he was reluctant to refuse Jiang Zhen, so in the end he gritted his teeth and said, “Okay.” 

Jiang Zhen said he would wipe the back but as a result he scrubbed the front too. He also washed the parts that Zhao Jinge had only showed to his husband several times, which made Zhao Jinge wish to dig a hole in the ground.

“I’ll kiss it later, so I must wash it clean,” Jiang Zhen said with a smile. He was just a novice last night, so he was so excited that he didn’t pay much attention to pleasing Zhao Jinge. But it was different today . . . 

When Zhao Jinge heard Jiang Zhen’s words, he only thought that Jiang Zhen was talking nonsense. He never expected that after they got in bed, Jiang Zhen would actually taste it.

Zhao Jinge knew a thing or two about men and women, but he really didn’t know that he could do this with his mouth . . . 

Jiang Zhen was willing to do such a thing to him . . .  

At the end of the day, Zhao Jinge convulsed, softened, and was unable to move… 

Then Jiang Zhen turned him over and began enjoying himself. It was not enough to toss in bed once, so after a short rest, he tossed Zhao Jinge while facing each other.  

The excitement of this night was even greater for Zhao Jinge than on their wedding night. Jiang Zhen was also satisfied to see his soft and weak appearance.

On the other side, Zhao Fugui and his wife, who couldn’t sleep because of the silver, were a bit conflicted.

Although there was almost no sound coming from Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge, there were occasional creaking sounds . . .  

They were afraid that the new bed would break down in a few years. 

Alas, they were young and unexpectedly could toss for so long . . . 

Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge had a great time that evening. But Liu Heitou, who stayed in the gambling shop in the county town, felt that he was really unlucky.

He specially went to manager Zhang and gave him a lot of money. As a result, he got one sentence from Manager Zhang. “The young master values Jiang Zhen very much.”

The young master unexpectedly attached great importance to that Jiang Zhen! 

Who was the young master! That was the person they all were afraid of offending and he actually attached great importance to that Jiang Zhen!

Liu Heitou felt bitterness in his mouth. How could he not think of offending Jiang Zhen?

Liu Heitou was the number one thug in the gambling house, but not all the thugs in the gambling house were under his command. Now they couldn’t help but gloat when they learned he offended the new manager. 

As for the new manager . . . They didn’t dare to show the slightest disobedience or disrespect to the new manager appointed by the young master himself.

On the second day after his marriage, Jiang Zhen finally woke up and got up before Zhao Jinge, but he still didn’t get up as early as Zhao Liu and Zhao Fugui.

Seeing him coming out of the house, Zhao Liu, who was already preparing breakfast, immediately asked, “Where is Jinge? Why isn’t Jinge up yet? Jiang Zhen, go and wake him up! You can’t let him become more and more lazy!”

“Mother, he is not awake yet. Let him sleep a little longer,” Jiang Zhen said. 

“It’s getting more and more outrageous to go to sleep so late,” Zhao Liu said with a smile on her face. 

When Jiang Zhen treated Zhao Jinge well, it always made her happy in her heart. 

After Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge went out, she immediately found someone to show off. “Jiang Zhen is really good to my Jinge. When he got up in the morning, he was reluctant to wake him up.”

“What can I do? My Jinge is getting lazier and lazier!”

“Jiang Zhen doesn’t know how to save money. When he earns money, he gives it to us . . .”

After listening to Zhao Liu’s words, it was inevitable that some people would go back to find trouble with their own men. “Look at the  Zhao family! All year round, Zhao Liu doesn’t need to do any work in the field, but she still can eat delicious food at home! And how about Zhao Jinge? He grew up looking like that, and he still doesn’t need to lift his hand. I’m no worse than them, am I . . . I have to take care of the children, do the housework and work in the fields. How can I be with such a person like you?”  

Jiang Zhen didn’t know that his letting Zhao Jinge sleep late would trigger a family war among some people in Hexi Village.

This day, he didn’t take Wang Haisheng and the others with him. Instead, he went to the county town with Zhao Jinge. Zhao Jinge wanted to learn how to row the boat, so he taught him. 

After they got to the county town, they didn’t go to the gambling house but went to the Zheng family.

Yesterday’s deck of cards had been taken away by Zheng Yi, who had asked Jiang Zhen to come early today, saying that he wanted to discuss with him how to make these cards and how to promote them. It would be best if they couldn’t be imitated in a short period of time, so they could earn more. 

  . . .

Edited by : Faro

Proofreader: Taalia

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