Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 63 Property Purchase with Housing Vouchers: A Rainy Night and Bloodstained Clothes (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Fang Shu returned to the Dugu Pavilion and rested well for the rest of the night without saying a word.

Before dawn, he had already gotten up and begun his daily training.

When it was time for breakfast, not only did Second Uncle Yu Le come to deliver the food, but also Li Hou'er.

Li Hou'er was holding several steamed buns in his hands, each with a thin skin and a generous filling, steaming hot, and he kept stuffing them into his mouth. Every now and then, he would pick up a bun, spin it in mid-air, and then take a bite of it.

Fang Shu looked at the other person curiously, taking the food box from his second uncle's hand as he asked:

"Brother Li, what brings you here today? You have time to visit me again?"

Li Hou'er didn't speak immediately, but mumbled, "Eat first, you eat first! I'll talk to you after you've finished eating."

Fang Shu looked at his second uncle, Yu Le, who also shook his head, seemingly unaware as well. He then chuckled and opened the food box, indicating that Fang Shu should have breakfast first.

So Fang Shu devoured the breakfast from the six-tiered food box on the stone table outside, as quickly as possible.

Before he could even ask about Li Hou'er's background, the other person swallowed the last bite of his bun, let out a burp, hugged Fang Shu, and pushed his second uncle, Yu Le, along.
"Come on, Li Yuan has been waiting at the gate for ages."

When they were almost at the courtyard gate, Fang Shu finally learned the reason from this fellow.

It turned out that this fellow had been instructed by Li Yuan to drag Fang Shu and his nephew to the paper mill to snatch up a share of the large tile house.

Fang Shu clicked his tongue:

"The paper mill was burned down less than three days ago, and the Black Tiger Pavilion is already in such a hurry?"

Li Hou'er muttered, "Who says otherwise? I heard there are quite a few chambers of commerce coming to join the fun, and even more lending money at interest."

Having learned the reason, Fang Shu looked at his second uncle beside him, wondering how to persuade him to join in the fun.

Although he is "out of money" for the time being, he can still take out a loan!
Before he could even speak, his second uncle volunteered, "Alright, let's go take a look."

Second Uncle Yu Le also instructed Fang Shu: "Let's go together. Even if we don't have any money, with you and Li Hou'er, the two immortals, it will be more secure for Old Li to get the share of the tile house. At worst, you and I can sell the share later."

Seeing that his second uncle, Yu Le, agreed, Fang Shu naturally agreed immediately.

After encountering the impatient talisman master Li Yuan at the courtyard gate, the three hurried towards the paper mill at his urging.

Although on the way here, the Li father and son had been saying that there were a lot of people.

Fang Shu figured it was only breakfast time, so even with so many people, it shouldn't be too bad. But when he got to the paper mill, he was still taken aback by the bustling scene before him.

The burned-down paper mill was four or five times more bustling than before it was burned down. Nearby, there were tea stalls, breakfast stalls, taverns, and all sorts of other businesses that had come to join the fun, with shouts and calls filling the air.

"Noodles for sale!" "Freshly steamed buns!"

"Make way, make way, we're going home!"

Fortunately, with the excited Li father and son leading the way, Fang Shu and his second uncle followed closely behind, and managed to squeeze into the paper mill with relative ease.

He then saw some tables and chairs set up in the paper mill, with people in soap clothes and hats maintaining order, and a long queue already formed in front of the tables and chairs.

At this point, the Li father and son tried to use their identities as natives of Zhifang to their advantage, even revealing their identities as disciples of a Taoist temple and immortals, but they were met with resistance and could only obediently walk to the back of the crowd and queue up.

Such a scene made Fang Shu highly suspicious that they were all shills. However, when his gaze fell on the people in line, he found that they were either wealthy or immortals with cultivation.

During his free time, he chatted with a few people, which immediately dispelled his suspicion that they were shills.

"I've waited all these years and saved up so much money, all for the sake of buying a house today!"

"Damn it, we've been renting houses for most of our lives. We can't become immortals now, but we have to leave the kids a solid house."

"If you ask me, this lousy place should have been burned down and the town expanded a long time ago. Why did it only catch fire today?"

Those who came to compete for a share of the tiled houses each had their own reasons, and each of them was full of anticipation.

In stark contrast to the excited expressions of those present were the local Zhifang residents who were blocked off the perimeter, each one gritting their teeth and filled with rage.

The neighbors from Zhifang were shouting from outside the crowd:
"Pah! A bunch of robbers."

"Is there no law or order left?!"

Upon hearing this, some busybodies turned their heads and sneered, saying:
"Country bumpkins, this is a celestial market, what does the law matter? You should be asking if there are any celestial arts here."

"Pah! A bunch of poor bastards. Aren't you envious?"

To be honest, although the neighbors in Zhifang were all furious, they also clearly showed envy on their faces when they saw people lining up to compete for the tiled houses.

Especially since there were many other paper mill neighbors like Fang Shu in the group.

Upon seeing these "familiar faces," the neighbors in Zhifang looked even more envious and jealous, and occasionally muttered curses or laughed loudly.

"Old Zhang, poverty doesn't last three generations. You've been poor for two generations already, what are you doing here!"

The man called Zhang Laosi turned his head without getting angry, and just chuckled and said, "Can't I come and watch you make a fool of yourselves?"

Fang Shu and the others lined up discreetly, occasionally being recognized by the neighbors in Zhifang, but they simply gave each other a smile.

Although the queue was quite long, the process was not slow.

When Fang Shu and his group got closer, they discovered that it wasn't the guys in black clothes and hats who were efficient, but rather the ones who were efficient at weeding people out.

Those who don't pay, get out; those without connections or background, get out; those without supernatural powers, get out; those with excessively high demands, get out.

They were completely fearless and not worried at all that the tiled house, which didn't even exist, would go unsold!
Fortunately, Fang Shu and his group had the help of the talisman master Li Yuan to pay for their tea, Fang Shu and Li Hou'er were dressed in the robes of the Dugu Sect, and their second uncle Yu Le spoke up for them. In addition, their status as natives of Zhifang made them able to register smoothly.

But the registration process isn't over yet. To get the permit to build a traditional courtyard house, they'll have to run around to several more organizations.

The further you run, the fewer people are left in line; they've all become wealthy and powerful local sages.

And coincidentally, Fang Shu even spotted an acquaintance among them.

The other person also noticed him and quickly tried to look away, pretending not to know. However, Fang Shu and the others had already walked towards him and stood right next to him.

The person could no longer pretend not to have seen it, and after thinking it over,

The other person smiled awkwardly and took the initiative to greet him: "Brother Yu, young friend Fang."

Second Uncle Yu Le was taken aback. Seeing that the other party had taken the initiative to greet him, he cupped his hands in return and said, "Manager Xiao Hu."

The person they bumped into was Xiao Hu, the manager of the Shaowei Restaurant.

Manager Xiao Hu quickly waved his hand: "We're being too formal. If Brother Yu doesn't mind, please call me Senior Brother Xiao, or just Old Xiao."

Fang Shu stood aside, smiling as he watched his second uncle exchange pleasantries with the other party.

Xiao Hu was being watched. Although the bones in his right leg had already closed, it was still not fully healed.

Fang Shu's gaze, in particular, kept falling on his lame leg, making him feel another wave of bone pain.

Subtly turning his body to the side, Xiao Hu was genuinely afraid that Fang Shu would kick him again; if that happened, he might really be crippled for life. Fortunately, one doesn't hit a smiling face, so Fang Shu cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Greetings, Manager Xiao."

Seeing that Fang Shu's expression was normal, and that he neither disliked nor liked him, Xiao Hu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Fang Shu.

At this moment, Yu Le, the second uncle, clearly noticed the unusual relationship between his nephew and the steward Xiao Hu. He didn't say or ask any questions, but simply ended his small talk with Xiao Hu at the right time.

But after a while...

Xiao Hu seemed to have come alone; no one chatted with him, and no one listened to his boasting.

Then, unable to resist, he struck up a conversation with his second uncle, Yu Le, and the talisman master, Li Yuan: "Are you two also here to set up a family business for your descendants?"

With a hint of boasting and pride, Xiao Hu said:
"I'm here to buy a house for my daughter!"

Honestly, I really want to get a whole house, whether as a dowry, betrothal gift, or a backup plan, it'd be perfect! Even if that's not possible, and we have to share, I'll definitely want a proper room.

"Brother, you're very generous," said Talisman Master Li Yuan, clicking his tongue in admiration.

Second Uncle Yu Le remained silent with a smile.

Someone spoke up, and the steward Xiao Hu muttered to himself:
“Sigh! We didn’t have this opportunity before, but now that we do, the child is all grown up. If she were to join a celestial sect and go up the mountain, she wouldn’t want to live in this house anymore.”

These happy complaints didn't really offend Fang Shu.

He actually took a few more glances at the guy and felt that he had become a bit more down-to-earth and was no longer just the kind of guy who needed to be disciplined like he was in the Shaowei Restaurant.

However, it is still not popular.

In this way, under the arrangement of the people in black clothes and hats, both sides obtained the tickets they wanted, which were called "room tickets" in the market.

However, obtaining a housing voucher does not mean you have a house, nor does it mean you can build a house immediately.

To actually pay for a house, everyone has to wait until the Black Tiger Pavilion has compiled a list in a day or two and completely divided up the paper mill area. Then, everyone will come and draw lots to determine the size, location, number of houses, and so on.

However, having a housing voucher is still a good thing. Even if you don't use it yourself, you can still come to the lottery site later and sell the voucher to others.

Fang Shu and his nephew, along with Li Hou'er and his son, were assigned the right and left wing rooms in the same courtyard, respectively. After securing two households, they wanted to take over the remaining households as well, so they could easily cultivate relationships with their future neighbors.

No matter how much they pleaded, the men in soap clothes and hats refused to agree, rejecting their request on the grounds that "the number of people is not more than half" and telling them to wait and see how fate would bring them together.

This made the talisman master Li Yuan anxious. After getting angry, he kept pestering and nagging the other party until the man in the black clothes and hat had no choice.

The other party glanced at Fang Shu and Li Hou'er's youthful appearance, and then, with a sigh, suddenly pointed at the steward Xiao Hu and said:
"Seeing that the three of you seem to get along well, why don't the three of you get together, make up more than half the group, and reserve one detached house? The remaining one or two households can find their own."

These words startled Fang Shu and the others, as well as Xiao Hu. But before they could discuss it further, the man in black clothes and hats slapped his seal, handed the note to them, and said impatiently, "If anyone is unhappy, just tear it up."

Talisman Master Li Yuan hesitated for a moment, but still accepted it.

The steward, Xiao Hu, looked at Fang Shu and the others. He hesitated, but surprisingly, he didn't raise any objections.

After the group left, the two sides exchanged a few more pleasantries.

Fang Shu and the others then realized that Xiao Hu had indeed prepared a main room for his daughter. With the three families pooling their resources, they could still have a spare room for the rear building.

As for who should get the share of the back room, Fang Shu and the others had already discussed it briefly and had some ideas about who to choose. So, the talisman master Li Yuan took the lead and asked the manager Xiao Hu if he had any requirements for the person to be in the back room.

Xiao Hu smiled politely and said, "You two can make the decision."

So the three families didn't tear up the note on the spot, but decided to leave it at that for now and discuss the details when they actually drew lots later, since there would still be room for reversal.

After finishing their errands, all three families bid farewell and left with pleasant expressions.

Along the way, Li Hou'er even broke away from the group halfway to go to Blood Street to find Dou Sufu, wanting to tell her the good news.

Dou Sufu, who sells milk tofu, may seem to have saved some money, but given her status, it's clear she wouldn't be able to secure a room ticket.

This is why Master Fu Li Yuan and Second Uncle Yu Le temporarily acquiesced to the steward Xiao Hu, so as to give Dou Su Fu a chance to bring him in.

Fang Shu didn't care much about this. After returning to the Dugu Pavilion, he began to cultivate even more diligently, intending to make up for the half day he had wasted.

the other side.

Manager Xiao Hu returned to the Shaowei Restaurant with a cheerful smile.

Once inside the restaurant, he no longer acted arrogantly as usual. Instead, he suppressed his joy and walked briskly towards his room, as if a dog had its tail between its legs.

Only after entering the room and closing the door did he start pacing back and forth, his joy returning.

He looked around with a sigh:

"This house is nice, but it is ultimately not mine."

With a soft sigh, Xiao Hu suddenly recalled the various events of the past period, and his expression became emotional.

But when he thought about how he had obtained the housing voucher, he was able to build a home for his daughter and truly settle down in Guling Town, instead of renting a house or living under someone else's roof.

A joyful smile appeared on Xiao Hu's face, and he felt all his gloom disappear.

Recalling his conversation with the talisman master surnamed Li, Xiao Hu personally took action and tidied up a small stove and pot from the room.

He slowly prepared the tofu and pickled vegetables, working until night, planning to tell his daughter the good news while they ate and chatted when she returned home.

As a result, Xiao Hu waited in vain for his daughter Xiao Lili to return after dinner.

Late into the night, autumn rain began to fall in Guling Town.

He was pretending to be asleep in his room when a soft knocking sounded at the door.

"You're back so late!"

Xiao Hu opened his eyes, a smile immediately spreading across his face, and quickly responded.

He straightened his robes, turned on the small stove that had been keeping warm in front of him, and casually shook the tofu blocks into it.

A burst of steam rose up, warming his heart.

Xiao Hu, his face tense, limped to the door and muttered, "You, you've grown up, haven't you..."

Open the door.

Sure enough, it was his daughter Xiao Lili outside the door, but the joy in Xiao Hu's eyes vanished instantly, his face stiffened, and even his pupils shrank.

The daughter, Xiao Lili, stood in front of the door with lifeless eyes, a pale face, disheveled hair, and soaking wet.

What struck Xiao Hu even more was that Xiao Lili was dressed in blood, looked seriously injured, trembling all over, and staring at him blankly.

(End of this chapter)