Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

Chapter 141: Chapter 65: The Ambitious Shanwa, The Forgotten Xiao Hu

"Selling large buns, steamed buns!"

"Selling large buns, steamed buns!"

The following morning, the sky was clear, and the sunlight shone through the clouds onto the earth.

Taiping County's shops gradually became bustling, crowded with pedestrians, and filled with incessant cries of street vendors.

The courtyard where Shen Qing lived was not far from the bustling district, and he was awakened early by the cries of vendors outside the courtyard.

He sat up in bed, stretched lazily, and felt the long-missed comfort and tranquility.

Shen Qing casually grabbed his clothes from the foot of the bed and draped them over him before he walked out of the room.

At this moment outside the house, Uncle Shen Er and his wife were already awake, busying themselves with chores.

Compared to the excitement of their first visit the day before, both were much calmer now, even showing signs of boredom.

There was no helping it; once settled in a new environment, this was bound to happen.

Shen Qing pondered whether to find something for his uncle and aunt to do in the future, like selling pancakes, to make a living.

"Qingzi, are you awake?" Uncle Shen Er was sitting on a stone chair, with an arrowhead stone on his lap, sharpening arrowheads.

Shen Qing replied with a smile, "Uncle, did you sleep well last night?"

"Very well." Uncle Shen Er glanced at his wife unconsciously, who looked particularly healthy, "We've grown so big, yet we've never lived in such a nice house. Shanwa even has his own bed now, no need to squeeze with us anymore. It's very comfortable."

"That's great. Where's Shanwa?" Shen Qing looked around and asked.

"He fed your horse this morning. Now there are two horses in the house, and we're running low on fodder. Do you think you should sell that old horse of yours?" Uncle Shen Er looked up and said.

Shen Qing replied, "Let's not sell it for now, it might still be useful later."

He wasn't lacking money at the moment, and he could afford to keep two horses.

Shen Qing went to the stable and saw Shanwa grooming the horse's mane, his small stature not as tall as the horse, yet he sat skillfully.

He asked in surprise, "Shanwa, when did you learn to take care of horses?"

Shanwa paused his movements and replied, "Brother, are you up?"

"I learned this from an old master in the Outer City. I heard he used to be a stableman and was very good at tending to horses. I used to ask him a lot when I cared for the old weak horse."

He walked outside the stable and said seriously to Shen Qing, "Brother Qing, this black horse of yours is really a good horse. I bet it can run a thousand miles in a day. Such a horse can't just eat fodder; it needs eggs, bean meal, salt, and about a stone of millet every day."

"Huh, I didn't expect you to know so much." Shen Qing looked at Shanwa, who was four years younger than him, quite surprisingly, "If you know all this, I'll give Uncle some money later, and you can go to the market to buy some."

"Sure, I'll definitely fatten up Brother Qing's horse."

Back when they lived in Hongshan Village, everyone didn't have enough to eat, and Shanwa was malnourished, appearing rather frail.

However, since Shen Qing had risen to prominence, his uncle's living conditions visibly improved rapidly, and Shanwa's physique also became stronger day by day, no longer looking like a skinny pole.

Shen Qing smiled and asked, "How's your martial arts training going?"

"I'm not sure, but I feel a certain energy in my body, and my strength has increased a lot," Shanwa replied, feeling it as he looked down.

"You've started to feel the Qi-Blood then. Keep practicing, eat well, drink well. Maybe soon you'll reach the Great Perfection of Qi and Blood and become a true martial master."

Shanwa's eyes brightened as he said, "Really?"

"Of course. And when you feed the horse, buy more fine grains and meat. You can eat as much as you like, I can still afford that," Shen Qing replied.

Good horses are fed fine grains, sometimes eating better than people, making many wealthy families' stablemen a cushy job.

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Shen Xiaoshan was an ambitious man.

It seemed he saw his elder brother, Shen Xiaohu, mingling around him with signs of wanting to stand out, and he too was unwilling to fall behind and also wished to make a name for himself.

Early in the morning, he would run to feed the horses, probably intending to skillfully nourish himself while seeming to handle the horse feed.

He even secretly pondered and delved into the knowledge of horse care, striving to develop a skill instead of always relying on Shen Qing.

This mindset was quite rare in a poor, remote place like Hongshan Village.

Shen Qing greatly admired it.

Understanding Shanwa's intentions, he naturally wouldn't stop him.

Not only did he not stop him, but he also gave him additional support.

Right now, he also had some capital, and perhaps later he could bring back some supplements to nourish Shanwa, speeding up his Qi-Blood cultivation progress.

When the brothers grew up further, it would be a significant help to him.

After all, they were relatives from the same household, and in this world, they were certainly more reliable than others.

Realizing this, Shen Qing suddenly recognized a problem.

What about Xiao Hu?

It seemed they had forgotten to notify him when they moved house—where did he rest last night?

Shen Qing's face twisted in perplexity.

He quickly washed up and stepped out of the room.

Watching Shen Qing leave, Uncle Shen Er glanced at Aunt Wang Family and said, "Wife, once the kids are asleep tonight and there's no one else in the house, shall we chat?"

Aunt Wang Family glared at Uncle Shen Er, "Look at you, dare to give it to me now if you're so capable."

Uncle Shen Er carefully glanced toward the stable then glared at Aunt Wang Family.

"Moving to a new house, I didn't expect you'd become so cultured," Aunt Wang Family said, grabbing Uncle Shen Er's arm, "Come on, let's go inside."

Bang!

Under the bright daylight, the door to the side room slammed shut.

Passing through several familiar lanes, Shen Qing arrived at Linfeng Hall and strode in.

As soon as he entered, he saw Shen Xiaohu standing in the Outer Court, in a horse stance, frowning, and occasionally looking into the distance, clearly anxious about something.

Seeing the person was safe, Shen Qing silently heaved a sigh of relief.

He quickened his pace, approached Shen Xiaohu, and asked softly, "Xiao Hu, what's wrong? You look worried."

Upon hearing Shen Qing's voice, Shen Xiaohu swiftly turned around, a flicker of joy in his eyes. He quickly grabbed Shen Qing's arm, his voice trembling and his tears nearly falling, "Brother Qing, you're finally here! A big problem has arisen!"

Shen Qing was infected by Shen Xiaohu's anxious demeanor, and he too started feeling tense.

He patted Shen Xiaohu's hand gently, signaling him to calm down, "Don't worry, take it slow, what exactly happened?"

Shen Xiaohu took a deep breath, calmed his emotions, then said in a low voice, "Last night when I got home, I found that dad, mom, Shanwa, and Sister Fang were all missing! The house was empty! They must have been harmed by some criminals."

A smile of amusement couldn't help but form on Shen Qing's face; he suddenly felt the kid was somewhat pitiful.

"Brother, what's up with you? Speak!"

Shen Qing said, "I'm saying, Xiao Hu, you're not getting any younger, can you not cry at the drop of a hat in the future?"