Chapter 37: The Gentleman's Promise

  Li agreed to keep the money for Chen Cui.

  But in her heart, she was always anxious and felt that taking advantage of her relatives like this was very embarrassing.

  Chen Jiong said: "This is a diagnostic fee, it's an equivalent reward, and not begging for it, why should I be ashamed? This is what I deserve, elder sister."

  Li thought again, it wasn't given to her, what's making her uneasy?

  She carefully locked up the silver notes.

  This money belongs to Chen Jiong, and Li is keeping it for him. When he gets married and starts his own family in the future, she will hand it over to his wife. In Li's opinion, this money is Chen Jiong's private property, and she would never embezzle it. Therefore, the family still relies on the silver from selling the sacrificial field last time to make ends meet.

  Li did not know that Chen Xuan had overheard her selling the sacrificial field, and thought that Chen Xuan was unaware of it. She naturally kept the secret tightly guarded and didn't dare mention a single word in front of Chen Xuan.

  She didn't even think of using Chen Jiong's money to redeem it back.

  She is still waiting for news from Chen Jiong's brother.

  Chen Jiong's brother had no news coming back, and the people from Li Shi's maiden home would also speculate that Chen Jiong's brother might have died outside, so lending money to Li Shi might not be recoverable, they were not very willing to lend. If Chen Jiong's brother had any news, relying on his identity as a holder of a imperial examination degree, even if he couldn't become an official, repaying the debt would still not be a problem, and only then would Li Shi's maiden home be willing to lend money.

  At this critical juncture, borrowing money will arouse suspicion.

  It's still better to be more careful and cautious.

  So, Qi Wan Xiang was still frugal everywhere, and that sum of money had not brought any change to their lives for the time being.

  Chen Jing didn't mention it either. He plans to open a pharmacy in the future, which requires a large amount of start-up capital, and this money is far from enough. So, he is accumulating wealth and naturally won't squander it recklessly for now.

  The days remain peaceful and calm.

  The elder sister-in-law is preparing Dragon Boat Festival gifts for her parents' home.

  Her family has many people, and the festival gift also needs to spend a lot of money.

  The elder sister-in-law was busy preparing to return to Yaojiang for the festival and had no time to take care of Chen Jing, so Chen Jing took the opportunity to slip out and go to Jingzhong Alley to find Chen Qi.

  Chen Qi was in the outer study room, holding a book in his hand, frowning and reading with great difficulty, looking like he was in extreme pain.

  Chen Jiong lost his smile.

  "Chen Yangjun!" Chen Qi gritted his teeth and called out Chen Yun's name.

  "Seventh Brother." Chen Jiong smiled, "So diligent? Younger brother wishes Seventh Brother to enter school soon and bring honor to the family."

  Chen Qi took a book and hit Chen Xuan with it.

  Not too hard, not too soft, he tapped Chen Jing's arm and said with a scowl: "You're still making fun of me! It's all because of you that I'm being locked up at home to study again. You little brat, don't come looking for me in the future. All these recent unlucky events are caused by you."

  Last time, he pushed He Zhen into Lian Shui Lake and was questioned by his second brother. Chen Qi was so scared that he confessed everything.

  Nature also told him and Chen Jing about the matter of strolling in the Wanyun Pavilion.

  He Zhen was fine, but Chen Qi got into trouble. His grandfather had explicitly stated that if he dared to go out and wander again, he would have to go to Song He Tang to study. Chen Qi was absolutely unwilling to go to Song He Tang. If he went to Song He Tang and dozed off while studying, his grandfather's ruler would come down, the old man was very strict.

  So these days Chen Qi didn't dare go out of the main gate, staying at home pretending to study.

  It all started because of Chen Jing.

  If it weren't for Chen Jing, would he have taken the initiative to reveal his visit to Yuankui Pavilion?

  Chen Qi's belly was full of resentment, all directed at Chen Jing.

  Chen Jiong burst out laughing and sat down in the ebony armchair beside the desk. The chair was upholstered with a soft, comfortable cushion, and Chen Jiong's body sank into it effortlessly, feeling carefree and content.

  "Sorry, Seventh Brother." Chen Jing sat down and smiled, "How about I take you out for a drink to make up for it?"

  "Drink wine?" Chen Qi glared with anger, "I can't even leave the door now!"

  Chen Jiong smiled again.

  This good fortune and misfortune was seen by Chen Qi, who became even more furious. He scolded Chen Jing: "Do you have something to do or not? If not, hurry up and roll away, I don't have the energy to play with you!"

  "It's natural." said Chen Jiong.

  He took out a pouch from his bosom and handed it over to Chen Qi.

  It is a large red and white crane embroidery pouch with exquisite workmanship and vibrant stitching.

  Chen Qi was shocked.

  He has only received a purse from a young girl.

  Chen Jiong handed him a purse, what does it mean? Chen Qi looked at Chen Jiong with a chill and said: "What are you doing?"

  "Huh?" Chen Jing was somewhat puzzled by Chen Qi's expression.

  "You... you gave me a purse? Who told you to give it to me?" Chen Qi was initially quite disgusted. Later, he thought about it and wondered if it was Xiwen who had asked Chen Jing to pass it on to him. It had been half a month since Chen Qi last went to Wenyuan Pavilion, did Xiwen miss him?

  Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel exhilarated.

  He was nauseatingly disgusted for a moment, and then foolishly excited with a silly smile. Chen Jing was confused by his behavior. After a pause, Chen Jing suddenly realized that to him, the purse was just a tool for holding money, no different from a wallet.

  But in this era, handbags also have a romantic connotation.

  Using red envelopes to give money, such as giving children lucky money during the Lunar New Year, giving people rewards, sending gifts to relatives' homes, and giving children meeting gifts, is a common practice.

  Chen Qiming obviously didn't have this common sense, and he wasn't used to carrying money in a purse. Moreover, he often hung out in pleasure quarters, where purses played a rather romantic role, so he jumped to conclusions and thought of it as a token of affection.

  He's young in years but his mind is quite active.

  Chen Jie was at a loss for words.

  He had originally intended to be a bit more subtle, so he wrapped the two thousand taels of silver in a cloth bundle and handed it over to Chen Qi. Seeing Chen Qi's expression, he could only take out the silver directly and put away the cloth bundle, laughing: "No one asked me to hand you the cloth bundle. I came to give you money, this cloth bundle was just for carrying the money."

  This purse is made of Qing Yun bamboo, and Chen Jing has several of them.

  During the New Year and festivals, Elder Sister-in-law didn't give Chen Jing any other gifts, just some embroidered pouches, shoes and socks. The delicate and elegant ones were made by Elder Sister-in-law herself; if they were brightly colored, they must have been stitched by Qing Yun's needlework.

  "Ah?" Chen Qi saw him put away the bundle again and felt a bit disappointed. He still hoped to receive the bundle sent by Xiwen.

  But what about the money?

  How much money?

  Chen Jing took out the silver notes from his pocket and placed them on the desk. Chen Qi opened them with a puzzled expression, finding two 1,000-tael notes.

  Twenty thousand!

  Even Chen Qi, who was arrogant and thought "I have money", felt that this amount of money was not small and quite tempting. Normally, he would only get eighty taels of silver a month. During the Chinese New Year, his father and second brother would add some more money to him, but it wouldn't be more than a few hundred taels.

  His friend Huang Lanqing was so rich that he would bring 500 or 600 taels of silver when going out, which was already very good.

  So, 20,000 yuan is still quite tempting for Chen Qi.

  "Where did this silver note come from?" Chen Qi asked Chen Jing, holding the silver note. Chen Jing was just a poor kid, and all his belongings added up to only a few taels of silver.

  Suddenly said to Chen Qi 2,000 taels, Chen Qi was slightly surprised.

  "Didn't you promise me last time in Nanzhuang that if He's family gave a reward, you'd split it with me? Chen Jing smiled and said, 'Take these 2,000 taels first.'"

  These twenty taels of silver were given by Madame Wan of the Wanyuan Pavilion to Chen Jinn last time.

  Chen Qi suddenly realized.

  It turned out to be true that it was given to him. He couldn't help but feel delighted, and the boredom of reading books for days was swept away. Later, thinking about it again, he felt that the He family was a bit stingy: "Didn't they say that they would spend all their money to save him? Why did they only give 4,000 taels? Are they bullying a child?"

  "No, it was fifteen thousand taels." said Chen Jiong.

  "15,000?!" Chen Qi sucked in a breath of cold air.

  So expensive!

  My dad has money, but he doesn't have that much money.

  Chen Qi thought: The He family is indeed a big business, and they are really rich.

  Hey, that's not right!

  Chen Qi slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Didn't you say you'd give me half? You're giving 2,000 taels to a beggar?" In fact, in his heart, 2,000 taels was enough.

  But Chen Jing was obviously fooling him, and this made Chen Qi unbearable. Not giving money, saying a good word would be fine, how could he seriously give 2000 taels?

  It's turned upside down!

  Chen Yang and this kid deserve a beating.

  Chen Jiong burst out laughing: "You don't have any serious business. These two thousand taels, save them and they'll be enough for you to spend a year or so at the Wanyun Pavilion. The rest I'll keep for you, it's not like you'd waste it anyway... I'll help you take care of it..."

  "Who wants you to keep it?" Chen Qi heard this tone, Chen Jing completely regarded him as a child, his heart burning with anger, "Hand it over, otherwise I won't be polite to you!"

  "Don't be noisy." Chen Jing smiled and said, "I have a proper use for that money. In less than half a year, I'll open a pharmacy, and the money will come in handy. When my pharmacy opens, I'll count your remaining money as an investment, and we'll split the profits later."

  Chen Qi was stunned again.

  Open a pharmacy?

  Having read a few medical books, you think you can open a pharmacy?

  This kid is really too naive!

  "Who wants to invest with you?" Chen Qi was dissatisfied, but his tone softened a bit, "When you lose everything, my money will also be lost..."

  He said this with a lack of confidence.

  What's his money?

  That's the money Chen Jing earned by curing He Zhen. If Chen Jing really didn't give it to him, Chen Qi wouldn't have a leg to stand on to make trouble with Chen Jing, he would just curse Chen Jing for being untrustworthy and having poor character in his heart, and then not associate with him anymore.

  But Chen Jiong took the initiative to come forward and divide the money with him.

  Qī wān xiàng nà me qióng, chén yuè néng zě mó dà fāng yí kǒu qì gěi èr qiān liǎng, chén qī xīn lǐ yǐ jīng mǎn zuò le, duì chén jiǔ yě bèn zàn fú de.

  He just can't stand Chen Jing's tone.

  Don't make a fuss, I'll help you clean up, it all looks like treating Chen Qi as a child.

  My dad is an elder brother.

  "It can't be compensated!" Chen Jiong smiled and said, "Don't worry about my skills, Seventh Brother."

  Such confidence left Chen Qi stunned and speechless.

  After some thought, Chen Qi still felt that Chen Xuan's idea of opening a pharmacy was somewhat fanciful.

  "15,000 taels is not enough to open a pharmacy, right?" Chen Qi said. "I've heard that medicinal materials are particularly expensive. Moreover, doing business in the city, every 100,000 or 800,000 is difficult to come by. You just have 15,000 and think you can open a pharmacy?"

  "I knew that too. I didn't open a pharmacy just because of the 15,000." Chen Jing smiled and said, "Money is easy to make, isn't it?"

  Ha, making money is easy?

  Chen Qi almost spat out another mouthful of blood.

  If earning tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands were that easy, would there still be poor people in this world?

  Chen Jiong always spoke in this tone.

  Chen Qi felt that this kid's arrogance was getting worse by the day.

  Anger aside, Chen Qi thought that Chen Jing had this idea, which was quite admirable, after all, it was better than doing nothing every day. Chen Qi threw the two thousand taels of silver back to Chen Jing: "Take it, and put it away for me. In the future, if you really open a pharmacy, this money will be my investment!"

  This time it was Chen Jing's turn to be surprised.

  Then he smiled and said, "Seventh brother, you have great foresight. Don't worry, in the future when I make a fortune, I won't forget about you."

  He really took those two thousand taels back.

  Chen Jing's tone made Chen Qi both angry and amused at the same time.

  Chen Qi felt a little heartache for him, and it was not easy to have some ideals. This money could be used to realize dreams in Chen Jing's hands, but in Chen Qi's hands, it would also be wasted on drinking and revelry, which was a pity.

  Chen Qi drank flower wine, and Huang Lan gave him money, which was not a big deal for him. These two thousand taels, to Chen Qi, were just adding flowers to the brocade. But to Chen Jing, it might be sending charcoal in snowy weather.

  Chen Jing's attitude was as if Chen Qi wanted to take advantage of her.

  Chen Jiong sat down slightly, told Chen Qi everything clearly, and then returned to Qiwan Lane.

  After Chen Jing left, Chen Qi's mind couldn't calm down.

  He seems to have had a different understanding of Chen Jing.

  Chen Qi thought that what he said at the time, "cured" He Zhen's half of the diagnostic fee, was just a joke, and Chen Qi himself didn't take it seriously. Moreover, Chen Qi didn't know that the He family had given silver to Chen Xuan.

  Even if Chen Qi finds out in the future that Chen Jing took the diagnostic fee, Chen Qi will not remember that Chen Jing had promised to give him money.

  Because Chen Qi didn't help at all. He just went to tease He Zhen.

  Chen Qi rarely coveted things that didn't belong to him.

  In this regard, he thought of himself as a straightforward gentleman.

  However, Chen Jiong still remembered it.

  15,000 yuan, divided in half is 7,500, a huge sum of money. Chen Qi felt that even people who were used to seeing money didn't have such generosity.

  "A gentleman's promise is as heavy as a mountain, while the Five Peaks are light." Chen Qi only truly understood the depth of these words today. A promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold, and for Chen Qi, it didn't have any weight to begin with.

  But at this moment, he was actually moved a little.

  He thought that a man should have such an obsession and stance. Being able to do so, whether in poverty or thinness, is a great husband who stands tall and upright.

  Chen Jiong, you're a real man!