22: Chapter Change of Mind

“Yes, young brother, think it over carefully.” Luo Maocai looked at him expectantly, his small eyes filled with longing.

“Steward Luo, you think too highly of me; I’m really not very clear about it.

You don’t know…”

Jiang Hanwen brushed off the topic, elaborating in great detail on the hardships of Cultivating bloodline grass, how he stayed up all night, and how he irrigated it.

“It seems life in the Medicine Field isn’t easy either,” Luo Maocai chuckled, smoothly changing the subject, without a trace of impatience on his face.

“Let us raise a final toast…”

Everyone stood, toasted for the last time, and the wedding banquet officially concluded.

Chairs scraped, making a dragging sound, and most of the stewards left their seats.

“Young brother, I see you didn’t eat much. Would you like to come to my place? We can have some Clear Wind Drunken and sliced yak meat?” Luo Maocai extended an invitation, his face full of sincerity.

“I—”

“Jiang Hanwen!” A shout rang out as Manager Qi walked over.

“Come with me, the Clan Chief wants to see you.”

“Steward Luo, thank you for your kind offer.”

Jiang Hanwen stood up, his fists unconsciously clenching.

Meeting the Clan Chief concerned his three years of effort and, even more, whether his father could come to the Zhuang family.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Hanwen followed Manager Qi away.

At the eight-person table, only Luo Maocai remained, watching Jiang Hanwen leave.

His smiling face grew cold, and a sharp glint flickered in his eyes; no one knew what he was thinking.

As he passed the innermost courtyard, Jiang Hanwen saw Gong Hai.

The other man didn't notice him and was talking to two old men.

By the main table, he saw Zhuang Bai and Su Xin.

After more than two years, Su Xin was still as radiant as ever, and with her exquisite jewelry, her charm was even more extraordinary.

However, her expression was stiff and cold, lacking three points of vitality.

Jiang Hanwen followed Manager Qi out of the guest courtyard.

It truly was a grand family, spacious and elegant.

The air was filled with various fragrances—flowers, sandalwood, yellow incense, and forests—a complex blend of scents.

Passing through three guard posts, circling exquisite shaded paths, with peonies covering the ground, golden yellow filling the eyes, and the tinkling sound of flowing water.

After another hundred breaths, the two finally reached the entrance of the ancient and exquisite Linglong Courtyard.

“Go in, the master is waiting for you inside.”

Manager Qi looked towards the main gate, with three parts envy. This was the residence of Clan Chief Zhuang Xian, and also the most concentrated place of power in the Zhuang family.

Jiang Hanwen walked into the courtyard, and the sound of laughter arose.

Behind a screen, Elder Du and an old man dressed in a pure white brocade robe were sitting on chairs, chatting and laughing. This man was Zhuang Xian.

“Our little hero is here?” The old man’s shrewd eyes scrutinized Jiang Hanwen up and down.

“Greetings, Clan Chief; greetings, Elder Du,” Jiang Hanwen respectfully cupped his hands.

“I heard from Elder Du that you have good talent. Have you considered following in his footsteps and succeeding him as a steward?” Zhuang Xian looked at Jiang Hanwen half-jokingly, a kindly smile on his lips.

So, that was it.

As a Clan Chief, given his current status, he shouldn’t even be able to reach him, yet he joked.

Recalling what Luo Maocai had just mentioned, Elder Du and the high-ranking members of the Zhuang family were at odds.

Now the Clan Chief was joking about it, which most likely meant there was a conflict between them regarding the selection of the Medicine Field steward.

“Clan Chief, you think too highly of me. I’ve only been with the Zhuang family for three years. Being able to have a bite to eat here is already very satisfying. How could I dare to ask for anything else?”

“Really?” Zhuang Xian’s oppressive eyes stared directly at Jiang Hanwen.

“Really!”

Beside them, Du Qingfu remained silent, quietly watching Zhuang Xian joke, his face still stern.

Seeing Jiang Hanwen answer so decisively, without a hint of hesitation, Zhuang Xian lost interest.

Pointing to the “fertilizer” on the nearby table, he said:

“That you found this thing is your good fortune. My Zhuang family has always rewarded merit and punished faults.

Now I give you two choices. First, your monthly salary will be raised from three taels to ten taels. If you can Breakthrough to the fifth stage of Mortal Transformation within seven years, you will be promoted to deacon, with a monthly salary of fifteen taels.

Second, I will give you a complete Cultivation Technique, from the first to the ninth stage of Mortal Transformation, and give you one bloodline grass every two months.

What do you choose?”

Du Qingfu also looked over. Jiang Hanwen’s choice represented his true intentions.

It would also determine how he would treat this junior in the future.

Money + future prospects, Cultivation Technique + future—both paths were very tempting.

But Jiang Hanwen didn’t value any of these.

He had only one goal—his cheap father.

“Clan Chief, three years ago, I was toiling in the fields, a dirt farmer who didn’t know where his next meal was coming from.

It was my father who entrusted someone to give me the opportunity to participate in the Zhuang family’s selection.

My father is almost sixty and has never enjoyed a single day of comfort.

I humbly ask the Clan Chief to agree to let me bring my father to the Medicine Field to fulfill my filial duty.”

As his words fell, the two old men, who had been so sure of victory, instantly froze, exchanging glances. Both saw surprise, and even shame, in each other’s eyes.

In the pitch-black darkness, a lamp suddenly lit up, revealing the simplicity of the human heart.

They had considered Jiang Hanwen’s potential requests: marrying a Zhuang family woman, or gaining power, or Cultivating, or even all of them.

But now it seemed they had underestimated the young man’s resistance to temptation, and even more, his fervent heart.

Du Qingfu closed his eyes and turned his head away.

Compared to Jiang Hanwen’s sincere filial piety, what was his own cultivation of his daughter all these years?

After Su Xin left the Medicine Field, she never came back to cook again. What did that even mean?

He didn’t lack that meal; what he lacked was companionship, affection.

Did Su Xin know?

Perhaps she did, but in Su Xin’s eyes, he was just an old man who would eventually be replaced, so there was no need to be filial.

Zhuang Xian’s nose felt a little sore, and he looked at the ground.

The Zhuang family was a large enterprise. In his youth, he only thought that the next generation must be ruthless and successful to protect the family business.

But only when he reached this age, with one foot in the grave, did he realize that his views had always been wrong.

Harmony in the family brings prosperity. If the children constantly schemed against each other, how could they unite and strike as one?

He yearned for filial piety untainted by interests, even just a simple greeting.

Unfortunately, there was none.

Even when his grandsons brought his great-grandsons to see him, they were waiting for rewards, for silk and brocade, for what was needed for Cultivation.

This was the cause he had sown many years ago, and he had to reap the consequences himself.

The eerie silence lasted for three breaths. Jiang Hanwen cupped his fists again.

“I humbly ask the Clan Chief to grant my wish to fulfill my filial duty. I am willing to sign a twenty-year contract for the Medicine Field.”

Zhuang Xian waved his hand, signaling Jiang Hanwen to withdraw: “I approve this matter. You and Qizhou can handle it.”

“Thank you, Clan Chief; thank you, Elder Du.”

Three years! He could finally bring his father over!

Jiang Hanwen made no attempt to hide his joy, cupping his hands in thanks, turning, stepping, and heading straight for the door, without the slightest hesitation.

After Jiang Hanwen disappeared from the courtyard.

“Tsk~”

Zhuang Xian suddenly chuckled, his gaze complex as he looked at Du Qingfu.

“We both misjudged him.”

“With his personality, he’s not suited for my position either.

In a few more years, letting him be a deacon will be enough,” Du Qingfu sighed.

The wind was strong, the sky high, and clouds obscured; high status inevitably invites disdain.

Suddenly, he didn’t want to push this young man to the forefront.