And so, Xu Qi'an got one liang and four qian of silver, added to his original three qian and the one qian he picked up, making a total of two liang.

And the golden step shake that Xu Qi'an had his eyes on cost ten liang of silver.

He helped three young ladies solve word puzzles according to the rules, finally accumulating five liang of silver.

"I should have enough to buy a golden step shake, but I still need to buy one for my aunt..."

"Sir?" The shopkeeper's pale face interrupted Xu Qi'an's thoughts.

Xu Qi'an looked at him in silence.

"Sir, can you be merciful?"

"That's not interesting, you set the rules."

"Just say what you want."

"I want to buy two golden step shakes, but I only have enough silver for one... um, the half-price kind."

"I... I'll give them to you, sir." The shopkeeper gritted his teeth.

"That's too kind of you."

"...Please don't come again in the future, I'll be forever grateful."

Can't afford to play? Xu Qi'an walked away with two golden step shakes, feeling satisfied.

He didn't want to get something for nothing, Xu was not that kind of person, but the shopkeeper was too polite.

As for the shopkeeper's feelings, he didn't care. If he could afford such a store, thirty or forty liang of silver might hurt, but it wasn't too much of a loss.

And, since he was playing this kind of trick, benefiting from it, he had to be prepared to encounter experts.

It didn't make sense that only he could earn other people's money, but others couldn't take advantage of him.

Not long after leaving the store, he suddenly felt chills down his spine, as if fine needles were pricking his pores from behind.

This made his heart beat faster and adrenaline surged.

Someone is following me... watching me... with hostile intentions... Xu Qi'an had a vague realization.

Xu Qi'an remained calm and pretended that nothing had happened, while calculating in his mind.

A quick look at "pawread.com" will leave you more fulfilled.

Who is following me... The Treasure Pavilion? Obviously not, although the shopkeeper looked like he wanted to beat me up, the expert who made me feel creepy, was definitely someone with a background, not someone like the Treasure Pavilion.

The Cloud Deer Academy? That's not right either. The great scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy were fighting to recruit me as their disciple. How could they have hidden hostility towards me?

It's the Zhou Family!

At this stage, if someone had hostility towards him and was secretly monitoring him, it must be the Zhou Family.

Xu Qi'an's heart was heavy. His experience from his past life told him that once someone was following and monitoring him, it meant that the other party would take action soon, even tonight.

"The plan to visit the Cloud Deer Academy is correct. Even though my uncle and I are not weak, the female members of the family are a burden..."

Xu Qi'an's face was solemn, and the plan to deal with the Zhou Family was urgent.

Returning to the Xu Family, Xu Qi'an immediately took out the crossbow he obtained from Song Qing at the Bureau of Astronomy, which was of equal value (obtained for free), and hung it around his waist, with the protective mirror tied to his chest.

Only then did he feel a little safer.

He climbed over the wall to the main residence and saw Xu Lingyin chasing a group of geese in the backyard. She stood with her hands on her hips, stomping her feet, frightening the little geese, who were running around in panic, quacking.

"Big brother, do I look cool?" Xu Lingyin saw her big brother come back and became even more proud.

"Where did the geese come from?" Xu Qi'an was stunned. They weren't there when he left this morning.

"Mother had someone buy them, saying that they were raising them at home..." Xu Lingyin tilted her head and said in a sweet voice, "I forgot the rest."

It should be cheaper to raise them at home than to buy them outside... Xu Qi'an said, "Be careful not to step on the geese. Are there any big geese?"

"The big geese are over there, I'll go get them." Xu Lingyin volunteered and ran into the flower bed with her short legs.A few seconds later, the child's pig-slaughtering-like scream rang out.

The bushes shook violently, and Xu Lingyin cried as she ran out, dragging a big white goose by its leg, which was biting her short leg tightly.

She looked like she was about to die, "Big brother, help me..."

Xu Qi'an stood by and watched, laughing like a pig.

...

At dusk, Uncle Xu returned from work, dressed in armor, with a long knife and a crossbow at his waist. He looked fierce and different from when he wore civilian clothes.

The three of them arrived at the study, and after Greenie served them hot tea, she obediently left.

Xu Xinnian said, "My big brother and I have already made arrangements. We can send our mother and sister to the academy tomorrow. It just so happens that Lingyin needs to start her studies too. The teacher that Father hired is not very good, but the teachers at the academy are reliable."

When Lingyin heard this good news, she cried tears of joy... Xu Qi'an couldn't help but think of the funny joke from his past life when he gave a box of exercise books to a kind-hearted child.

Uncle Xu was overjoyed. This undoubtedly solved his biggest worry. With the women of the family properly arranged, he had no worries.

"Cijiu, it's all thanks to you. Father knew that letting you study was the best decision he ever made in his life."

Xu Cijiu was a little embarrassed, "Father, it's all my big brother's doing, it has nothing to do with me."

"Ningyan?" Uncle Xu looked at his nephew unexpectedly.

After listening to his son's explanation, Uncle Xu said regretfully, "Ningyan, the biggest mistake I made in my life was sending you to practice martial arts."

Uncle Xu now believed that his nephew was a seed of learning.

"I just made effective use of what I learned in my past life..." Xu Qi'an said in a deep voice, "There is something I need to tell Uncle Xu. When I first came back, someone was following me. What about you, Cijiu?"

The father and son's expressions changed.

Xu Xinnian frowned, "Even if someone is following us, how would I know?"

He was just a scholar in the early stage of enlightenment.

Uncle Xu stood up, pacing back and forth anxiously, and said in a deep voice, "Ningyan, you will stay overnight in the mansion tonight. We, uncle and nephew, will stay close to each other so that we can take care of each other. Also, I will go out later and inform the Imperial Guards to strengthen their patrols in the area."

Xu Xinnian and Xu Qi'an exchanged a glance, feeling heavy.

...

During dinner, Xu Qi'an looked at his sister Xu Lingyue, who had an elegant eating manner, and coughed, attracting the attention of the family.

He took out a small redwood box with the words "Treasure Pavilion" carved on it from his pocket, and slowly opened it. Inside was a finely crafted gold hairpin with a beautifully carved flower and a pearl-encrusted tassel.

Regardless of the style, the weight of the gold alone caught the attention of the family.

Xu Lingyue and Auntie were stunned, their eyes fixed on the gold hairpin.

Gold hairpins like this, because of their exquisite workmanship and expensive materials, were always sought after by the daughters and women of wealthy families. Ordinary women couldn't afford to wear such good jewelry.

Auntie used to have a carved gold hairpin, which was very precious to her.

Xu Qi'an, a single man, naturally wouldn't buy a gold hairpin for no reason. There were only two women in the family who could wear it, and as the head of the family...

Auntie's pretty face lit up with a smile, and her eyes softened. "It's good that you have a conscience. Give it to me."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Qi'an placed the gold hairpin in front of Xu Lingyue. "Little sister, it's for you!"

Xu Lingyue widened her eyes, somewhat incredulous. The jewelry from the Treasure Pavilion was well-known in the area for its exquisite workmanship and was highly sought after by the wealthy girls and women nearby."Thank you, big brother." Her beautiful face showed a sincere smile, her eyes curved like a crescent moon.

Auntie's body trembled, her chest rising and falling, her eyes reddened as she fiercely questioned Uncle Xu:

"Tell me, do you want your nephew or me?"

She and this little scoundrel were at odds.

Uncle Xu glared fiercely at his nephew and quickly picked up food for his wife. "Calm down, don't argue with this stinky kid."

Xu Qi'an felt a kick on his calf and looked up at Xu Xinnian beside him.

Xu Erlang bowed his head and ate his meal.

PS: Last night, I had a dream that I was sitting on the edge of a rooftop, and a group of readers below were shouting at me, "Newspaper seller, come down, we promise to give you our recommendation votes."

(￢_￢)