Got a little brother on February 1st

  Chen Guanyu was good at arithmetic, and he thought that his current predicament was all caused by Su Huan. At least during the period of drilling wells in the whole county, Su Huan would be the darling of the county magistrate. If Su Huan had some grudges against him, his fate would be miserable. Moreover, even if Su Huan didn't hold a grudge against him, Zheng Chun had already put a hat on him, and could come to extort him at any time and place. If he didn't find a backer soon, then at least in Fengcheng, he wouldn't be able to stay anymore.

  In this case, evasion is not a good way out. The best approach is to advance by retreating, and the most dangerous place often turns out to be the safest. If one were to swallow their pride and surrender to Su Huan, willing to serve as his underling, then with Su Huan's magnanimous nature, he would certainly not make things difficult for them. Moreover, with Su Huan's protection, Zheng Chun would also be unable to find trouble with him again. Chen Guanyu was extremely familiar with the rules of officialdom and knew that although the position of shiye appeared insignificant on the surface, its status within the county yamen was actually higher than that of ordinary minor officials.

  Besides, Su Hao was able to take his sister out for a meal without any mishaps and even treated himself to a 10-cash bowl of noodles. It can be seen that Su Hao's income is quite substantial. Joining Su Hao would at least guarantee a warm and full stomach. As for whether Su Hao would accept him, Chen Guanyu was very confident, believing he had something Su Hao needed, and he was sure to persuade Su Hao.

  Chen Guanyu's action startled both Su Hang and Lu Xiuer. Looking at Chen Guanyu's devout expression, Su Hang raised his hand and said: "Mr. Chen, get up and talk, the ground is cold..."

  Chen Guanyu let out a snort and sat back down on the stool, but his expression didn't relax in the slightest. He said: "How dare I be so honored by Master Su's praise? It would be enough for Master Su to simply call me 'little fish'."

  With a snort, Lu Xiuer burst out laughing beside him. Chen Guanyu was already in his forties, with a face full of wrinkles and acne, looking like the Karst terrain, as Su Hang would say. He called himself "Little Fish" in front of Su Hang, which was really too ridiculous.

  "Alright, I'll call you Brother Guanyu then. But don't keep calling me 'Master' either, just use my name." Su Hao said, in his past life he had also managed a group of people at work, so being a leader wasn't unfamiliar to him. Since Chen Guanyu was willing to join him, whether or not to accept him was another matter, but at least Su Hao wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

  "Just call me Guan Yu." Chen Guan Yu slid down the pole, "As for Master Su's side, initially taking the position of Shi Ye, if people below keep calling Master Su as Shi Ye, it indeed makes Master Su seem a bit arrogant. Moreover, the authentic Shi Ye in the county government is Fang Shi Ye, and Master Su using some humble titles is also a way to conceal one's light and nurture oneself."

  Chen Guanyu indeed lives up to his reputation as a mastermind, elevating the issue of titles to a theoretical level in one go. Su Hao nodded in agreement with Chen's analysis and then asked: "Guanyu... Ah, never mind, I'll just call you Old Chen instead. Old Chen, you said you're willing to be my right-hand man, so what are your capabilities?"

  "I can do everything!" Chen Guanyu patted his chest and said, seeing the teasing color in Su Hao's eyes, he quickly changed his words: "Uh... except for this well location thing, I'm a bit unsure."

  "What did you used to do?" Su Hao asked in a different way.

  Chen Guanyu was eager to ask Su Hang for shelter, so he wouldn't hide anything. He counted on his fingers and introduced himself to Su Hang: "I can read the wind and water, calculate the eight trigrams, understand how to handle affairs, refine elixirs, draw talismans, and handle affairs..."

  Su Hao smiled: "Old Daoist Guanyu, all the things you know are just nonsense. My next errand is to help the county magistrate dig a well. What does what you know have to do with digging a well?"

  "Of course it's related!" Chen Guanyu replied without hesitation, he turned his head to look around, then pointed to a landscape painting on the wall beside him and said to Su Hao: "Su Gongzi please take a look, if both places on this painting can be dug into wells to get water, which one would you choose?"

  Su Hao didn't understand Chen Guanyu's meaning, he took a glance and said: "Both places are fine?"

  Chen Guanyu smiled complacently and said, "Young master, you're wrong. These two places are the same to you, but for those who pay attention to Feng Shui, the difference is huge. The first place concerns the earth's veins, if you choose this place to dig a well, the villagers will surely resist. But this second place has nothing to do with it, and digging a well here won't cause any trouble."

  "Oh, I see." Su Hang understood Chen Guanyu's meaning and couldn't help but feel a few points of admiration for him in his heart.

  In ancient times, people were very particular about Feng Shui. If someone dug into another person's auspicious land, it would often lead to disputes and even physical fights. Chen Guanyu's intention was to remind Su Huan that digging a well wasn't just about seeing if there was water underground, but also whether the location of the well would offend the villagers' Feng Shui. And this kind of thing, looking at Feng Shui, was exactly what Chen Guanyu was good at.

  Su Hao had studied some Feng Shui techniques in his past life, but it was as a study of ancient culture, not as practical as Chen Guanyu's. So to say, Chen Guanyu is still somewhat useful to Su Hao.

  Seeing Su Hao understand his meaning, Chen Guanyu's confidence increased, and he continued to say: "Ask Su Gongzi again, if the well locations you surveyed are all on the earth veins, drilling wells will inevitably lead to opposition from villagers. How do you respond?"

  Su Hao shook his head bluntly and said: "I don't know, please enlighten me, Brother Guanyu."

  "How dare you, how dare you." Chen Guanyu said with a pleased expression: "In my humble opinion, digging wells is the most important thing today, and it must not be neglected because of some trivial matters. If the suitable well location conflicts with the villagers' feng shui treasure land, then someone should tell the villagers that drilling wells is actually beneficial to feng shui."

  "Haha, you mean to say that we should come up with an excuse to make the villagers accept it, is that what you mean?" Su Hao laughed, he was a highly intelligent person, and Chen Guanyu just had to hint at him slightly before he understood what he meant.

  Chen Guanyu's method is actually very simple. After all, the theory of Feng Shui depends on the two lips of the Feng Shui master. As long as you can say something reasonable, the villagers will naturally believe it. For example, when digging a well in a place with good Feng Shui, the traditional view is that it will damage the Feng Shui, but if you say it helps the Feng Shui, others may even beg you to dig the well.

  For something like this, Su Hao wouldn't be interested in doing it even if he could. With that kind of time and energy, he'd rather study the structure of the earth's crust instead. If Chen Guanyu, that old swindler, can do such things, then bringing him along would indeed save a lot of trouble from having to talk nonsense all the time. When going to work in the countryside, all sorts of things might happen, and having a swindler by your side to help with the deception would be very beneficial for yourself.

  "Alright, Old Chen, it's settled then. You'll follow me from now on." Su Hao waved his hand grandly, and Chen Guanyu was thus recruited under his command. This newly appointed workshop foreman, although only a temporary worker, also needed to have his own team. Without a few reliable younger brothers to help him get things done, a lone commander would be trampled to death down below.

  "Thank you, young master, for taking me in." Chen Guanyu's face lit up with joy.

  Su Hao said, "Old Chen, let's do this: I'll go talk to the county magistrate about your matter tomorrow. As for what happened in Zhegui Township, it was just an unintentional mistake, so we won't pursue it further. I'll also give Zheng Chun a heads up, and he won't dare touch you."

  "Thank you, young master." Chen Guanyu's stone fell to the ground, and he suddenly felt that his decision was extremely wise.

  "In the near future, you will follow me to various villages to handle matters. I will take care of the well survey myself, and for matters involving villagers in the countryside, pay close attention and nip all sorts of problems in the bud, understand?"

  "The little way is clear."

  "There are 200 silver coins here, you take them first and use them. Later, your salary will be determined by your ability."

  "The little servant dare not discuss prices with you, sir, as long as there is food to eat, it's enough."

  "En, let's talk about these things later. By the way, Old Chen, do you have a place to stay in the county town?"

  Xiao Dao usually lived in Qingdu Temple at Ximen. The master of the temple was a friend of Shifu, so he had left a room for Xiao Dao in the temple.

  "Um, okay. I'll have to wait until tomorrow when I've spoken with Magistrate Fang and the clerks at the county office before making any further arrangements. Once things are settled, I'll send someone to find you at Qingdu Temple."

  "I understand." Chen Guanyu nodded and listened to Su Hao finish speaking, then turned around and asked: "Young master, have you arranged for a place to stay in the county town?"

  Su Hao said: "Not yet, I plan to finish dinner and then go with my sister to take a look, see if there are any rental houses."

  "Haha, Master, I'm useful again! When it comes to things in Fengcheng County, I know everything. If you want to rent a house, I can help you find one that's clean, spacious, and affordable." Chen Guanyu boasted.

  Su Hao was speechless and lost his smile. He and Lu Xiuer were both country folks, and they really didn't understand the ways of the city. If they rashly went to rent a house, they might get cheated. With Chen Guanyu, who spent all day on the streets, this matter became much simpler.

  "Then I'll have to trouble Old Chen." Su Hao said with a bow of his hands towards Chen Guanyu.