Andrew Bennett strolled leisurely at the back, yawned, and then saw Morgan rushing over with a face covered in blood—truly terrifying.

But halfway through his charge, Morgan, worried about running into the jinx and bringing bad luck, forced himself to stop and fell flat on the ground.

After falling, Morgan looked up, stretched out his hand, and shouted, “Mr. Bennett, for the sake of me waiting outside the fortress gate since yesterday afternoon, give me a few more pieces of tofu.”

Morgan had a few wealthy clients. Yesterday, one of them ate the tofu and said it was excellent. The others were displeased, saying, “You, Morgan, are not being fair. Why won’t you sell tofu to me?”

If he kept favoring some over others, those wealthy clients would abandon him. So, never mind the jinx—even if The Clark Estate was haunted, he’d still come. As for keeping watch, he just wanted to have it all to himself.

Now that his dream of monopolizing the tofu was shattered, he just wanted a few extra pieces.

Seeing this, Andrew Bennett couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased, then said in a deep voice, “In that case… I’ll give you five extra pieces today, but this privilege won’t be available tomorrow.”

The merchants were initially dissatisfied, but hearing it was just a one-day privilege, they let it go.

“Thank you, Mr. Bennett!” Morgan immediately sprang back to life, took out his money pouch, and paid up.

“We just want tofu. How much is there?”

The merchants argued for a while, and soon the tofu was all snatched up, leaving several money pouches on the ground. Then, to everyone’s surprise, they began to pray devoutly.

“Buddha bless me, don’t let me be cursed by the jinx. I’ll offer more incense in return.”

“Blessings from the Celestial Lord, mighty Daoist master, please keep me safe.”

“……”

David Clark gathered up the money pouches, put them in a wooden bucket, and lifted it, feeling its weight.

We’re rich! We’re rich!

He happily carried the load and turned around, only to see the astonished villagers.

The jinx actually got rich?

Chapter 6: The Famous Treacherous Minister, a Rare Oddity

“That jinx has been unlucky since childhood. He couldn’t even farm, let alone make money. If it weren’t for David Clark, he would’ve starved to death long ago! And now… he’s actually gotten rich?”

“Look at those money pouches, bulging and full—so many!”

That unlucky fellow actually got rich, and the villagers still felt like it was all a dream.

Brian Clark made his way home. His wife, Harris, was still lying in bed. Seeing him return, she asked, “Why are you back so late?”

“That jinx…” Brian Clark thought of how the merchants had nearly come to blows over the tofu earlier, and truly found it unbelievable.

“Did the jinx have another bout of bad luck?” Harris sighed. “That man… I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been sick for so long or what, but I feel weak and scared whenever he’s mentioned.”

Brian Clark shook his head. “He made some kind of tofu, five wen per piece. He sold two big buckets earlier and made a lot of money.”

Thompson was stunned. “He actually made a lot of money? Impossible! He’s been unlucky since childhood—when has he ever made money?”

Brian Clark smiled wryly. “I saw it with my own eyes. David Clark even said Andrew Bennett was sure those merchants wouldn’t be afraid of the jinx and would come. You didn’t see it—Morgan, just to have the chance to buy tofu for himself, waited outside the fortress gate since yesterday afternoon, soaked through with dew.”

“Are those merchants crazy?” Harris couldn’t help but gasp, which tugged at her body, making her cry out in pain before fainting.

Brian Clark was stunned; his first thought was that they’d been cursed.

“That jinx!” He hurriedly sent for a doctor, then silently prayed, “Blessings from the Celestial Lord, please let the jinx not curse my family…”

……

Brian Clark’s household was in chaos, while the The Bennett Family was filled with joy.

David Clark was counting money.

“How much?” Andrew Bennett was also a bit happy.

David Clark looked up, eyes brimming with tears, and wailed, “Aunt…”

“Stop crying.” Andrew Bennett saw he was about to report to his late mother again and felt a headache coming on. He thought, if you want to report, just do it—why the wailing?

“One hundred pieces of tofu, five hundred wen! Five hundred wen!” David Clark held up the copper coins with both hands, his eyes sparkling. “Andrew, tonight I want to sleep on them.”

Andrew Bennett said irritably, “Whatever you want!”

David Clark then went to buy mutton. By noon, the The Bennett Family was filled with the aroma of mutton, a scent they hadn’t smelled in years.

“Andrew, are you eating?” When people saw the jinx coming, they quickly stepped back to keep their distance.

Earlier, a merchant had said he’d consulted a high monk, who told him that as long as you had no past grudges with the jinx and kept at least three steps away, you’d be fine. So everyone followed suit, though most kept seven or eight steps away.

Andrew Bennett carried a big bowl, smiling and nodding at everyone he saw. He was busy—not only did he have to make tofu, but he also needed to record much of his knowledge from his previous life. So, to learn about The Clark Estate, he could only use mealtime as an opportunity to look around.

Everyone saw that his big bowl was topped with slices of mutton, and they were all envious!

Nothing beats meat when it comes to good food, and in the Tang Dynasty, mutton was the king of meats.

In a rural place like The Clark Estate, only a few families could afford mutton even once a year, and even then, not very often. According to them, every time they ate mutton, they’d gnaw the meat clean off the bones, then boil the bones several times until there was no mutton flavor left.