You Are a Cousin

Tang Xiaoyu tidied up his clothes and sat down with legs wide apart.

He looked around carefully at everyone, feeling quite pissed off in his heart.

There were over a dozen kids under 15 years old, and the rest were not young either, but all of them looked as if they hadn't eaten enough, what was going on here?

He coughed lightly: "Let's sort out the sect's situation first."

"Who can brief me on the personnel?"

Zhou Ruiqing stood up and said: "Sect leader, there are currently 29 disciples in the sect."

"What cultivation levels are they at?"

"The highest is their eldest senior sister, at the late stage of Qi Refining, the rest are in the early and middle stages of Qi Refining."

Tang Xiaoyu was a little confused: "Isn't Qi Refining supposed to have 12 layers?"

"Sect leader, you must have remembered incorrectly."

Tang Xiaoyu didn't dwell on it and continued asking: "What about assets?"

"Just a few acres of ordinary medicinal materials."

Tang Xiaoyu nearly gritted his teeth to pieces, and asked fiercely: "What about finances then?"

Zhou Ruiqing smiled awkwardly: "There are only 10 taels of silver left."

Tang Xiaoyu stood up directly: "What? 10 taels of silver, and you still have the nerve to ask me to buy so many things?"

"I thought food and lodging would be provided by the sect, but now it turns out I'll be the one providing for you all!"

"I quit."

As he was about to leave, he was blocked by a group of people.

A woman with a thin figure and somewhat sallow complexion, the eldest senior sister, stood out and said: "You're the sect leader now, you have to lead whether you want to or not, otherwise I'll beat you into leading."

Tang Xiaoyu looked towards Zhou Ruiqing, but Zhou Ruiqing pretended not to see him and turned his head the other way.

"You old geezer, you're treating me like a fool to rip off!"

"Fine, I'll do it, but on one condition."

The woman asked: "What condition?"

"You all have to listen to me."

"We agree, if anyone doesn't listen to you, I as the eldest senior sister will punish them for you."

"Alright then!"

"I hereby announce my first appointment: Zhou Ruiqing, you are appointed Logistics Department Chief, concurrent Security Department Chief, Teacher, and Master. Your Grand Elder position is revoked."

When Zhou Ruiqing heard this, he was overjoyed to be holding so many positions, though he didn't know what they specifically entailed. In any case it would definitely be more relaxing than before, and the Grand Elder position was negligible.

"Sect leader, just tell me what the Logistics Department Chief does!"

Tang Xiaoyu said solemnly: "The Logistics Department Chief is mainly responsible for the eating, drinking, and excretion of the disciples. Of course, you have to personally go and procure supplies, given our financial situation which you know very well."

"The Security Department Chief is mainly in charge of the sect's safety and security. You guard the gates during the day, receive and preempt any external visitors, and patrol at night, since we don't have any mountain protecting arrays!"

"Oh, there's another duty - you're also in charge of fighting."

Zhou Ruiqing wanted to object, but was interrupted by Tang Xiaoyu:

"Chief Zhou, please don't interrupt me."

Feeling a little thirsty, Tang Xiaoyu knocked on the empty teacup beside him.

Seeing no reaction from anyone, Tang Xiaoyu became unhappy.

"Chief Zhou, you'll also need to educate everyone on perceptiveness and reading subtle cues. There's plenty of room for your own improvement too!"

Tang Xiaoyu stood up: "I think it's about time for a meal. Chief Zhou, go and arrange it. We'll have another short meeting after eating."

"Oh yes. Chief Zhou, arrange a room for me too, and bring over the account books. I need to understand the sect's debt situation."

"Given the current state of affairs, I won't believe for a second that the sect doesn't have external debts."

Delighted at being relieved of past debts, Zhou Ruiqing didn't fuss over anything else.

"Yes, Sect Leader."

"Little Yan, bring the account books for the Sect Leader."

"Yes, Master."

Carrying the remaining sugar candied haws over his shoulder, Tang Xiaoyu walked over to the group of kids.

Patting the first kid's shoulder, he said: "Boy, what's your name?"

"Shitou (Stone)."

"Good, the sect needs people like you. Follow me closely from now on and work hard!"

"Yes, Sect Leader."

Tang Xiaoyu took a candied haw stick and handed it to him: "Here you go, go play!"

"Thank you, Sect Leader!"

He then went up to the second girl: "Hey girl, what's your name?"

The young girl was a little shy and mumbled: "Xiaolan."

"Good girl, when the sect becomes wealthy, I'll buy red strings and hairpins for you girls."

Xiaolan happily smiled: "Thank you, Sect Leader!"

"Here's a candied haw, go play outside!"

The children who didn't get any candied haws swallowed their saliva as they looked on enviously.

Tang Xiaoyu asked each of their names one by one, and encouraged them along the way.

Holding the remaining two sticks of candied haws, Tang Xiaoyu didn't feel good inside.

[When you pity others, look at yourself and realize you're the most pitiful person. When will one be able to shed that pitiful compassion?]

Sitting in the sect leader's chair, Tang Xiaoyu rubbed his forehead: "Should have just gone back to Baihu City. Coming back like this now would be too embarrassing. *sighs*... my cheap pride!"

Just then, Tang Xiaoyan walked in holding the account books.

"Sect Leader, here are the books."

Taking over the books, he handed the candied haw to Tang Xiaoyan: "Thanks, this candied haw is for you."

"Thank you, Sect Leader." Without any hesitation, she took it directly.

As Tang Xiaoyu flipped through the account books, he casually asked: "Little Yan, what's your full name?"

"Tang Xiaoyan."

Startled, Tang Xiaoyu looked up and examined this girl. She seemed a little familiar, and combining with her name, he quickly recalled his cousin who often bullied him in the past.

Speaking of which, Tang Xiaoyu gritted his teeth at the thought of this cousin.

In the novel, this cousin often ganged up with outsiders to bully and humiliate the male protagonist.

She had often humiliated and bullied Tang Xiaoyu's past self.

"Cousin, I'm your cousin Tang Xiaoyu!"

Tang Xiaoyan scrutinized him carefully, there was some resemblance: "Cousin, I can hardly recognize you after not seeing you for years."

"Weren't you following an immortal cultivator to practice a few years ago? How did you end up like this now?"

Tang Xiaoyan said dejectedly: "Let's not talk about it. My personality nearly caused his downfall, and he crippled my four limbs."

"If not for Master saving me, I would have died outside already."

Tang Xiaoyu roughly understood what happened, no wonder this girl had changed so much.

"That bastard actually dared to hurt my cousin. Just you wait, when I have the power I'll definitely massacre his entire sect and clan!"

Tang Xiaoyan smiled bitterly: "Forget it. It was all my own fault, it had nothing to do with him. I don't want revenge now, I just want to help Master maintain the sect."

Tang Xiaoyu thumped his chest: "Cousin, don't worry. It must have been very difficult to keep the sect going before, but it's different now that I'm here."

Looking at her changed cousin, Tang Xiaoyan said: "Cousin, you've changed and become sly."

Tang Xiaoyu faintly smiled: "I've changed yes, but it wasn't my intention."

"That's right, we've all changed, but it wasn't our intention. Cousin, I'm sorry."

Shocked for a moment, Tang Xiaoyu laughed: "What kind of brother still holds a petty grudge against an ignorant little sister? One who doesn't deserve to be called a brother!"

"Alright, go help your Master make dinner! I'll calculate the debts."

"Okay."

Seeing Tang Xiaoyan off, Tang Xiaoyu earnestly started tallying up the owed debts.

Half an hour later, Tang Xiaoyu jumped up and threw the account book onto the ground: "Damned old geezer, you bloody swine, owing a full 20,000 taels! You really thought you could rip me off completely!"

Tang Xiaoyan, who came in to call Tang Xiaoyu for dinner, was startled by his sudden reaction.

"Cousin, dinner is ready."

"Coming right away."

Still feeling pissed off, Tang Xiaoyu picked up the account book and tore it to shreds.

"Dead old fart, you f*cker! So that's why you were being so generous, you had your eyes on my money!"

Tang Xiaoyan came over to placate: "Cousin, don't get angry. By tearing up the accounts, doesn't it mean you've recognized the past and won't bring it up again?"

"But I feel wronged! Let me vent for a while more, otherwise I might do something reckless again."

"Oh alright then! But I have to remind you, the tables, chairs and stools all cost money too."

"I know, you go on out first."

The moment Tang Xiaoyan stepped out, Tang Xiaoyu's furious swears and curses could be heard.

Outside, Zhou Ruiqing shrunk his neck, pretending not to hear anything.