The next day, He Zifeng and Qiu Yu went to the county. After setting up their stall, they went to the county government office to report for duty.
A man named Xiong Ge came to greet him: "You must be He Zifeng, you look quite robust." He replied warmly, "The old town mayor is my benefactor!" Years ago, he somehow gained the old town mayor's favor. The mayor arranged for him to work as a cart driver in the yamen, where he worked diligently for two years. Then, after spending some money to bribe his way into a vacancy as a yamen runner, he was finally promoted.
Here, you get three taels of silver a year. During festivals, you also get some rice and flour, though that's barely enough to live on.
But none of those who wear this uniform live off their salary alone. They each have their own ways of making money, though they don't make a fortune. They frequent the merchants who work at the county government office; they need to bribe the important figures, but they also have to feed the small fry!
There are truly wealthy people; even a single hair of theirs is thicker than their waist. If they happen to be generous, they might give three or five ounces at a time.
He Zifeng said, "Brother Xiong, you're a senior member, so just let me know if you need anything!"
Brother Xiong said, "Our job is easy. We patrol the streets twice a day, and if we run into a fight, we just punch them a couple of times. We don't have to give anyone face. After that, we find a place to lie low, and when the constable rolls roll in the afternoon, we can go home and cuddle with our wives." This is the daily routine of a seasoned veteran in the yamen.
Brother Xiong was genuinely looking out for him; he didn't know who He Zifeng was. The old town mayor hadn't sent anyone to his post in ten years, but this year he arranged for him to be a clerk right away, showing the old mayor had high hopes for him. Since that was the case, he was happy to play the good guy.
Besides He Zifeng, Brother Xiong also had a man named Bingzi under his command.
There were fifty yamen runners in the county government office, each with their own duties. Some were the magistrate's men, some were the clerk's men, and there were also the head constables. They were all vying for power, and lowly street patrollers like them could never even get close to such important figures.
He Zifeng had just arrived, but he still carefully patrolled the two streets. And you know what? The saying "respect the clothes before the person" is indeed true.
Everyone looked at him with a sense of awe, and no one fought or caused trouble. Occasionally, a few little beggars would scatter before he even got close.
Following Brother Xiong's advice, after patrolling the streets, the rest of the time was his own. He went to the stall and saw that Qiu Yu had already sold out and was packing up.
He Zifeng quickly came over to help him pack up his stall.
When Qiu Yu saw He Zifeng, her eyes crinkled into a smile. But she said, "You're wearing these clothes, so don't help me with the work."
"So what?" Sure enough, when the stall owners around saw He Zifeng dressed in the clothes of a yamen runner, their eyes showed a hint of awe.
He Zifeng helped him pack up his stall and told Qiu Yu to buy the meat and offal and then take the cart back first. Qiu Yu would also take the cart.
Qiu Yu said, "I'll wait for you."
“I still have some time. Go back and get some sleep first. You can work with your three sisters-in-law this afternoon, but don’t overwork yourself,” He Zifeng instructed.
Qiu Yu blushed and said, "There's only so much work, how tiring could it be?" Then she remembered something and asked, "If I take Qinghua with me, how will you get home?"
He Zifeng said, "I inquired before I came. Brother Xiong and Brother Bingzi both live not far from Chishui Village. Brother Xiong has a carriage. If you want to ride in his carriage, you can pay ten coins per ride."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Yu said, "Okay then." He Zifeng helped him move his things to the backyard. Only then did he say goodbye to Qiu Yu.
Just as Brother Xiong had said, there was nothing much to do all day. When it was time for roll call in the evening, it wasn't the head constable who called him. It was just one of the head constable's deputies who, after roll call, kept He Zifeng behind to say some official things, telling him to do a good job, and that was it.
When it was time for roll call, many of them had flushed faces from drinking, clearly having been drinking during the day. The other yamen runners didn't seem to find it strange. Not only that, but when many people left, He Zifeng also smelled a perfumed fragrance, as if they had gone to the brothel.
Brother Xiong said directly, "Wait for me a moment." Then he and Bingzi left together. Brother Xiong's horse was also a fine red steed. He was very proud of it, saying, "I bought this horse while it was still in its mother's womb. The horse dealer was a friend of mine for many years, but he regretted it as soon as the horse was born! A horse as pure red as this, without a single blemish, is worth at least sixty taels. I only paid less than half." He laughed heartily as he spoke.
The horse is now four years old and still very proud of it. Who knew that a red-brown horse paired with a black horse could produce a purebred horse? What a stroke of luck!
Brother Xiong picked up the two of them, and then went to fetch a few more people, all heading back to the village together. The horse-drawn carriage was faster than the oxcart. Brother Xiong had been driving the carriage for some time and was very steady.
Although Brother Xiong has been in the county for ten years, he's still pretty much the same person he was in the village. He gives a few people a ride every day, and the money he makes is more than enough to support his horses.
He Zifeng sat with him outside, and Brother Xiong laughed heartily, "You really know how to find a place. Some people like to sit inside the carriage and lean back for a while. But it's better to sit outside. When the carriage is running, the sky and the land are vast, and it really gives you that feeling of chivalry and adventure in the plays."
He Zifeng said, "Those people drink and play around with women, doesn't the constable do anything about it?"
Brother Xiong said, "Those people have powerful backgrounds; several of them bribed their way in. The head constable turns a blind eye. But while they can break the rules, we can't. We don't have deep connections; if we run into the boss in a bad mood, he might make an example of us." People like them are lucky to even get in. After that, they should just behave themselves and not stand out. Being a lowly constable, earning a little money, is enough.
He Zifeng knew that Brother Xiong had asked him to do this. He smiled and said, "Thank you."
Brother Xiong glanced at him again but didn't say anything else. He had been a constable for ten years and had met quite a few people, and he felt that He Zifeng was indeed a bit different from others. He understood things immediately, unlike Bingzi when he first came, who had to be broken down and explained in detail before he could even understand a little bit.
Xiong Ge was so sincere towards He Zifeng for two reasons: first, to repay the old town chief's kindness in recognizing his talent; and second, because although the county government's constables were few in number, they were distributed across several areas of influence. He had no idea he'd be slaughtered like a lamb that day, so having another brother was always a good thing.
When He Zifeng returned that day, he was dressed in the clothes of a yamen runner. When he entered the village, some villagers were waiting for him to return and started setting off firecrackers.
"You're back?"
"How was your first time working as a yamen runner?"
What are you all doing?
The village chief waved his hand and said, "Alright, he's tired enough. We'll talk about it later." With a smile on his face, he said, "Your aunt has stewed some chicken. Come over to my house for a drink. The food is all ready." Without waiting for a reply, he started to pull him into his house.
He Zifeng said, "But Qiuyu is waiting for me to come home for dinner."
Village Chief Liu laughed heartily, "I knew you were thinking about him. I already invited him home. Your aunt and Qiuyu are very close; she says her cooking is nowhere near as good as Qiuyu's!"
Hearing what the village chief said, He Zifeng went to the village chief's house.
Even the village chief of Liuzi Village couldn't help but marvel at his good fortune. It had only been a short time since the family split up, and now he had even become a constable. He could tell that He Zifeng was a bit of a loner; he wasn't the type to form cliques and preferred to live in a corner of the village.
Luckily, he had a past relationship with He Zifeng, which allowed him to invite He Zifeng to his home for a meal. Just as Village Chief Liu Zi had said, Qiu Yu was also there, and the two of them became honored guests at the village chief's house.
The village chief's family prepared eight dishes, including chicken and fish. At the dinner table, none of the village chief's children ate; the meal was reserved for them.
He Zifeng said, "Call the children and let's eat together. There's too much food to finish."
Village Chief Liu said, "Hey, let's have a drink. They had lunch late, so they're not hungry yet."
After saying that, they started pouring wine, and drank quite a bit over the meal. In the end, the village chief was drunk to the point of passing out, and only then did they let the two of them go.
The braised food at home was already simmering in the pot. Qiu Yu helped He Zifeng back home.
He Zifeng was clearly conscious, but he wasn't walking in a straight line. Qiu Yu helped He Zifeng to the bed and was about to take off the clothes he was wearing to change him into some pajamas. However, his movement caused He Zifeng to misunderstand. He pulled Qiu Yu close and said, "These past few days, I was afraid you'd get tired; it's all my fault." Then he planted a sweet kiss on Qiu Yu's neck.
Qiu Yu realized something was wrong, but it was too late. She had been taken hostage, completely at their mercy.
...
When He Zifeng woke up the next day, Qiu Yu was still asleep, but as soon as he moved, she woke up. He said, "Don't drink next time." He was already stronger than most people. Drinking made him even more unrestrained.
He Zifeng apologized repeatedly, but fortunately Qiu Yu wasn't really angry with him. She just said, "I wanted to talk to you for a while. You didn't give me a chance at all." She paused and said, "The one tael of silver for the five carpenters' wages has been paid. We've also ordered five hundred catties of horse feed, enough to last for a while."
As Qiu Yu was speaking, she noticed that He Zifeng's lips were curled up in a smile. He Zifeng had an upright appearance, but when he smiled, he possessed a captivating handsomeness that Qiu Yu couldn't resist. She asked, "What are you smiling about?"
"It's so good to have you at home!"
Qiu Yu raised an eyebrow, a hint of smugness in her expression. Xiao He Ran was very similar to her in this respect, and she couldn't help but praise him.
Seeing him like this, He Zifeng wanted to kiss him, but Qiu Yu refused: "We still have to go out to set up our stall later." They were both young, and if they accidentally sparked something, it would be difficult to handle.
He Zifeng then gave up. He got up and did some work, then went out with Qiu Yu. After they arrived in the county and set up their stall, He Zifeng went to check in.
As he was leaving, he noticed a familiar face among the vendors: Xu Li and Wan Hai. He guessed they'd been influenced by him and had also rented a stall, selling yellow soybean paste from He Family Soybean Workshop. Wan Hai seemed alright, but Xu Li appeared a bit embarrassed, looking awkward around customers.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com