Chai He stood outside the door, shivering with cold.
Xia He looked at his funny yet pitiful appearance and felt helpless.
"Master Chai, please don't be anxious. This matter is not urgent in the short term. How about you wait for a moment and let me and my family finish our meal first?"
Chai He nodded slightly to show his agreement, and replied softly: "Okay, I'll wait outside the door."
As he spoke, he exhaled white air and rubbed his hands.
The border town had long been harassed by barbarians, and the government office had long been in ruins.
Life has been difficult since he took office here.
The imperial court was reluctant to allocate funds for repairs and management, so he even found it difficult to recruit suitable officials.
Moreover, the soldiers stationed in the garrison were all ruffians who did not obey his orders at all. In this predicament, Chai He had no choice but to seek help from Xia He.
It was the middle of winter and the weather was extremely cold.
Xia He thought, no matter what, he is the commander of a town after all, and we can't just let him wait outside the door forever.
So he had no choice but to welcome Chai He into the house.
As soon as Xia Heyi walked into the inner room, his wife and sister, who were eating, immediately cast curious glances at him and asked, "Brother He, are there any guests coming to visit?"
Xia He nodded and explained to them: "It's the town magistrate of our town."
Hearing this, the two sisters were shocked and a look of nervousness instantly appeared on their faces.
In this small town, the town magistrate is the highest official. His status is like that of a class teacher in a school. Naturally, he will bring an invisible sense of oppression to people.
However, Li Huilan soon noticed something was wrong. She wondered in her heart: Usually, when those officials go out, they are always surrounded by people and have a sedan chair carried by eight people. The ceremony is extremely grand.
But the town commander in front of him came alone, without even a servant to serve him. He looked really pitiful!
Chai He had no idea that he, a dignified town magistrate, would actually be pitied by two ordinary women.
At this moment, he was squatting alone in the corner of the outer room, his arms tightly curled up in his sleeves, his eyes staring straight ahead with a slightly dull look.
Looking back at the present-day Qin Dynasty, the situation is already precarious, like a shaky egg on the verge of collapse.
The king was getting older, but he was obsessed with seeking immortality.
Not only that, he also built numerous luxurious palaces at a huge cost, hoping to establish a connection with the legendary immortal gate.
However, the king had no time to care even a little about the common people who were in dire straits.
Thinking back to his recent series of unfortunate events, Chai He couldn't help but feel an endless sense of sadness in his heart.
For a dynasty, when it prospers, the people suffer; when it perishes, the people suffer.
Just as this sad mood was gradually spreading, a "gurgling" sound suddenly came from his stomach, abruptly interrupting it.
The tempting aroma of meat and rice was wafting out from the inner room and entering his nose through the air.
The aroma was so rich and fragrant, as if it had some kind of magic, which made Chai He involuntarily turn his head to look towards the inner room. At the same time, his throat began to slide up and down unconsciously, and he swallowed saliva in big gulps.
It smells so good! Just smelling it makes your mouth water.
In the small town, a pound of pork costs more than ten cents, and a bowl of ordinary plain noodles costs as much as seven or eight cents.
But now Chai He searched his whole body and couldn't even find a few copper coins.
Although I repeatedly told myself not to look into the tempting inner room, my body seemed to be completely out of control and my eyes couldn't help but glance in that direction again and again.
And because the noise of swallowing saliva was so loud, even the two people busy in the inner room could clearly hear the sound here.
Just when Chai He felt that he could not hold on any longer and his consciousness gradually became blurred, as if he would faint from hunger in the next second.
Xia He finally came out of the house and called Chai He to come in for dinner.
Hearing this, Chai He, who was almost collapsed on the ground due to hunger, seemed to be instantly injected with strength. He struggled to stand up as quickly as possible, but still muttered:
"How can this be so embarrassing? It's totally inappropriate!"
However, his eyes were like being attracted by a magnet, fixed on the direction of the inner room.
Seeing this, Xia He couldn't help but feel a little helpless, so he had to explain: "My wife and sister have already had their meal. It's not convenient for the women in the house to see guests, so I let them go to the bedroom to rest first."
When Chai He heard this, he wanted to say something, but hunger had already taken over. Without saying a word, he hurried towards the dining table in two steps.
When he finally arrived at the dining table, he saw at a glance the steaming, fragrant white steamed buns, the delicious meat dishes, and a big bowl of rich and delicious broth.
At this moment, Chai He could no longer suppress the impulse in his heart. His eyes lit up, his throat rolled unconsciously a few times, and he wished he could pounce on his food like a hungry tiger.
"I'm so sorry, Master Chai, today's meal is really a bit simple, I don't know if it suits your taste."
Before he finished speaking, Chai He's appetite was already aroused. He didn't care about his image or etiquette at all. He sat down at the table, reached out and grabbed a steamed bun, quickly picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth, then chewed it in big mouthfuls. While eating, he responded incoherently:
"Mmm, delicious, delicious, enough, enough, this food is exactly what I like!"
In a blink of an eye, Chai He devoured all the food on the table like a whirlwind, and only put down his bowl and chopsticks contentedly when his stomach was full.
After eating and drinking, Chai He realized that he had been so busy eating that he had forgotten the purpose of his visit.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed, and a blush suddenly appeared on his cheeks.
So he quickly cleared his throat, adjusted his sitting position, and spoke a little awkwardly about the purpose of his visit. Xia He listened quietly with a smile on his face until Chai He finished speaking.
He just nodded slightly, indicating that he already knew about it and promised to find time to send more medicinal herbs over.
Before leaving, Chai He hesitated to speak, but finally said,
"Brother Xia, I see that you are a kind person, so I'll say a few words. Please don't get involved with those people."
"It will be hard to explain if we wait for the selection officials to come."
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