Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Guo Mingchen was busy with the register when a group of people suddenly appeared outside the courtyard.

Their clothes were noticeably tattered, and the exposed skin on their faces and hands was marked with various injuries.

The man leading them was a burly fellow with a long, terrifying scar running diagonally from his forehead to his chin, as though splitting his face in two.

The group marched forward in a large, imposing procession. The functionaries waiting in line to pay their fees frowned and parted to both sides.

Some covered their noses, others rolled their eyes, their disdain evident.

The newcomers stared straight ahead, as if they didn't even see the people on either side.

Qin Shisong's large, rough palm slammed down on the table. He lowered his head, his fierce tiger-like eyes glaring at Guo Mingchen, his voice hoarse yet forceful. "You had someone say we didn't have to buy the official uniforms this time if we didn't want to?"

Guo Mingchen nodded calmly. "Yes, Registrar Shen said so himself. Don't you believe it, Boss Qin?"

"You officials are all cunning, ruthless, and insatiably greedy. Who dares to believe you?" Qin Shisong cursed the lot of them in one breath, then added in a deep voice, "No matter what medicine this Shen fellow is selling, we Martial Blades aren't buying uniforms this time. If he dares to set traps for us regarding this later, I'll be the first to kill him."

Qin Shisong grabbed Guo Mingchen's collar in warning. "You'd better go back and make it clear to him. Tell him not to think about playing any tricks, you hear?"

Guo Mingchen used the handle of his writing brush to push against Qin Shisong's wrist, nudging it aside. He said flatly, "Rest assured, Boss Qin. Registrar Shen won't do any of the things you're thinking."

"Better not!"

Knowing when to stop, Qin Shisong released his grip following Guo Mingchen's push. With a wave of his hand, the group of Martial Blades followed behind him, leaving in the same imposing manner they had arrived.

Voices only rose in the courtyard again after they had all left.

"They really stink to high heaven."

"Tell me about it. And they're all terrifying, looking like someone owes them a life."

"Honestly, every time I see them, I feel like they're about to take a swipe at me with their blades."

"If the yamen didn't need them to go out and risk their lives, with their kind of status, would they even be fit to appear here?"

Li Baozhu, sitting on a stone in the shade of a nearby tree, rubbed the corner of his eye and called out in a muffled voice, "Enough, all of you shut up. If you've finished paying, go to the public kitchen to eat."

It was almost noon, and he was starving.

At Li Baozhu's command, the Civil Blades all closed their mouths and obediently followed him to the public kitchen for food.

Inside the public kitchen, Qin Shisong had already led his group to their seats.

The interior of the public kitchen was quite large. The dining area was clearly divided into three sections. The best area had screens separating the tables, maintaining a degree of privacy.

The second-best area had comfortable, uncrowded spacing between seats.

The worst area received no sunlight. Not only were the seats cramped together, but it was also separated by just one wall from the place where slop was stored. When the weather was hot, closing the windows made it stuffy; opening them let in the stench.

The three areas were distinct, with significant gaps between each, clearly separated.

Qin Shisong and his Martial Blades sat in the worst area.

That spot was designated specifically for the Martial Blades. It was a rule.

"The prices for food in the public kitchen are getting more and more outrageous! Just this small bowl of leafy greens costs ten wen!"

"You're telling me. The vegetable soup is all water with two leaves floating in it, also ten wen."

"Even though our monthly salary is one tael of silver, which sounds like a lot, we spend just as much. Forget the official uniform fee twice a year—just eating at the public kitchen every day costs at least twenty wen. Out of the remaining four hundred wen, we have to provide for our families. How can that little silver possibly be enough?"

"You're underestimating it. We also have to save some to curry favor with our superiors and grease the wheels. Otherwise, whether we can keep our status as blade-officers is another matter."

"They really are squeezing every last coin out of us."

"Alright, enough of this unhappy talk," one man interrupted, pulling out a small, worn cloth from his robe. Inside were wrapped steamed buns. He ate as he comforted them, "This status isn't without its benefits. Our family's land, within the prescribed limits, is exempt from taxes. And with this status, we earn the respect of commoners. Local bullies don't dare harass our families."

As he spoke, the man took a fierce bite of the dry, hard steamed bun, a determined look in his eyes. "For these benefits alone, no matter how hard or bitter it gets, we have to grit our teeth and persevere."

Oppression, extortion, being looked down upon, getting injured, risking their lives... all of that was nothing compared to being able to improve their families' lives, change their status, and pave a better path for future generations.

They had staked their lives on this, and what they sought had been obtained. The rest didn't matter.

Qin Shisong chewed on his bun, listening to the Martial Blades around him, his face expressionless and silent.

As they were eating, a commotion arose from outside.

"Boss Li! I heard there's sheep face meat today. Shall we have that?"

Li Baozhu looked pained. "Eat, eat, eat! Look how fat you've gotten! All you think about is eating!"

The man who spoke rubbed his own face; it was indeed quite fleshy. He complained, "We have money, we're not short. If there's good food, why not eat it?"

Another man laughed and teased, "Erpang, you'd better stop. Haven't you seen how many gold leaves Boss Li spent today? He's been crying from heartache several times already. Asking him to eat expensive meat now is like stabbing him in the heart!"

Erpang chuckled, slapping his forehead with an apologetic look. "My bad, my bad. How about this? I'll treat Boss Li to a meal as an apology."

Li Baozhu immediately kicked out, landing a foot on each of them. He tilted his head back slightly, feigning anger. "Who said I cried? I got sand in my eyes! What do you know?"

Everyone familiar with him knew his family wasn't short of money, but he loved money like his life, treating it as his most precious treasure.

Every time he spent, he did so extravagantly.

But when he actually had to part with it, he couldn't bear it and would secretly wipe away tears.

This time, Erpang had been so focused on the meat he'd momentarily forgotten this quirk.

Rubbing his kicked backside (it didn't really hurt), he dusted himself off and asked, "So, Boss Li, are you eating or not?"

Li Baozhu spun the ring on his finger and strode forward grandly. "Eat!"

The group entered noisily. The Civil and Martial Blades had never gotten along, always looking down on each other. Every time they encountered each other in the public kitchen, the atmosphere turned strange, tense like a bowstring drawn taut.

The slightest misstep could spark a conflict.

Today was no exception.

Once inside, the Civil Blades led by Li Baozhu immediately turned serious, their playful banter ceasing.

The Martial Blades led by Qin Shisong ate their meals in silence, no longer complaining about the high prices.

For a moment, the vast public kitchen was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Li Baozhu led his group to the food counter to get their meals.

On the food counter, meat dishes, vegetable dishes, soups, and staple foods were arranged. All were neatly placed in pottery bowls and lined up in order; one could simply take whatever they wanted to eat.

At the front of the counter hung wooden signs with the prices written on them.

Even if you couldn't read, it didn't matter—the person responsible for replenishing the dishes would call out the prices.

The bowl of lamb cheek meat that Li Baozhu wanted to eat cost three hundred wen and was limited in quantity. A quick look showed it was mostly vegetables with little meat, but he just loved the tender taste of that specific cut.

He pulled Erpang over. "I'm going to have two bowls today."

Although Erpang's family was somewhat well-off, spending six hundred wen all at once still made his heart ache a little.

But since the words were already out, and considering that Li Baozhu was actually quite generous to them when not spending such a large sum at once, Erpang's pain in taking out the money was lessened.

Li Baozhu happily held the two bowls of meat he had obtained for free and found a seat.

Shen Yuan still remembered the rule about having to eat at the public canteen.

As noon approached, Shen Yuan was also hungry and got up to leave.

Xu Kangfu knew he was going to the public canteen and said to him, "Lord Shen, if you don't want to go, you don't have to. The rule that officials must eat at the public canteen doesn't strictly apply to senior officials."

However, the lower-ranking clerks were required to eat at the public canteen, and it wasn't free—they all had to pay.

Shen Yuan understood—this was squeezing those petty officials dry.

Shen Yuan had come prepared today, bringing five strings of cash, planning to take Guo Mingchen, Xu Kangfu, and Ji Pingan out to a restaurant in the evening for a proper meal.

Since he had no plans for the afternoon anyway, he decided to eat at the public canteen.

He had never seen the yamen's public canteen before and was curious about what it was like.

Since Shen Yuan was going, Guo Mingchen and Xu Kangfu naturally followed.

Their assigned task was to follow Shen Yuan's arrangements and protect his safety within the county government premises.

The public canteen was not far from the government office, in a separate courtyard.

The courtyard was quite spacious, with only an old loquat tree and a row of large storerooms.

The stove was outside, covered by a shed.

There were also two small kitchens with their doors open; Shen Yuan caught a glimpse inside and figured that was probably where the finer dishes were prepared.

Shen Yuan walked while looking around, and upon entering the dining room, he immediately sensed something was off.

At a glance, the room was full of people.

But it was eerily quiet, with only the faint sounds of chewing and swallowing.

Everyone turned their heads at the arrival of the three. Under the gaze of many eyes, Shen Yuan walked nonchalantly to the food counter.

He was long accustomed to being stared at by crowds; this number of people was nothing to him.

Not only could he calmly pass through the crowd's gaze, but he also took the opportunity to look around.

It really did have the feel of a public cafeteria, just more plain and ancient in style—likely due to craftsmanship limitations, the tables, chairs, and benches were simple and sturdy, standing squarely in place.

The distinction between the civil and military clerks was also very clear.

On one side, four people sat at a table with only two pottery bowls of vegetable dishes and two bowls of thin vegetable soup, all holding steamed cornbread buns to eat.

The vegetable soup was mostly water, and Shen Yuan noticed the portions of the vegetable dishes were small, not enough for more than a few bites per person.

On the other side, there were tables for four and tables for two. Each table had both meat and vegetable dishes, along with freshly steamed millet rice. Although the portions in the individual pottery bowls were small, there were many bowls on their tables.

The three walked to the food counter. Shen Yuan had learned to read characters from his secret guard master, so he read the price signs himself.

It was fine until he looked, but what he saw startled him.

Had he encountered a "canteen assassin"?

Thankfully, he had brought money.

He said to Guo and Xu, "Take whatever you want to eat. I'm treating you."

There would be many times in the future when he would need their help, so he wouldn't shortchange them when it came to food and drink.

Guo Mingchen said, "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Shen. However, aside from the clerks, the other higher-ranking officials don't have to pay when eating in the canteen."

The senior officials in the yamen—the leaders of various positions—numbered thirty-six in total.

Shen Yuan once again updated his understanding of the situation. After a moment of silence, he said, "You take what you want."

Guo Mingchen and Xu Kangfu did not go against Shen Yuan's wishes and followed his instructions to choose their dishes.

One meat dish, one vegetable dish, plus a bowl of millet rice.

Shen Yuan took the same as the two of them, totaling two hundred and twenty-five wen.

Copper coins were extremely heavy, and since he hadn't expected it to be so expensive, he had only brought one hundred wen with him.

Not having enough money, Shen Yuan asked Guo Mingchen to take his portion of the meal and find a seat first—any seat, as long as it was empty.

Shen Yuan intended to go back to his office to fetch more copper coins.

After all, the distance wasn't far—just a fifteen-minute round trip.

Guo Mingchen and Xu Kangfu didn't let him go. Instead, they each pulled out some copper coins from their own pockets, pooling together enough to cover the meal for Shen Yuan.

Relieved to avoid the extra trip, Shen Yuan said, "I'll pay you back later."

Both nodded—whatever Shen Yuan said, they would follow.

Shen Yuan placed the two strings of cash and the additional twenty-five copper coins on the payment area and said to the clerk keeping records, "This is for three bowls of stewed chicken, three bowls of steamed vegetables, and three bowls of millet rice."

The clerk had been busy with his head down, calculating money with his abacus beads clattering loudly. In the midst of his work, he glanced up at Shen Yuan's official robe and said, "Sir, you don't need to pay."

Shen Yuan's face showed no expression; he simply asked calmly, "Does no one have to pay?"