Bai Yu let out a breath of relief, squeezed out of the crowd, and bowed with cupped hands to all four directions.
He then saluted Manager Wu and Daoist Lin Jiu respectively.
Daoist Lin Jiu nodded impassively.
Everyone else was busy currying favor with Manager Wu and basically ignored him outright.
Bai Yu had made a favorable impression simply through his manners.
Daoist Lin Jiu took the initiative to ask:
"Young friend, what are you good at?"
Bai Yu replied confidently:
"I am skilled at playing the suona."
"A piece of 'Grand Funeral Procession,' dedicated to all the friends in the audience."
He drew a deep breath and raised the suona to his lips.
When the suona sounded, fathers and mothers had raised their children for nothing.
One tune could break the heart and wrench the guts; at the ends of the earth, where could one find a kindred soul?
The lingering suona melody drowned out the clamor of the crowd.
Its mournful tune stirred the sorrow buried in everyone's hearts.
Some people's eyes reddened at once, though no one knew whether they were thinking of deceased parents or beautiful wives who had married away.
When the piece ended, the venue fell silent, and no one spoke for a long while.
Daoist Lin Jiu nodded repeatedly and sighed:
"Mournful without being damaging, wistful in remembrance of those long gone. The suona even carries a slight soul-calming effect."
"This kid was born to eat from this bowl."
He asked again:
"Little brother, I see that your qi and blood are abundant. Have you practiced martial arts?"
Bai Yu nodded.
"Daoist, your eyes are as sharp as torches. I have indeed learned a few crude farming-style moves."
Martial artists possessed abundant qi and blood. An expert could tell roughly how strong someone was at a glance.
However, Bai Yu was different. Cultivating the Five Elements Fist consumed qi and blood, so his qi and blood only remained somewhat stronger than an ordinary person's.
Others would only assume Bai Yu was an unranked martial artist, never realizing that he had already reached the Second Rank Muscle Forging Realm.
Daoist Lin Jiu nodded again and again.
"He has practiced martial arts, his qi and blood are plentiful, and he is supremely confident and full of courage."
"Most rare of all, his suona performance is nearly at the height of perfection. It already rivals that of a master funeral musician."
Manager Wu, standing to the side, formed an idea.
It was clear that Daoist Lin Jiu greatly appreciated this suona-playing kid.
The kid was indeed outstanding, practically the ideal candidate for a mortuary attendant.
Even if they selected from all several hundred people, there was an eighty percent chance this suona-playing kid would be chosen.
Since that was the case, he might as well do Lin Jiu a favor.
It would also spare him from standing out here in the wind and sun. Wouldn't it be more enjoyable to go to Spring Breeze Pavilion and loosen his muscles?
He spoke up:
"Since Daoist Lin Jiu likes him so much, there is no need to keep selecting. Let this suona-playing kid have the position."
Bai Yu was overjoyed upon hearing this and saluted Manager Wu and Daoist Lin Jiu with cupped hands.
The others present were bitterly disappointed, and the several hundred people erupted into a noisy uproar.
Some knew their abilities fell short of Bai Yu's and left with their heads hanging.
Others shouted that it was unfair. They did not dare question the four people who had entered through the back door, so they only dared envy Bai Yu, who had gotten in on his own merits.
Those who had originally planned to enter through the back door, meanwhile, bore a grudge against Bai Yu, believing that he had stolen their slots.
Just as the crowd was about to cause a scene, Manager Wu slapped the table and barked:
"What are you making such a racket for? Keep shouting, and when your people die, you won't even have a place to bury them."
Those words immediately cowed everyone present.
Only then did the crowd disperse unwillingly.
Manager Wu rose leisurely and stretched.
"Daoist Lin, this kid is the mortuary's now. Today has exhausted me to death. I need to go to Spring Breeze Pavilion and loosen my muscles."
With that, Manager Wu left as well, taking several servants with him.
Daoist Lin had a mortuary attendant named Zhu Tong take Bai Yu to get settled.
Zhu Tong's nickname was "Know-It-All" Zhu, and he was exceptionally good at handling people.
After only a few words, he acted as though he had known Bai Yu for ages and called him brother, greatly easing Bai Yu's sense of unfamiliarity.
"Brother Bai, take this identity token and this set of attendant's clothes. From now on, you are one of us at the mortuary."
Bai Yu accepted the clothes and identity token, saying:
"Thank you for showing me the way, Brother Tong. But there is one thing I do not understand. May I ask you about it?"
Zhu Tong said:
"Brother Bai, just ask whatever you do not understand."
Bai Yu said:
"Didn't they recruit five people this time? Where are the others besides me?"
Zhu Tong smiled.
"You don't understand. They all have connections, so they do not work."
He leaned in close and spoke to Bai Yu mysteriously:
"Brother Bai, let me tell you. Our mortuary has more than fifty official positions. Guess how many people we actually have now?"
Bai Yu hesitated.
"This mortuary is so large. There should be at least thirty or forty people, right?"
Zhu Tong shook his head.
"You are still too young. The mortuary should have fifty-six people, but only six are actually here. There is also one who only comes to collect money."
"The rest do not need to work. There is a saying: 'Managers do not manage, workers do not work.' The ones truly running around and staying busy are attendants like us."
Bai Yu was instantly dumbfounded.
This salary-grafting was far too outrageous. So only a fraction had actually shown up.
At this moment, Zhu Tong led Bai Yu to a hall and said:
"This is where Officer Wu De works. He handles things like handing out wages."
"Go to him for a set of bedding, then claim yourself a room."
He pulled Bai Yu closer and quietly warned him:
"Pockmarked Wu's nickname is Wu the Unvirtuous. Be careful around him."
Bai Yu entered the hall and, sure enough, saw a pockmarked man who was also extremely fat, like a miniature Manager Wu.
At the moment, he lay squinting in a rocking chair.
A pot of tea sat steeping on the table beside him, its fragrance rich and strong.
Bai Yu vaguely remembered that this Wu the Unvirtuous, with his pockmarked face, had seemed to be one of the people bustling around Manager Wu earlier.
Bai Yu stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said:
"Officer Wu, I am Bai Yu, a newly arrived attendant. I have come to report in and collect a set of bedding."
Wu De slowly opened his eyes and glanced at Bai Yu.
First, he picked up the small teapot beside him and took a sip. Only then did he say blandly:
"What unfortunate timing. There is no bedding left here. Go outside and buy a few sets to make do for now."
"When the higher-ups allocate funds someday, we will issue you some."
Zhu Tong said from the side:
"Officer Wu, then could you approve a room for Brother Bai so he can get settled first?"
Wu De glared.
"The rooms are public property. How can they be casually assigned to just anyone?"
"If the higher-ups hold us accountable for occupying public property, can you bear the blame?"
Bai Yu understood at once.
The recruitment notice had said lodging was included. Wu the Unvirtuous was changing his tune at the last moment for no reason other than to squeeze out a little profit.
He took a string of copper coins from his robes and said with a grin:
"Officer Wu, I arrived in a hurry and did not bring any gifts. Please accept this little bit of money for a cup of tea."
Wu De casually weighed it in his hand and estimated that it contained two or three hundred coins.
Only then did he pile on a smile, as though he had suddenly remembered something:
"Now that you mention it, I just remembered that the higher-ups allocated twenty more quilts a few days ago. They are in the storeroom. Go pick one yourself."
"Oh, and quite a few of our mortuary's rooms are for receiving the relatives and friends of the deceased. No one usually stays in them."
"Little Bai, go pick a room in the Human Courtyard. It will make work more convenient too."
Only after Wu the Unvirtuous nodded did Bai Yu finally get settled.
He chose a relatively secluded courtyard, which would make it easier to practice martial arts in the future.
That night, Bai Yu looked at the moon outside the window and said to Little Black:
"Little Black, the funeral processions start tomorrow. Our happy life is about to begin."
Before you continue