Turning Over to Be a Human

The next day was the seventh day of the New Year.

By early morning, the snow had already stopped.

Xie An got up early and instructed Han Li and He Chunli to wipe down the pawnshop in preparation for reopening the next day.

After seven days of recuperation, He Chunli could already walk with a crutch. Although he could not do any heavy work, he was still able to lend Han Li a hand.

Seeing his two disciples working diligently, Xie An found an excuse to leave. He first went to Chen Martial Arts School to borrow a horse from Chen He, then headed straight for the county seat.

Although Li Ru had returned the deed of sale from back then and written a letter releasing him from servitude, that did not mean Xie An was free yet.

According to the Great Qian Dynasty's redemption process, a servant first had to apply to his master for redemption and obtain a letter stating that the master had voluntarily released him.

He then had to pay the redemption fee and take the letter to the county yamen's household registry office for examination by the clerk.

Once the examination was approved, the household registry office would issue the appropriate documents, proving that the servant had become a free commoner. Finally, his household registration had to be changed, removing him from the slave registry and transferring him to the commoner registry.

Only after completing the entire process could Xie An be considered an upright subject of Great Qian, entitled to enjoy the rights and bear the obligations of a commoner.

Although everything had more or less been settled, Xie An still did not dare relax before his household registration was changed.

At the start of the hour of the Snake, Xie An arrived at the county yamen's household registry office and queued outside.

There were quite a few people waiting to conduct business at the household registry office today.

There were roughly a dozen people ahead of him.

Xie An, standing at the very back of the line, was in no hurry. He simply waited in silence.

Although Qingwu County was located in a remote area, it was quite large, governing a population of five hundred thousand.

What was more, the household registry office had plenty of daily affairs to handle. Besides registering and transferring household records, it was also responsible for collecting taxes and grain throughout the county, converting the grain collected from the people into silver, melting it into ingots, medium ingots, sycees, and other forms, and submitting it to the imperial treasury.

In addition, the household registry office also managed the fish-scale cadastral registers and the land and grain ledgers, and was responsible for distributing relief and arranging disaster-relief grain, among other matters.

It was only the beginning of the hour of the Snake, two hours before the county yamen's midday break. Xie An felt certain he would reach the front of the line.

But...

The clerk inside the household registry office suddenly announced that he had to use the latrine. When he returned, he glanced at the sky and said to everyone, "It's getting late. Come back this afternoon."

Xie An was utterly speechless.

No wonder the world was now plagued by war and disorder. One could glimpse the whole leopard from the clerk's attitude toward his work.

The people in line grumbled and muttered a few complaints before having no choice but to disperse.

Xie An did not complain. Many of the slackers in his previous life had acted exactly like this, and he was long accustomed to it. However, he did not leave with the crowd. Instead, he stayed until the end and walked to the entrance of the household registry office after everyone else had gone.

The clerk said listlessly, "Didn't I say to come back this afternoon...? Uh, then we'll process your business as well."

Before the clerk could finish, Xie An offered him a piece of broken silver, and the clerk changed his tune.

Xie An took out the deed of sale and Li Manor's letter, handed them over together, and explained the purpose of his visit.

The original deed of sale recorded Xie An's former identity, origins, age, and circumstances. Li Manor's letter expressed its intention to release him from servitude voluntarily. Together, the two documents made registering his household status convenient.

Of course, some servants had never had a deed of sale, or had lost theirs. In such cases, registration could be completed using only a letter of release from the Household.

The clerk accepted the documents and glanced over them, looking quite surprised. "Thirty-one years ago, you were twenty years old and came to Qingwu County as a refugee fleeing disaster. Your origins and background were unknown. By that calculation, you're fifty-one now... At your age, life will be difficult after leaving your master. Are you certain you want to redeem yourself?"

After accepting Xie An's money, the clerk asked out of concern.

He had handled quite a few redemption cases, but someone coming to redeem himself at fifty... This was the first time he had ever seen it.

Xie An replied firmly, "I am certain."

The clerk said no more and immediately processed Xie An's paperwork.

In the end, Xie An saw with his own eyes that his household status had been changed to that of a commoner, giving him the obligations of paying taxes and submitting grain, as well as the rights to report crimes and sit for the imperial examinations. Only then did he thank the clerk and leave.

As he walked out of the county yamen's gate, Xie An let out a long breath of relief.

He raised his head and looked at the sun overhead, feeling that the sunlight was exceptionally bright. Even the gentle breeze carried warmth. He truly felt as though he were bathed in the spring breeze.

"After thirty years as a slave, I've finally turned my life around!"

Xie An could not help laughing.

Ordinarily, Xie An was not someone who wore his emotions on his face. But today's matter was simply too important to him. The gloom that had weighed on his heart for thirty years came pouring out in one thunderous release.

He was truly happy.

From now on, he was finally an upright man.

He could marry and have children. He could live openly and honorably.

"How did that poem by the great Li Bai go again...? 'How could we be mere mugwort in the wild? I throw back my head and laugh as I walk out the gate...'"

Xie An ignored the surprised looks of the gate guards and left with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.

Rubbing his growling stomach, Xie An went to a nearby affordable eatery and ordered a bowl of braised mutton, spicy numbing lamb's head, some peanuts, and a pot of warm wine. He then began to feast.

He ate great mouthfuls of meat and drank great gulps of wine. What bliss!

The only thing was that he felt he was missing a kindred soul with whom he could share his joy.

If, at the height of life's triumphs, one could drink and eat meat while exchanging toasts and singing with a kindred soul, that would be the true joy of life.

There was no kindred soul beside him now, so Xie An could only drink alone, occasionally lifting his cup and tilting it toward the sun in the sky.

If time could turn back, Xie An truly wished he could share a drink with the great Li Bai.

During the meal, Xie An heard the diners next door discussing something.

"Have you heard? Tang Family Fort has recently thrown open its gates and begun recruiting gifted youths to cultivate the Health Cultivation Technique."

"Anyone who passes the trials will receive five taels of silver every month. They may even have a chance to become a successor of Tang Family Fort."

"That's incredible. If someone is chosen as a successor of Tang Family Fort, they'd be set for life. It's one of the foremost prestigious families in Qingwu County."

"Perhaps Old Mr. Tang's health is deteriorating. Tang Family Fort is worried that its secret art will be lost, so it's urgently throwing money around to recruit talent."

"I wonder which family's young man will have such good fortune..."

"..."

Xie An was startled when he heard this.

Several months ago, when he had come to the county seat with Chen He, he had also heard people discussing Tang Family Fort.

Now that he had returned, the same topic was still making the rounds.

Xie An turned his head and looked over, discovering that most of the people in the eatery's main hall were passionately discussing the matter. It was clear that Tang Family Fort truly wielded tremendous influence in Qingwu County. It could indeed be counted among the foremost prestigious families.

"Should I go and try my luck as well? The Health Cultivation Technique suits me, after all..."

The thought stirred in Xie An's heart, but he immediately recalled that everyone was saying Tang Family Fort was recruiting gifted youths. He was a half-century-old man, after all. Wouldn't he be laughed at if he went there rashly?

"I'll just buy some gifts and go visit Master Tang Qingfeng. I can treat it as thanks for Master Tang's instruction back then. That would be perfectly reasonable."