Moving into the County Seat

"Hall Master, these are the keys to your residence on the second floor of the Water Fortress, these are the keys to the loft the gang has provided for you in the county seat, and this is your token."

Chen Ying took out two key rings and a token as he spoke.

"Mm."

Lu Shaolin reached out and accepted them.

The Hall Master's token was made of bronze. The front bore the words Blackwater Gang External Affairs Hall, while the back bore the words Hall Master. Its edges were decorated with patterns.

"Since that is settled, I'll return to the county seat first. Deputy Hall Master Chen, if anything comes up, come find me at the loft."

Lu Shaolin rose to his feet.

"Yes!"

Chen Ying replied.

Lu Shaolin then walked out of the External Affairs Hall, mounted his Black-Mane Horse, and headed straight for the county seat.

Feng Tie, Ma San, and the other four followed closely behind.

Upon reaching the county seat, the seven of them arrived at the loft under Feng Tie's guidance.

Lu Shaolin looked up and saw a three-story loft with a large courtyard. It looked quite elegant.

Arriving at the courtyard gate, Lu Shaolin took out the key and unlocked it.

Behind the gate stood a side room.

Flowers, grass, and trees were planted on both sides of the courtyard, with a pavilion in the center.

The stable was located behind the loft.

Inside the loft, the first floor contained a main hall, side rooms, a kitchen, and a storage room.

The second and third floors contained studies, bedrooms, and the like.

The group sat down in the main hall, and Feng Tie said with a smile, "Hall Master, you'll need to hire some maids and servants."

"We'll discuss that later. By the way, Ma San, Li Cai, hire a carriage and bring the Dong sisters here. Have them pack their things. We'll be living here from now on."

Lu Shaolin instructed the two men.

"Yes, Hall Master!"

The two clasped their fists in acknowledgment, then turned and left.

"Hall Master, since you've just taken office, you should host a banquet for the gang's higher-ups."

Feng Tie spoke again. Having spent many years in the Blackwater Gang, he was extremely familiar with such matters.

"No hurry. We'll talk about it after we've settled in over the next few days."

Lu Shaolin waved a hand.

They waited until noon, yet Ma San and Li Cai still had not returned.

Lu Shaolin rubbed his stomach, took out the five bloodstained banknotes, and handed them to Feng Tie. "Feng Tie, exchange these banknotes, then buy some food and bring it back. They can still be exchanged, right?"

"They can, Hall Master."

Feng Tie accepted the banknotes.

"Then go quickly and come back quickly."

Lu Shaolin said.

"Yes!"

Feng Tie turned and left.

Before long, he returned carrying several large packages of food.

After handing the exchanged banknotes and several silver ingots to Lu Shaolin, they all began eating heartily.

After they finished eating, the sound of hoofbeats rose outside the courtyard.

Feng Tie went out to check. It was indeed Ma San and Li Cai, who had brought the two sisters over.

Lu Shaolin stepped outside and could not help shaking his head with a wry smile when he saw the things they had brought.

Grain, bedding, clothes, and other items were tied to Ma San and Li Cai's horses, while the hired carriage was piled full of belongings.

The two sisters practically wanted to move the entire house over.

Dong Linger slipped into the courtyard and curtsied to Lu Shaolin.

The others moved the belongings into the loft and put everything away one by one.

Naturally, this did not include Lu Shaolin. He simply sat in the main hall drinking tea while Dong Linger massaged his shoulders behind him.

They remained busy until the afternoon before all the belongings were properly sorted.

Dong Jia was delighted. Even after finishing the work, she did not feel tired and ran to the kitchen to begin cooking again.

Dong Linger hurried after her to help in the kitchen.

Of the six men, Ma San stayed behind while the rest departed.

Lu Shaolin went up to the bedroom on the third floor. He occupied one floor by himself, while the sisters lived on the second floor.

Ma San stayed in the side room and was responsible for guarding the gate.

The bedding in the bedroom had already been laid out, and his clothes had been folded neatly inside the wardrobe.

Lu Shaolin leaned his long spear against the bedside and lay back on the bed.

Now, he could be considered someone who owned a loft.

After lying there for a while, he got up and went downstairs, figuring that dinner would be ready soon.

When he reached the main hall, he saw Dong Jia placing dishes on the redwood round table.

"Young Master, you're down. I was just about to have Linger call you!"

Dong Jia tucked the loose hair by her ear back and spoke softly.

"I figured dinner would be ready soon, so I came down."

Lu Shaolin said with a smile.

After speaking, he sat down at the round table.

"Where's Ma San?"

Lu Shaolin looked toward the courtyard outside.

"Hall Master, I'm here!"

Ma San walked over carrying a plate of greens.

Once all the dishes had been served, the four sat at the table and began eating.

Ma San ate like a starving ghost reborn, constantly stuffing food into his mouth.

He had not eaten at noon and had worked all afternoon, so he was truly starving.

After dinner, they each returned to their rooms to rest.

Early the next morning, just as the sky began to brighten, Lu Shaolin woke up.

He had thought he was the earliest one awake, but when he went downstairs, he found Dong Jia already cleaning the main hall.

Judging from the sweat on her forehead, she had been up for a while.

"Why are you up so early?"

Lu Shaolin asked as he entered the main hall.

"Good morning, Young Master. I was thinking of cleaning every room today."

Dong Jia wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

"Why clean every room? Just clean the few rooms we use."

Lu Shaolin said directly.

No one lived in the other rooms, so what was the point of cleaning them?

"Young Master, this is your residence after all. If the other rooms aren't cleaned, they'll grow moldy over time."

Dong Jia explained.

"Wouldn't that be exhausting for you alone?"

Lu Shaolin frowned.

"It's all right. I only need to get up a little earlier in the morning."

Dong Jia said with a smile.

"All right."

Lu Shaolin nodded helplessly, then turned and walked into the courtyard, thinking that he would hire a few maids and servants today.

With a flick of his long spear, Lu Shaolin began practicing his staff techniques.

The whistling sound of Skybreak rang out continuously.

After he had finished warming up, Ma San also got up.

Lu Shaolin greeted him, then went to wash up beside the well outside the kitchen.

After washing up, he saw Dong Jia hurrying into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Lu Shaolin walked to the pavilion, sat down, and quietly drank tea while waiting for the meal to be ready.

After breakfast, Lu Shaolin left the courtyard with Ma San.

Neither of them rode a horse. They traveled on foot.

"Ma San, where is the Brokerage Office?"

Lu Shaolin asked as they walked.

"It's on East Street. Hall Master, are you looking to hire servants?"

Ma San asked.

"Mm, let's go take a look."

"Then Hall Master, why not simply buy two maids?"

"The Brokerage Office sells maids?"

"Yes. The Brokerage Office is government-run. It handles the families of convicted officials, as well as children sold there by those too impoverished to survive."

"Wouldn't that mean you could buy as many as you wanted?"

Lu Shaolin raised a brow.

"That is indeed the case, but it isn't only the master who chooses the servants. The servants also choose their masters. A contract can only be signed if both sides agree."

"And the master cannot casually beat, kill, or abuse servants. Servants must report to the Brokerage Office once every three months. If they fail to show up on time, the Brokerage Office reports it to the yamen, and the yamen will come looking for them."

"If a servant claims to have been abused, then after the Brokerage Office verifies it, the servant can unilaterally terminate the contract."

Ma San explained in detail.

"That's rather humane. But how do you know all this?"

Lu Shaolin asked curiously.

"Before I joined the gang, I worked as a broker."

Ma San said calmly.

Lu Shaolin was stunned. Ma San had actually been a broker?

Brokers made their living with their mouths. No wonder Ma San had joined a gang afterward—he had probably never closed a single deal.