"Hall Master, these are the keys to your residence on the second floor of the Water Fortress, these are the keys to the Pavilion the gang has provided for you in the county town, and this is your token."
Chen Ying took out two strings of keys and a token.
"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 the case, I'll return to the county town first. Deputy Hall Master Chen, if anything comes up, come find me at the Pavilion."
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 galloped straight toward the county town.
Feng Tie, Ma San, and the other four followed close behind.
Upon reaching the county town, the seven of them arrived at the Pavilion under Feng Tie's guidance.
Lu Shaolin looked up. It was a three-story Pavilion with a large courtyard, and it looked quite elegant.
At the courtyard gate, Lu Shaolin took out the key and opened it.
Behind the gate was a Side Room.
Flowers, plants, and trees had been planted along both sides of the courtyard, while a Gazebo stood in the center.
The stable was located behind the Pavilion.
Inside the Pavilion, the first floor contained a main hall, side rooms, a kitchen, and a storage room.
The second and third floors contained things like the Study and bedrooms.
The group sat down in the main hall. Feng Tie smiled. "Hall Master, you should hire some maids and servants."
"We'll discuss that later. By the way, Ma San, Li Cai, the two of you hire a carriage and bring the Dong Family sisters here. Tell them to pack their things. We'll be living here from now on."
Lu Shaolin instructed the two of them.
"Yes, Hall Master!"
The two clasped their fists in acknowledgment, then turned and left.
"Hall Master, you've only just taken office. You should also host a banquet for the higher-ups in the gang."
Feng Tie added. He had been in the Blackwater Gang for many years and understood such matters extremely well.
"There's no rush. We'll talk about it after we've settled in over the next few days."
Lu Shaolin waved a hand.
The group waited until noon, but Ma San and Li Cai had yet to return.
Lu Shaolin rubbed his stomach, then 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 should be exchangeable, right?"
"They can be exchanged, Hall Master."
Feng Tie accepted the banknotes.
"Then go and return quickly."
Lu Shaolin said.
"Yes!"
Feng Tie turned and left.
Before long, he returned carrying several large bundles of food.
After handing the exchanged banknotes and several ingots of silver to Lu Shaolin, the group began wolfing down the food.
After they had eaten, the sound of hooves rang out beyond the courtyard.
Feng Tie went out to check. It was 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 bitter smile at all the things they had brought.
Ma San and Li Cai's horses were laden with grain, bedding, clothes, and the like, while the hired carriage was piled high with even more belongings.
The two sisters looked as though they wanted to move the entire house over.
Dong Linger entered the courtyard and curtsied to Lu Shaolin.
The others carried the belongings into the Pavilion and put everything away one by one.
Naturally, Lu Shaolin was not among them. He simply sat in the main hall drinking tea while Dong Linger stood behind him and massaged his shoulders.
They worked until the afternoon before everything was finally arranged.
Dong Jia was delighted. She did not feel tired even after finishing the work, and ran to the kitchen to begin cooking.
Dong Linger hurried to the kitchen to help as well.
Of the six men, Ma San remained behind while the others left one after another.
Lu Shaolin went up to the bedroom on the third floor. He occupied an entire 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 all his clothes had been neatly folded in the wardrobe.
Lu Shaolin leaned his spear against the bedside, then fell back onto the bed.
He could now be considered a man with his own building.
After lying there for a while, he got up and went downstairs, figuring that dinner would soon be ready.
When he reached the main hall, he saw Dong Jia placing dishes on a round redwood table.
"Young Master, you're down. I was just about to have Ling'er call you."
Dong Jia brushed back the hair by her ear and spoke softly.
"I figured dinner was nearly ready, so I came down."
Lu Shaolin said with a smile.
He then sat down at the round table.
"Where's Ma San?"
Lu Shaolin asked as he looked outside.
"Hall Master, I'm here!"
Ma San called as he walked over carrying a plate of greens.
Once all the dishes had been served, the four sat around the table and began eating.
Ma San ate as though a starving ghost had been reincarnated, endlessly shoveling food into his mouth.
He had not eaten lunch and had worked the entire afternoon, so he was truly famished.
After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.
Early the next morning, just as dawn broke, Lu Shaolin woke up.
He had thought himself the earliest riser, but when he went downstairs, Dong Jia was already cleaning the main hall.
Judging by the sweat on her forehead, she had been up for quite some time.
"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 said, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.
"Why clean every room? Just clean the few rooms we live in."
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 mold over time."
Dong Jia explained.
"Wouldn't that exhaust you, doing it all alone?"
Lu Shaolin frowned.
"It's fine. I only need to wake up a little earlier each 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 spear, Lu Shaolin began practicing his staff technique.
The whistling sound of Skybreak rang out continuously.
By the time he had finished warming up, Ma San had risen as well.
Lu Shaolin greeted him, then went to wash up by the well outside the kitchen.
After washing up, he saw Dong Jia hurrying into the kitchen to cook.
Lu Shaolin walked over to the Gazebo, 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. There are family members of convicted officials, as well as people who can no longer survive and place their children in the Brokerage Office to be bought and sold."
"Doesn't that mean I can buy as many as I want?"
Lu Shaolin raised an eyebrow.
"That's indeed the case, but it isn't only the master who chooses the servants. The servants choose their masters too. A contract can only be signed if both parties agree."
"Furthermore, masters cannot casually beat, kill, or abuse servants. Servants must report to the Brokerage Office once every three months. If they fail to appear on time, the Brokerage Office will report it to the yamen, and the yamen will come to search for them."
"If a servant claims to have been abused, then once the Brokerage Office verifies it, they may 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 joining the gang, I was a broker."
Ma San said calmly.
Lu Shaolin stared in shock. 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 failed to close a single deal.
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