Disbanding the Corpse Seamstress Workshop

A night passed without a word. The next day, at a quarter past Chen hour (7:15 AM - 9:15 AM), it was already past the time for breakfast, but it still hadn't arrived.

Uncle Fang, Old Zhou, Lai Liu, Li San, and two other Corpse Seamstresses gathered together, muttering amongst themselves, each with a grim expression.

They hadn't eaten since last night and didn't dare leave the Corpse Seamstress Workshop to find something to eat on the street. If this continued, they would starve to death.

Wen Qingkong emerged at just the right moment.

Uncle Fang saw him. "Little Wen, are you hungry?"

Wen Qingkong nodded.

Old Zhou took a puff of his dry pipe, his brow furrowed so deeply it could almost pinch a mosquito to death.

"What rotten luck! Zhang Quan is dead, and now he doesn't care about us anymore?"

Wen Qingkong said, "Let's shout a few times at the intersection later. Surely someone selling food will come to do business."

Uncle Fang and the others nodded. They were used to having food delivered and had always remembered that they shouldn't leave the Corpse Seamstress Workshop casually. They hadn't quite wrapped their heads around the situation.

Li San busily got up. "I'll go right now!"

Wen Qingkong immediately pressed down on his shoulder.

Li San was taken aback. Wen Qingkong raised his chin at him.

Li San turned his head to look and saw a thin clerk, accompanied by two Yamen Runners in black uniforms, walking towards them.

Li San trembled with fear and quickly retreated to the side.

"Perfect, you're all here."

"The court has an announcement. I'm here to inform you."

The clerk was bossy, not even bothering to lift his eyelids.

"The court has decided to dissolve the Corpse Seamstress Workshop. You must move out of here immediately. I will come to take over the house tomorrow."

Like a bolt from the blue, it struck the heart of everyone present.

Uncle Fang, Old Zhou, and the others were all stunned.

The Corpse Seamstress Workshop was gone?

What would they do then?

Now, not only did they not have anything to eat, but they also didn't have a place to live.

Li San said urgently, "Then where will we go?"

The clerk glanced at him and sneered, "I don't care where you go. I only know that I'm coming to take the house tomorrow. This is Ministry of Justice property. You can't expect to get it for free!"

Li San was so anxious he was hopping on the spot.

The clerk snorted coldly, "You should be happy. Without the Corpse Seamstress Workshop, you're free. As far as I know, most of you are refugees who fled to Yujing City. Now, with the money you've saved over the years, go back to your hometowns. Isn't that better than being confined to this Corpse Seamstress Workshop?"

The clerk's words quieted the Corpse Seamstresses. Some people's eyes flickered. From that perspective, it was indeed a good thing.

As the clerk was about to leave, Wen Qingkong stepped forward, subtly grabbed the clerk, and a few copper coins slipped into the clerk's hand.

The clerk's constantly drooping face finally gained a bit of color.

"Sir, I have a question."

"Speak."

"I want to buy this house to settle down. How much silver will it cost?"

"Oh?"

The clerk's drooping eyelids couldn't help but lift a little, and he sized up Wen Qingkong.

"You have money?"

Wen Qingkong quickly smiled apologetically, "How could I have any money? It's just that if I leave here, I have nowhere else to go. When I fled to Yujing City, I heard that I had a relative in Yujing City who was doing pretty well."

"My parents planned to go to him, but we encountered bandits on the way, and I ended up in the Corpse Seamstress Workshop by mistake."

"The rules of the Corpse Seamstress Workshop are that we can't leave, so I haven't visited him."

"Now that this situation has arisen, I'm thinking of visiting him to see if I can borrow some money. I can do corpse sewing here, and maybe I can survive."

"Sir, don't you think so?"

"Mm."

The clerk nodded. This young man had a brain.

The Corpse Seamstresses' skill was only corpse sewing. Without corpse sewing, what would they eat?

Moreover, no one really cared about the Corpse Seamstress Workshop. It was just that the Ministry of Justice clerk always wanted to take advantage of the situation to get something, after all, it was a row of houses.

"Which house are you in?"

"The innermost one, House Number Nine. No matter what you want to do, sir, I won't get in your way."

Wen Qingkong's Corpse Seamstress House Number Nine was the furthest in, with a river at the back and a river on the west side. He essentially occupied the corner where the river turned.

When the clerk saw that it was Number Nine, he nodded again. This house really wasn't in the way.

He rolled his eyes and said with a smile, "This house has two floors, built under the personal supervision of the Ministry of Public Works. It's made with good bricks and a lot of effort. How about this, considering you also work for the imperial court, I'll give you the deed for fifty taels of silver."

"F... Fifty taels!"

Wen Qingkong's eyes widened, and he stammered.

Uncle Fang, Old Zhou, and others who had the same thoughts as Wen Qingkong also quieted down.

Anyone with eyes could see that this minor official was taking advantage of the situation.

Fifty taels? This broken Corpse Seamstress Workshop wasn't worth that price.

Seeing Wen Qingkong's expression, the minor official felt that he might have asked for too much and that this fortune might slip away.

But then he thought that the money he got would have to be split with his superiors, and it wouldn't all be his anyway, so how could he lower the price any further?

"This isn't much money. If you want it, hurry up and borrow it. Tomorrow morning, I'll be taking back the house."

After speaking, the minor official swaggered away.

Uncle Fang patted Wen Qingkong on the shoulder, "Little Wen, that's too much silver. Your relatives might not be willing to lend it to you."

Old Zhou also snorted, "This guy is clearly taking advantage of the situation. I won't buy it. I'm going back to my hometown. I... I should go back too."

The Corpse Seamstresses fell silent.

In the past, as Corpse Seamstresses, they were confined to the Corpse Seamstress Workshop, always thinking about getting out.

Now that they could really leave, they hesitated and became afraid.

In this chaotic world, how would they survive without the imperial court?

"Let's disperse. Everyone think about it for themselves. Are you going to leave or stay?"

"Little Wen's House Number Nine costs fifty taels. Ours must be over a hundred!"

Uncle Fang was gnashing his teeth in hatred. He was already old, and when he heard Wen Qingkong's words, his eyes lit up. He planned to stay with Wen Qingkong and keep him company.

But when he heard the price, his heart turned cold.

His hometown was in Songzhou, tens of thousands of miles away from Yujing City. How could his old bones walk back?

Uncle Fang's words made many people sigh.

Everyone went back to their own places, and Wen Qingkong also looked worried. When he returned to the room, closed the door, the worried look on his face disappeared.

Fifty taels was still within his acceptable range.

But the price was indeed treating him like a fool.

However, on the other hand, the Corpse Seamstress Workshop was close to the Caishikou Execution Grounds. If some family members of criminals wanted a Corpse Seamstress, they could send the body directly to him after the execution. The location was excellent.

Secondly, the Corpse Seamstress Workshop had a long history in Yujing City. When people mentioned the Corpse Seamstress Workshop, they would think of this place. It would be easier for him to have business if he stayed here.

Wen Qingkong put away the hundred-tael silver note he got from Zhang Quan, told Li Lan'er, and went out.

He was going to the bank to exchange the hundred-tael silver note for two fifty-tael notes.

He could also take a detour to make people think that he had indeed borrowed money from his relatives.

He was in this Corpse Seamstress Workshop when he was reborn, and he had never experienced the prosperity of Yujing City. This time, he could take a good look.