Chapter 26: The Overbearing Couple

  Since there's something important going on, Zhu Haoyin being around would be inconvenient. So, Xiao Jiading said to Zhu Haoyin: "Sorry, I played too late yesterday and got drunk, so I'm a bit tired today and won't go out, let's do it another day."

  "Alright, then let's plan for the day after tomorrow. I won't go out tonight either, to conserve my energy and be in top shape for our big drinking session. Now, shall we first go take a look at your new place in the inner palace? By the way, big brother, do you need help with moving?"

  "What's there to help with? I'm alone and don't have much luggage, so I can just go in and live there directly. There's no need for help."

  "Alright then, I'll go with you to take a look at your accommodation first."

  Having said that, the two of them went out and walked away.

  Just as I walked out the door, two people happened to be coming towards me. We exchanged greetings, and it turned out to be that Huang Shi Yun, the so-called number one talented woman of Yizhou, from that day in the peach forest, along with that elegant gentleman Tang Rong Xuan.

  Upon seeing Xiao Jia Ding, both of their faces changed. Huang Shi Yun let out a heavy hum and looked towards Tang Rong Xuan. Tang Rong Xuan understood the cue and immediately bellowed: "This is the rear hall of the county government, how can you, a lowly servant, enter so casually? Men, bind him up and hang him from the tree to give him a good beating!" The several attendants behind him were about to rush forward to seize the person.

  "Master Tang, stop! This is our County Magistrate of Kang..." Zhu Haixin hastily said.

  Xiao Jiading waved his hand, blocking the rest of his words, and looked at Tang Rongxuan, saying: "Sorry, I'm now a clerk in the yamen's criminal department, I have the right to come in here. And as far as I know, neither of you two are people from the yamen, what qualifications do you have to enter this back hall? Shouldn't it be you two who should be tied up?"

  Huang Shi Yun hummed a tune and rolled her eyes, saying: "I'm here to find my dad. Tang Gongzi is also looking for his dad."

  "Oh, so you're here to find your father?" He said with a big belly and a careless tone, "What's the matter? Speak up!" His demeanor was as if he were the two men's father.

  Huang Shi Yun's face turned white with anger, saying: "You this mud-legged boy, taking advantage of others! Is being a prison record clerk something to be proud of? I'll tell Father about you, just you wait!"

  "Looks good? Right, the two of you were indeed looking good that day when you got drunk in Taolin. In a place as elegant as Taohualin, you didn't let me take a dump, but the two of you made a mess all over the ground, even more smelly than my dump. Such uncivilized behavior, can the two of you also do it?"

  Huang Shi Yun and Tang Rong Xuan's faces, which had turned pale with anger at Xiao Jia Ding's words, now flushed red with rage. "You... you're talking nonsense!"

  "That day, many people in the peach forest saw it, not just me. Didn't you see others frowning? Ah, right, you were all drunk and couldn't see anything. Haha, the number one talented woman of Yi state, pulled down to that kind of state, covered in filth, like a dead dog, really quite a sight."

  "You! You!" Huang Shi Yun was so angry that her whole body was shaking, pointing at Xiao Jia Ding, she stamped her foot and rushed out of the corner gate.

  "Xian mei!" Tang Rongxuan followed him out, took a few steps and stopped, turned around and pointed at Xiao Jiading: "You wait!"

  "Alright, we'll wait!" Xiao Jiading said with a faint smile.

  Looking at their backs, Zhu Haixin snorted and said: "What's so arrogant? Wait until you know my brother's current identity, see how arrogant you'll be then!"

  What he said is not exaggerated at all. In the Tang Dynasty, the clerks in the county government generally did not have the problem of assessment. After the term was over, it was up to the county magistrate to decide whether to continue hiring. However, for officials outside the ninth rank who were not in the mainstream, such as recorders and assistants, they had to be assessed in order to decide whether to continue their appointment. This assessment work was also the responsibility of the county magistrate. What was most feared during the assessment was that someone would report secretly, and the most convenient person to report secretly was the attendant beside the county magistrate.

  Xiao Jia Ding followed Zhu Hai Yin to the outside of the county government office. The ancient government office layout was a bit like a miniature version of the imperial palace, and it could also be divided into two parts: the front and back. The front part was the office area, while the back part was the residence of the county magistrate. A high wall separated the two areas, and outside the high wall was where the county magistrate's attendants lived, including Xi Yi.

  Zhi Yi was the county magistrate's personal secretary, so his treatment was naturally different from that of other attendants. He had a separate suite with two rooms, an inner and an outer room. The outer room was a bedroom, while the inner room was a study.

  On the way, Zhu Haixin told him that this residence was equivalent to a secretary's duty room, used for resting at noon and so on. After dispersing, if the county magistrate had no arrangements, Xi Yin could choose not to stay here and go home instead. It's just that Xiang Jiatian didn't have his own place yet, so he temporarily treated this place as home.

  After visiting the residence, Xiao Jiading followed Zhu Haixin to the county government office. When they reached the entrance, the doorman saw Xiao Jiading and was extremely flattering, nodding his head repeatedly. It seems that power is indeed a good thing, and as a small county magistrate's secretary, he has already received such respect. If he really became an official, it would be even more impressive.

  Two people left the county government office and parted ways. Xiao Jiading looked up at the sky, and it was still early. The Tang Dynasty's work schedule in winter and spring started at 7:00 AM and ended at 4:00 PM, with a two-hour break for lunch and rest at noon. In summer and autumn, the schedule was one hour earlier. So when they left the government office, it was still early. He decided to find a place to stay. Although there were accommodations inside the county government office, everything was available, but it was too inconvenient. It's better to live outside and be free. This residence couldn't be too far away, preferably near the government office.

  He didn't tell Zhu Haixin that he wanted to rent or buy a house, just because he didn't want Zhu Haixin, who was wealthy and generous, to help him out. He couldn't bear the thought of someone else paying for his housing.

  He walked forward casually and arrived at a small alley filled with silver apricot trees. He thought the environment was quiet and it was close to the government office, very convenient for going in and out of the yamen. So he wanted to go in and ask if there were any houses for rent or sale inside, how much they cost. If he could afford it, he would buy one; if not, he would rent first.

  Entering the alley, I saw a small food stall by the road with no customers because it wasn't mealtime yet. So I went in and sat down, ordering a bowl of scallion oil noodles, while eating, I asked the old shopkeeper if there were any houses for rent in this alley and what the prices were.

  The shopkeeper told him that this place was called Silver Ginkgo Workshop, and it was said that some people wanted to sell houses or rent them out. Generally, there would be a wooden sign at the entrance with the information written on it. The rent was very cheap, about 200 wen per month, equivalent to 1,000 yuan in modern times. As for the selling price, it depended on the size of the house. A smaller one with two doors and a courtyard might cost around 40 guan, while a larger one would likely cost over 100 guan.

  Xiao Jia Ding sighed bitterly. Even with the jade pendant in hand, he only had a little over ten taels of silver. It seemed that he could only rent it for now.

  After finishing his noodles, Xiao Jia Ding left the snack shop and prepared to take a stroll. He walked slowly forward, when suddenly he heard a soft and delicate female voice behind him: "Young Master Xiao!"

  Xiao Jiading turned his head to look, and saw a chubby girl running over with her fat shaking all over, it was Du Er Niu. She smiled and said: "It's you, what are you doing here?"

  "My home is just here."

  Xiao Jiading suddenly remembered that yesterday Du Er Niu's grandfather, Du Da Yin, had told her that their house was in this area, with a ginkgo tree at the entrance. However, since both sides of the street were lined with ginkgo trees, he hadn't realized that Du Er Niu's house was here.

  Du Erniang said: "You're going to my house, right? Let's go! Grandpa mentioned you today and said he didn't know how things were going with you becoming a clerk in the government office. He also wondered if that County Magistrate Deng would cause trouble for you."

  Xiao Jiading said with a smile, "I'm really here to thank Grandpa. I've successfully entered the government office and become a clerk, all thanks to your help. I heard that your family lives around here, but I don't know exactly where."

  "I'll take you there!"

  "Okay, but... wait a minute, I'll buy something as a gift for meeting..."

  "What are you buying? Your arrival is the best gift!" Du Er Niu's flushed face was full of joy, pulling Xiao Jia Ding's hand forward, "My home is just ahead."

  They walked a little further ahead and Du Er Niu pointed to a mansion under a tall ginkgo tree, saying "We're here!"

  Xiao Jiading looked up and saw that the silver apricot tree was indeed tall and majestic, obviously higher than the other silver apricot trees next to it. When they arrived at the gate, Du Erniu knocked on the door, and soon the gatekeeper opened it, a middle-aged woman who smiled and said: "Erniu is back."

  "Yes," Du Er'niu led Xiao Jia Ding into the house and introduced him, it turned out that this middle-aged woman was their family's servant.

  The Dou family's courtyard was very large, and Dou Erniang directly pulled him into the main house, shouting all the way: "Grandfather! Grandfather, where are you? Xiao Gongzi has come to visit you!"

  A hoarse voice came from inside: "Is Young Master Xiao here?" As he spoke, Du Dali walked out of the inner room with a smile all over his face.

  Xiao Jiading hastily bowed: "I have come to thank Grandfather, the government office has accepted me as a clerk, and also let me serve as the county magistrate's attendant."

  Du Daliang and Du Erniang were both surprised and delighted. Du Erniang looked at him: "Really? That's great! The county magistrate's attendant, oh heaven, this is a position that many people dream of, I didn't expect it to be given to you. It's really great."

  "Yes, thanks to Grandpa's help, otherwise, how could I have today?"

  Du Da stroked his beard and said, "This favor isn't something I can help with. To become the county magistrate's attendant, that requires a lot of capital. Either you need to spend a lot of money or have a powerful backer, neither of which I can help you with. You're thanking the wrong person."

  Xiao Jiading said, "Of course not, it was Grandfather who took me to see Deng Xianwei, that's how I got into the yamen. Without Grandfather's introduction, how could I have possibly gotten in?"

  Du Da heard this and felt very pleased, the smile on his old face deepened. He said: "No need to be polite, did he bully you?"

  "There is no sign of this at present."

  "Hmm, you have to be careful, now that you're the county magistrate's attendant, County Constable Deng will have some reservations and shouldn't make things too difficult for you. You were able to get this position either because you spent a lot of money or because someone helped you from behind the scenes. Previously, you even went to poetry gatherings to curry favor with gifts, I suppose you didn't have enough money to exchange for this position, and besides, being the county magistrate's attendant isn't something that can be bought with just money, it also requires someone to recommend you to the county magistrate. Who is it? Can you say?"