"Sir, I have returned from my humble duty." Mr. Zhou stood in the back hall of the Yamen and saluted the person behind the desk.
"Is that okay?" The person behind the desk put down his brush and asked softly.
"That one was just a little frightened. Generally speaking, he's fine." Mr. Zhou replied.
"Scared?" The person behind the desk raised his head and looked at Mr. Zhou in surprise.
Lord Zhou sighed softly and told what happened on Hutou Mountain, including the monk in white who he had never met before.
"That's it..." The person behind the desk nodded and looked thoughtful. He didn't know what he was thinking.
"Zhou Shuo, you have been here in Qinghe County for quite some time, right?" The person behind the desk walked out slowly, exposing himself to the sun.
He was wearing a dark green official robe with white bird patterns embroidered on it. He had a thin figure, five long strands of beard fluttering back and forth with the man's movements, and an inexplicable light shining in his pair of narrow eyes.
"Yes, I have been in Qinghe County for six or seven years." Zhou Shuo didn't know what the county magistrate meant, so he had to answer truthfully.
"Well...it's not long now, it's time to rest." The magistrate nodded and said softly.
"Sir, I wonder what you mean by this?" Zhou Shuo asked nervously. He was pointing to this salary to support his family. Could he be kicking him out?
"Literally, I want you to have a good rest." The county magistrate smiled and comforted Zhou Shuo.
Zhou Shuo swallowed his saliva and quietly waited for the magistrate's follow-up words. He knew that the words were definitely not over yet.
Sure enough, the next moment the county magistrate stroked his beard and looked at Zhou Shuo.
"Now, go home and have a good rest. I'll give you three days to think about it." The magistrate said.
"I wonder...what should I consider in a humble position?" Zhou Shuo asked nervously.
"This time, you have made a great contribution. Needless to say, your name will definitely come into the eyes of the magistrate, and the same goes for me." The county magistrate looked out the window and said.
"With this opportunity, I can't go up that far. Even if it doesn't work out, I can change to a slightly richer county, but... you are different."
Zhou Shuo was stunned when he heard this, and looked at the magistrate with some confusion. He didn't know what the magistrate meant for the moment, but the magistrate didn't show off.
"As for you, you have worked hard for so many years, and I have noticed it, but you are not strong enough. This is an insurmountable gap. You should know it yourself, right?"
Zhou Shuo bit his lower lip and nodded slowly. He knew this very well when he was sent back, and no one else needed to say anything.
"So, your credit is enough, but you can't afford it, which gives me a headache." The county magistrate sighed with a sad look on his face.
"Sir, if you have something to say, why don't you just say it directly." Zhou Shuo said.
"Well, you and I have known each other for so many years. Regardless of official positions, we can be considered friends, right? So, I have chosen two paths for you." The county magistrate held out two fingers.
"One, you can take a step up and become a shift leader. I'll give you an extra two cents in monthly salary. Your life will be easier. This road is also very safe."
"Two, I will give you ten taels of housing allowance. If you follow that man and join the army to protect him, this can be said to be a life-or-death thing. But if you are lucky and survive, your hidden injuries may be saved. ”
Zhou Shuo suddenly raised his head and looked at the magistrate. The gap between the first road and the second road was too big. It was obviously tempting him and forcing him to choose the second road.
Although the second path is tempting, the hope is extremely slim, and it can even be said to be non-existent. After all, who would be willing to use that rare treasure to repair his foundation to treat him?
but……
Zhou Shuo closed his eyes in pain. Even if the chance was extremely slim, he had to give it a try, otherwise he would never have a chance in this life.
"How is it? Have you made your choice?" The county magistrate looked at Zhou Shuo with a smile and asked, with an expression as if he had already determined which path Zhou Shuo would choose.
"Humble job...go!" Zhou Shuo opened his eyes and said every word through gritted teeth.
"Smart, smart people generally live longer, don't you think so, Mr. Zhou?" The county magistrate laughed happily and reached out to pat Zhou Shuo on the shoulder.
Zhou Shuo smiled very reluctantly. He was not a fool. He could not understand what the county magistrate meant. Of the two ways given to him, only the ten taels of housing allowance were real.
Whichever path you choose will cost you 10 taels of settling-in allowance, but one means you will die now, and the other will have a 99% chance of dying later.
But what Zhou Shuo didn't understand was when he had offended the county magistrate before he fell into this situation, but even if he knew now, it was too late.
All he can do now is go home and ask his family to leave Qinghe County quickly, so as not to be implicated by him later.
At this time, a middle-aged man walked in from outside. He glanced at Zhou Shuo and then saluted the county magistrate.
"Sir, the city guards are here. Someone they say they need to pay attention to has entered the city."
Hearing this, Zhou Shuo suddenly raised his head and looked at the middle-aged man in shock.
"Master, are you sure he is from the city guard? And they saw it right?" Zhou Shuo asked eagerly.
"Uh... I don't know about this. Didn't you ask the city guards to keep an eye on it? How would I know?" the master asked in confusion.
Zhou Shuo suppressed his disgust and bowed to the county magistrate, then rushed out quickly. If it was true that the white-clothed monk had entered the city, then he would be holding his arms firmly.
That person has been talking about wanting to see the monk in white. If this news is true, there may be some benefits waiting for him when he is happy.
Zhou Shuo rushed to the gate of the county government and happened to see a city guard soldier looking at the door.
"Xiao Wu! Are you sure you saw it!?" Zhou Shuo grabbed Xiao Wu and asked eagerly.
"Lord Zhou, your humble position is confirmed. The monk dressed in white will be in the city when you go to the county government office." Xiao Wu swallowed his saliva and whispered.
"Okay, okay... great! You go back!" Zhou Shuo wiped his face, suddenly smiled, turned around and ran away after saying a few words.
"Eh~" Xiao Wu stretched out his hand but didn't stop him. He looked at Zhou Shuo's back and scratched his head helplessly.
He was still thinking about taking a break tomorrow. Who would he ask for leave if his immediate boss ran away?
Xiao Wu walked listlessly towards the city gate. Now it seemed that he could only wait until the evening shift to see if he could talk to Zhou Shuo.
…………
In the early hours of the morning, I looked at the old man and the young man holding their heads and crying in front of me, and rubbed my brows helplessly.
"Master, I've made you laugh." A middle-aged woman said with embarrassment.
"I understand, I completely understand, it's been too long since we last met." Ling Chen smiled reluctantly and comforted her.
For someone like him who was born an orphan, this scene really rubbed salt into his wounds. If it weren't for the presence of the old monk Wude in this life, he didn't know how uncomfortable he would be now.
"Ah Xuan, you have grown up and become darker." The old man touched Ning Xuan's face with tears.
"Uncle, you have aged a lot." Ning Xuan wiped his tears and said with a choked voice. As he spoke, he helped the old man wipe his tears, but he couldn't wipe them away.
"The harm has passed. My uncle is much better now. Don't worry." The old man kept looking at Ning Xuan up and down and said.
