Chapter 7: Dreams, memories lost and recovered!
Noon.
Xu Chong woke up in a daze and took a look at the light coming through the window paper.
"Oops!"
"Why is it this late ?"
"If you skip half a day of class, you will be punished by ringing the bell for a month."
Xu Chong hurriedly stood up and was about to look for his book bag, but the environment in front of him made him stop suddenly.
Only then did he realize that this was the study room of the Xu Mansion.
"Yes, the Third Master has died in the line of duty. In a month, I will take over his position as Dianshi and will no longer have to go to the county school."
"Well, it's better to go for a while."
"Master, you have high expectations of me. Although we have parted ways now, I still have to visit you and apologize."
"But why would I sleep in the study?"
Xu Chong rubbed his eyes and stood up, quickly putting this doubt behind him.
After washing, changing clothes and having lunch, it was already noon.
Old Li prepared a painting of a pine tree by a famous artist as a gift for his visit.
When Xu Chong rushed to the county school with the scroll, Wang Hezhi was just about to take a nap, so he did not stay long. He politely apologized and left.
The atmosphere of the brief meeting was harmonious.
But for some reason, Xu Chong always felt that Wang Hezhi looked at him with a hint of regret.
From this day on, nothing noteworthy happened.
Xu Chong stayed completely at home in the Xu Mansion, quietly waiting to take office.
The only thing worth mentioning is that Xu Chong gave an order casually out of consideration for his image.
For all shops under the name of the Xu family, the rent payment period can be postponed depending on the actual situation, with the longest period not exceeding three months, as long as the rent is reported to the Xu family in advance and the reasons are stated.
It was such a simple command, but it brought unexpected effects.
The first are the tenants of the shops, who used to exploit the workers in various ways, but now they have more money in hand and no longer use all means to deduct the wages that should be paid.
Then there are the common people.
Even those who had nothing to do with the Xu family's business felt that Xu Chong had begun to stand up for the people after hearing the news, and they were no longer as afraid as before when facing the yamen runners .
Finally, there are the three shifts of yamen runners in the county government.
Before Xu Chong had the chance to interact with them, these people had already behaved themselves.
Similar cases of extortion still exist, but they are not so excessive anymore and have reached a level that ordinary people can accept.
Just like that, before Xu Chong took office, the living Bodhisattva was called Xu Qingtian.
The only ones who suffered were the ruffians and hooligans.
They have no skills, no official status, and no family background. In the past, they could survive by cheating and deceiving others, but now they can no longer do that.
The Dianshi was replaced by Xu Qingtian.
If they dare to do evil again, I'm afraid Xu Chong will be the first to take action as soon as he takes office.
There is no choice but to not cheat or deceive people, but we still have to eat.
For a time, there was a lot of low-priced labor in Canglong County.
This is the name of a man and the shadow of a tree.
Under a series of influences, even the reputation of the county magistrate Wu Wenjing improved.
When Xu Chong found out, he just smiled and didn't take it to heart, and continued to stay in the mansion.
Until the one-month deadline approached, what he had been waiting for finally arrived.
…
"Master Xu, your appointment documents have arrived."
In the front hall of the Xu Mansion, Liu Er bent his waist and said flatteringly, "Starting tomorrow, Master Xu, you can take office at any time."
"I guessed it when I heard it was you. Don't stand. Sit down."
Xu Chong raised his hand and invited everyone to sit down in the main seat first.
"Hey, okay."
Liu Er leaned sideways and sat down with his butt slightly stretched.
"If I remember correctly, you are from the inner shift, right? How come you are running errands for the outer shift?"
Xu Chong took a sip of tea.
Neiban is a type of yamen runners, referring to the doormen or servants serving in the county yamen.
The "outer classes" are commonly known as the "zao", "kuai" and "zhuang" classes.
"Well, Master Xu, I have already requested to be transferred to the fast shift."
Liu Er's tone was a little nervous.
"oh?"
Xu Chong raised his eyebrows slightly, and after a moment's silence, he smiled and said, "Haha, no matter which class you are in, as long as you work hard for the government, the government will not treat you unfairly."
After saying that, he picked up the teacup for the second time.
This means seeing someone off.
"Yes, Mr. Xu is right. I still have to patrol the streets, so I won't bother you any more."
Liu Er quickly stood up and said goodbye.
"I'm sorry I can't see you off."
Xu Chong nodded.
There was one thing he saw very clearly: Liu Er's visit was secondary in delivering the message, and his main purpose was to show his loyalty.
Depending on the nature of their work, the inner class is closer to the county magistrate and the chief clerk, while the outer class is closer to the registrar.
It has a bit of a factional feel to it.
Liu Er asked to be transferred to another class, which simply means he has to take sides.
"Unfortunately, I didn't enter the government office to fight for power and profit."
Xu Chong shook his head and didn't take the matter to heart at all.
What could be more tempting than immortality?
Xu Chong's heart became hot at the thought of starting to accumulate spiritual energy.
Even falling asleep is easier than usual.
…
"Um... Daddy, Chong'er is awake."
Early in the morning, the child woke up from his dream, rubbed his eyes and looked around.
"Hey, where's daddy?"
Not finding his father in the house, the child got out of bed, clumsily put on his clothes, and stood on tiptoe to open the door.
Outside the house, a sturdy man was shirtless, posing in a strange posture.
The golden light of the morning sun fell on the bronze skin, as if it was absorbed in, without any dazzling feeling.
"Wow!!!"
The young child excitedly jumped onto the man's lap, "Daddy, what are you doing? That's amazing!"
"Haha, is the bug awake?"
The man relaxed his posture, picked up the child and put him on his shoulders.
"Daddy is trying to fool Chong'er again, tell me quickly."
The young child was holding the man's head and rocking it.
"Even if I tell you, Chong'er won't remember...Okay, okay, Daddy tells me, Daddy tells me."
In order to protect his tied bun, the man quickly gave in, "Daddy just practiced something called Zheng Yang Jin, it's a martial arts technique."
"Martial arts technique? What is that?"
"Well……"
The man seemed to be stumped by the question. He scratched his head and said, "Anyway, after practicing, you will become stronger, your body will get better, and..."
"Wow!"
The child's attention was completely attracted by the idea of 'becoming stronger', and he could not wait to interrupt the man: "Bugs also want to practice, and bugs also want to become stronger!"
"Hahaha, as long as you behave and eat well, Daddy will teach you when you grow up."
The man's hearty laughter could be heard from far away.
"No, no, Chong'er wants to practice now, he wants to practice now..."
The father and son kept laughing and joking.
Suddenly, an old voice interrupted and shattered this warm scene.
"Master! Master?"
"Today is the day I take office, it's time for you to get up..."
It was Lao Li’s voice.
Xu Chong opened his eyes and woke up.
"Uh...was it a dream?"
"It's true that you dream about what you think about during the day... Unfortunately, it takes three years of practice to earn enough contribution to redeem the real martial arts skills."
Thinking of this, the next moment, Xu Chong sat up in shock.
"Martial arts! Noble family! Imperial examinations!"
Everything Wang Hezhi had said appeared extremely clearly in his mind at this moment.
For a moment, Xu Chong was sweating profusely.
The loss and recovery of memory made the fear even more intense than the last time.
“The obstacle of knowledge and perception! There really is the obstacle of knowledge and perception!”
"When I woke up in the study that day, I didn't feel anything strange at all!"
"Even the question of 'why did I fall asleep in the study' was quickly forgotten, and it was so natural."
"I can remember it today. It should be the document that was filed. I officially became an official household."
"What if... what if the imperial examination fails, and I don't pass the exam, won't I be able to remember all this for the rest of my life?"
"Daqing Dynasty..."
"What a great Daqing Dynasty!"
