Volume One: Menial Servant of Changshui County Chapter Sixteen: Surrounded by Beauties

“No, thank you, Aunt Zhao. I’ve been tired all day. I’d rather go home and catch up on some sleep,” Lu Jiuzhang waved her off.

He felt awkward eating at their house day after day.

“Eat first, then sleep. It’s just about dinnertime. If you go to bed now, you’ll probably wake up hungry in the middle of the night,” Aunt Zhao insisted with her usual warmth.

Lu Jiuzhang tried to decline again.

After several polite refusals, seeing that he truly had no intention of joining them, Aunt Zhao finally gave up.

Back in his own room, Lu Jiuzhang collapsed onto his bed.

He was indeed a little drowsy—his body hadn’t yet fully recovered.

Just as he was about to drift off, a knocking came at the door.

Outside, Zhao Chan’er’s voice called, “Brother Lu, are you asleep? My mother asked me to bring you a bowl of soup. Eat something before you rest.”

Clearly, since he hadn’t gone to their house, Aunt Zhao had sent her daughter over instead.

Lu Jiuzhang had no choice but to pull on his clothes and open the door.

Night had already fallen. Zhao Chan’er stood outside in her rough homespun clothes, shivering slightly in the cold.

Lu Jiuzhang took the chicken soup from her and urged, “You’d better hurry home. I’ll return the bowl tomorrow.”

“It’s fine, Brother Lu. I can watch you drink it!” Zhao Chan’er said with a smile.

Lu Jiuzhang nearly choked on the spot.

What was she thinking, wanting to watch him drink?

Zhao Chan’er was just a girl of fifteen or sixteen, not yet fully grown. Lu Jiuzhang had never had any romantic thoughts about her—he simply thought she was a good kid.

If she were to come into his room in the middle of the night, he’d have a hard time explaining, even if nothing happened.

“Go on home. I don’t have a brazier here, it’s freezing. Go get some rest,” he told her, and closed the door.

On such a cold night, a bowl of hot chicken soup was just what he needed.

That night, Lu Jiuzhang went to bed early.

...

The next day, Lu Jiuzhang was given the day off.

He looked so pale and drained that his superior decided he qualified as “wounded”—yes, even exhaustion counted as an injury.

After all, most ordinary people lacked the willpower to face those monsters without succumbing to fear. It was understandable.

But after a good night’s rest, Lu Jiuzhang felt full of energy.

He first visited the carpenter and the stonemason to pick up the coffin, headstone, and memorial tablet, then made a trip to Master Zhou’s house.

He wandered through Master Zhou’s study and found that none of the other books there could provoke a reaction from the Kui Star Pavilion. Disappointed, he let it go.

Rare books were hard to come by; the fact that Master Zhou owned even one was already impressive.

Seeing Lu Jiuzhang’s interest, Master Zhou pointed him in a new direction: he suggested checking out the street stalls.

Most things sold on those stalls were fakes, but with luck, he might stumble upon a genuine volume or two.

Master Zhou also said that if Lu Jiuzhang ever had the chance, he should visit Anxi Prefecture. Being a major administrative seat, Anxi was far more prosperous than Changshui County.

But as things stood, Lu Jiuzhang could barely guarantee his own safety—how could he dare travel to Anxi? The road there passed through desolate lands infested with monsters; one moment’s carelessness, and he’d end up as their prey.

When he took his leave, Master Zhou even asked when his elder brother would be buried, saying that if he could, he’d come to pay his respects.

That question unsettled Lu Jiuzhang.

Were his elder brother and Master Zhou really so close? He’d never noticed before.

Just today, eight more laborers from the Demon-Slaying Division had died, and yet Master Zhou hadn’t gone to mourn them—so why would he make a special effort for his brother?

Lu Jiuzhang felt as if he’d uncovered many clues, but they were all tangled together, like a knotted ball of string—impossible to unravel and trace to the end.

...

By the time he finished all these errands, it was already afternoon.

Lu Jiuzhang applied for another day off from the Demon-Slaying Division, planning to bury his brother the following day.

This was something best settled quickly; the longer it dragged on, the worse it would be.

As he was leaving the Demon-Slaying Division, Lu Jiuzhang ran into Wang Yunshan.

Wang was one of his brother’s drinking companions and a regular at the music houses.

His own leave had just ended, and he’d reported for duty that morning.

“Chief Chen will be attending tomorrow as well,” Wang Yunshan reminded him.

Chief Chen Xuanfeng was coming to Lu Huaigu’s funeral? What for?

To gloat over his misfortune?

Lu Jiuzhang shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Chen Xuanfeng was a prominent figure—he wouldn’t stoop so low.

Still puzzled, Lu Jiuzhang replied, “Thanks for the heads-up, Brother Wang. I’ll make sure to prepare everything tonight so I can receive everyone tomorrow.”

With his colleagues from the Demon-Slaying Division coming to the funeral, Lu Jiuzhang knew he ought to be a good host—he couldn’t let them offer their condolences without at least some hospitality.

“No need for that,” Wang Yunshan said, “We’re all rough men; no need to go to so much trouble. Just prepare some extra tea tomorrow. You’re new to the Division, so you don’t know how things work. These folks are just coming to pay their respects. Once the funeral’s over, they’ll head straight back to work.”

“Alright,” Lu Jiuzhang agreed. Since Wang Yunshan said there was no need to go all out, there was no point wasting the effort.

Back home, Lu Jiuzhang tidied up his house a bit.

With so many guests coming tomorrow, he had to make sure his place looked somewhat presentable.

In the past, Lu Huaigu always had Aunt Zhao come over to do the cleaning. He was generous with his money—just a bit of tidying up, and he’d give her a dozen coins.

Aunt Zhao was happy to do it. She had little income and was glad for any chance to earn, no matter how much or how little.

But Lu Jiuzhang was not about to squander his money like that—it needed to be spent where it mattered.

Unlike those who went to the brothel in style, riding horses or carried by sedan chair, Lu Jiuzhang relied on his own two feet when he visited Yinghua Lane. Save where you can, spend where you must!

Once the courtyard was cleaned up, Lu Jiuzhang didn’t overthink it. He placed Lu Huaigu’s urn, along with some of his old clothes, inside the coffin.

That would have to do for his brother’s remains.

Tomorrow he would seal the coffin and arrange for it to be transported outside the city for burial.

He had already chosen the spot, in keeping with Lu Huaigu’s preferences in life: on one side, a widow; on the other, a young woman who had died in her prime.

This way, even in death, he would have company on both sides.

Having done all this, Lu Jiuzhang felt he had fulfilled his duty.

He congratulated himself on being such a good younger brother—one hard to find in this world.

Pleased with himself, he leaned back in his chair to rest.

The previous snowfall should be the last of the season. The weather had begun to warm, the temperature rising noticeably.

Soon, the northern spring would arrive.

But spring in the north was brief—a blink, and it would already be summer, with the heat pressing in.