Chapter 3: Holding the Iron Rice Bowl

"Lady, this is the gift list sent by Chen Guanlou; please take a look."

The butler presented the gift list.

Liu Wan Shi took the gift list and looked at it, laughing lightly. "He is certainly willing to spend."

Liu Wan Shi naturally didn't look up to a gift worth a mere ten taels of silver. But given Chen Guanlou's current situation, being willing to send a gift worth ten taels of silver must have meant he had exhausted all his efforts, which could be called full of sincerity.

"Does the Lady want to help him?" The little maid Xiujuan asked cautiously.

Liu Wan Shi glanced at Xiujuan, smiling but not smiling. "What's the matter, have you taken a fancy to him?"

Xiujuan admitted it generously. "Look at what the Lady is saying—such a handsome young man, who wouldn't like him? But this servant isn't looking at his appearance, but rather that it's rare for someone in the Chen clan to be willing to strive and not mind that the Heavenly Prison is a lowly trade. Could it be that the Lady thinks he is not sensible?"

Liu Wan Shi chuckled twice, her face revealing a cold smile. "Xiujuan, has anyone ever resisted this Lady's attack in the past?"

"Never. Those people were all like hungry ghosts, unbearable to look at. Only Chen Guanlou is an exception."

"It just so happens that he faced this Lady's attack and remained unmoved. This child will surely not be a thing in a pond in the future. You tell me if I should help him."

Xiujuan immediately became cautious.

She couldn't directly say to help, but not helping would be against her heart. She could see that Chen Guanlou really cared about this job in the Heavenly Prison.

She then deliberated and said, "Since we have accepted his gift, we should let the Master know about this matter."

Liu Wan Shi nodded. "Reasonable! Accepting money and doing things is the Master's rule. It's just that ten taels is a bit little. This matter..." She smiled. "Let's wait until the Master comes back before talking about it."

In the evening, Liu Guanshi returned home after a busy day. Liu Wan Shi welcomed him enthusiastically, personally wringing a hot towel for him to wash his face and wipe his body, and then massaging his shoulders.

Once he was comfortable, a table of exquisite dishes was set, and the couple sat close together, eating and drinking.

"The Master is back quite late today."

"Those gossiping, rotten-hearted old women in the residence were lazy and talking nonsense all day, which reached the ears of the eldest son, and the eldest master also found out, flying into a great rage. I was busy pacifying the eldest master and sold off that group of gossiping women, which delayed the time."

Liu Wan Shi was very surprised when she heard this. "The Marquis's residence is a family that accumulates virtue; how could they be willing to sell servants? Aren't they afraid of damaging their reputation?"

"The eldest master was truly angry; no one could persuade him. A family that accumulates virtue is just talk." Liu Guanshi sneered and picked up his wine glass, drinking it in one gulp.

Liu Wan Shi hurriedly poured wine, filling the glass. "I also have a matter here today. Master, guess who came today."

"Who?" Liu Guanshi asked indifferently.

"Chen Chengzong—does the Master still remember him? The one who worked in the Heavenly Prison and whose brain was a bit dull."

"He's been dead for many years, right?" Liu Guanshi recalled.

"He has a son who has grown up in the blink of an eye, named Chen Guanlou. He came to the door today, carrying air-dried duck, air-dried chicken, and soy-sauce meat, and also wrapped a packet of silver; he can be considered sincere. He said he wanted to work in the Heavenly Prison to replace his father's position. Unfortunately, his father's position had long been occupied by someone else. Master, do you think we should help him?"

Liu Wan Shi spoke of this matter as if it were casual, and the chopsticks in her hand didn't stop, always busy picking up food for Liu Guanshi. It seemed that picking up food was the serious business, and Chen Guanlou was just a trivial matter mentioned in passing.

Liu Guanshi drank his wine. "How is this Chen Guanlou?"

"He is one of the few people in the Chen family who has the drive to strive. However, his family and the Marquis's residence have long been five generations removed; if you ask me, we should just not help. If we help him, the Master won't get any benefit." Liu Wan Shi said decisively.

Liu Guanshi didn't want to help at first, but after Liu Wan Shi said this, he changed his mind instead.

"It's not impossible to help him. It's just a matter of one sentence."

"However, we still have to say hello to the Marquis's residence side." Liu Wan Shi muttered. "I don't like going to the Second Pan Pan Niangzi's place to flatter her. We only accepted a gift of a mere ten taels of silver, and it tired me out to make a trip—it's a big loss."

Liu Wan Shi looked disgusted and impatient, complaining that Liu Guanshi was finding things for her to do. With a straight face and unhappy, Liu Guanshi, however, hugged her happily and laughed. "You said it yourself, Chen Guanlou is one of the few people in the Chen family who has the drive to strive; it's just a matter of one sentence—help if you want to help."

"What kind of future can there be working in the Heavenly Prison."

"That's hard to say. What if one day, someone falls into trouble and is locked in the Heavenly Prison? With him inside, at least there will be someone to take care of things."

"Pah, pah, pah! The Marquis's residence has been wealthy for a hundred years; don't talk nonsense."

"The Lady is right. Just trouble the Lady to make a trip to the Second Pan Pan Niangzi and report this matter to her. We helped the Chen family descendant, so we must let the Marquis's residence remember our favor."

Liu Wan Shi glanced at him sideways and hummed. "Fine, I'll follow your lead. I've taken a fancy to a set of headwear and jewelry..."

"Buy, buy, buy—buy them all back."

A few days later, Chen Guanlou learned that the Heavenly Prison job was settled, and a big stone finally fell to the ground. He went to the Liu residence specifically to thank them. This time, he didn't see Liu Guanshi or Liu Wan Shi, only the little maid Xiujuan.

Xiujuan refused to accept his gift, only saying, "Wait until you have money and prepare a more decent gift to thank us; it will show more sincerity."

Chen Guanlou thought about it and felt it made sense. But he didn't take the gift back; there was no reason to take the gift back after sending it.

Xiujuan couldn't refuse him and had to accept the gift.

When his elder sister learned that he had settled the Heavenly Prison job, she kept calling for the Bodhisattva to bless him. That very day, she brought meat and vegetables back to the Chen house.

Chen Chengzong passed away without leaving much silver, but he did leave a small one-courtyard house, two alleys away from the Marquis's residence and only a few streets away from the various government offices of the imperial court. It was comparable to the golden location within the Third Ring Road of the capital in later generations.

When the family was at its most difficult, they hadn't been willing to sell this small house. This was a wise move. Otherwise, Chen Guanlou would still have to rent a house to live in.

Chen Guanlou's elder sister's name was Chen Xiaolan, in her twenties, with a typical delicate and pretty appearance, suitable for a home. She married the youngest son of the city gate official Guo Dachun, and her life was okay; she could eat meat every three to five days, but she didn't have much money on hand.

When Chen Xiaolan took out a packet of silver and handed it to Chen Guanlou, Chen Guanlou refused to take it no matter what.

Others might not know what kind of life Chen Xiaolan lived in the Su family, but he knew it clearly. When Chen Xiaolan was newly married, he was still a little brat, following his elder sister to beg for a living in the Su family for two years. How his elder sister acted small and humble in the Su family, how she suffered from her mother-in-law's resentment, and her sister-in-law's resentment—he saw it all in his eyes and remembered it in his heart.

The two Su brothers hadn't divided the family, and the money they earned had to be handed over to Guo Dachun's wife, and then distributed uniformly. As the youngest daughter-in-law of the Su family, Chen Xiaolan couldn't touch any silver at all. Thanks to her husband being the youngest son and favored, he had some spare money, so his elder sister had silver to use.

This silver was hard-earned by his elder sister from her husband; how thick-skinned would he have to be to want this silver?

"Sister, don't worry about me. I'm going to work in the government office; I eat three meals a day in the office and have four seasons of uniforms to wear, so there's no place to spend money at all."

"Nonsense! Even if you don't spend money on food and clothing, you still need money for human relationships. When you work in the government office, you can't be too isolated. Back then, Father was too isolated in his actions, and when trouble arose, there was no one to help him."

"Sister, don't worry about human relationships either. Once I get my salary, I'll treat my colleagues in the office to a meal; I definitely won't be stingy. Besides, the family's situation hasn't been hidden from anyone; the people in the office must have already inquired clearly and know that I have no money now, so they won't ask me to treat them at this time. Sister, hurry up and take the money back. If your mother-in-law finds out, she'll make a scene again."

Chen Xiaolan hesitated for a moment. "You really don't want it?"

Chen Guanlou shook his head repeatedly, firmly refusing. He had already planned it out: before getting his salary, he would just hang out in the Heavenly Prison and definitely wouldn't spend a single copper coin. ===== CHAPTER 4 =====