Chapter 27: 27 Settling Down

Before dusk.

The Steward of the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce hurried back from the yamen, bringing Song Cheng and Tong Jia along for a trip to the yamen.

First, to process new travel permits, which contained simple portraits of the two, their place of residence, their household registration, and so on.

Without this thing, you would have no way to settle down at all.

Even if it were not a period of strict control and the city gates were not being checked closely, you still wouldn't be able to check into an inn. Even if you paved your way with gold and silver and managed to stay, once an incident occurred in the city, the first people they would look for would be those like you without travel permits. This is called "unknown origins, suspicious behavior." If a murder case occurred and a muddled official was in a hurry to pass a muddled judgment, a person of "unknown origins" like you would very likely be turned into the murderer and become a statistic. Once you have a travel permit, you can generally move about within the surrounding area of the county. If you want to travel far, you still need an official to make a note on the permit, indicating where you are going, when you are departing, and then add an official seal.

Otherwise, you cannot leave.

Secondly, it was for the routine statement.

Song Cheng and Tong Jia had escaped from Tanghe Village.

The government naturally had to record their testimony to understand what had happened in Tanghe Village.

After a round of recording, the two had officially completed the relocation procedure between the two places.

It was just that Song Cheng was quite curious; even though he mentioned the matter regarding the "dirty things," that recording clerk did not seem surprised at all, as if he had known about it for a long time.

He couldn't help but ask the Steward about this question.

The Steward knew the Young Miss valued this youth, so he did not neglect him and replied: "It's not just your Tanghe Village; I've heard that many villages have been struck by dirty things. In Hanping Prefecture alone, there are three villages, and your Tanghe Village is just one of them."

"Moreover, more than two months ago, villagers from your Tanghe Village escaped and had already told the story. If not for that, how would my Young Miss have known that Young Mistress Guan was still trapped in the village, and how would she have let the Guard wait outside the village for so long?"

Song Cheng asked: "Then are there any bandits who also escaped?"

The Steward said: "Those villagers who escaped said that everyone was scared out of their minds at the time. Whether it was them or the bandits, everyone was so scared they just ran outward; who would care about anyone else? But they must have indeed run away. Otherwise, during this time, we would have seen them being beheaded at the vegetable market or taken to the Prefecture City in prison carts."

As he spoke, the Steward added: "Young man, the Young Miss thinks highly of you, so you should just stay well in our Chamber of Commerce. Rest for these few days and stop thinking about the past. Once you are well-rested, the Young Miss will still have use for you."

"Do you know that the Young Miss even specifically allocated an independent house for you? You must repay the Young Miss well."

Creak.

The door opened.

The Steward led Song Cheng and Tong Jia for a tour inside, then took out 10 taels of silver and handed them to the two, saying: "This is for you to settle in, given by the Young Miss. She says for you husband and wife to rest well and come see her in two days. As for these three meals, you can go to the Dining Hall."

The two thanked him repeatedly.

The Steward left.

The door closed once again.

This house was inside the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce, so safety was guaranteed first and foremost.

And the inside of the house was almost as large as the original Huichun Hall, and the original bamboo fence had been replaced by white walls.

Previously, if you did anything in the courtyard, people outside could see it clearly, but now that there was a wall, it was different.

Both of them had a feeling of having survived a disaster.

Tong Jia glanced at the firewood prepared in the corner and said: "A wealthy family is indeed different; they even have the firewood prepared."

She went into the room again, and there was coal placed inside.

She squatted down to smell it and actually caught a faint fragrance. When she pinched it, the carbon particles were very fine.

Tong Xiaoniangzi beckoned repeatedly and shouted excitedly: "Song Cheng, Song Cheng, come look."

Song Cheng walked over.

Tong Xiaoniangzi said: "This is good coal! It's very expensive! When you burn it at night, the whole room isn't cold, and there's a fragrance!"

Song Cheng let out a breath and also felt a sense of relief.

Tong Xiaoniangzi ran to the bed, touched the bedding, and said: "So smooth! So soft! I want to cover myself with it right now!"

Song Cheng couldn't help but laugh.

The two sat down, looking left and right, like country bumpkins who had entered the city, finding everything fresh.

The deep red setting sun gradually faded away, and the night curtain slowly pulled open.

The noise outside the wall did not cease, and one could faintly see the brilliance of lanterns reddening the black clouds in the distance.

This place was not like the village, nor like the mountains; it had the unique smoke and fire of the human world.

The hour of You had arrived.

The two were just about to go out to eat.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door from outside.

"Brother Song! Brother Song!"

Inside the room, Tong Xiaoniangzi looked at Song Cheng and asked: "Who is it?"

Song Cheng remembered that drinking appointment, hugged his wife's shoulder, and said: "A Guard from the residence, named Ding Kui, said he was here to welcome me, paid for by the Young Miss."

"Then go." Tong Xiaoniangzi was very reasonable. Song Cheng did not move, his expression somewhat strange.

The air went quiet for a moment.

Tong Xiaoniangzi suddenly realized and said: "A brothel visit?"

Song Cheng said: "Possibly."

Tong Xiaoniangzi pushed him and said: "Go, go, go, don't let people look down on you!"

"I'm telling you, once you get there, be open, be open; if you want to strip naked and get on a woman, then do it, don't be wishy-washy."

"If the money is spent, you have to enjoy it. As long as you don't bring the woman back, then I agree to it."

Song Cheng:??? "Wife, why are you speaking so crudely?"

Tong Xiaoniangzi "hummed" and said, "You only just realized?"

Song Cheng said: "No, wife, let's not talk about this. Let's just say, why would I leave the great beauty at home and go outside to sleep with some wilted flowers and broken willows?"

Tong Xiaoniangzi hit him playfully and laughed: "Get lost."

The couple's brief conversation ended.

The door opened.

Ding Kui gave Song Cheng a bear hug, then said, "My home is right next to yours. The Young Miss is very good to all of us guards. We have all settled our families into the merchant association."

"Your wife can just go to the Dining Hall to eat with my wife and the others; there won't be any trouble."

Song Cheng smiled and said, "That works."

The two walked away, and slowly, over a dozen more guards gathered. At first they were strangers, but as they chatted, they grew closer. By the time they reached Biliu Courtyard and had gone through three rounds of drinks, everyone had become brothers. When the courtesans from the building came in a line, chirping like orioles and swallows, and sat on the guards' laps, hooking their arms around their necks, the guards laughed heartily, occasionally swapping partners, which only deepened their brotherly bond.

Sitting on Song Cheng's lap was a woman as soft as satin, incredibly smooth, her fair skin as soft as tofu, and she exuded a seductive scent of rouge. Women in the pleasure quarters did not engage in production; they only cultivated their appearances, so how could they not be good? In terms of looks, Tong Xiaoniangzi was superior to this woman.

But in terms of the softness of her flesh and the fragrance on her body, she was lacking.

The woman glanced at Song Cheng, then suddenly looked to the side and giggled, "Master Ding, is Master Song a first-timer?"

Ding Kui laughed, "Definitely! Treat my brother well!"

The woman giggled, leaned into Song Cheng's ear, and said in a seductive voice, "Big Sister is called Hua Zhi. I'll give you a red envelope later; come find Big Sister to play again next time."

In the middle of the night, some guards stayed over, while others returned.

Song Cheng also returned.

The scent of perfume mixed with the smell of alcohol had not yet dissipated.

The moonlight was like snow, shining down on the small courtyard.

As soon as Song Cheng reached the door, he heard the sound of wind whistling in the courtyard. He opened the door to see that Tong Xiaoniangzi was actually still practicing with her blade.

Sweat clung to her black hair, resting against her skin, her eyes sharp, possessing quite a heroic bearing.

The data above her head read "5~5".

Seeing Song Cheng return, she put down her blade and went to boil water for him to bathe.

At midnight, the two of them finally lay down on the bed.

After a fierce and terrifying bout of intimacy, Tong Xiaoniangzi said huffily, "You went to Biliu Courtyard, you definitely didn't let loose."

Then she curiously lay prone, propping herself up on his chest with her elbows, and asked curiously, "What was it like?"

Song Cheng said, "How could I have the heart for it?"

These four words pulled Tong Xiaoniangzi back into that fearful mood.

Had it not been for an accident, she and Song Cheng would have long since been two corpses.

After a long while, Song Cheng suddenly said, "I'm going to take a look outside."

"You haven't seen enough yet?" Tong Jia asked in surprise.

Song Cheng leaned to her ear and said, "I'm going to project my Soul to take a look, I'm telling you so you won't be afraid."

Tong Jia realized, and though she wanted to say, "Look tomorrow, you've done so much today, aren't you exhausted?", she remembered the great terror they encountered in the deep mountains and only said nervously, "Be careful."

Song Cheng nodded, then lay flat and closed his eyes. A gloomy Nine-Layered High Tower appeared in the void, and the youth's Soul climbed the steps layer by layer, stepped off the top, and flew out.

Today, the wind was gentle, so he could roam for half an hour.

Since he had arrived in an unfamiliar county, he had to take a close look at all the various figures within it.

Who was stronger than him, by how much, who loathed him, and why—he had to have a count in his heart.

To put it colloquially, this was called "clearing the map first."

(End of chapter)