Chapter 102: A Full Belly (Begging for monthly tickets, begging for subscriptions)

But seeing Zhao Jin cupping his fist in salute so politely, the three of them finally showed a trace of a smile. The middle-aged man said, "We're all family here helping out, no need to be so formal."

Zhao Jin straightened up with a smile, yet kept himself firmly in the stance of a junior. Only then did he learn that the middle-aged man in the long gown was surnamed Ye, an unranked clerk in the Revenue Office of the prefectural magistrate's yamen — essentially an assistant to the yamen's functionaries. The other two were unranked runners from the same Revenue Office.

Over on that side, a few still-usable chairs had long since been brought out from the courtyard, and the three were invited to sit.

The moment the yamen officials appeared, the previously lively atmosphere here turned a bit cold. At this point, Zhao Jin climbed onto a table and shouted loudly, "Brothers and friends, I'm sure you all know by now that I'm recruiting hands here. I won't talk empty words — anyone who meets my requirements and is hired will receive one month's wages, one hundred wen, paid in advance."

After saying this, Zhao Jin pointed to the table beside him, which was piled high with copper coins of excellent quality, glittering under the sunlight. Talk is cheap — ready cash is the best proof of sincerity. The expressions of those fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds who had come to enlist all turned serious, and even the passersby on the outskirts watching the excitement grew considerably more attentive.

"Room and board provided, monthly wages one hundred wen — all of this will be written into the contract document. It can also be clearly stated that if I violate any of these terms, this document becomes null and void immediately."

Hearing him say this, Chen Hong's face was full of utter disbelief. Somewhat anxiously, he tugged at Chen Sheng's sleeve and said, "Brother, Big Brother Zhao is throwing money away! Hiring hands only requires feeding them. If the boss hits a rough patch, everyone gritting their teeth for a couple of days is only natural. Isn't he just digging his own grave here?"

"He's never been wrong in anything he does. There's definitely a reason for him to act this way. Just listen!" Chen Sheng scolded him. He had immense confidence in Zhao Jin.

Clerk Ye, sitting in his chair, was also full of astonishment. He immediately chuckled softly to his two companions beside him, "Squandering money like this — no matter how much 'red-difference' silver Zhao Dadao earned, he couldn't withstand this kind of waste. Killing too many people brings bad karma!"

They spoke quietly, so only Wang Zhaojing, who was standing nearby, heard them. Wang Zhaojing merely swept a cold glance over them and said nothing more.

Zhao Jin continued shouting from atop the table: "Do you think what I'm saying is absurd? Today we've invited several esteemed gentlemen from the yamen to serve as official witnesses. Once the document is signed today, thumbprints pressed, and it's taken to the yamen for the official seal, with the law itself as the guarantor — who would dare violate it?"

A stir ran through the crowd below, and everyone pressed a little closer. What Zhao Jin was saying was indeed unheard of; no one had ever heard of doing things this way. They hadn't believed it at first, but upon hearing that this contract document would be guaranteed by the authorities, everyone began to feel it was reliable.

Although they usually feared and loathed the authorities, they still held a kind of awe and trust toward the authorities' credibility.

Zhao Jin hadn't finished speaking. He continued shouting, "Some unpleasant words must be said up front. The streets aren't peaceful — there are always ruffians and scoundrels causing trouble. If you eat my food and take my wages, you must obey my orders to train and to fight. Those who don't follow my rules will be punished and beaten. Those without the guts to endure hardship, without the guts to fight, and who can't abide by the rules — don't come to me, lest you make a disgrace of yourselves when the time comes."

As soon as he finished saying this, someone below, no one knew who, chimed in: "Fighting and still getting fed and paid? Who wouldn't want to do a good thing like that!"

The crowd below roared with laughter. The folk of Xuzhou were fierce by custom — even children and youths loved martial pursuits and combat. The moment they heard Zhao Jin emphasize fighting, the prospect of fighting actually roused their spirits.

"Everything's been made clear. Those who want to sign up, step forward." After Zhao Jin finished saying this, he jumped down from the table.

The crowd of onlookers glanced at one another, but no one stepped forward. Zhao Jin paid them no mind for the moment and simply said cheerfully to Clerk Ye, "Uncle Ye, I'll have to trouble you to write a few extra lines in this contract document, to make the rules a bit clearer."

Zhao Jin had just listed quite a few rules. Writing them all down, one by one, would be terribly troublesome. Clerk Ye's brow immediately furrowed. He coughed and said in a low voice, "Xiao Jin, these people can't read anyway. We can just scribble a few casual lines — which of them could possibly figure it out? Once the document is signed, if anyone dares make a fuss, we just drag them in and beat them."

The petty clerks and assistants in the yamen had the blackest methods. Clerk Ye was, in his own way, trying to be helpful. Since no one could read anyway, just write a few casual lines. Once both parties had signed, the hired hands would be at the complete mercy of the boss — saving all that trouble of providing meals and paying wages.

Zhao Jin kept a smile on his face, but he insisted on his own approach: "I must trouble Uncle Ye to write exactly as your nephew says. This is my first time handling affairs; the rules must be strict and inspire trust. Otherwise, who would believe me next time?"

Hearing this, Clerk Ye felt that Zhao Jin was mocking him, and his expression immediately darkened. But Zhao Jin didn't hesitate. He reached into his robes, fished out five taels of silver, and directly pressed it into Clerk Ye's hand, saying with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Ye. Once this matter is settled, your nephew will have further gifts of thanks."

Zhao Jin also smoothly gave one tael each to the two runners. Those two immediately beamed with delight. They had thought they were just accompanying a child at play; they never expected this "child" to be so worldly-wise.

Clerk Ye weighed the silver in his hand, and his face also broke into a broad smile. "You're a meticulous one in your affairs, child. Very well, I'm also someone who takes things seriously when I do them. These next few days, even if my wrist breaks from the strain, I'll make sure it's written thoroughly."

Zhao Jin hurriedly thanked him with great politeness and only then stepped aside. Clerk Ye had already opened his bundle and was taking out the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone he had brought with him, one by one. The two officials beside him simply stood up and began shouting, "A rare good opportunity like this — what are you still hesitating for? If we were a dozen or so years younger, we'd have rushed over to sign up long ago."

Even with all this fuss, the onlookers still hesitated and hung back, glancing at each other, no one willing to step forward and sign up.

"Brother Zhao, should we think of another approach?" Wang Zhaojing couldn't help but murmur. Zhao Jin shook his head and replied, "No need to rush. They must come willingly, of their own accord."

Zhao Jin intended to train these recruits for combat and fighting. If they weren't willing, they would certainly lack the courage to charge forward when the time came.

After about the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, Zhao Jin arranged for Ji Xiang to fetch a pot of hot tea and some pastries for Clerk Ye and his two companions to enjoy. He had already prepared himself for a protracted effort.

"Can we really eat our fill?" a voice suddenly shouted from within the crowd.

Looking in the direction the voice came from, they saw it was someone roughly as tall as Chen Sheng who had asked the question. This person also looked to be around fifteen or sixteen. For someone of Zhao Jin's generation, being as tall as Chen Sheng was already quite rare. Eating one's fill, eating well, and training the body were needed to grow to such a height — though some children were simply born with a large frame.

The one who asked the question seemed to be naturally that way. He wasn't as bulky and large as Chen Sheng; his whole frame was extremely thin, as if merely propped up by his skeleton. His features were very fierce — the so-called leopard-head, ringed-eyes look — though this appearance was considerably diluted by the sallow, malnourished look on his face.

When the crowd at the goods yard saw it was this person who had spoken, they all burst out laughing in unison. Only Zhao Jin and his group were puzzled. But hearing someone ask, Zhao Jin still answered decisively, "Of course you can eat your fill! There'll even be meat to eat later on!"

Hearing this, the crowd that had just been laughing looked at Zhao Jin, then at that tall, thin, fierce-looking fellow, and their laughter grew even louder.

That person pushed through the crowd and strode over, shouting as he walked, "As long as I can eat my fill, I don't even need the money."

"What's your name?"

"Lu Da!"

"Where do you live?"

"The firewood yard south of the city."

"Are your parents willing to let you come?"

"They're willing. If I can eat my fill, they'll definitely be willing!"

"Can you endure hardship and fight?"

"As long as I can eat my fill..."

Zhao Jin asked several questions and discovered that this Lu Da seemed extremely fixated on "eating his fill." The person was a bit simple-minded, but not particularly fierce. Everyone found it amusing, and they all laughed throughout the question-and-answer session.

A person like this was very suitable, and unlikely to have any bad habits. Zhao Jin was actually quite satisfied with Lu Da. He was just about to have him come sign the contract when Ji Xiang tugged at the corner of his clothes. Turning his head, he saw Ji Xiang's anxious expression as he leaned in and whispered, "Big Brother, I just went and asked around. We can't take this Lu Da!"

Ji Xiang was meticulous. When he heard the crowd laughing, he sensed something was off. He went over to inquire and only then learned that Lu Da had moved into Xuzhou City with his family the year before last. His parents worked as hired help for a wealthy household and had originally wanted Lu Da to join them in the work. But this Lu Da simply ate too much — one meal of his nearly equaled the amount eaten by one and a half grown men. The steward of that wealthy household was naturally unwilling to bear such an expense.

Moreover, because of this appetite, no one anywhere in Xuzhou was willing to hire Lu Da for work; they all considered it a money-losing waste. So Lu Da could only stay at home. He had one younger brother and two younger sisters, all of whom had perfectly normal builds and appetites. Lu Da couldn't snatch food from his younger siblings, so he could only endure on half a full stomach every day. Only when wealthy households in the city held weddings or funerals would he go and tag along to get a bellyful.

The reason the children at the goods yard knew of him was that, just half a month ago, Lu Da had learned that one could win food through martial contests here at the goods yard. He hadn't expected that the few times he came, Zhao Jin and his group were all absent due to various matters, so he never caught them — until today, when he ran into this situation.

"... Big Brother, we can't take him. What he eats alone is enough to hire three of us..." Ji Xiang said somewhat anxiously. Zhao Jin smiled and patted his shoulder, murmuring, "It doesn't matter if he eats a lot, as long as he can fight!"

As the two of them spoke, Lu Da looked a bit apprehensive. He knew perfectly well why others didn't want him. Seeing Zhao Jin turn back, Lu Da hastily said, "I can eat a bit less... but eating my fill once every three days — that's okay, right?"

Zhao Jin laughed and said, "Since I've given my word, I guarantee you'll eat your fill at every meal. Come over and sign this document. Remember, you must go back and explain clearly to your parents. I'll only take you in if they release you. Understand?"

"My pa and ma will definitely agree. They just want me to go out and find work, to support myself." Lu Da hastily agreed.

With this one settled, Zhao Jin turned to Clerk Ye and said, "Uncle Ye, I'll dictate, you write. Make it in duplicate."

"You understand..." Clerk Ye had been about to say, "What does a half-grown kid like you know about this kind of contract document?" but then he thought of the silver in his robes and simply shut his mouth.