Sitting at his desk, Wang Xian was still stunned. Life is really sad and impermanent, in the morning he was still complacent about finally becoming an official family, but two hours later, he began to worry about the tragic days ahead......

Coming out of Li Sihu's room, a white servant led him to a room next door, which was full of account books. In the gap between the account books, there are several tables, and behind each table sits a busy white-shirted clerk.

The white servant explained to the people inside and went out, and several clerks raised their heads, either indifferent, sympathetic, or gloating at Wang Xian, or the round-faced little fat man stood up, helped him clean up a table and came out, and smiled at him: "You rest for a while, I'll be busy for a while." ”

Wang Xian smiled at him gratefully, and sat down at the table, listening to the crackling sound of the abacus in his ears, but he didn't know what to do, he wanted to help others, but he couldn't intervene, so he had to refill everyone's tea bowl with water, and then sat there in a daze.

Fortunately, after not being in a daze for long, when they heard a bang outside, all the scribes breathed a sigh of relief, cleaned up the table, and walked out quickly.

When Wang Xianzheng was at a loss, the little fat man walked up to him again and said, "The meal is here, I'll take you to eat." ”

"Thank you, brother," Wang Xian smiled gratefully, "Why don't you avoid me?" ”

"My name is Wu Wei, and it doesn't matter if people give me the nickname." The little fat man smiled: "Just kidding, my father has shown you that you are sick." ”

"Are you Dr. Wu's son?" Wang Xian said suddenly: "I said how to be kind." ”

"Hehe, let's go, I'll have nothing to eat when it's late." The little fat man led Wang Xian and hurriedly ran to the canteen.

Yes, it was called 'cafeteria', and later generations just used this name. This is still the rule set by Tang Taizong, Li Shimin ordered from the central to the local yamen, all set up canteens, so that officials can sit together to eat, so as to communicate information, harmonious feelings, is also a means to prolong the discussion of political office.

Later dynasties inherited the canteen, but the function of the council office has disappeared, and all that remains is to eat, so it is called the canteen. For small officials and officials with low incomes, this is also a very intimate welfare, and they are envied by the people and call it 'eating official meals'.

In the Ming Dynasty, the canteens were also divided into levels, especially in local states and counties. For example, there are three canteens in Fuyang County, on the left side of the county government is the official canteen, on the right is the canteen for officials, and there is a Xuli canteen in the front yard.

Wang Xian and Wu Wei were two, and they entered the canteen of the officials, which could not be counted in any way. This canteen is also divided into two stalls, one inside is for the economic officials, and the outside is the place where non-economic officials like them eat. It can be seen that in the Ming Dynasty, the concept of hierarchy was everywhere.

As soon as Wang Xian entered the room, he saw white clothes and black hats full of eyes, sitting around square tables, chatting and farting while not delaying the chopsticks. Wu Wei took him to his table, looked at the rice bowl without Wang Xian, and said with a smile: "You are late today, the kitchen has already counted the number of people, eat my bowl." ”

Wang Xian hurriedly excused himself, but Wu Wei pressed him on a stool and said, "Just eat, I'll go and serve another bowl." ”

Wang Xian didn't say anything anymore, nodded and sat down, and when Wu Wei came back with a bowl of rice, he hadn't moved his chopsticks yet.

Wu Wei hurriedly grabbed a piece of chopsticks and fat slices, and said: "The hand is fast, the hand is slow!" ”

"Hmm." Wang Xian nodded, in fact, he had already looked at the food on the table. Although it is only four dishes and one soup, with meat and fish, it is already a supreme temptation for a person who eats brown rice and vegetable soup all day long.

'I didn't expect the food of the officials to be so good......,' Wang Xian said secretly, but he heard the scolding in his ears, and many people complained that since Sima Dan was in charge of the food, the food was getting worse and worse...... Sima Dan is Sima Qiu's younger brother.

Despite the scolding, they ate quickly, Wang Xiantong didn't move a few chopsticks, the dishes in front of him were empty, and he ate a bowl of rice after the last time......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the afternoon, Wang Xian offered to help Wu Wei do some work, but Wu Wei dared to ask him to help, "Forget it, if something goes wrong, I have to start from scratch, you should familiarize yourself with the situation first." ”

Wang Xian had no choice but to casually find the charter of his house, and then spread out the paper and practiced calligraphy.

I don't know how long later, a green-shirted official in his forties came in, and the secretary office looked up and made a gesture: "Ling Shi is here." "Lingshi is the title of the subordinate officials of the county order in the Han Dynasty, and now it is the honorific title of the officials.

That Ling Shi never opened his mouth with a smile, waved his hand and said, "I'm busy, I'll come to see the new kid." Saying that, Wang Xian was at the table, and when he saw that he was copying the charter, he smiled and said, "It's really changed." He patted him on the shoulder and said, "Come out." ”

"Ling Shi ......" Wang Xian followed him out of the public house, and when he came out, he saw him smiling and looking at himself.

"What kind of order history, just call uncle." Ling Shi is a household warden, named Zhang Hua, who was originally a subordinate of Wang Xian's father, and later transferred to the household. When Wang Xingye came back a while ago, he also visited Wang's house, so he was naturally more cordial to him, "I went out in the morning, or I would have seen you come early." ”

"Let's call it Ling Shi." Wang Xian smiled bitterly: "It's not good for Sihu to hear it. ”

"Hey, he's a good ear......" Zhang Dianguan pouted, "He showed you the color?" ”

"That's Sito-sama's love."

"Love a fart, the heart eye is smaller than the nose of a needle!" Zhang Dianguan scolded: "Isn't it that I didn't marry your mother at the beginning? You can't take advantage of your father, what kind of ability is it to bully a junior! ”

Wang Xian was dumbfounded when he heard this, he still wanted to go back and ask his father, did he have the hatred of killing his father and taking his wife with Li Sihu? After making trouble for a long time, I really let myself be right.

However, looking at Zhang Dian's appearance, he also has a lot of opinions about Li Sihu.

But Wang Xian knows the truth of 'trouble comes from the mouth', and he just listened all the way.

I followed the official Zhang to the back of the house, and after passing a hidden door, I saw three rows of rooms facing west, each row of eighteen rooms, densely packed, very cramped.

Zhang Dianguan took him to the second row of the room, opened the door and said: "This is the official's house, according to the regulations, the official should live here at ordinary times, and he can only go home on holidays." Although the management has been loose over the years, you are new here, and there are people staring at you, so you still live here honestly for a while! ”

"Hmm." Wang Xian nodded, and went in with him to take a look, inside was a room one zhang wide and two zhang long, with thick dust on the floor, a bed, a table and chairs, and a basin stand......

"You clean up." Zhang Dianguan said: "Then take a cover from home, and the yamen will dress and eat, but the cover will not be used...... At least not like you. ”

"Hmm." Wang Xian could say anything besides nodding.

"Alright, you can clean up here." Zhang Dianguan said: "When you're done, go home, you don't have to go to the house anymore." ”

"Okay." Wang Xian nodded, sent the official out of the house, looked into the room, and took off his brand-new clothes and hats. Barefoot and wearing shorts, he went out to find a well to get a bucket of water and wash the floor.

When the house was completely clean and the sun was already in the west, Wang Xian wiped his sweat, put on his clothes and left the yamen.

When he came to the street, he breathed a long sigh of relief, the strict hierarchy in the yamen was really depressing, especially when there was a boss who hated the house and Wu......

Glancing at the two grain merchants who were still in the flail there, Wang Xian walked home quickly, the closer he got to home, the more people greeted him: "Erlang, is it so early to disperse today?" "Erlang, weigh the catties of oranges and go back to eat, count you cheaper......"

Of course, the most common question is, 'Erlang, where did you get a room?' ’

When they heard the answer to 'Hufang', the eyes of everyone looked at him changed......

Wang Xian's heart was furious for a while, who did I offend again?

"Oh, Erlang quickly take a basket of oranges back to your sister to eat, what, no money? Isn't this a slap in the face of the uncle, after so many years of neighborhood, you will have to pay for two oranges......" The sixth uncle who bought the oranges suddenly doubled his enthusiasm and had to give him a basket of oranges.

"Erlang, this is a silver carp that has just been caught, and I am about to send it to you to make up for your body, hurry up and take the ......" The seventh brother who sold the fish also picked up two fish and came up.

"Lao Qi is stupid, how can he eat fish to replenish his body." Zhu Dachang, who sold meat, picked up the knife in his hand, snapped and snapped, chopped off four pig's trotters, used a pack of lotus leaves, and handed it to Wang Xian: "Oh, soybean stewed pig's trotters, keep you running all over the ground!" ”

For a time, all the people on the street became loving fathers and brothers, and not only gave him things, but also praised him without saying anything:

"I said a long time ago that Erlang is promising, what do you see, it has come true!"

"Erlang, at the Liu Family Tavern in the evening, I invite you to eat mutton pot and paste autumn fat!"

"Erlang, this young man, at first glance, is the material of being an official, and he will definitely be terrible in the future......"

“……”

There is nothing to do, there must be no good thing, Wang Xian didn't ask for anything, almost ran away, who knew that the neighbors actually chased him home. He didn't care, hid in the room to practice calligraphy, and handed it over to the old lady to deal with.

People come and go outside, and the rhetoric is like a tide, and it keeps going, which makes Wang Xian stunned, which is too exaggerated......

It wasn't until a while after dinner that no guests came to the door. Wang Xian came out of the west wing and saw the old lady humming a little song happily, and packed up the things sent by the neighbors in the east wing. At a glance, there is a dazzling array of food, and there is no need to spend money for a while.

"My son is doing well." Seeing Wang Xian come in, the old lady smiled and squinted her eyes and said, "Thanks to you, the old lady finally has another chance to receive gifts." ”

"Mother, how can the neighbors send things to us for nothing......" Wang Xian was not high at all, but seeing that the old lady did not refuse, he had to kindly remind: "They must ask for something." ”

"I know that the government wants to re-register the yellow book?" The old lady smiled: "The neighbors in the street, just don't send things, you still have to find a way to let them go?" ”

"Alas......" Wang Xianxin said, you really can afford me, but I don't know that I am a mud bodhisattva crossing the river - it is difficult to protect myself! But he didn't want to annoy his mother by speaking out, so he asked, "What about my father?" ”

"Your father is the most treacherous, yesterday he told people to go anywhere, and today he went to Hangzhou for activities." The old lady pouted and said: "It's okay to have an activity, if he is assigned to Yunnan, the old lady will not follow." Saying that, he looked at Wang Xian, and said unmindfully: "By the way, Miss Lin has been here today." ”

"Oh?" Wang Xian pretended to be inadvertent, but pricked up his ears.

"Her family is moving to Suzhou tomorrow......"

"Oh......" Wang Xian said in surprise: "What are you doing in Suzhou?" ”

"Where is Miss Lin's grandmother's house......"

"Oh......" Wang Xian's eyes darkened.

The old lady glanced at him and said quietly: "Miss Lin is also engaged......

"Oh?" Wang Xian was startled, jumped up, and scurried out.

"Why are you going?" The old lady asked.

"Go out of the ......" Before Wang Xian's words fell, the person had already disappeared at the door. (To be continued)