My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 66 Setting up a Banquet

Lin Ziping dragged his tired body back to the rented house. Zhu Zi had already made all the arrangements, and food was laid out on the table in the main hall.

Holding the chopsticks, Lin Ziping realized that he hadn't eaten all day, his stomach was empty, and he was starving.

I can't help but complain that they don't even get a meal allowance for working overtime.

"Young master, eat while it's hot." Zhu Zi moved the dishes in front of Lin Ziping.

"What about you?"

"I...I've already eaten." Zhu Zi adjusted the lamp wick, making the room a little brighter.

Lin Ziping was so hungry that he didn't care about anything else and picked up the bowl to eat. After a while, he patted his stomach with a satisfied look on his face.

"Zhu Zi, your skills are almost as good as Xiao Ya's," Lin Ziping praised. "I'll show you my skills sometime."

Zhu Zi laughed and said, "I dare not eat what the young master makes. I heard from Xiao Ya that once she tasted a bite and didn't leave the latrine for several days."

"No...no, it's not that exaggerated. It's just that it's my first time doing it and I'm not very familiar with it," Lin Ziping explained, his eyes wide.

Seeing Lin Ziping's reaction, Zhu Zi cupped his hands and smiled, "Yes, it's just that the young master isn't familiar with it."

The statement would be more convincing if the pillar didn't have a smile on his face.

“Zhu Zi, I think it’s a waste of your talents to do housework here every day. We’ll find someone to cook, and you can clean up on your days off. You can go out and find something to do,” Lin Ziping said as he and Zhu Zi cleared away the dishes.

Zhu Zi's hand trembled, and he knelt down, saying, "Does Young Master find my performance unsatisfactory?"

Lin Ziping sighed, knowing that explaining that he didn't have such thoughts would be useless. He helped Zhu Zi up, his face full of sorrow, and said, "Zhu Zi, to be honest, I have my own plans. These days, my salary is less than one tael of silver a month, barely enough for me to live on. That's only because my uncle gave me money for six months' rent. Now... sigh..."

Zhu Zi seemed to be hearing Lin Ziping complain about being poor for the first time, and said somewhat blankly, "The master sends someone to deliver silver every month."

Lin Ziping said with a look of disappointment, "Now that I'm an adult, how can I have the face to take my uncle's money again! Not only that, but my uncle has spent a lot of money on my studies and living expenses over the years, and I have to find a way to repay his kindness."

“This…this…Master gives me one tael of silver a month, this can be given to the young master,” Zhu Zi said, bowing his head.

Is the Lin family really that well-treated? Lin Ziping almost shed tears of envy, and felt an urge to go home and inherit the Lin Zhong family business!

Thinking that he had already taken over the original body, he felt he had gained a great advantage.

Lin Ziping suppressed his thoughts and said to Zhu Zi, "You're almost 18. Do you have a carriage? Do you have a house? If you don't think about saving money, what girl would want to be with you? Okay, it's settled then. Start looking for some work tomorrow, and do the housework together."

After saying that, he picked up his bowl and chopsticks and walked towards the kitchen.

After washing the dishes, Lin Ziping returned to his study, picked up a pen to record the day's events, and then took out a book to read. Over the years, although his grades at the academy were not outstanding, Lin Ziping had gradually developed a habit of reading.

"Dong dong dong..."

There was a knock on the door.

"Go in," Lin Ziping said without looking up.

"Young Master, this is the medicine that Granny Liao arranged for me to prepare for you." Zhu Zi brought in a bowl of something.

The strong smell of Chinese medicine made Lin Ziping frown: "Just leave it there."

Zhu Zi placed the medicine bowl next to Lin Ziping and stood there without moving.

Lin Ziping looked at the pillar and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Granny Liao instructed us to watch the young master drink it," Zhu Zi said.

"It's too hot, let it cool down a bit," Lin Ziping said, picking up the medicine.

Zhu Zi lowered his head and remained silent for a while before saying, "I have thought carefully about what the young master just said. I will go out tomorrow to see if there is anything I can do."

Hearing this, Lin Ziping nodded: "We can take it slow. I have an income from my teahouse, which can support us for a while. Don't worry, I'll take care of Uncle and Granny Liao. Besides, you should have your own life and shouldn't just revolve around the Lin family and me. Before, I had limited abilities at the Lin family, but now it's just the two of us here, so there's no need to be too formal."

Zhu Zi said, "Thank you very much, young master. This medicine should be drunk while it's hot. I'll go back to my room now."

After Zhu Zi left, Lin Ziping's gaze fell on the medicine. Every medicine has some degree of poison, and he had been drinking it for so many years without any effect. He picked up the medicine and poured it out the window, then took the bowl to the kitchen.

The next day, Lin Ziping went to the county government office, intending to find Lu Shuyin in the clerk's office, but the people he met on the way looked at him with a strange look.

Lin Ziping arrived at Lu Shuyin's door, completely bewildered. Bai Xin and Xiao Jiazheng were already at Lu Shuyin's desk. Lin Ziping's heart tightened. What were these two doing here? He recalled the strange looks he'd received from the people he'd encountered on the street. Could these two little bitches be reporting him on his behalf?

Lin Ziping was caught in a dilemma: whether to advance or retreat.

"Isn't this Lin boy? What are you doing standing at the door? Why don't you go in?" Just as Lin Ziping was struggling with his question, Inspector Chai's voice came.

Lin Ziping turned around and saw Inspector Chai accompanying County Magistrate Feng.

“County Magistrate Feng, this is the Lin boy I told you about who almost hit someone on horseback, Lin Ziping,” Inspector Chai said to County Magistrate Feng. “Don’t let his thin appearance fool you, he also contributed to this bandit suppression effort.”

"Greetings, Magistrate Feng and Inspector Chai." Lin Ziping quickly bowed.

Those inside the house heard the commotion outside and came out to pay their respects.

County Magistrate Feng waved his hand with a smile and said, "I know, Old Chai's family name is Lin Ziping. He is a scholar, a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations). Don't call him Lin 'little boy'."

He then looked at Lu Shuyin and said, "This is all thanks to Lu Shuyin. He has a keen eye. Three promising talents have arrived and made a difference right away, haha..."

Lu Shuyin cupped his hands and said, "This is merely my duty; I do not deserve the county magistrate's praise."

Magistrate Feng smiled and gestured vaguely at Lu Shuyin without speaking. He then looked at Bai Xin and Xiao Jiazheng and asked, "Did you also participate in the bandit suppression?"

Xiao Jiazhuang said, "The three of us went, but it was mainly due to Inspector Chai's good command and the hard work of the brothers in the third squad. We just stood on the sidelines and learned, and did nothing."

Magistrate Feng laughed and said, "Young man, you are so modest. The two people you captured are bandit leaders. This is not something you can just look at."

Bai Xin stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your praise, Magistrate Feng. The bandits we captured were thanks to the meticulous planning of Inspector Chai, which enabled the villagers of Maomao Village to work together with us to deal with the bandits. In addition, Ziping contributed the most to this matter, and he was even injured in the process, right, Ziping?"

All eyes fell on Lin Ziping, who felt as if he were being pricked by thorns, wondering what trouble Xiao Jiazheng and Bai Xin were up to. Lin Ziping smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, it's all fine now."

Magistrate Feng laughed and said, "Everyone else is crying and making a fuss about wanting credit, but the three of you are shirking responsibility. It's not a bad thing. Besides, the magistrate already knows that you have made meritorious contributions in suppressing the bandits. That's why I asked you to arrange a celebration banquet in a couple of days. You three have been here for so many days, and everyone has been quite busy. We haven't been able to welcome you yet. Now that you have made such a great contribution, it's perfect to combine the welcome banquet with the celebration banquet."

Lin Ziping, Bai Xin, and Xiao Jiazheng did not react for a moment. Chai, the patrol officer, whispered, "Why don't you thank Magistrate Feng?"

The three men bowed and clasped their hands, saying, "Thank you, Magistrate Feng."

Lin Ziping wondered what kind of banquet this was, and how could he sense that the waters of the Fuchun County government were so deep after only a short time having arrived?