Chapter 9, The Ubiquitous Hooligan

Yet he saw the small green bean eyes smiling apologetically at a long-bearded, red-faced man across from him: "Brother Guan, I beg your pardon, I beg your pardon, haha, this Brother Zhao is new here today and does not yet understand the rules. Please be magnanimous and do not take it to heart."

"Brother Jiao, Brother Zhou, I have drawn a bucket of water, shall we wash up and then sleep?" Zhao Ran appeared to be inquiring, but in reality, he was urging them.

It must be said that although the tasks assigned to Zhao Ran were quite terrible, at least the meals at the Wujiyuan were very delicious. Upon arriving at the dining hall with the two "seniors," Zhao Ran felt an immense sense of comfort in his heart

Zhao Ran was filled with excitement; it had been nearly a year since he had crossed over, and he finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. He stared at the bowl of pork and scallions, his eyes sparkling, wishing he could dive in immediately. Fortunately, he still possessed a measure of self-control, which prevented him from embarrassing himself in public

At this moment, the setting sun cast its glow over the western horizon, with red clouds enveloping the peak of Wujishan, creating an extraordinarily magnificent scene. Zhao Ran indulged in the mountain view for a while before wandering back to the small courtyard. There, he saw Brother Guan sitting on the stone steps beneath the house, surrounded by several workers from the clean room, who were laughing and chatting loudly.

The Ming Dynasty was a dynasty strongly supported by the Daoist sects. Within the Ming, anyone wishing to ensure their family's wealth and longevity must rely on the Daoist sects. The truly high-ranking families and those in power have their own clan members holding positions within the Daoist sects, while the lesser "small families" exhaust all their efforts to establish some connections with the Daoist sects

Zhao Ran was left utterly bewildered after being reprimanded, shrinking his neck and submissively enduring it. It was at this moment that he noticed an empty bowl placed in front of the red-faced "Brother Guan Er." The short Daoist was busy serving dishes into the empty bowl. When Brother Guan Er nodded, the short Daoist added more food; when Brother Guan Er frowned, the short Daoist served less. Before long, the empty bowl was filled to the brim with dishes.

Zhao Ran's family background is even more dismal, and Jiao Tan's thoughts in this regard are evidently in vain

Jiao Tan let out a cold snort, turned over under the blanket, completely ignoring him. Zhou Huai's triangular head poked out again, weakly saying: "Don't bother, just rest..."

Especially that bowl of pork with scallions, where the large slices of meat had all been transferred to Guan Erge's empty bowl, leaving only a few scattered pieces of meat among the dense scallions, making Zhao Ran's heart bleed with sorrow

A meal serves as proof that the class nature of individuals is innate; even when situated at the very bottom of society, distinctions of various ranks still emerge.

How is it that the children of wealthy families are so neglectful of hygiene

Jiao Tan cast a disdainful glance at Zhao Ran, asking, "Can you defeat him?" Zhao Ran was momentarily at a loss for words. Brother Guan Er was a bodyguard from the Weiyuan Escort Agency in the capital, and his martial arts skills were undoubtedly impressive. The Weiyuan Escort Agency had a long-standing agreement with the Xizhen Wugong, whereby every designated successor to the chief escort must first go to the Daoist sect for "gold plating". If the Xizhen Wugong deemed the bodyguard's qualifications acceptable, they would be retained; if they found the qualifications mediocre, they would be sent to a Daoist temple in a county of Long'an Prefecture to serve as a fire worker for three years, after which they would transition to serve in the Fang Hall. The Fang Hall is responsible for inspections among the eight major offices of the Daoist temple, and it is fitting for the bodyguards of the Weiyuan Escort Agency to serve here. After a full ten years, they would return to the escort agency, becoming the prime candidates for the position of chief escort.

The green bean with small eyes is named Jiao Tan, hailing from a prominent family in Guyang County. His ancestors once served as governors in a certain region of Yunnan, though the connection is somewhat distant. The triangular-headed individual is Zhou Huai, the son of Zhou Cangling from the Long'an Prefecture's Gufeng Granary, but he is a illegitimate son. Both of them come from wealthy families, and according to Zhao Ran's understanding, they are typical examples of "official second generation." The reason they came to Wujiyuan to serve as miscellaneous workers is merely to "align with the trend."

Zhao Ran, feeling helpless, had no choice but to wash it himself, and then climbed into bed, similarly covering his head with the blanket to prevent the foot odor from bothering others

Guang Erge let out a heavy "hmph" from his nostrils, picked up his chopsticks, and only then did the others at the table begin to eat. Zhao Ran was startled by the earlier scene, and now his movements hesitated; by the time his chopsticks reached the dish, there was not even a trace of minced meat left.

Therefore, when Brother Guan Er speaks, everyone must listen attentively. If Brother Guan Er does not allow everyone to eat, they must patiently wait. Additionally, during festivals and holidays, everyone is required to contribute money to host a banquet in honor of Brother Guan Er in the county town

Even the landlord's family does not eat this way

Hundreds of people were seated around more than ten large round tables, each table set with the standard four dishes and one soup: dried tofu, cauliflower, green bell peppers, and pork with scallions, each served in a large bowl, accompanied by a pot of vegetable and tofu soup. Each person's place was piled high with white rice!

The Clean Head and the Toilet Head are both responsible for cleaning duties, but the Toilet Head has a more unfortunate role, as they are in charge of cleaning the toilets. Due to the similarity in their responsibilities, they live and dine together at the same table. Brother Guan, known as the tyrant of the cleaning trade in the Wujiyuan, possesses a slight resemblance to a gang leader.

The most typical cases of the latter are situations like those of Jiao Tan and Zhou Huai, where even if one has to take on menial tasks in a temple, the family still insists on sending them into the temple. On one hand, even if it is just menial work, at least they have been in the temple, right? They are somewhat familiar with the environment, and if any unexpected incidents or misfortunes occur at home, they have connections to seek help and intercede in the temple. At the same time, as a member of a collateral branch, if one remains at home indefinitely and fails to excel in studies, their future is bound to be bleak. However, if they have 'gilded' their experience in the temple, with good fortune, they could return home in glory after ten years. Even if luck is not on their side, they can still rely on this qualification to establish themselves in the world, making it much easier to pursue any endeavors.

With no other choice, Zhao Ran bit into a green onion, slurping up the lingering meaty aroma from the onion roll, while his eyes were fixed on the bowl piled high with slices of meat in front of Guan Er Ge, silently cursing the other party's ancestors hundreds of times in his heart

After lying on the bed for a while, Zhao Ran pondered the situation and realized that it was broad daylight; why should I be sleeping while those two are awake? So he got up again, as usual, went outside to get some fresh air, strolled along the wall of the small courtyard, and walked along the mountain path.

Unfortunately, I was placed in a category beyond the ninth rank and had an unpleasant meal with Zhao Ran. After finishing the meal, I half voluntarily and half passively accepted the re-education from the small-eyed green bean and the triangular-headed individual

Returning to the West House, Jiao Tan and Zhou Huai kicked off their shoes and climbed onto the bed. Zhao Ran frowned, feeling quite uncomfortable, as he could vaguely smell the foul odor emanating from their feet. He could not understand how these two young gentlemen, who should have received a good education, could be so untidy. After pondering for a moment, he turned around and went outside to fetch a bucket of water from the large water tank in the courtyard. Even though he had crossed over as the son of a poor farmer, Zhao Ran still maintained the habit of washing up before going to bed and upon waking. He simply could not tolerate the bad habit of those two fellows getting into bed without washing their feet—especially since he had a share of the bed too.

Jiao Tan recounted the origins of Er Ge, glancing sideways at Zhao Ran. Seeing that Zhao Ran had no reaction, he felt a wave of disappointment. The reason he knew so much was precisely because he had suffered losses when he first arrived, having once thought to leverage his family's influence to gain some advantages. However, he did not expect that the other party had such a close relationship with the Xizhen Wugong, which was far more intimate than his own status as a 'gentry family.' Therefore, for the past few months, he could only endure in silence.

Why does everyone have to listen to him? Zhao Ran asked

The red-faced Daoist squinted one eye and glanced at Zhao Ran without saying a word. Next to him, a short Daoist with a flushed face angrily reprimanded Zhao Ran, saying, "What is going on? Do you understand the rules?" He then shouted at the Daoist with small green bean-like eyes, "If he doesn't understand the rules, do you understand them? Weren't you taught before coming out? Pay attention next time; if it happens again, don't expect to eat!" After scolding the Daoist with small green bean-like eyes and Zhao Ran, the short Daoist smiled obsequiously at the red-faced Daoist, saying, "Second brother, let me serve you some food."

It is actually quite simple to say that Brother Guan Er is essentially a "small local tyrant". The dormitory is the largest among the eight servant rooms of the Wujiyuan, overseeing the daily needs of all the Taoists in the courtyard. Among the twenty-three positions of the "Five Masters and Eighteen Heads" responsible for management, eight are located in the dormitory. The managing Taoist of Zhao Ran and his companions is one of the heads, while Brother Guan Er's manager is the Jing Head

As the sound of the bell echoed, Zhao Ran immediately picked up his chopsticks and reached for a piece of greasy fatty meat. However, unexpectedly, a small hand with green bean-like eyes slapped down on the back of his hand, nearly causing Zhao Ran to drop the chopsticks he was holding.

Jiao Tan and Zhou Huai both entered the Wujiyuan last year, less than a year earlier than Zhao Ran, and according to the rules, they were directly assigned to clean the latrines, making them difficult brothers of the same batch. Newcomers are always willing to band together; despite Jiao Tan's sarcastic remarks, he indeed stands up for Zhao Ran. While Jiao Tan spoke, Zhou Huai occasionally interjected with a few comments, and in an instant, Zhao Ran understood the situation.

Zhao Ran was furious and was about to lash out at the small green bean-like eyes, but suddenly felt that the atmosphere was somewhat off. ... Looking around, he noticed that the other nine people at the table were all staring at him intently, some with disdain, some with contempt, some with glee at his misfortune, and others as if they were watching a joke