Finest Servant

Chapter 11 Initiation or Enema? (2)

Lin San? The selection of house servants? Lin Wanrong almost fainted. He couldn't even use his real name and had to go by Lin San? What kind of competition was this for selecting house servants? They had to compete for a position just to become a servant?

Uncle Wei saw through Lin Wanrong's thoughts and chuckled, "A name is just a symbol. I'm sure you don't want your real name, Lin Wanrong, to appear on the list of Xiao Family's servants, right? Lin San is a more common name. As for the house servant selection, don't worry about what it is. Just remember my words: you need to become a servant in Xiao's household. However, there will be many people competing for this position, so you need to work hard and not let others take away your meal ticket."

It was then that Lin Wanrong remembered that once Uncle Wei left, he would be left to fend for himself. Uncle Wei was actually helping him find a job by suggesting he become a servant. Unfortunately, even though Lin Wanrong didn't care about being a servant, there were many people competing for the same position. If he didn't work hard, he might not even be able to become a servant, which would be embarrassing.

It was just ridiculous that they had to hold a recruitment event just to select a few house servants. Who came up with this terrible idea?

As Lin Wanrong pondered, Uncle Wei had already left and he couldn't even see his shadow anymore. That old blind man had fast feet.

Lin Wanrong had to face reality. If he still wanted to be a man of his word, he had to go to Xiao's household and become a servant for a year. At least it was only for a year. He could endure it, and it would be like spending a year in a pigsty. As for the old man's talk about making a name for himself, it was pure nonsense. If he went to Xiao's household and said he wanted to make a name for himself, he would probably be beaten with a stick.

Once Lin Wanrong realized this, he felt much more at ease. He only needed to pass the selection process and become a servant, then he could loaf around for a year and be done with it.

The so-called house servant selection was just like a job fair. Lin Wanrong chuckled to himself, feeling embarrassed that he had to start making money again.

On this day, despite sustaining serious injuries, Lin Wanrong did not act on his impulses and instead stayed home to rest. Uncle Wei had left him a small thatched hut, which was sparsely furnished except for two beds and some classical books. Lin Wanrong casually flipped through the pages and was surprised to find that many of the books were from the imperial library. He wondered where Uncle Wei had stolen them from.

Now that his emotions had settled, Lin Wanrong was curious about this world he had been transported to and began reading the books. Although the archaic language and traditional characters were difficult to decipher, and he had to read them vertically, Lin Wanrong persevered so as not to become illiterate in this era.

In Lin Wanrong's original timeline, the Chu-Han Contention at the end of the Qin Dynasty ended with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King, committing suicide in the Wu River. However, in this world, Xiang Yu emerged victorious and beheaded Liu Bang, establishing the powerful state of Da Chu with Xiang Yu and his lover Yu Ji as its first emperor and empress.

History had diverged in this world, and Lin Wanrong had truly arrived in a different space-time. It was like a great river branching out into different streams. In this timeline, due to the annihilation of Liu Bang, the course of history had taken a vastly different path from that of Lin Wanrong's original timeline. There had been more than a dozen dynasties after Da Chu, until the Zhao dynasty, which established the powerful Da Hua empire a hundred years ago. Coincidentally, the corruption and incompetence of the Da Hua imperial court mirrored that of the Song dynasty Lin Wanrong was familiar with.

During his transport through space-time, there had also been a time reversal, causing Lin Wanrong to return to the age of eighteen or nineteen, although his thoughts and knowledge remained that of a twenty-five-year-old. In summary, Lin Wanrong had not only gone back in time, but also found himself in a strange new world.

Lin Wanrong had a faint feeling that the magical events that had befallen him were a cross-dimensional and cross-temporal transition. This might be an important piece of evidence for deciphering this multi-dimensional world, but unfortunately, he could not go back to his original timeline. Such frivolous concerns were best left for more brilliant minds to ponder, like Einstein's.

After some contemplation, Lin Wanrong continued studying history instead of dwelling on his thoughts. He spent the day diligently reading amidst a sea of books, so engrossed that he hardly noticed the pain from his shoulder wound.

A restful night's sleep helped soothe the ache in his injured internal organs caused by Xiao Qingxuan's attack. The purplish-blue bruising on his shoulder had also faded away. As Uncle Wei had predicted, the poison wasn't deadly.

Lin Wanrong marveled at the efficacy of the golden medicine that Uncle Wei had given him. The wound on his shoulder had already scabbed over, and it was much stronger than the surgical stitches he had seen in his own time. He made a mental note to ask Uncle Wei for more of the medicine for future use.

After tidying himself up, Lin Wanrong was pleased with his handsome reflection in the bronze mirror. Although his cloth shoes were still frayed, he didn't care. He was not one to judge people based on their appearance, and his own looks were not too shabby, despite his modest attire.

As he stepped out onto the street, Lin Wanrong wandered aimlessly for a while. To be honest, he was not very familiar with this city of Jinling, except for the nearby Xuanwu Lake that he had visited a few times. He had never even seen which direction the entrance of the Xiao family's gate faced.

He ate two fried dough sticks and drank a large bowl of soy milk on the street. Lin Wanrong couldn't help patting his now full stomach. In this world, there was no such thing as gutter oil or moldy soybeans. Everything was fresh and healthy. He tossed three copper coins and shouted that there was no need for change before walking away with his tattered shoes.

After walking for a while, Lin Wanrong realized that he didn't know where the Xiao family was, so he stopped a middle-aged man and asked, "Excuse me, sir, do you know where the Xiao family is located?"

The man interrupted Lin Wanrong and handed him something, saying, "You're here for the Xiao family servant selection exam, right? Here's a map, five copper coins each. What? You only want one coin for one map? You're too harsh, little brother. It doesn't even cover the cost. At least three copper coins. Alright, alright, small profits but quick turnover. I'll give you two maps for two copper coins."

Lin Wanrong gave him two copper coins, took the two thin guide maps, and asked, "Sir, does the servant job at the Xiao family really require such a large-scale selection and seem to be in high demand? Is the job really that good?"

The man opened up and spoke because of the two copper coins, "Little brother, you just came from out of town, right? Ah, you know, it's not easy to find a job these days. The Xiao family is a famous wealthy family in Jinling City. Although their situation is not as good as before these past two years, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Their servants are treated very well, even the lowest-ranking servants receive a monthly salary of one or two silver coins, not to mention the middle and high-ranking servants. And on holidays and festivals, they also receive red envelopes and bonuses. So the number of applicants is endless. Let me tell you, from this morning until now, I have received no less than a hundred people like you, young men, and there are also many talented and handsome men like you who want to apply."