bookpub Chapter 1 Butler
Chapter 1 Butler
hungry!
Extreme hunger!
My stomach was completely empty, and it felt like a fire was burning inside.
The scene before me flickered between light and darkness, like watching an old-fashioned slideshow.
My legs felt like they were filled with lead; every step forward required all my strength.
Lu Lin stuck out his tongue and licked his chapped lips, supporting the baby on his back with both hands.
He was just a four-year-old child, yet he was heavier than Mount Tai.
In front of him, behind him, to his left and right, were people like Lu Lin.
There are men and women.
There are both old and young people.
"Thump."
Someone fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The crowd seemed not to see him and walked past him.
Lu Lin forced himself to look up and gaze ahead, where the outline of a city was faintly visible.
"Jinshan Prefecture!"
A man screamed.
The crowd immediately erupted into chaos.
"Jinshan Prefecture, we've finally arrived at Jinshan Prefecture!"
"Lord Prefect will definitely save us... Mother, Mother, wake up! We've arrived at Jinshan Prefecture!"
Some people shed tears.
Someone screamed.
Lu Lin felt a surge of energy, as if a surge of strength had come from nowhere.
He arched his back forcefully, making the baby behind him press closer to his back.
"Stone, we've finally arrived at Jinshan Prefecture!"
"Hurry up, we'll have food once we get to Jinshan Prefecture!"
Stone nodded. "Brother, how about I get down and walk?"
"It's alright, I have plenty of strength!"
Lu Lin roared and charged forward with the stone on his back.
One step, two steps.
The wind whistled past my ears.
Lu Lin's legs took increasingly larger strides.
Sudden.
Lu Lin felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, lost his footing, and fell forward to the ground.
Realizing something was wrong, Lu Lin disregarded his own safety and gripped the stone behind him tightly with his hands behind his back.
"oops!"
Lu Lin cried out in pain.
He didn't have time to check his injuries and quickly stood up.
The next second, the crowd surged forward from behind.
The saying goes, "Looking at a mountain makes one's horse run itself to death."
Although Lu Lin had seen the city of Jinshan Prefecture in the morning, it took him a full two hours to walk there.
Some of the refugees who arrived earlier were already drinking thick porridge, with various bowls and basins arranged by the prefectural government officials.
queue.
Verify identity.
After a stick of incense had burned, Lu Lin finally received a large bowl of rice porridge.
Ignoring the heat, Lu Lin fed Shi Tou a spoonful first.
"Brother, you should drink too."
Lu Lin nodded.
Ten days ago, he traveled here and fell into a coma with a high fever. If it weren't for the stone stealing half a hard bread, he would have died long ago.
Stone is the original owner's younger brother, and he only has a nickname.
The two brothers originally lived in Qingshi Village, which was under the jurisdiction of Jinshan Prefecture. They had parents at home, and although their life was not wealthy, they never had a problem having enough to eat.
But a wildfire in December killed their parents.
With no food at home, the original owner planned to take her younger brother to seek refuge with her eldest sister, who had married and moved to the county town.
Unexpectedly, the two brothers were taken hostage by a group of refugees as they walked along the road.
Migrants passing through.
The county town was on high alert, and they didn't even open the city gates. They sent some food and then directed them to Jinshan Prefecture.
As they traveled, the number of refugees grew larger and larger, and now there are probably more than one or two thousand people.
Jinshan Prefecture is a prefectural city; it should be able to accommodate so many people.
Lu Lin returned the bowls and spoons and waited for arrangements with the other refugees.
Before long, dozens of elegantly dressed middle-aged people arrived.
"Wang's Grain Shop is recruiting ten grain transport workers. Requirements: age over 18 and robust build."
"The Zheng family's embroidery workshop is recruiting female workers. They must have basic needlework skills and be under 25 years old."
Hongyun Restaurant is hiring waiters and kitchen helpers. Applicants must be 14 years of age or older and be quick-witted.
The refugees became restless.
They flocked to the shopkeepers, crowding around them.
Lu Lin's eyes lit up.
Hongyun Restaurant!
This is a good job; at least I can get enough to eat.
Lu Lin, carrying a stone, squeezed into the crowd.
But when he arrived in front of the shopkeeper, the shopkeeper waved him off.
"We're not hiring anymore, we're full!"
Having said that, without waiting for anyone's reaction, he left with the seven or eight boys he had chosen.
Lu Lin was not angry.
He is fifteen years old now. As long as he has a job to eat, he can feed his younger brother.
However, after trying the blacksmith shop and the general store, Lu Lin discovered a problem.
There are quite a few shopkeepers outside the city recruiting refugees.
However, the number of people they recruited was extremely limited.
Even the largest Wang family grain shop only had twelve managers.
Lu Lin panicked a little.
Anyone who has experienced hunger will never want to think about those days again.
Lu Lin carried the stones and went up to each person to ask, but each time he received the same answer...
He waved his hand.
Shake head.
Close your eyes.
Turn around.
The more than one hundred lucky individuals who were selected, watching countless Lu Lins weaving through the crowd, subconsciously straightened their chests.
The greatest joy in life comes from comparison.
"Rest, rest. You should use this time to recuperate."
The young constable came over and tried to persuade him.
"Officer, do you have any jobs to recommend? I can do anything, as long as you give me something to eat."
"Officer, I kneel down before you and beg you to take my family in. My family members are skilled in needlework, farming, and blacksmithing. I... I don't eat much."
The young constable hadn't expected this.
He came over with good intentions to persuade them, but was surrounded by the crowd.
His hand gripped the hilt of the knife, but he hesitated to pull it out, and could only look for help to the old yamen runners watching the show behind him.
"My Chen family is recruiting twenty young men as sparring partners."
"Meals are provided, with meat at every meal, and a monthly salary of one tael of silver."
"If you have a talent for martial arts, you can also accompany the young master to enter the Ink Bamboo Academy."
The old yamen runners were still watching the show, wanting to see the young man make a fool of himself a little longer.
At that moment, a deep, resonant voice rang out.
The newcomer was dressed in a dark blue robe, with a small hat on his head, a mustache, crescent-shaped eyebrows, a small nose and small eyes, but a large mouth.
"I am Chen Tong, the head butler of the Chen family."
"I am here to select people on the orders of the master. My Chen family is a prominent family in Jinshan Prefecture. We own thousands of acres of fertile land, three restaurants, and no fewer than twenty silk, rice and flour shops and blacksmith shops."
"Those who come to be sparring partners, if they are not suitable for martial arts training in the future, can be assigned to other businesses within the family."
Chen Tong's words did not inspire anyone.
The group of refugees standing in front of him took a step back.
Training partner.
Even a dog wouldn't do it.
The refugees sought work to survive, not to die.
Although it was his first time in Jinshan Prefecture, even Lu Lin, who had lived in the mountains for a long time, had heard rumors about sparring partners.
A sparring partner, also known as a human sparring partner.
As the name suggests, it is a human-shaped wooden stake.
That's for those who are preparing to become martial artists to practice.
A punch or a kick wouldn't be a big problem.
But that person is about to become a martial artist.
Their physical strength and punches are far beyond what ordinary people can match.
Generally speaking, few sparring partners survive more than three months.
Chen Tong's gaze swept over the men, women, and children in front of him, and everyone lowered their heads, none daring to meet his eyes.
Lu Lin also lowered his head.
He wasn't refusing.
Instead, it is introspection.
At this moment, in Lu Lin's sea of consciousness, a golden, bright, and radiant bell began to gently shake.