Chapter 27:The Superior-Subordinate Relationship Is Very Important

The chances of time travel were slim.New life was worth celebrating.But it would be truly miserable to die from a minor cold after being reborn through time travel.

He shivered and felt cold all over.In his previous life,he was used to having antibiotics readily available.But here,he neither knew how to prepare traditional Chinese medicine nor could he leave the Intoxication Pavilion to see a doctor.Could he really just wait to die?

Right then,the courtyard gate suddenly swung open.Yang Xiaosi walked in cheerfully.When he saw Liu Liwa,his smile widened,but he looked slightly surprised.”Hey,brother,you’re up so early.You weren’t waiting for me,were you?”

Liu Liwa gave a bitter smile,his nose almost dripping into his mouth.Yang Xiaosi chuckled and held up a food box in his hand.”Brother,thanks to you sponsoring me with a silver tael yesterday and bringing me good luck,I had a great winning streak at the Hongyun Gambling Den last night.I won back all the money I lost this past month.It’s all thanks to you,brother.Here,I specially bought you some freshly made tofu pudding.After all,if you ever need money in the future,just say the word!”

Damn,after saying all that,how could I even bring it up?He had a great winning streak but only bought a bowl of tofu pudding,then followed up with all these generous words.If you really meant it,you’d share some cash with me to show true sincerity!

Liu Liwa cursed inwardly,but he could never say that out loud.The county magistrate was not as important as the immediate superior.Yang Xiaosi was his direct boss,and they had just started building a rapport.If he offended him now,he would suffer later.Liu Liwa quickly put on a smile and said,”Ah,Fourth Brother,you really care about me.You know my status here.Money isn’t much use to me,but this fragrant tofu pudding could save my life.”

“Brother,you’re exaggerating.”Yang Xiaosi had always known Liu Liwa was savvy and was happy to play along.Just as he was about to hand over the tofu pudding,Liu Liwa let out a thunderous sneeze right in his face.Yang Xiaosi quickly raised the food box to shield his face.Seeing Liu Liwa’s tear-streaked,runny-nosed appearance,he asked,”Brother,what’s wrong?”

Liu Liwa sniffled and said,”I caught a cold.During the day,I have no white pills,so I feel exhausted.At night,I have no black pills,so I feel freezing!”

Yang Xiaosi had no idea what “white and black pills” were and was utterly confused.”Brother,you’ve caught a chill.This won’t do.You need to sweat it out and drive away the cold.Come,eat the tofu pudding while it’s hot.I’ll go find someone to heat water for you.A hot bath will fix you right up!”

“Right!”Liu Liwa’s eyes lit up.Earlier,he had been too scared to remember the wisdom of the ancients.Sweating was the best treatment.He quickly clasped his hands and said,”Thank you.I’ll trouble you,Fourth Brother.”

“Brother,why so polite?”Yang Xiaosi waved his hand and turned to leave.He went straight to the men’s dormitory and kicked the door open.It was just daybreak,the rooster had crowed once,and the wandering spirits hadn’t returned to the underworld yet.But the exploiting class didn’t care about that.Even if the rooster didn’t crow,they would imitate its crow themselves.Soon,the entire courtyard echoed with Yang Xiaosi’s shouts,”Get up,get up!Do you still think you’re young masters?Here,no one will feed you for free.Hurry up and chop wood to heat water!”

After that,he turned to the women’s dormitory and similarly kicked the door open,shouting,”Get up,get up!If any of you can cook ginger tea,you won’t have to do laundry or clean chamber pots today!”

Liu Liwa watched dumbfounded.This must be the legendary abuse of power,right?The boss just gives orders,and the underlings run themselves ragged.In this small courtyard,Yang Xiaosi was the supreme ruler.Liu Liwa secretly felt grateful that he had managed to build a connection with him and hadn’t asked for a share of the winnings earlier.

Yang Xiaosi turned and saw Liu Liwa staring at him blankly.He immediately said,”Brother,why are you still standing here?Hurry inside and eat the tofu pudding.I’ll have them heat water for your bath and make ginger tea.You must take good care of yourself!”

Liu Liwa was so moved he nearly shed tears.Although Yang Xiaosi merely gave orders and kept the silver taels in his pocket,at least he did something practical for his subordinate.Such leaders were rare these days.Liu Liwa said gratefully,”Thank you for your concern,Fourth Brother.I won’t stand on ceremony.”

Yang Xiaosi waved his hand,and Liu Liwa carried the food box inside.Tofu pudding was common,but at that moment,it was like charcoal in the snow.When he opened the box,the aroma wafted out,steaming hot.It felt more effective than any antibiotic.However,before Liu Liwa could even lift a spoon,the tofu pudding along with the food box vanished.When he came to his senses,the bowl was empty,with only Qin Wan’er and Meng Xinying having traces of white,thick residue around their mouths.Especially the Little Loli,who was still licking her lips with satisfaction.It was so wicked that Liu Liwa immediately lost his temper.

But he had a wicked thought:With my endless energy,if I saved one essence shot in the bowl every day,bit by bit,with the weather getting cooler,by the time I filled a whole bowl,added some cilantro,and claimed it was tofu pudding,he hoped they would still fight over it then!

Liu Liwa smirked mischievously,deciding not to fuss over these two girls.He waved his hand and said,”Alright,if there’s nothing else,you can go somewhere else.I have a cold,and I don’t want to infect you.But if you have a conscience and feel guilty for stealing my tofu pudding,you can help scrub my back and wipe me down later when I bathe.Consider it easing your conscience.”

“Great!”Qin Wan’er cheered.”I love watching people bathe,and I’m happy to help.Back at home,I used to watch often.First,soak in scalding hot water for a while,then use a small knife like this to scrape off the softened bristles,and then…”

“Enough,you’re talking about dehairing a pig before slaughter.”Liu Liwa looked at the small knife in her hand and wondered how a young lady from a wealthy family could enjoy watching pig slaughter.Did unhappy wealthy women enjoy watching stud pigs?

Qin Wan’er saw the disgust on his face and left cheerfully with the Little Loli.Soon,under Yang Xiaosi’s direct supervision,a large wooden bathtub was carried in.The workers were,of course,the young masters who had arrived with Liu Liwa.Their aggrieved faces and resentful eyes made him feel somewhat embarrassed.But such was society—survival of the fittest.

Bucket after bucket of scalding hot water was poured into the tub,steam rising and mist swirling.Even before getting in,all his pores had opened,feeling incredibly comfortable.Before long,one of the young ladies who had arrived with him brought over a bowl of fragrant ginger tea.She didn’t seem resentful but rather happy,thanks to her status as a concubine’s daughter.Her mother was a commoner who taught her cooking,which made her stand out among the women.Today,she didn’t have to do laundry or clean chamber pots.

This story also taught us that having a skill is very important.

Liu Liwa drank the ginger tea and felt much of the chill dissipate,sweeping away the cold of the night.He whistled,stripped off his clothes,and comfortably slipped into the tub.But the moment he got in,he jumped right back out.The water wasn’t a hundred degrees,but it was at least eighty—enough to dehair a pig.

He stood naked in the tub,slowly adapting to the water temperature.Just the steam hitting his body felt incredibly soothing.If only a Little Loli could scrub his back and a young lady could massage his feet,life would be perfect.

But unfortunately,there were no lolis or young ladies here.Only an angry man’s roar could be heard:”Damn brothel servant,how dare you mess with me!I’ll break your bones…”