Chapter 45: Seeking Immortality, Having a Meal, and Choosing Peak Officials

Chai He stood outside the door, shivering from the biting cold.

Watching him with a mix of amusement and pity, Xia He wore a helpless expression.

"Lord Chai, please don't be so anxious. There's really no rush for this matter right this second. Why don't you wait a moment and allow me and my family to finish our meal first?"

Chai He nodded slightly to indicate his agreement, while softly replying, "Very well, I shall wait outside."

As he spoke, he puffed out visible clouds of white breath into the freezing air and rubbed his hands together.

The border town had long suffered from barbarian incursions, and the yamen had fallen into complete ruin.

Ever since he had arrived to take office, life had been exceptionally difficult for him.

The imperial court repeatedly delayed disbursing funds for repairs and administration, leaving him unable to recruit even suitable clerks.

Not only that, but the garrison soldiers stationed at the military post were a bunch of unruly rogues who completely ignored his commands and orders. Plunged into such a desperate predicament, Chai He had no other choice but to come and seek Xia He's help.

It was the depths of winter, and the weather was unusually frigid.

Xia He thought to himself that no matter what, the man was still the dignified magistrate of a town; he couldn't possibly just leave him standing out in the cold indefinitely.

Thus, with a helpless sigh, he invited Chai He into the house.

As soon as Xia He stepped into the inner room, his wife and elder sister immediately cast curious glances his way and asked, "Brother He, do we have a guest?"

Xia He nodded and explained to them, "It's the magistrate大人 of our town."

Hearing this, the two sisters were taken aback, their faces instantly showing signs of tension.

In this small town, the magistrate was the highest official, and his status carried the natural, invisible oppressive weight reminiscent of a strict head teacher at school.

However, Li Huilan quickly noticed something amiss. She wondered inwardly: normally, when high-ranking officials went out, weren't they always surrounded by attendants and carried in grand sedan chairs with a massive spectacle?

Yet the magistrate before them had arrived entirely alone, without even a single servant to wait on him. He looked truly pitiful indeed!

Chai He was utterly oblivious to the fact that he, a dignified town magistrate, was being pitied by two ordinary women.

At this moment, he was squatting alone in the corner of the outer room, his arms tightly tucked into his sleeves, his eyes fixed blankly ahead with a somewhat dazed expression.

Reflecting on the current state of the Great Qin Dynasty, the political situation was already precarious, as perilous as a stack of eggs.

The King was growing older, yet he spent his days entirely engrossed in seeking immortals and inquiring about the Dao, vainly hoping to attain the art of eternal youth.

Not only that, but he also launched massive construction projects, squandering vast fortunes to build countless luxurious immortal palaces in the hopes of establishing contact with legendary immortal gates.

Yet, for the common people suffering in the depths of fire and water, the King could not spare even a fraction of a thought.

Recalling his own string of recent misfortunes, an endless sense of desolation welled up in Chai He's heart.

Whether a dynasty rises or falls, it is always the common people who suffer.

Just as this desolate sentiment began to spread, a loud rumbling sound suddenly erupted from his stomach, abruptly cutting his thoughts short.

Waves of enticing meat and rice aromas drifted continuously from the inner room, sneaking through the air into his nostrils.

The fragrance was rich and potent, possessing an almost magical quality that compelled Chai He to involuntarily turn his head toward the inner room, while his throat unconsciously bobbed up and down as he heavily swallowed his saliva.

It smelled simply divine! Just catching a whiff of it made one's mouth water uncontrollably.

A single catty of pork in the small town cost around ten-odd copper coins, while an ordinary bowl of plain noodles cost a staggering seven or eight coins.

Yet Chai He, searching through his entire body right now, couldn't scrape together even a few copper coins.

Although he repeatedly warned himself in his heart not to keep glancing at the tempting inner room, his body seemed completely unresponsive to his will, and his eyes kept drifting back to that direction time and time again.

Moreover, because his swallows were a bit too loud, the two people busy inside the inner room clearly heard the commotion from outside.

Just as Chai He felt he could hold on no longer, his consciousness fading as if he were about to faint from hunger at any second, Xia He finally walked out of the room and called for Chai He to come in and eat.

Hearing this, Chai He—who had been on the verge of collapsing from starvation—seized a sudden surge of strength. He struggled to his feet with the utmost speed, while still muttering conventional polite refusals:

"How could I impose? This is terribly inappropriate!"

However, his gaze was like iron drawn to a magnet, tightly locked onto the direction of the inner room.

Seeing this, Xia He could not help feeling somewhat helpless, so he explained: "My wife and sister have already finished eating. Since there are female family members in the house right now, it's inconvenient to receive guests, so I've asked them to rest in the bedroom first."

Hearing this, Chai He opened his mouth as if to say something more, but hunger had already seized the upper hand. Without another word, he took three strides in two and hurried straight toward the dining table.

When he finally reached the table, the first things that met his eyes were piping-hot, fragrant, big white steamed buns, along with meat and vegetable dishes of wonderful color, aroma, and taste, accompanied by a large, full bowl of rich and savory meat soup.

At this moment, how could Chai He possibly restrain the impulse in his heart? His eyes shone brightly, his throat rolled involuntarily, and he wished he could pounce on the food like a starving tiger.

"I am truly sorry, Lord Chai. Today's meal is indeed rather crude; I only hope it suits your palate."

Before the words had even faded, Chai He had already abandoned all restraint and image, completely disregarding manners. He plopped down at the table, reached out to grab a steamed bun, quickly picked up a piece of meat and shoved it into his mouth, chewing vigorously while replying with muffled sounds:

"Mm-mm-mm, delicious, delicious, it's plenty, this food is simply right up my alley!"

In the blink of an eye, Chai He swept the food off the table like a gale sweeping through fallen leaves, until his stomach was rounded to capacity, whereupon he finally set down his bowl and chopsticks with deep satisfaction.

Only after having his fill of food and drink did Chai He realize that, in his frantic eating, he had completely tossed the serious business of his visit to the furthest corners of his mind.

Thinking of this, he felt rather awkward, and a flush instantly rose to his cheeks.

He hurriedly cleared his throat, adjusted his posture, and with a somewhat strained air of composure, began to state the purpose of his visit. Xia He listened quietly with a constant, gentle smile, and only after Chai He finished speaking did he respond.

He merely nodded lightly to show he understood the matter, and promised to take the time to send over some more medicinal herbs.

Just as he was about to leave, Chai He hesitated as if wanting to say more, but ultimately spoke:

"Brother Xia, seeing that you are a decent and kind man, I will offer you a word of unsolicited advice: do not cast your lot with those people."

"Once the-above-sent Mountain-Selecting Official arrives, it will not be easy to explain."