My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 60 Reporting for Duty

"Zhu Zi, Master Li, I'm leaving now."

The following day, Lin Ziping waved to the two men and walked out of the inn toward the county government office.

"Make way, make way!" Lin Ziping had just stepped out of the inn when he was knocked to the ground by someone before he could dodge.

"Don't you know how to slow down?" Lin Ziping sat up, rubbing his arms, and said unhappily.

"Ouch, sorry, young man, I didn't see you." The boy who bumped into Lin Ziping was about sixteen or seventeen years old. He was wearing a short brown shirt, which was clean and tidy despite having a few patches on it. He quickly reached out to help Lin Ziping up after bumping into him.

Lin Ziping avoided the boy's hand, stood up, and patted the dust off his clothes: "Walk slowly, there are so many people here."

"I'm sorry," the boy said, scratching his head and showing his white teeth. "Your clothes are torn. Where do you live? I'll pay you back when I'm done with my business."

Lin Ziping followed the boy's gaze and saw that his elbow was indeed scraped. He glanced at the time, too lazy to go back and change it, and since he was otherwise unharmed, he waved his hand and said, "No need."

"Yes, yes, I have something to do. Wait for me here, I'll come back to find you in a bit." After saying that, the boy waved to Lin Ziping and ran away.

Lin Ziping didn't take the boy's words to heart. Fortunately, he was wearing dark-colored clothes with wide sleeves, which could barely cover the wound. He tugged at his sleeves to cover the cut on his elbow and then walked towards the county government office.

Two stone lions stood on either side of the main gate of the county government office. A plaque with the words "Fuchun County Government Office" hung between the two stone-painted doors, and a yamen runner stood at the entrance.

These will be my colleagues from now on. Lin Ziping smiled and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Brother Constable. I am a constable hired by the county government this year."

The constable looked Lin Ziping up and down and asked, "Did you bring the citation?"

"Yes, yes, I brought it." Lin Ziping handed over the quotation.

The constable flipped through the documents, his expression softening slightly as he asked, "What's your name?"

"My surname is Lin, and my given name is Ziping."

"Lin Ziping, wait here, I'll go report."

"Yes, thank you for your trouble, Officer Lin." Lin Ziping bowed respectfully.

The yamen runners entered through the door next to the county government office.

Lin Ziping let out a breath. Although he had nearly ten years of work experience, he was still a little nervous about applying for a job for the first time in this era.

A moment later, a yamen runner came out and handed the citation to Lin Ziping, saying, "Go through that door to find Lu Shuyin."

"Thank you." Lin Ziping put away the quotation and bowed in thanks.

The constable waved his hand, said nothing more to Lin Ziping, and returned to where he had been.

Lin Ziping entered through the gate from which the yamen runners had come out. Inside, it resembled a courtyard house, with a wall on the inside and houses on the other three sides. In the center of the courtyard was a pavilion with some flowers.

Thinking of the "Lu Shuyin" mentioned by the yamen runner, Lin Ziping went into a room and asked around.

"It's in that room."

Lin Ziping followed the direction and found Lu Shuyin.

"Bring me the citation," Lu Shuyin said, sitting behind his desk without looking up.

Lin Ziping quickly took out the citation and other materials and handed them over with both hands.

"Lin Ziping, a student of Qingyang Moshan Academy, passed the prefectural examination last year. He is a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination)?" Lu Shuyin said, flipping through the pages.

“Yes,” Lin Ziping replied.

"How did Qingyang end up in our Fuchun?" Lu Shuyin asked in confusion.

Before Lin Ziping could finish his prepared platitudes about serving the Great Zhou and having ambitions for all corners of the world, Lu Shuyin said, "Go to the room next door to get your things. Come back at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow morning. Go back for now."

"Yes." Lin Ziping bowed and withdrew.

After receiving his waist tag, hat, boots, clothes, and other items from the next room, he walked out of the county government office. This meant he had found a job. Although it didn't include food and lodging, he had a uniform. After years of hard work, he finally had a government job.

Back at the inn, Xiao Yi saw Lin Ziping return and went up to him, saying, "Ziping's back! This... this means your job at the county government is secure?"

Lin Ziping nodded, and the other people in the inn also turned their gazes towards him.

"Brother Xiao Yi, I'm going upstairs first." Lin Ziping was a little uncomfortable and fled upstairs as if he were escaping.

"Haha, this is my brother." Xiao Yi's voice came from downstairs.

……

"Young Master." Zhu Zi, who lived next to Lin Ziping, must have heard the noise in the hallway and pushed open the door.

Zhu Zi took the things from Lin Ziping's hands and asked, "Is everything alright at the county government office?"

Lin Ziping opened the door, poured himself a glass of water, took a sip, and said, "Report at Chen time tomorrow."

"Then young master, try it on quickly. If any don't fit, I'll take them and have them altered," said Zhu Zi.

“From now on, it’s just the two of us in Fuchun, so stop calling yourselves servants.” Lin Ziping frowned at Zhu Zi’s form of address.

"Slave..." Seeing Lin Ziping's disapproving look, Zhu Zi said, "Young Master, try it first, and I'll revise it if it doesn't suit you."

After saying that, he went out, closed the door, and changed into the clothes and boots issued by the county government.

"It's a bit too big." Zhu Zi looked it over. "I'll go and alter it in a bit."

Lin Ziping nodded: "No need to be too tight, prepare a few more pairs of insoles."

"Aren't the shoes suitable either?" Zhu Zi looked at Lin Ziping's boots. "I'll go and make a few more suits and boots in this style. Young Master, you can make do with these for now."

"Let's go take a look next to the county government office." The county government office only provided one set, but everyone needs to change into different outfits. Where there's demand, there's supply. Lin Ziping reminded Zhu Zi of this.

Zhu Zi thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Today, Master Li and I looked at a few houses with a broker. One is located at the border of the east and north of the city. The house is a bit small, with four rooms, a kitchen, and a small courtyard. I think this one is quite suitable. The other two are in the north of the city. Would you like to take a look, young master?"

"Let's go take a look after we finish eating. We're going to the county government office tomorrow, so we need to decide as soon as possible," Lin Ziping said. "Let's go take a look at the place you think is suitable first. Master Li can come with me."

“Okay, I’ll tell Master Li,” Zhu Zi said.

After finishing their meal, Lin Ziping and Master Li looked around for a house. After a round of searching, they found that the area at the junction of the east and north sides of the city was indeed more suitable, with better security than the north side. The people around also seemed more friendly. Lin Ziping paid the rent and planned to rent it for six months.

Back at the inn, Zhu Zi had already altered the clothes.

In the afternoon, the broker replied that the house had been agreed upon. The three of them packed their belongings, cleaned the house inside and out carefully, and moved in.

With a full schedule, Lin Ziping collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep early.