Chapter 231: This Officials Dignity

“Ah, talking about this is pointless. I won’t mention it anymore.” Hong Chengchou’s mood turned somewhat sour. “Let’s just eat.”In the hot pot, all kinds of ingredients tumbled. He picked out a few items with his chopsticks and sampled them. Satisfied with each one, he couldn’t help expressing amazement. So many ingredients and such ample seasonings—for such a small pot of hot pot, the attention to detail was immense. “I observe your village is extremely prosperous. I wonder which family the Fortress belongs to?”

Thirty-Two smiled. “Our master’s surname is Li.”

Hong Chengchou: “The Fortress in Gaojia Village, yet it belongs to the Li Family? Tsk tsk! Most capable, truly capable.”

He thought privately: So it’s an ancient reclusive clan, unwilling to be recognized by outsiders… hence even twisting the village’s name. This Li Family possesses immense power. Must not underestimate them.

Thirty-Two said, “We have no real capability. In the future, we might even need to seek favors from Lord Hong.” ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ Nov3lFɪre.ɴet

Hong Chengchou: “Easy to discuss, easy to discuss.”

He tossed out vague words casually—whether it’d be “easy” depended entirely on whether future mutual benefits existed.

“By the way, Lord Hong, you’ve only been eating from the clear broth pot. Would you like to try the red broth side?” Thirty-Two plucked a slice of beef from the red broth and popped it into his mouth. “Mmm, delicious! Who knew I could handle such spicy food? I never realized before.”

Young Master Bai shook his head. “Spicy food tastes awful. I dislike it.”

Gao Yiye and Third Miss also said, “Don’t like it.”

But Tan Liwen and Madam Bai declared, “We think it’s wonderful! This fiery sensation feels amazing.”

Their argument piqued Hong Chengchou’s interest. He wanted to try it, yet dreaded the spicy aroma and beef tallow staining his robes. His body kept far from the red broth pot, but his arm stretched to its limit. Extending his chopsticks fully, he lightly pinched a piece of aged pork with the very tips and placed it in his mouth.

“Tsk!”

Spicy, yet exhilarating.

Only then did Hong Chengchou discover he, too, could handle spice. He actually found the food in the red broth pot tastier than that in the clear broth.

“Lord Hong, come sit closer.” Thirty-Two scooted to the red broth pot’s side, waving at him.

Hong Chengchou shook his head. Delicious it may be, but moving nearer was out of the question—absolutely not! His robes must never absorb the hot pot’s scent. Couldn’t ruin this official’s dignity!

He maintained his distant posture, reaching far with his arm and chopsticks across the entire table to snag food from the red broth pot. Bringing it to his mouth, his facial muscles restrained any expression of delight for dignity’s sake. Yet the exhilaration blazing in his eyes betrayed him.

Thirty-Two suddenly spoke: “Lord Hong, oil… it’s on your chin…”

“Ah?” Hong Chengchou panicked. In 0.001 seconds, his hand flashed to his sleeve, whipping out a small bronze mirror. Glancing into it—indeed! A smear of red oil stained his chin. This… this… this… utterly damages this official’s dignity!

In another 0.001 seconds, he zipped to a servant standing by the courtyard entrance ready to attend him. Snatching a handkerchief, he wiped his chin spotless in 0.001 seconds. Then, in another 0.001 seconds, he flashed back to his seat.

One last 0.001 second—he sat perfectly upright, straightening his robe’s wrinkles with a practiced hand…

The table guests only saw a blur. Hong Chengchou seemed never to have moved, yet the red oil had vanished without a trace, his robes impeccably tidy.

Hong Chengchou wore an expression as if nothing had transpired. “Eat, everyone, keep eating.”

The others: “…”

Why do we suddenly feel like punching him?

Thus arose the question: Assaulting a fourth-rank imperial official—how many years imprisonment would that bring?

That evening, hosts and guests alike celebrated joyfully, sharing a delightful Deity Hot Pot Festival. Among Gaojia Village’s four thousand-plus villagers and Hong Chengchou’s several hundred subordinates, three-fifths awakened their “spicy food tolerance.” The other two-fifths, however, declared: “Chilies? We’ll never touch them in this lifetime.”

Li Daoxuan didn’t mind. Take it slowly. One day, you’ll all ride singing songs toward a splendid future—warmly dining on hot pot with your wives.

Early in the morning of the next day, Hong Chengchou rose early. He brought his subordinates, bid farewell to Gaojia Village, and continued onward to Xi’an.

As he departed, the massive bandit suppression operation was about to formally commence. However, Li Daoxuan knew they were bound to fail—there was absolutely no chance of success. He only wanted to know when Hong Chengchou would return next and whether it might be possible to lure this scheming man into becoming one of their own villagers.

Hmm…

Leave it to fate!

The outside world grew increasingly chaotic. Hu Tingyan, the Provincial Governor of Shaanxi, started working, dispatching large forces to pursue the bandit troops. In an instant, all of Shaanxi trembled, swarming with officials rushing about.

Bai Yuan sent frequent reports. Officials had inflicted a major defeat on Bu Zhan Ni at such-and-such place.

Officials dealt another major blow to Zijin Liang (Wang Ziyong) at such-and-such location.

Officials crushed Zuo Guazi at such-and-such spot.

The officials appeared exceptionally fierce and invincible, winning every battle with almost no defeats. Yet it didn’t have any effect at all. The bandit troops were constantly losing battles, but their numbers kept swelling—growing larger the more they fought, increasing despite every defeat…

Just as the outside world boiled like a pot of congee, Gaojia Village was not idle either.

Xing Honglang had returned from Xi’an with chickens, ducks, and piglets. Although these were few, letting them slowly multiply would bring hope for the future.

Villagers hadn’t dared to raise animals before because, barely able to feed themselves, how could they sustain livestock? Now, with surplus grain, raising livestock had become essential.

Raising chickens was manageable, but raising ducks proved awkward. As ever, the two little ducklings Gao San Niang raised had jumped right into the village’s big pond. A group of villagers were scrambling frantically to chase the ducks ashore.

The Old Village Chief pointed angrily at Gao San Niang’s nose: “This is our only source of drinking water! Get your filthy ducks out now!”

Gao San Niang flushed with embarrassment: “I’m doing it—”

“Easy now, settle down,” said Gao Yiye, skipping over cheerfully and waving her hands. “Everyone, don’t worry. The Deity says ducks are necessary! He will grant us another large pond specifically for raising ducks and fish!”

The villagers gasped: “Wow!”

True enough, yet again, a massive pool descended from the sky. This one wasn’t a strangely-textured box but a stone basin. The Deity’s colossal, multicolored golden giant hand stretched down from the heavens. With two or three movements, it scooped an enormous pit in the ground, placed the stone basin inside…

Then came the pouring down of a Milky Way—in an instant, the basin filled with water.

Gao Yiye laughed heartily: “The Deity said this pond is pure, natural stone, perfect for raising fish and ducks. Stop bullying Gao San Niang’s little ducklings! They’re adorable!”

The villagers shook their heads: “We’re the ones being bullied! They’re bathing in our drinking water—who knows if they’re defecating in it!”

Gao Yiye countered: “Haven’t all of you bathed in the pond too?”

The villagers chuckled: “People and ducks are hardly the same!”

Today, too, joyous spirits filled Gaojia Village.