Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 382 You Are All Dogs

The house was not small, but in Xia Lin's opinion, this place was only suitable for raising pigs. It was noisy and chaotic without any order at all.

Luo Shixin is an old hand, he knows the process of paying respects to the boss, although there are no outrageous code words and jargon like those in Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, it is actually not much different.

First, you report your number, then you learn from a teacher, and finally you find out where you are from.

After everyone had finished reporting, the gatekeeper bowed in a formal manner and said, "So you are Luoyang Hero, I have heard a lot about you. Please come in, the stall owner has been waiting for a long time."

These are all underworld compliments. These people are not very capable but they have caused a lot of trouble. They have the most rules. Most of the so-called "old sayings" and "old people's sayings" are passed down from these people.

In fact, strictly speaking, even in the imperial court there are not so many broken rules. There are unspoken rules within the imperial court, and all the rules have already been established. They are not as pretentious as these people. Things like a man in his thirties having to be supported by his apprentice when walking are caused by these people in the martial arts world.

Xia Lin followed Luo Shixin into the house with his hands behind his back. As soon as he entered, he saw that it was dark inside. Because the house had been in disrepair for a long time, the patio was already covered with ivy, blocking the last bit of light.

Here we have to talk about architecture and culture. The architectural culture of this era was already very mature, and had formed very obvious northern and southern styles. For example, the city of Jinling is a typical southern style. Because it is rainy and humid throughout the year, normal families would use a walled house, that is, a door to walk in and leave a space for a patio in the middle. There is usually a well in the middle under the patio, and the laundry and dirt flow out from this place to prevent the house from becoming more humid, and each room has windows for lighting.

However, due to its age and lack of renovation, the style here has lost its northern and southern characteristics and has become that of a dilapidated temple. The severe lack of lighting has led to a dark and depressing atmosphere inside.

Maybe the owner here deliberately created this silent atmosphere to let people know that he is a master and a big shot with status. But in fact, looking back at the most powerful man in the world, he would like to build a big pavilion in his throne room with windows and doors on the walls so that he can sit in the light all the time.

"This is our boss Hu."

The person who led the way respectfully introduced the man sitting in the middle. Xia Lin looked him up and down. The man was about 40 years old, not tall, with little hair, and no fat on his face. He did not look like a vicious person.

But what's the saying? Don't judge a person by his appearance, and don't judge the depth of the sea by a bucket. Xia Lin also believes that if a good person is not good enough, it is definitely impossible to run a place like Zangjie. The people here are too powerful.

"What are you two doing here?"

This person speaks in a pretentious tone. He clearly has a hoarse voice but he insists on saying those pretentious words.

"To make a living." Luo Shixin bowed.

Xia Lin chuckled and said, "Study exam."

When Boss Hu heard about making a living, he didn't react much, but when he heard about Xia Lin's college entrance examination, he smiled happily. He narrowed his eyes and said, "You came to the capital to take the college entrance examination, so you must be a juren? I wonder if you are married?"

Although the current trend has not yet reached the exaggerated level of snatching people from the list, it is obviously approaching. When he heard that Xia Lin was a juren, the head of the Hu family obviously became interested in him.

As for Luo Shixin, who looked like a rough and uncouth man, he probably saw him a lot in his daily life and was not very interested in him, so his attention was all on Xia Lin.

"I already have a lover."

"Ah, a man has a promising future, so he doesn't need to care about the dross in his hometown. Come, come, since you have come to me today, I will take the initiative to make a decision for you and introduce you to some of the best girls."

How dare you make decisions on your own! It's a good thing the princess is not here. The father of that hometown scum you mentioned is the current regent. If she heard this, it would be a shame. What was said in the afternoon may not be the same as the person in the evening. Don't underestimate the princess because she is silly and cute, but she can take your life with just a word.

While they were discussing this, Boss Hu had already dragged Xia Lin out without saying anything. His face was flushed, as if Xia Lin was going to become his son-in-law in the next moment.

Soon, they arrived at a hall where a few guys who looked like bad people were sitting. They should be the Four Heavenly Kings, Three Hall Masters, Left and Right Protectors of this place. After seeing the boss coming with his men, these guys looked over curiously.

"Second brother, fourth brother, fifth brother, there is a scholar coming to seek refuge with us."

"I'm not going to seek refuge, I just came to take a look."

Xia Lin explained, but his explanation was obviously weak and ineffective. No one listened to him at all, but took him directly to the backyard. There were more and more people behind him, and they all obviously wanted to see how many eyes and mouths this scholar had.

"What a handsome man! Oh, but it's so delightful."

"Yes, I heard he was a juren."

"Juren are rare. Why did this Juren come to our place?" In fact, Xia Lin was more or less in an information cocoon. There were too many giants and Jinshi around him. Even the top scholar was at the mercy of others. But if you think about it carefully, let alone the top scholar, even if a village could produce a scholar, it would be a big event that required fireworks. Juren could drive people crazy, and Jinshi required a separate page in the family tree of the ancestral hall.

As for the number one scholar, those who have read the Legend of the White Snake know that a number one scholar can even make the old bald donkey Fahai release Bai Suzhen who violated the heavenly rules.

The reason why Xia Lin could see so many successful candidates in the imperial examinations was that he had entered the class of scholar-officials. In other words, he had become detached from the masses of the people.

The reactions of the people around him gave him a sudden wake-up call, and he tightened the screws that were originally somewhat loose. He repeatedly reminded himself in his heart that he must never deviate from the mass line, otherwise he would eventually become a loyal running dog of feudalism.

Boss Hu happily brought Xia Lin to his home, and then began to introduce his daughters to him. The old man had four daughters in total, and they were actually very average looking, but he still introduced them to Xia Lin very enthusiastically and began to make promises.

"As long as you are willing to marry my daughter, I will ensure that you will have a successful career in the capital. Don't underestimate me, a rough man. I can even have a say in the Jingzhao Yin's office."

Xia Lin frowned: "What if I don't agree?"

"Young man, you need to find someone to rely on in the capital. I, Hu, am a person of some stature. If you really want me to lose face in front of my brothers, don't blame me for turning my back on you."

Xia Lin gently lifted his robe and sat on a millstone nearby: "So you mean you don't plan to let me go?"

"If you agree, I will let you go. If you don't agree, I want to see if the government can protect a little scholar like you."

Wow, he used all kinds of intimidation and inducement, and he is very skilled in using both soft and hard tactics.

"Young man, don't disobey the boss. This land is a beautiful sight in Jinling City. Even the emperor has to give way to it." The person next to him also said, "Besides, you won't lose money in this deal anyway."

Xia Lin just smiled but didn't say anything. Seeing his attitude, the head of the Hu family threw his sleeves and said, "Come here, keep an eye on him. Don't let them run away. I'll starve him for three days to see if he agrees. But be gentle. If you hurt my son-in-law, I won't forgive you."

Soon, they were locked up in this small courtyard. Luo Shixin looked at Xia Lin with his eyes sideways: "Sir, what should we do?"

"Can you run away?"

"Of course I can, but if you can't get out, what's the point of me running out?" Luo Shixin sighed, "I never expected that this old guy would change his attitude faster than turning the pages of a book."

"People in the underworld have their own logic. We find it incredible, but think about it from another perspective. I am just a minor scholar." Xia Lin looked up at the sky in the courtyard. "And this kind of place has always existed. Let me tell you a story about Kowloon Walled City."

"Ah? Kowloon Walled City?"

Out of boredom, Xia Lin began to tell Luo Shixin the story of the Kowloon Walled City, about the tornado, Chen Luojun, and Wang Jiu. With a slight revision, he turned it into a bloody story of the underworld. Luo Shixin was so excited by the story that he felt as if he were already in the sunless Kowloon Walled City.

Before they knew it, the sky gradually darkened. Xia Lin and his friends sat here without a single bite of food or water to drink. After he finished telling the story, he said to Luo Shixin, "After it gets dark, we will escape."

"Can you do this, sir?"

"You look down on people, don't you?"

As they were talking, the youngest daughter of the Hu family sneaked in with a basket in her hand. She came in front of Xia Lin and Luo Shixin and put the basket down rather embarrassedly: "Two big brothers, my father is confused. I have advised him, but he didn't listen... You eat something first, and I will come quietly to take you away later."

Xia Lin tilted his head and looked at the thirteen or fourteen-year-old little sister: "If you let us go, your father will punish you, right?"

"It's okay. He doesn't want to hit me."

While chatting with the little sister, there was a clang outside, and then the second in command who had appeared just now came out. After he came here, he glanced at the little sister and frowned: "Xi Ya, get out! Your father is calling you."

"Oh……"

The little sister left, and the second in command kicked the basket next to him away, stepped on the food that fell out, then bent down and grabbed Xia Lin by the collar: "You can leave if you want, but ask your family to pay 500 taels of silver, otherwise I don't have the good temper of my eldest brother."

Xia Lin lowered his eyelids and looked at his hand that was grabbing his collar. He placed his hand on Luo Shixin's thigh and said with a smile, "Five hundred taels is not a small amount. You have to let me pass on a message."

(End of this chapter)