Promise!

Chapter 4, Enter

After parting with Gao Shi, Zhuang Jin went to retrieve the silver and money he had hidden and a set of clothes, and came to an inn that he had long favored, which was affordable and not too far from the Shen family.

Behind the counter, the flame of an oil lamp danced, casting a dim glow. The shopkeeper was fiddling with his abacus. He straightened up when he heard a noise at the door. The enthusiastic smile on his face instantly faded when he saw Zhuang Jin dressed up. He was replaced by a look of disgust and waved his hand to drive him away, "Go away! There's no food for you to beg for here!"

"Shopkeeper, I don't want to beg for food, I want to stay in the hotel."

"Stay in a hotel?" The innkeeper looked at Zhuang Jin, as if doubting his money, and quoted him a price: "Thirty cents a night in the upper room, ten cents a night in the lower room."

"A room for the lower class, please excuse me, shopkeeper." Zhuang Jin counted out ten copper coins and placed them on the counter.

"Okay, one of the lower rooms, Room C-6!" The shopkeeper's attitude suddenly became enthusiastic when he saw Zhuang Jin take out the money. He quickly swept the copper coins into the drawer and turned around and shouted, "Binzi? Zhu Bin? Where the hell have you been? Hurry up and show the guests over!"

"Coming! Coming!" A waiter with a sweat towel hanging on his shoulder came running over, bowed to the shopkeeper with an apologetic smile, then looked at Zhuang Jin who was dressed as a beggar, curled his lips slightly, said "Sir, please", and led the way.

Zhuang Jin followed him upstairs and waited until he reached the door of the room. He whispered, "Brother Zhu, do you have hot water in the inn so I can wash up?"

"You're just flattering me by calling me Brother Zhu, and you expect this to happen?!" Zhu Bin secretly complained, hiding the disdain in his eyes and said seriously, "Of course there is hot water, but it's only in the upper room. If you want some, you can go to a higher room."

"Please be flexible." Zhuang Jin said, and handed over three copper coins.

Zhu Bin's eyes lit up slightly. He accepted the copper coin calmly, coughed twice, and changed the subject: "Look at my memory. I suddenly remembered that I boiled some extra hot water today. If you want some, I'll bring it over."

Extra hot water? Extra fart!
It's just that a little bit is deducted from each upper room to make up the money - there's no other way, the room fee paid by the guests of the upper rooms is from the shopkeeper, but the tip money given by this young man is his own!

"Thank you, Brother Zhu." Zhuang Jin bowed to express his gratitude.

"You're welcome, little brother!"

When Zhu Bin heard the name "Brother Zhu" again, he immediately felt differently. He had no money, but you called me "Brother Zhu" to get close to me and expect benefits. That's like a toad trying to eat swan flesh. But if you're willing to call me "Brother Zhu" after I've given you benefits, that's called respect. The smile on his face couldn't help but become even more genuine. "Wait a moment, little brother. I'll bring the basin, hot water, and towels over shortly!"

……

A moment later, in a small room in the inn, Zhuang Jin took the wooden basin, hot water, towel, and the scissors that Zhu Bin had brought him. After thanking him and sending him away, he closed the door and prepared to clean up and restore his room to its original state.

Tomorrow I will participate in the recruitment of martial artists, so I can no longer appear in the image of a beggar.

The reason? First, to avoid Hou Yong.

"I will participate in the martial arts recruitment to join the Shen family tomorrow. I think even if Hou Yong knew about it, he probably wouldn't have the courage to go to the Shen family, but I still have the courage to wait and see. If I fail to become a true martial artist within a month and join the Shen family, I will be in trouble when I get out."

Secondly, it would be detrimental to learning martial arts. The Shen family was the most powerful family in the palace, so they naturally had to be respectable. If I went there tomorrow as a beggar, people might not accept money. Even if they did, it would simply make other martial artists look down on me once I got in, and they would be tempted to step on me, causing a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Zhuang Jin thought about all this, soaked a towel in hot water, wiped off the black mole on his face that was left by his previous life's mother with grease, glue and mud, then used scissors to cut his hair that had not been taken care of for a long time, washed it, and changed into the clothes he had prepared.

This piece of clothing was bought from a pawn shop half a month ago. Although it is a little worn, it is clean and has no patches. After putting it on, I feel refreshed.

When Zhuang Jin opened the door and called Zhu Bin, the other party was surprised and couldn't recognize him. He was really different from the image of a little beggar before. Now that he went out in this appearance, if he said that he was a scholar carefully cultivated by a farming and reading family, others would believe it, which made him more diligent.

Zhu Bin didn't ask Zhuang Jin to help him, and he hurried over to pour the water. Not long after, he brought over a set of clean bedding. Then, rubbing his hands together, he looked at Zhuang Jin expectantly and said, "Little brother, if you need anything else, just tell me. Don't be polite to me."

"Thank you, Brother Zhu. I don't need anything else."

Seeing that Zhuang Jin didn't seem to understand and stood there for a while without any response, Zhu Bin could only say with a forced smile, "Then have a good rest, little brother." He turned around and muttered softly, "Bah, he's still a poor guy after all the changes. It's a pity that I was so attentive and flirted with a blind man!"

Zhuang Jin heard it and paused slightly, then turned around holding the quilt as if nothing had happened.

It's not that he is ignorant of the ways of the world, or that he is stingy and unwilling to spend a few cents of reward money. It's just that he has limited money at the moment, and he still has to go to the Shen family to learn martial arts tomorrow. Every penny must be spent wisely. He can't let the money affect his future martial arts by pretending to be rich.

Zhuang Jin took the clean bedding and made the bed, then closed the doors and windows and checked to make sure it was safe. Then he took out the silver and money on him and counted them. It was exactly the 1,567 coins he had estimated, not a penny off. He also had a dime of silver, which was worth about 80 or 90 coins.

He put these belongings close to him, lay in bed and thought about the day, reviewed his omissions and merits, and thought about the situations he might encounter tomorrow and how to deal with them. He went over them in his mind several times before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

……

The next morning, Zhuang Jin checked out of the room and came to the outside of the Shen family mansion.

Today is the third time that the Shen family is recruiting martial artists. It is just five o'clock in the morning and there are already people queuing in front of the Shen family's door. However, there are not many people at this time, so Zhuang Jin walked forward.

In front of Zhuang Jin was a father and son. The father was tall and strong, with a greasy face and a faint murderous aura. The son was also strong and sturdy, like a calf.

Zhuang Jin smiled and took the initiative to speak: "Uncle, this brother, are you also here to participate in the Shen family's martial arts recruitment today? I see that this brother has a strong physique and abundant energy. He will definitely become a true warrior and join the Shen family!"

It's not advisable to strike a smiling person, especially since Zhuang Jin's words were so pleasant. The burly man, who looked to be in his forties, laughed heartily and said, "Thank you for your kind words, little brother. Come to my butcher shop tomorrow and I'll pick out a good piece of meat for you."

"So he's a butcher, no wonder." Zhuang Jin thought to himself. In this era, being a butcher is not something that ordinary people can do. It is something that many ordinary people envy.

"I see that the little brother is a scholar?"

"I can't really be called a scholar, but I do know a few words."

……

Intent on making friends, Zhuang Jin soon became familiar with the Xiong father and son. He learned that the father was Xiong Dadan, a butcher on Zhengyang Street in the east of the city, and the son was Xiong Lei, the same age as him but one month older. In a short while, he began to address them as "Uncle Xiong" and "Brother Xiong".

At this time, as time went by, more and more people came, and the line became extremely long, almost extending to the streets and alleys.

The Shen family only accepted 120 martial artists each time they recruited. Latecomers, figuring they wouldn't be able to get in, started to get interested, and soon saw several spots snatched up. However, Zhuang Jin hadn't been targeted yet. Although he looked frail, the Xiong father and son he was chatting with were tall and strong, and Zhuang Jin was clearly in league with them. It was human nature to bully the weak and fear the strong. There was no need to provoke such a tough guy when there were easier targets.

At this time, outside the team, a strong man pulled a young man, glanced at Zhuang Jin and left, and went back to find another person to make trouble. Zhuang Jin noticed this scene, lowered his eyelids slightly, and knew that his advance planning was useful. He took advantage of the Xiong father and son to eliminate a crisis without any trace.

Yes, Zhuang Jin deliberately struck up a conversation and made friends with the Xiong father and son because he had thought of this situation in advance - many times, it is not necessary to wait until the problem arises to solve it. It is more metaphysical to nip the problem in the bud before it appears. This is what is meant by a good warrior having no great achievements.

Xiong Dadan also noticed this scene. He narrowed his eyes, patted Zhuang Jin's shoulder with his broad palm like a palm leaf fan, and said, "I think Xiaozhuang is smart. When you enter the Shen family, I hope you can take good care of my son. When you get out, uncle will treat you to a big piece of meat!"

"Uncle Xiong, what are you talking about? Brother Xiong and I should take care of each other."

……

As they were talking, Zhuang Jin suddenly saw a little beggar on the street and his pupils shrank slightly. He knew this little beggar, whose name was Xiao Zhugan. He was also a beggar under Hou Yong. He even had dealings with him yesterday. He followed Tan San and surrounded him, but in the end, he was robbed of his money.

When Zhuang Jin saw Xiao Zhugan, Xiao Zhugan also noticed Zhuang Jin and felt that Zhuang Jin's figure was strangely familiar. He muttered, "Why does that person look so much like 'Little Mute'?"

He rubbed his eyes and looked carefully, and found that Zhuang Jin's appearance was different from that of the "little mute", but he still felt that they were similar. He subconsciously walked forward, as if he wanted to see more clearly and distinguish them carefully.

Zhuang Jin frowned slightly when he saw this scene. If he was recognized by Xiao Zhugan and his identity as a beggar was exposed, he might not even be able to keep his position in the queue, let alone enter the Shen family to learn martial arts.

But this thought only lasted a moment, and he calmed down: "Xiao Zhugan knows the little mute, what does it have to do with me, Zhuang Jin?"

At this time, Xiao Zhugan had already come up to him with a puzzled look, opened his mouth as if to ask something, but Zhuang Jin looked at him indifferently, then... threw down a copper coin.

jingle!

The copper coins fell into the small bamboo begging bowl, making a crisp and pleasant sound.

When Xiao Zhugan saw the reward money in the bowl, he was delighted but also secretly cursed himself for being so stupid. How could a little mute possibly come to participate in the Shen family's martial arts recruitment? He heard that this thing cost one or two taels of silver! Not to mention giving him a reward, how could it be possible?
"Xiao Zhuang is a kind-hearted person." Xiong Dabing, who was standing next to him, saw this scene and took out two copper coins from his pocket and threw them down.

Xiong Dadan's words also made Xiao Zhugan more certain of his own thoughts. How could "Little Mute" know such a respectable family? He must have made a mistake.

"Thank you very much for your rewards." He no longer cared about those random thoughts. His face was full of unconcealable joy. He knelt down and kowtowed, then turned around and left excitedly.

Zhuang Jin watched Xiao Zhugan leave with a calm expression, knowing that this hurdle was over. "I'm not a quick-witted person. I often only react to things afterward. I could have done better at the time. I thought about this situation last night, so I was able to deal with it calmly."

"However, even if I handled it properly just now and Xiao Zhugan's suspicions are gone, if Hou Yong discovers I'm missing and can't find me in two days when the dues are due, Xiao Zhugan's suspicions may resurface. If I tell Hou Yong then... by then I'll have already entered the Shen family to learn martial arts. Even if there's a backlash, it will only take a month to learn martial arts and I'll be out."

After the incident with the small bamboo pole, there were no more setbacks. At 7:15 AM, the main door of the Shen family clan burst open, and a resounding voice rang out: "Today is the third Shen family martial arts recruitment. The limit is 120 people, and each person will receive one tael of silver. Anyone who wants to sign up, come!"

"It's here, it's finally here!"

“Registration has begun!”

"Don't push! People at the back, don't push!"

……

Accompanied by such noise, the entire team began to move forward. Zhuang Jin clearly felt the congestion coming from the back, but fortunately, registration for entry had already begun at the door of the Shen family in front.

The Xiong father and son, and Zhuang Jin were seated at the front, so it was soon their turn. After Xiong Dadan paid Xiong Lei for registration, Xiong Lei passed the registration point and waited for Zhuang Jin. Xiong Dadan also did not leave and watched them leave.

"Sir, this is the registration fee!" Zhuang Jin took a deep breath and walked forward. He looked at the middle-aged man in gray robe who was registering behind the desk and handed over a thousand copper coins, which was one or two taels of silver.

——Not everyone pays with silver, so his thousand copper coins are not unique.

"Well, put it down. Name?"

"Zhuang Jin."

"age?"

"sixteen."

"Place of origin and address?"

"Daliushu Hutong in the west of the city." Zhuang Jin was referring to the location of his previous family.

"Okay, let's go in!"

Although he had seen the process before, Zhuang Jin was still a little surprised by such a simple question, but then he understood: "This martial arts recruitment, although it is called martial arts recruitment, is actually just a one-month 'internship' qualification. Most people will not be able to stay. If they have not become true warriors, they will return to where they came from. The background check is just a waste of time. If they have become true warriors and want to join the Shen family, it is not too late to conduct a detailed investigation then."

'This is in line with my expectations and is the better situation I expected.'

After all, if he signed up now, he would only be a martial artist, which was too low a weight. If he was exposed to his predecessor's uncle and uncle because of the background check, it would only increase the risk. But when he became a real martial artist and joined the Shen family, his weight would be different. The hatred that was as heavy as a mountain to him now would not be an unbearable burden at that time.

Zhuang Jin thought about this, turned around and waved goodbye to Xiong Dadan who was watching him leave, and then went in with Xiong Lei. At this moment, he thought about the money he had saved from begging for several months; he thought about Tan San and others blocking his way yesterday; he thought about the shock that Xiao Zhugan had almost recognized his identity just now...

After such painstaking efforts for a long time, he finally got an opportunity to learn martial arts.

"If this is the road to heaven, it starts here!" His heart moved slightly, he looked up at the rising sun in the sky, shining with thousands of golden rays, and strode inside.

……

(End of this chapter)