Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

Zhang Sanlang carefully put away the silver coins, folded up the household registration certificate and guarantor's certificate, and then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Zhang Jin. "Don't worry, young master, after I take two days off, I will go to the county office to handle it for you. Once the household registration certificate is issued, I will send it to you."

Zhang Jin stood up and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Clerk Zhang. I don't know how to repay you. If you ever need my help in the future, I will do my duty without hesitation."

Zhang Sanlang waved his hand, "We're just neighbors, helping each other out."

Seeing that Wan Qing had finally put down his chopsticks, Zhang Jin calmly took his leave.

Zhang Sanlang escorted Zhang Jin to the courtyard gate.

As night deepened, Zhang Jin stood outside the threshold and turned back to bow again, saying, "I'm sorry to have bothered you tonight, sir. I'll host a dinner to return the favor another day once I've settled in."

Zhang Sanlang didn't stand on ceremony and simply nodded, "Alright, young master, please get some rest."

The courtyard gate closed, and the bolt was pulled down.

Zhang Sanlang stood behind the door, listening to the footsteps gradually fade away before walking into the main room.

happy Mei peeked half her head out from the side room, "Father, has that young master left?"

"I'm gone."

happy Mei'er quickly came out, looked up at him, and asked, "Father, are we going to the west of the city again tomorrow?"

Zhang Sanlang ruffled her hair. "Go. Go first thing tomorrow morning. You've been busy all day, take a good rest tomorrow."

Xi Mei smiled, turned and ran back to the side room, then turned back and said, "Dad, that Sister Qing is amazing, she eats so much. Mom used to say that being able to eat is a blessing."

Zhang Sanlang watched his daughter run into the house. The curtain fell and swayed. He stood on the porch for a while.

The old locust tree in the courtyard rustled in the night wind. The sound of water in the kitchen stopped, and Wang Yue'e carried out a basin of washed dishes to dry on the bench. The light in Lu Qiucheng's room was off, but the light was still on in Huangfu Ce's room, and the faint sound of turning pages could be heard.

Zhang Sanlang walked to the well, scooped up a ladle of water, and splashed it on his face.

The well water was so cold that he shivered.

He didn't believe a word Zhang Jin said, not even the punctuation.

A young man moved next door just for the sake of a song's lyrics. He first played the victim before making his point, every sentence sounding calculated, and who knows what he was hiding. But those documents were real.

Zhang Sanlang sneered. Since Zhang Jin had connections, he couldn't pull off any tricks.

But Wan Qing made him feel uneasy.

The girl's glance at the courtyard when she entered seemed even more piercing than Wu Yan's.

Her hands were large and calloused, the knuckles rough and calloused from years of wielding weapons. Her steps as she entered, carrying the silver staff, were silent and as nimble as a cat's.

Zhang Sanlang shook his head, put the gourd back, turned around and went to the Sun family's house next door. He picked up Qingge'er and threw him onto the kang (heated brick bed) in the east room, where the brat fell and yelped...

The next day, Zhang Sanlang led everyone to stroll around the west side of the city for half a day.

Lü Sanbao led the way, while Zhang Sanlang strolled along with his hands behind his back.

Xi Mei'er, A Yun, and the Lin sisters held hands and followed behind him, laughing and joking. Every now and then, a little hand would tug at the back of his shirt, causing him to turn around and glare at them, maintaining his fatherly dignity.

Huangfu Ce held up an oil-paper umbrella to shield Wang Yue'e from the sun, while Lu Qiucheng walked at the back empty-handed, his gaze sweeping over the corner of the alleyway.

It wasn't until the afternoon, when the women's baths opened, that people slowly made their way over.

The Xiangshuitang storefront in the west of the city is small, with only two bays. Above the door hangs a black lacquered plaque with the three characters "Xiangshuitang" in gold lettering.

The beaded curtain at the entrance was half-rolled up, revealing a narrow passageway behind it. White steam billowed out from the other end of the passageway, carrying a medicinal scent.

Zhang Sanlang lifted the curtain and went inside. Behind the counter sat a middle-aged woman in her forties, wearing a blue cloth shirt, her hair neatly tied up, and she was using an abacus.

Seeing Zhang Sanlang enter, she put down her abacus, stood up, and greeted him with a broad smile. "Zhang Yashi is here? Fang Tiesi informed us yesterday that you would be coming this afternoon, and the place has already been cleared."

Zhang Sanlang nodded.

The woman came out from behind the counter and led the group into the aisle. "This is the first time the clerk has come here. Let him take a look around."

"Our Xiangshui Hall has three pools in the main courtyard, one large pool that can hold eight people and one small pool that can hold three or four people. There are also three private rooms. In the side courtyard, there is a newly built women's bath, which is slightly smaller than this one and also has private rooms."

At the end of the corridor, the curtain was lifted, and a wave of humid heat rushed out. The woman stepped aside, and Zhang Sanlang stood in the doorway and glanced inside.

Inside was a low brick house with two small skylights in the roof, through which sunlight streamed onto the water.

The large central pool is nearly twice the size of the smaller pools on either side, with clear water that reveals the blue bricks at the bottom. The smaller pools are slightly deeper, with several wooden ladles floating on the surface.

The ground around the pond was paved with large bluestone slabs, which were cool and slippery to walk on. A row of wooden buckets and long benches were placed at the foot of the wall, and several towels were hanging on bamboo poles to dry.

"This big pool has running water." The woman walked to the edge of the pool, bent down and stirred the water with her hand. "Well water is brought in from outside the back wall of the courtyard. It's heated and then put in. There's a water outlet at the bottom. You change the water every half hour or so. It's very clean."

The woman then pushed open a small door next to the pool, revealing a narrow room inside, just big enough for one person. An iron pot sat on the stove in the corner, the water in the pot bubbling with white foam.

"This is a private room. If you want to be alone, just close the door and no one will bother you. You can scoop water from this pot and soak however you like. However, since you've brought a lot of people, the large pool is more spacious. The women can go to the women's bath in the side courtyard."

Zhang Sanlang glanced around, then turned to look at the crowd.

happy Mei stood by the pool, reached out to touch the water, touched the surface and then pulled back, giggling twice.

The two Lin sisters squeezed together at the doorway. Lin Qiao'er was alright, but Lin Xiu'er clung to her arm, her eyes wide with disbelief. She had never seen such a large pool before.

Ah-Yun held the prepared cloth in her hand, her face a little flustered.

Huangfu Ce folded up his umbrella and leaned against the wall, examining the light filtering through the skylight.

Zhang Sanlang asked the woman, "Is there anything to eat?"

The woman smiled and nodded. "Yes. There's mung bean soup simmering on the stove in the back, plum juice bubbling in the well, and freshly steamed buckwheat cakes. How much would you like, sir?"

"One bowl of mung bean soup per person, two pots of plum juice. Four plates of buckwheat cake to start, and more if needed."

The woman responded and turned around to call out, "Old Chen, prepare the food that Clerk Zhang requested."

Someone responded from behind, and the pots and pans rattled twice.

Zhang Sanlang turned to Wang Yue'e and smiled, "Madam Huangfu, I'll trouble you to take a few maids to the women's bath."

Wang Yue'e nodded and led happy Mei'er and the others, guided by the woman, to the side courtyard.

After they left, Zhang Sanlang, Huangfu Ce, Lu Qiucheng, and Lü Sanbao took off their clothes and chatted idly in the large pool. The pool water was steaming and shimmering, and the light filtering through the skylight shattered into a dazzling white ripple on the surface.

Through the wall, laughter and splashing sounds could be faintly heard from the women's bath, along with Wang Yue'e's voice hushed as she called out, "Slow down, slow down."

Before they knew it, half an hour had passed, and everyone had finished washing up and came out one after another.

Zhang Sanlang gave Lü Sanbao a disdainful look and secretly decided not to bring him next time.

Nothing else, but after taking this bath, his skin, which was originally dark-skinned, actually became much fairer.

However, the water in that large pool was already extremely murky!

Food was already laid out on the counter outside: several porcelain bowls filled with mung bean soup, two copper kettles filled with sour plum drinks, and two plates of buckwheat cakes, thinly sliced ​​and steaming hot.

Xi Mei sat on the bench in front of the counter, taking small bites of a buckwheat cake in her hand. Lin Xiuer sat next to her, her half-empty bowl of mung bean soup in front of her.

Lin Qiao'er and her daughter Wang Yue'e sat on another bench, each holding a bowl and slowly drinking.

Zhang Sanlang went over and picked up a bowl of mung bean soup. He took a sip and found it refreshingly sweet and soothing. He then took a piece of buckwheat cake, which was soft, fluffy, and sweet with a hint of grassy aroma.

Huangfu Ce came over to get the plum drink, tilted his head back and gulped down half a bowl, smacked his lips, and said, "This plum drink is authentic, better than the one at the street corner."

Just as Zhang Sanlang was about to reply, a young woman gracefully walked over, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "Third Master, it really is you! I glanced at you through the gate just now and thought I had mistaken you for someone else..."