Top Scholar

Chapter 320 Penniless at Longchang Post Station
At the end of February, Su Lu and Su Tai escorted Wang Shouren away from Erlangtan to Longchangyi in Guizhou to take up his post. She Yunluo and her Luoluo warriors also accompanied them.

Su Man actually wanted to go too, but unfortunately, he had already been conscripted by his uncle to work as an accountant in the River Work Bureau, responsible for coordinating and distributing materials for Su Youjin. He couldn't leave his post until the river work was completed next month, so he could only leave after the work was finished.

The group then traveled south along the Chishui River, a journey of 360 li (approximately 140 kilometers). The distance wasn't too far, but the route took them seven full days, traversing deep mountains and forests...

Fortunately, the companions were all hardworking and resilient. They traveled day and night, setting up camp, keeping watch, and cooking in an orderly manner, so they were not too tired.

It was springtime, the weather was mild and the food they brought was plentiful. Whenever they camped out, the warriors would venture into the mountains to hunt, always bringing back wild game such as rabbits and pheasants for everyone to enjoy.

Wang Shouren was open-minded and optimistic, treating the Luoluo people equally and not as foreigners. When traveling or camping, he would often tell interesting stories or humorous jokes from various places, making the younger generation laugh heartily. Therefore, although everyone was traveling, they did not feel tired at all, but rather enjoyed it as if they were on a picnic.

Wang Shouren also wrote a poem to commemorate it—

"Travelers journey daily to the peaks of ten thousand mountains, and the scenery from the south is also a delightful experience."

The cuckoo's cry mingles with the village rain, and the coral tree blossoms fade into the twilight by the secluded stream.

Wild smoke delights as it passes through the miasma of Qingyang, while homesickness lingers on the fragrant Duzhou Isle.

Though I live in Yelang, thousands of miles away, the land north of the five-colored clouds lies the Divine Land!

It has a romantic spirit...

~~
However, this good mood vanished completely upon arrival at the destination.

Looking at the dilapidated shack beside the thorny post road, Wang Yangming asked incredulously, "Is this Longchang Post Station?"

"Yes, sir, this is Longchang Post Station." The guide, Warrior Luo Luo, said with certainty, "We have escorted Mu Shi to Guizhou several times and have even stopped here before."

He paused for a moment, then looked at him with a look of disbelief and said, "But there used to be a courtyard and a few rooms, how come there's only a shack left?"

"Teacher, I'll go take a look first." Su Lu then spurred his horse to the shack and asked loudly, "Is anyone there?!"

"Yes, yes." A beggar-like old man crawled out of the shack. His face was so wrinkled that he must have been over seventy.

"What are your orders, sir?"

"..." Su Lu then dismounted, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, "May I ask, sir, is this Longchang Post Station?"

“That’s right, this is Longchang Post Station.” The old man nodded.

"Then where is the postmaster?" Su Lu asked again.

“That’s me,” the old man said, pointing to himself.

Su Lu stared wide-eyed, carefully examining the old man's clothes, which were so dirty that their original color was unrecognizable. He discovered that they vaguely resembled an official's robe.

He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "You were supposed to be an official, how did you end up like this?"

"You've been a postmaster in this godforsaken place for years, and you're still like this." The old man curled his lip and said, "Sir, as you can see, our post station has limited facilities and cannot accommodate you. Please stay at the next post station."

"I'm not here to stay," Su Lu shook his head and said, "I'm here to see my master off as he takes over the position."

"Taking over from me?" The old man, who had been half-dead, suddenly perked up upon hearing this.

"Is that right?" Su Lu wasn't entirely sure.

The old man, disregarding all that, exclaimed excitedly, "Quickly, take me to see Lord Wang!"

Now Su Lu no longer suspected anything and said helplessly, "Come with me."

"Wait, let me straighten my clothes." The old man then rummaged through the garbage-filled shack, finally pulling out a black gauze hat with a broken wing and putting it on. He then put on a pair of straw sandals, got up, dusted himself off, and said, "Lead the way."

"..." Su Lu was speechless and made a gesture for them to come this way.

At this time, Wang Shouren also changed into his green official robe with a round collar... Because the postmaster was a low-ranking miscellaneous official, his chest was empty, without even a patch.

The old postmaster, upon seeing Wang Shouren's pure green official robe, rushed over as if he had seen a savior and knelt down with a thud, exclaiming, "Oh, Lord Wang, I've been waiting for you for so long!"

"My lord, we're now equals. Get up quickly, or I'll have to kowtow to you too," Wang Yangming said with a wry smile.

"No, no, Lord Wang, I can retire as soon as you arrive. Now I'm a commoner, hahaha, I can finally leave this awful place!" The old postmaster was overjoyed, and then tears welled up in his eyes as he said:

"I thought you definitely weren't coming. Waaah, if you hadn't come, I would have died here..."

"Get up quickly." Wang Shouren reached out to help the old man up, and looked at the shack, asking, "What happened here? Where is the post station? Where is everyone else?"

“The year before last, the Miao people from the mountains came down to rob us. They looted all the horses and grain in the post station and set it on fire before leaving, turning it into a wasteland.” The old postmaster sighed. “After that, all the postmen ran away. Only I, an old man, dared not run away for fear of implicating my family, so I built a shack here and lived here for two years.”

"No, who is responsible for this? Didn't you report it?" Wang Shouren asked incredulously.

"Of course we reported it; we're under the jurisdiction of Chengfan Prefecture." The old postmaster answered every question. "Then they should follow the imperial court's rules, replenish our postmen and horses, and rebuild the post station!" Wang Yangming said urgently.

"Lord Wang, this is Guizhou, a wild and untamed land beyond the reach of the imperial court's regulations," the old postmaster sighed.
"Moreover, this Chengfan Prefecture was just separated from the Guizhou Pacification Commission. Although the old ancestor was a Han official, he governed only Luo people..."

Wang Yangming understood the old postmaster's unspoken meaning: there was no hope of getting anything from above...

"What about the officials who came before?" he asked again, inquiring about how to fulfill their duties.

"Seeing how miserable we are, they won't bother us anymore." The old postmaster said with a sad smile, "If we encounter a kind official, they might leave us some food or salt."

"Well..." Wang Shouren was both amused and exasperated. He knew life at Longchang Post Station would be tough, but he hadn't expected it to be this tough...

However, he still mustered his spirits and handed over the goods to the old postmaster... Although everything had been looted, the official seal and the post station sign were still there.

When he handed over the official documents to the old postmaster, and received the smoke-stained wooden plaque and the bronze postmaster's seal from him, the handover was complete.

The whole thing happened in the blink of an eye...

"Then this old man will go home?" The old postmaster, carrying his bundle, happily bid farewell to Wang Shouren.

"Take care on your journey..." What else could Wang Shouren say? But he still gave him two taels of silver for travel expenses.

"Thank you for the reward, Lord Wang!" The old postmaster, perhaps used to receiving food from many families, showed no embarrassment whatsoever. He accepted the silver with both hands and happily tucked it into his pocket.

He felt he should repay Wang Shouren, and after thinking for a moment, he reminded him: "By the way, Lord Wang, unlike this old man who has no money and only a worthless life, you must be very careful when you encounter Han people here."

"Why?" Wang Shouren was taken aback.

"Who would come to a godforsaken place like this? It's all murderers, arsonists, and vicious criminals who have fled here because they're wanted by the imperial court," the old postmaster said.

"The Miao people are even worse; they'll take whatever you have. So, well, good luck to you..."

"..." Wang Shouren was speechless.

After the old postmaster left, he smiled bitterly at Su Lu and the other two, saying, "Actually, Liu Jin had no need to hunt me down. In this godforsaken place, how could I possibly survive for three more years?"

“It’s possible. The old postmaster has worked here for half his life and he still lived to retirement, didn’t he?” She Yunluo comforted him.

"..." Wang Shouren's lips twitched, and his mood worsened.

"Teacher, Liu Jin's many evil deeds will surely lead to his downfall. He certainly won't last long, and you won't be staying here for long either." Su Lu was still good at comforting people.

"Hmm!" Wang Shouren was also a super optimist, and he quickly adjusted his mood, rolled up his sleeves and said, "Let's not think too much about it now, let's clean this place up and help me rebuild the post station!"

"Alright!!" Su Tai perked up at the suggestion, as this was something he excelled at!

~~
So everyone pitched in and spent a whole day clearing away the ruins, and the old postmaster's shack was burned to the ground...

The next day, Su Tai led his men to the nearby forest to cut bamboo and fell trees, and in three days, they built a new inn with five stilted houses.

The new inn occupies nearly an acre and is built along the mountainside. The most spacious room is in the very center, with sturdy pine beams. The bamboo walls are covered with straw mixed with yellow mud, and the gaps are sealed tightly. The roof is covered with layers of thatch, ensuring it will not leak wind or rain.

The door was made of two wooden planks, hinged with rattan, and creaked softly when pushed open. Inside, there was a bamboo table and chairs made by Su Tai, and a bamboo bed was set up in the corner...

There are two rooms on each side of the main house. They are a bit smaller, but still neat. Furniture hasn't been made yet, so everyone has to sleep on piles of straw. But it's still more comfortable than sleeping under the open sky.

Su Tai built a kitchen in the courtyard and erected an earthen stove. The iron pots on the stove were all brought from Erlangtan...

Su Lu and the others were also busy. He and Wang Shouren tidied up the open space in front of the house and wove a low fence with bamboo, thus creating a courtyard.

When Wang Shouren hung the plaque of "Longchang Post Station" on the fence gate, this great post station, which was originally established by Lady Shexiang and would later shine for thousands of years, was reborn!

Sitting on a bamboo chair in the main room, sipping herbal tea brewed by She Yunluo from a bamboo cup, Wang Shouren said with a contented expression, "Thank you so much, Brother Xia. You are truly skillful. If that old postmaster saw our current conditions, he might not want to leave."

"This is nothing!" Su Tai chuckled. "I saw some clay in the mountains. We can use it to make bricks, jars, and basins. Before long, you'll be able to live more comfortably, sir!"

"Haha, you know all of this?" Wang Yangming said happily, "Then it seems the best days are yet to come."

“My second brother can also grow crops and vegetables, make pens and ink…” Su Lu counted on his fingers and said, “Except for giving birth, there is basically nothing he can’t do.”

"Really?" Wang Yangming was overjoyed and took Su Tai's hand, saying, "How about I become your disciple? Teach me all this, and I won't be afraid to live in Longchang Post Station for the rest of my life."

"No, then wouldn't I become my brother's grandmaster?" Su Tai hurriedly waved his hand and said.

"Hahaha!" A burst of laughter echoed throughout Longchang Post Station.

P.S. The next chapter is still halfway through, I'll post two chapters first and then go to sleep. Oh right, I'll post the lottery results soon, see if you won. Don't worry if you didn't win, there's another chance this month…

(End of this chapter)