The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

The next day, in the back hall of the county government office, the morning light seeped through the window paper, casting a pale golden glow on the room.

Di Renjie had already woken up and was lying on the soft couch. He didn't get up, but turned his head to look towards the study.

Zhang Rui was lying on the edge of the table in a very awkward posture.

His head was resting on his crossed arms, his face turned to one side, clearly using his arms as a pillow.

Did this child sleep on the table all night?

A strange feeling welled up in Di Renjie's heart. He could have floated or lay down, but he chose this position instead. He probably does this all the time...

After watching quietly for a while, Zhang Rui's face lost the fear and confusion he had shown at their first meeting, leaving only calm.

Thinking of my own children, when they were that age, when had they ever suffered such injustice?

With a soft sigh, Di Renjie slowly rose and straightened his clothes.

She moved very quietly, afraid of making a sound that might wake Zhang Rui.

He stopped at the door and looked back.

Zhang Rui remained slumped over the table, breathing shallowly, his body appearing unsteady.

"...Go to sleep."

Di Renjie pushed the door open and went out, then gently closed it behind him.

Outside the door, the rooster had already crowed twice.

There were already sounds of people in the courtyard; Di Chun was preparing breakfast.

When Zhang Rui woke up, the morning light was brighter than before.

He opened his eyes and felt a little sore in his neck—no, he tried to move it and didn't feel any soreness.

In the past, when I would wake up from sleeping on my desk, my neck would always be sore and stiff, and it would take a while to recover.

But now, I don't feel anything at all.

As his consciousness gradually returned, Zhang Rui remembered that he was currently in a soul state, without a physical body, so he naturally wouldn't feel any soreness.

I tried moving around a bit, but without activating my abilities, I still couldn't touch anything else.

It seems that I'll probably stay in this state forever in this world.

After a while, there were several knocks on the door.

"Tongyou, are you awake?"

Zhang Rui was taken aback. Was this someone calling him? He wasn't quite used to this new word yet.

"woke up."

Di Renjie pushed open the door and came in, carrying a wooden tray with two rough porcelain bowls, two small dishes, a plate of steamed buns, and a pot of tea on it.

Zhang Rui was slightly taken aback. The dignified Di Renjie was bringing him breakfast on a tray?

"Lord Di, why don't you have someone else do these things?"

Di Renjie placed the tray on the table, sat down opposite Zhang Rui, and said in a casual tone, "Di Chun has gone out on business."

Zhang Rui didn't ask any further questions.

Di Renjie lifted the lid of the earthenware jar, and the millet porridge was still steaming.

The steamed buns were stacked together, white and plump, along with two small dishes of side dishes, one of pickled radish and one of pickled mustard greens.

"Eat."

Zhang Rui looked at the breakfast on the table, paused for a moment, and then started the interactive mode.

He picked up an empty bowl from the tray, first served Di Renjie a bowl of porridge and placed it in front of him, and then served himself.

I picked it up and took a sip. It was millet porridge, not very thick, but very warm.

The steamed buns are solid with little filling, and eating them with pickled radishes gives you a sense of comfort that's hard to describe.

Zhang Rui ate slowly without saying a word.

Di Renjie didn't say anything. He picked up the porridge that Zhang Rui had just poured for him, ate it with a steamed bun, and slowly chewed it.

The two ate breakfast quietly, with only the occasional soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks.

After finishing his first bowl, Zhang Rui asked Di Renjie if he wanted more. Only after confirming that the other party did he pour himself another bowl and slowly chew it with the pickled mustard greens.

After finishing his meal, Di Renjie sat down beside him, watching him eat with a smile, without urging him to hurry.

Only after Zhang Rui put down his chopsticks did he speak: "Is there enough porridge?"

That's enough.

"Remember to say if it's not enough."

"Um."

Zhang Rui nodded, gathered the bowls and plates, and arranged them neatly on the tray.

Di Renjie didn't stop him. He waited until Di Renjie had finished tidying up before carrying the tray out the door.

Zhang Rui hesitated for a moment, then took a step and chased after him.

Di Renjie handed the tray to a servant in the corridor without turning around, as if he expected the servant to come out.

"The county government office has three courtyards. The front courtyard contains the main hall and the office for signing documents, the back courtyard is the living quarters, and the east side contains the stables and storerooms."

As he walked, he casually introduced himself, his voice low but each word clear.

Zhang Rui followed closely behind him, always keeping a distance of about two steps.

After passing through a moon gate, you arrive at the front hall.

The main hall of the county government was simpler than Zhang Rui had imagined. It was a large, gray room with a desk in the center and a chair behind it. The screen behind the desk was painted with a picture of the rising sun over the sea.

Above the desk hangs a plaque with the four large characters "Qin Jing Gao Xuan" (秦镜高悬), written in a vigorous and powerful style.

Several stacks of documents were piled on the desk, an inkstone was placed in a corner, and several wolf-hair brushes hung on a brush holder.

Di Renjie walked straight into the hall, sat down behind the desk, and opened the household register.

Zhang Rui watched from the side, seeing him review the text line by line, sometimes picking up a pen to annotate, and sometimes pausing to think.

"grown ups."

A bailiff entered from outside, carrying a document in his hand.

"What is it?"

"Someone is beating a drum."

Di Renjie raised his head: "Bring him in."

Several groups of people came and went throughout the morning.

The first person to come in was an old man in his sixties, with a hunched back.

Behind him followed a farmer in his thirties, head down, looking unwilling.

"My lord! You must do me justice!"

The old man knelt down as soon as he entered the door, and Di Renjie raised his hand and said, "Get up and speak."

The old man refused to get up, pointing at the farmer behind him: "He stole my chicken! Just last night, he climbed over the wall and stole my speckled hen!"

"I didn't!" The farmer's face flushed red. "I was just passing by his wall, when did I steal a chicken?"

"Then why did you walk past my house before dawn?"

"I...I'm going to the market!"

The two were arguing fiercely, but Di Renjie didn't interrupt. He waited until they had both finished speaking before asking, "When did the speckled pheasant go missing?"

"Around 9 PM last night, I got up to feed the pigs and heard a noise in the chicken coop. When I went out to check, I saw him run away!"

"You said you're going to the market, where are you going?"

"Let's go to the county town!"

Do you have any proof?

"This..." Zhuang Jia was speechless. "I'm just going to sell some mountain produce. I'll be back early. What kind of receipt do I need?"

Di Renjie nodded and turned to the old man: "You said you heard a noise from the chicken coop, went out and saw him run away—did you see him with a chicken at the time?"

The old man paused, then said, "It was dark, I couldn't see clearly."

"That means you didn't see it. You only saw someone walk past the wall, but you didn't see him steal the chicken. He can't prove his innocence, and you can't prove he's the thief. The evidence in this case is insufficient—" Di Renjie paused, then turned to the farmer, "You said you were going to the county town to sell mountain products, why didn't you go with someone else at the village entrance? Ordinary farmers usually go to the county town with companions."

The farmer stammered, "Well... I get up early and don't want to trouble others..."