From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 440: Chapter 441: Going Out

He Gaofei’s eyes darted. "Mr. Gu, we just went to visit the injured officials. They are still recovering, so we didn’t want to disturb them for too long.

But the official documents we’re holding can’t be delayed. What do you propose we do??"

Ancient Wen Heng said, "You officials have been in this line of work for so many years. You should understand a thing or two about hierarchy, shouldn’t you?

Don’t forget, although I am younger than you, I am still your superior. What is this? Are you now ordering me to do your work for you?"

Ancient Wen Heng’s expression hardened. He had accommodated them on the journey because he was afraid they would drag their feet and cause him to miss his deadline for taking office.

Now that they had arrived, everyone was at the same starting point. ’Do these people really think I’m a pushover?’

He Gaofei’s heart trembled, and a chill inexplicably ran down his spine. ’Is he finally showing his fangs?’

He then heard the other man say coldly, "Don’t forget, the Holy Decree states that we are here to act in these official posts. My situation is straightforward, but yours is different. Those injured officials could recover at any time. You should think carefully about your own futures!"

The three of them understood the implication. The previous Magistrate was dead. As long as Ancient Wen Heng could endure this initial difficult period, his position was set in stone.

But it was different for them. The officials who had been injured were still recuperating locally, posing a potential threat to them.

Furthermore, those officials had been established in the area for many years. If they wanted to cause trouble for them, they might not even have the ability to fight back.

It was one thing that the three of them hadn’t wanted to come, but now that they had reached this point, none of them wanted to be driven away in disgrace.

They had already spent the first half of their lives in mediocrity. If they were pushed out again, they would never be able to show their faces in official circles again.

He Gaofei clenched his fists. Being forced to come was one thing, but being looked down upon now was the greatest insult to him.

Regardless of what they were thinking, Ancient Wen Heng sped up his work on the official documents before him. After working for so long, he was starting to get hungry.

When Ming Feng walked in, he saw his master writing furiously while the other three officials stood to the side, lost in thought.

He walked up to Ancient Wen Heng’s side. "Sir, the meal is ready. Would you like to eat first?"

Ancient Wen Heng, who didn’t have a clerk yet, tidied up the documents himself before standing up. "How are things at the residence?"

Ming Feng replied, "I went to the brokerage and personally selected three serving women, and also bought some simple food. I’m afraid you’ll have to make do for today, Sir."

Hearing the master and servant talking as they left, He Gaofei and the others looked even more grim. They had only been concerned with watching the show today and hadn’t given instructions for their own households.

They couldn’t really be blamed. Household affairs were usually handled by women, but this time, it had truly fallen to them.

Now they could only hope their attendants were clever, or life would be truly unbearable.

Unfortunately, they didn’t know their attendants well at all. When they returned to their residences, they found two guards sitting in the courtyard, staring blankly at each other, and couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

After finishing his hot meal, Wenheng took Ming Feng and headed back to the government office. Although he had read the local gazetteer, his understanding was still too superficial. Besides the written records, he wanted to hear the thoughts of the local people.

He changed into plain clothes, and Ming Feng quickly summoned Jiang Da Niu and the others. When in an unfamiliar place, it was best to be cautious.

As soon as Wenheng’s group of strangers appeared on the street, the looks they received were not of curiosity, but of wariness.

It had been a long time since strangers came to Lu City. Wenheng and his party had entered the city the previous day near dusk, and keeping a low profile, they were led directly to the Prefect’s Office by Wang Ping.

Therefore, the people of Lu City didn’t yet know that their new Magistrate had arrived.

Wenheng looked at the shops—most of them closed—and finding a general store that was open, he walked right in.

The owner saw the unfamiliar faces and looked flustered for a moment, but he quickly composed himself and asked in a trembling voice, "What can I get for you gentlemen?"

Wenheng looked at the sparse merchandise, and pretending not to notice the man’s nervousness, he asked with a curious expression, "Shopkeeper, is this all you have?"

The general store owner replied, "Yes, it is. I run a small business. If you see anything you like, Sir, I’ll give you a discount."

Wenheng actually began to pick through the goods, not forgetting to consult with Ming Feng, who was at his side. "We’re lacking everything at home right now. Help me see what we need to get."

After a morning of work, Ming Feng was already well-acquainted with the state of the residence. Though it was called the Magistrate’s residence, it could be described as having nothing but four bare walls.

But looking at the scarce goods here, Ming Feng felt that even if they bought out the entire shop, it probably wouldn’t be enough.

"Master, the residence is lacking everything." Today, he had only managed to buy some kitchen supplies and some grain on a temporary basis; he hadn’t had time to purchase anything else.

Wenheng said, "Then buy it all."

The general store owner couldn’t help but swallow hard. He secretly glanced outside the shop. Although only the two men before him had entered, he wasn’t blind to the burly men standing conspicuously outside.

He couldn’t help but pray internally. ’Why aren’t the patrolling Government Officials coming this way?’ He didn’t know if he should even go through with this sale.

’I should have listened to my wife. It’s not like this stuff will go bad. I could have just sold it privately to my regular customers. Why did I have to take this risk?’

There wasn’t much in the shop to begin with, so the master and servant quickly made their selections, leaving only a few small items sitting forlornly on the shelves.

"Shopkeeper, calculate how much Silver this is. Deliver it to the back of the Prefect’s Office later." At this point, Wenheng clearly knew that the shopkeeper had misunderstood his group.

It was said that the bandits had also disguised themselves as a merchant caravan to get in, allowing them to learn the layout of Lu City so well that they were able to find their targets with precision and nearly wipe the city out.

The general store owner was clearly stunned. "The new Lord Prefect has arrived?"

Ever since the Magistrate was murdered, the injured officials hadn’t dared to live in the back office, which had long since been emptied out.

So, aside from the newly arrived officials, no one else would have the guts to move in now.

But he assumed this was perhaps a young master from the Prefect’s house, and didn’t even consider that it might be the Magistrate himself.

Wenheng had guessed as much. He smiled and nodded. "We arrived last night. It was a hasty arrival, so we didn’t have time to prepare many things.

But you have so few things here. Why don’t you stock more goods?"

The general store owner, letting his guard down, felt a surge of sorrow. "How would I dare stock more goods? See all those closed shops out there? The people with connections and family fortunes all fled long ago.

We have a large family. We have nowhere to run, even if we wanted to."