Chapter 248: The Autumn Levy (Part 13)

There were two restaurants in the East Gate Market. One was the Merchant Guild Restaurant, which was “semi-official” and served as the transmigrator group’s designated entertainment venue. It was also open to the public on weekdays, but since most of the patrons were Australian “chiefs,” ordinary local people rarely dared to frequent it.

The other was the more approachable and gimmicky “Welfare Society Restaurant.” This restaurant was said to be opened by a female Australian, and the food was excellent. The clientele was very diverse. Zhou Qi had long yearned to visit this place, but his empty pockets had kept him away—he didn’t have the guts to dine and dash at an Australian restaurant.

This time, with some money in his pocket, he naturally wanted to try something new.

Zhou Qi entered the restaurant, and a waiter immediately came over to serve him attentively. He was drinking alone and didn’t need a private room, so he chose a seat by the window. He ordered a few famous dishes, which were actually just things like scrambled eggs with tomatoes and stir-fried broccoli. He also ordered a bottle of sugarcane wine and began to drink by himself.

As he was enjoying his meal, he suddenly heard someone singing downstairs. It was common to see people singing popular songs in the market. Some dressed as Daoists or monks, but were neither. They sang about exhorting people to do good, religious stories, and various popular tunes. Occasionally, they would also turn the latest news into songs.

Zhou Qi initially paid no attention. After a few cups of wine, he heard the singer below performing with great expression. The surrounding crowd would occasionally burst into lewd laughter and cheers, creating a lively atmosphere. He began to listen more carefully. To his surprise, after a few sentences, he was almost fuming with anger. The song was about Qiuhong.

Although the song didn’t explicitly name “Qiuhong,” it called her “Miss Hong.” The story of her being beaten by Chen Minggang’s wife was told with vivid detail. That was one thing, but then the song went on to describe the love affair between “Miss Hong” and a family servant called “Little Qizi.” Not only was it emotionally charged, but the story was also full of details: how Little Qizi climbed the wall into her boudoir at night, hid under the bed, and so on. The subsequent content, which the crowd found so delightful, was even more varied. The listeners were all drooling with their mouths agape.

Zhou Qi was furious. He wanted to throw his wine pot down and smash the performance. No, not just smash the performance, but also call the fast-response squad to arrest the singer and take him to the yamen for a good beating! But this was the East Gate Market. The yamen runners didn’t even dare to drink a cup of water here without paying, let alone arrest someone. If he threw his wine pot down, he would immediately be sent to the labor reform team to break rocks, sift sand, and be whipped.

Zhou Qi was furious—not because he was being slandered as a lecher, but because the matter involved Qiuhong. His master already suspected him of being involved with Qiuhong. There were also many rumors in the streets. Now, with this vivid “Little Qizi’s Nightly Tryst with the Master’s Concubine, Miss Hong’s Great Commotion Under the Grape Arbor,” if it reached his master’s ears, the consequences would be unthinkable. Zhou Qi knew his master well—he was a very harsh and shrewd man, but he was particularly prone to foolishness when it came to women. If he lost his temper and decided to deal with him, his decades as an apprentice would be for nothing!

Unfortunately, he was on their turf and didn’t dare to use force. Zhou Qi was like an ant on a hot pan, drinking cup after cup of wine, just hoping the crowd would disperse soon so he could go down, give the singer a warning, and offer him some silver to get lost.

The singer was in no hurry. After finishing the story of “Miss Hong,” he switched to another tune. Zhou Qi listened carefully and, realizing it had nothing to do with him, relaxed. It was a song about the current events of the war in Liaodong. The people here vaguely knew that the court was fighting the barbarians in the far north, but they knew nothing of the specifics, so many were listening. Zhou Qi was not interested in court affairs. Hearing that it had nothing to do with him, he relaxed and just waited in the restaurant for the performance to end.

This little episode had soured Zhou Qi’s previously relaxed mood. Thinking about his relationship with his master and his future, it seemed very bleak.

With a heavy heart, he began to drink to drown his sorrows. Soon, a bottle of sugarcane wine was empty. This rum was a distilled spirit. Although its sweetness made it easy to drink, its alcohol content was around forty percent. Zhou Qi was already slightly drunk.

Wine entering a sad heart only fueled his grievances. Zhou Qi thought about how he had become an apprentice at thirteen and had been following Chen Minggang for nearly twenty years, always loyal and devoted, without any benefits. Now, he was being suspected by his master over a common prostitute. He couldn’t help but feel resentment towards his master.

As he was drinking sullenly, he suddenly heard a greeting:

“Yo! Isn’t this Brother Qi?”

Zhou Qi looked up and saw a man in his forties, dark and stout, with a two-pronged black mustache. He wore a greasy net cap and a long gown of an indeterminate color. He didn’t look like a respectable person, more like a small merchant. He blinked his blurry eyes for a long time before he remembered:

“Isn’t this Gou Buli!”

Gou Buli had been a cook in the small kitchen of the outer kitchen at the Gou family estate. Whenever Chen Minggang visited the Gou estate, he was the one who cooked for him. Zhou Qi served his master and often went in and out of the kitchen, so he knew Gou Buli.

“That’s me!” Gou Buli beamed with smiles. “Brother Qi! Why are you drinking alone and looking so down? I’m alone too, let’s share a table. My treat!”

Seeing a free meal, Zhou Qi naturally didn’t refuse. He followed Gou Buli. Gou Buli had a private room with a round table laid with seven or eight dishes, all of the restaurant’s specialties. The roasted suckling pig in the center, in particular, made Zhou Qi’s eyes widen. This roasted suckling pig was something he had only seen at major banquets in large households. He had heard that in Guangzhou, one cost a tael of silver!

A waiter came over, moved the dishes, and reset the bowls and chopsticks. The two men began to drink again. Fueled by the wine, Zhou Qi said, “Old Gou! You’ve really made it! Drinking alone and eating roasted suckling pig. In the past, you were the one doing the roasting for others.”

Gou Buli laughed. “Isn’t it all thanks to the Australians! The East Gate Market is such a good location, I never would have dreamed of it. There are so many people here, and they’re willing to spend money. I opened a small restaurant, and I’m doing quite well!”

When Zhou Qi heard he was “doing quite well,” his old habit would have been to immediately ask for a “handout.” But he still had some sense left and knew that the yamen’s authority didn’t extend to the East Gate Market. He opened his mouth but swallowed his words. He only sighed:

“You all are doing quite well! Sigh!”

The complaint in his words was obvious. Gou Buli saw that he was already five or six parts drunk and knew the time was right. He took the opportunity to ask:

“Brother Qi! Aren’t you helping your master with the autumn tax collection recently? After this season, you’ll surely have a lot of benefits…”

“There are many benefits, but they’re not mine—” Zhou Qi and Gou Buli were only nodding acquaintances. But now, with a heavy heart and a few more drinks, he was desperate for someone to talk to. He couldn’t help but pour out his heart.

He talked about his master’s harshness and lack of gratitude, about his own hopeless future, about his master’s suspicion… Zhou Qi poured out all his grievances and dissatisfaction. Gou Buli just listened attentively, occasionally agreeing and constantly refilling his wine and adding food to his plate. This made Zhou Qi feel very relieved, and his words became more and more revealing.

“…They’re even singing songs about Miss Hong here in the East Gate Market,” Zhou Qi complained loudly. “Is this kind of thing something you can just make up? My master, because of this baseless matter, already dislikes me!”

“As long as you stand tall and straight, the dirty water won’t stick—”

“It’s easy to have an idea, but hard to do it. When dirty water is splashed on you, it’s hard to dodge.” Zhou Qi said in frustration. “I don’t know who, with nothing better to do, made this up!”

“It must be someone who has a grudge against you, or against your master…”

After thinking it over, it was most likely the Zhang brothers. They hated Qiuhong to the bone. Only they would do such a thing as slinging mud, and only they had the ability to make it a city-wide scandal. But even knowing this was useless—he was helpless against the Zhang brothers.

He sighed in frustration. “…Now I’m just living day by day, trying to save some money for my old age while I still can. Otherwise, those little bastards in the Chen family, who knows how harsh they’ll be!”

“You can’t count on your junior brothers, of course,” Gou Buli’s small eyes darted around. “But Zhang Wu, he’s a ruthless one. Brother Qi, you have to be careful in the future. He wouldn’t dare to trouble your master, but he might take it out on you…”

Zhou Qi shuddered. That was true! That bastard Zhang Wu, who dared to follow his sister to beat up Qiuhong, would have no problem beating him up. Chen Minggang was his brother-in-law, after all, and the clerk of the Household Office; he wouldn’t dare to do anything to him. But what was he? If he was beaten to death, with his brother Zhang Shi being a clerk in the Justice Office, the matter could be easily settled. His master probably wouldn’t even stand up for him…

“Sigh!” Zhou Qi sighed again. “It’s just bad luck! I’ve only been wholeheartedly working for my master, I never thought someone else’s family matters would land on my head!”

“In this kind of situation, you can only be resourceful and not get too deeply involved—”

Although Zhou Qi was a bit dizzy, he heard these words clearly. It seemed there was a hidden meaning. He quickly probed, “Brother Gou?”

“Your master’s pool,” Gou Buli said mysteriously, “don’t get in too deep.”

Zhou Qi half-understood. He somewhat grasped Gou Buli’s meaning: don’t be too devoted to working for his master. But it seemed there was another meaning in his words.

“After all, we are master and apprentice,” Zhou Qi said. “If he gives me a task, can I not do it? But if I do it, I don’t get any credit! It’s difficult!”

Gou Buli said, “Brother Qi, you should think of a way out for yourself soon.”