My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 144 Going Home

Lin Ziping returned to Fuchun County with the others, put down the child on his back, handed him to Shi Yong, and left on his own.

Walking home, although the streets were largely unchanged and there weren't many people around, Lin Ziping still felt a strange sense of novelty and joy.

Pushing open the courtyard door, I realized I hadn't been back for over ten days.

The courtyard was clean and tidy, with firewood neatly stacked in the corner.

A soft, yellow light emanated from the kitchen.

"Young Master, you're back." Zhu Zi came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl, and his eyes lit up with joy when he saw Lin Ziping. "It's time to eat."

Lin Ziping softened his expression, rubbed his stomach, and said, "I'm actually hungry."

Without saying much, Lin Ziping went into the kitchen to wash his hands and set out the bowls and chopsticks with Zhu Zi.

Looking at the steaming food on the table, Lin Ziping let out a satisfied sigh, feeling as if he had finally come back to life.

"How have you been these past few days, Zhu Zi?" Lin Ziping asked, taking a sip of soup.

"Everything's fine at home, but a couple of days ago a lot of people from the county government went out of town, I don't know where they went. It looked like the whole county government went, it's a pity that... Ziping, you weren't there." Zhu Zi described with great enthusiasm.

Lin Ziping chuckled inwardly at Zhu Zi, that silly boy. What were the county officials doing? They were looking for him.

"Yes, it's a pity, but if I were at the county government office, I would definitely go with them," Lin Ziping said with a smile. "How are things going for you? Is the pharmacy busy?"

Zhu Zi sighed and said, "Fewer and fewer people are coming to see the doctor. The shopkeeper has been worried these past few days, saying that those people are probably close to dying."

Lin Ziping suddenly realized that he had forgotten something: he had forgotten to tell Magistrate Wei that the plague might have been caused by bandits.

However, he had already subtly informed Cui Lizheng of this matter in the letter, so he should make arrangements accordingly.

Besides, this is just my guess. If it turns out to be wrong, I've already made enough of a splash today, so I shouldn't bother the leaders with this matter for now.

Lin Ziping glanced at Zhu Zi, who was shoveling rice into his mouth, and said casually, "I heard this disease started in Mao Mao Village. Maomao Mountain is right next to Mao Mao Village. The bandits I captured today don't seem sick at all."

Zhu Zi looked up at Lin Ziping.

He continued, "There are no pharmacies or doctors over there, so logically it's easier to get sick, right?"

"Yes...yes." Zhu Zi nodded blankly.

"That's strange," Lin Ziping murmured.

Seeing that Zhu Zi looked thoughtful, Lin Ziping picked up a piece of vegetables with his chopsticks and put it in his bowl, keeping his good deed hidden.

"Young Master, I'm going out for a bit. Please tidy up a bit. I've already boiled the water in the pot," Zhu Zi suddenly said, putting down his bowl and chopsticks.

Lin Ziping looked at him, saw his excited expression, nodded, and said no more.

Seeing Lin Ziping nod, Zhu Zi strode towards the outside.

Looking at the pillar's back, Lin Ziping paused, feeling as if he had seen that figure somewhere before.

"By the way, young master, the master and Granny Liao are coming to Fuchun for the Mid-Autumn Festival." At this moment, Zhu Zi's voice came from the courtyard, interrupting Lin Ziping's thoughts.

Lin Zhong and Granny Liao are coming?!

Lin Ziping replied, "Okay, I understand!"

A moment later, the sound of the door closing could be heard; Zhu Zi had gone out.

Mid-Autumn Festival? It's almost Mid-Autumn Festival?!

Lin Ziping silently calculated the time, and sure enough, the Mid-Autumn Festival was less than a week away!

It was the height of summer when I left, and I returned in the depths of autumn.

Recalling his earlier thoughts, Lin Ziping couldn't help but chuckle. He probably had "work syndrome," and everything seemed familiar. He needed to take a shower to get rid of the "work smell"!

Lin Ziping quickly finished his meal and cleaned up the dishes.

I poured water into the bathtub, ready to enjoy a relaxing bath.

After undressing and lying in the bathtub, Lin Ziping comfortably closed his eyes.

After tidying himself up, it was already late at night, and Zhu Zi had not yet returned.

Could something have happened?

Unable to contain his worry, Lin Ziping was about to go out to look for him when he bumped into Zhu Zi, who had just opened the door and entered.

"Ah—" Lin Ziping calmed himself down and said irritably, "I was just about to go out and look for you! You scared me!"

Zhu Zi took the candle from Lin Ziping and said, "Young Master, Shunzi is here."

"Shunzi's here?!" Lin Ziping exclaimed in surprise. "Let him in quickly!"

"Good morning, young master." Shunzi's voice came from behind Zhuzi.

"Shunzi," Lin Ziping greeted with a smile.

Qingyang and Fuchun are quite far apart. In those days, there were no cars, so after arriving in Fuchun, I never returned to Qingyang. Now, seeing Shunzi feels like meeting an old friend in a foreign land, or a fellow townsman meeting a fellow townsman.

The group arrived at the guest room. Zhu Zi went to the kitchen to get a glass of water, leaving Lin Ziping and Shun Zi alone in the room.

"Didn't Zhuzi say that Uncle and Granny Liao would come during the Mid-Autumn Festival?" Lin Ziping asked.

Shunzi clasped his hands in a respectful greeting and said, "Master arranged for me to come and see the young master ahead of time."

"Hehe, what's so interesting about this?" Lin Ziping said. "Shunzi, don't stand there, sit down."

“Young Master, this is not reasonable,” Shunzi said respectfully.

"Yes..." Lin Ziping was about to say that there was some disagreement, but seeing Shunzi's serious expression, his excited mood instantly calmed down.

Yes, Shunzi is not like Zhuzi and Xiaoya. Although they grew up together, Shunzi always followed Lin Zhong and Butler Tao. I don't think I'm really familiar with him.

Neither of them spoke, and the air suddenly became quiet, with an awkward atmosphere gradually spreading in the room.

"Brother Shunzi, have some water." Zhu Zi walked in carrying a bowl of water.

Shunzi remained silent, and once again bowed to Lin Ziping with clasped hands, saying, "Please forgive me, young master."

The awkwardness from just now hasn't been broken, but the atmosphere now is truly incredibly awkward.

Lin Ziping was puzzled and could only say dryly, "It's alright, it's alright, you guys chat, I'll go back to my room first."

Before the two could react, Lin Ziping got up and left in a hurry.

As he walked out of the courtyard, he vaguely heard Shunzi scolding Zhuzi behind him. The words "What kind of behavior is this?" and "There is a difference between superiors and inferiors" leaked into Lin Ziping's ears through the crack in the door.

Sigh, I barely qualify as a civil servant, how can I bear the descriptions of "disrespectful" and "disrespectful to superiors and inferiors"?

Times have truly changed!