Seeing that Duan Jin remained calm, merely nodding slightly, Xiang Shiye felt somewhat reassured and continued, “Wuyuan County is nestled between mountains and the sea. It comprises eleven townships and a total of one hundred and forty-three villages. Though the territory is vast, the people… struggle to make ends meet.”

At this point, he instinctively looked up at Duan Jin. Yet he saw that the young magistrate’s expression was impassive—neither troubled nor disdainful—making it impossible to fathom his true thoughts.

He continued his account: “The villagers depend on the heavens for their livelihood. After a year of hard labor, the grain they harvest is barely enough to feed a single family. Should a famine strike, they would likely be left homeless and destitute. There are also several villages and towns where, despite having ample idle land, not a single crop will grow. Fortunately, they live by the sea, and through years of fishing, they manage to scrape by.”

Duan Jin frowned.

By the time Xiang Shiye had finished speaking, the frown on Duan Jin’s brow had turned into a knot.

Even from Xiang Shiye’s brief account, it was clear there were already numerous problems here. If he were to inspect the situation firsthand, who knew how many more he would uncover? No wonder the previous two county magistrates had fled one after another without staying long—it truly was no easy post.

“Let’s set the other matters aside for now and tackle the most urgent one first,” he said. “Counselor, could you arrange for someone to repair the buildings in the inner courtyard? Even just patching the roof would be helpful.”

Otherwise, he genuinely feared that if another storm struck, the house would leak so badly it would turn into a waterfall cave.

Xiang Shiye looked troubled and said hesitantly, “But the county office is already deeply in debt.” He paused, then lowered his voice. “Actually, though the county office is poor, there was still a small surplus a few days ago. It’s just that… ah!”

Duan Jin gestured for him to sit down. “Go ahead, speak freely.”

It turned out that the previous magistrate had arrived with great fanfare and extravagance, squandering the county office’s meager savings to the last penny.

Once the funds were exhausted, far from reining in his extravagance, he only went further, spending his days frequenting the city’s taverns, jewelry shops, and brothels… If he couldn’t afford something, he’d run a tab, recording every single one in the county office’s ledger. A few days later, he slunk away in disgrace. When the chief secretary returned from an inspection tour in the countryside a few days later, he discovered this massive mess.

Fortunately, the people were kind-hearted. Upon hearing that the county office was penniless, they all offered to waive the bills. Feeling guilty, he couldn’t bear to let his fellow villagers suffer a loss, so he recorded every single one of these debts, hoping to repay them in full once he had the means.

“What a rotten official!” Liu Cheng exclaimed indignantly.

Feng Xin, however, looked pensive. “No wonder the secretary couldn’t even scrape together enough money for the magistrate’s medicine yesterday—he had to pawn a whole set of clothes just to get the medicine.”

Xiang Shiye gave Duan Jin a wry smile, fearing that this new official might also be so frightened that he would flee in the dead of night.

Upon hearing this, Duan Jin paused for a moment, then turned to Xiang Shiye with a serious expression to thank him, his demeanor composed as if the current predicament were nothing out of the ordinary. Only then did Xiang Shiye have a chance to take a closer look at Magistrate Duan.

Clothed in a deep blue long robe, even coarse hemp garments seemed to lend him an air of dignity. As sunlight fell upon him, it highlighted his clear, handsome features; a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth, suggesting he had everything under control. Xiang Shiye felt his heart suddenly settle.

Once, twice, but not a third time—this time… surely he’d finally encountered a good official.

Duan Jin wanted to take a walk in the streets, but since the secretary was tied up with official business and couldn’t accompany him, he sent Liu Cheng and Feng Xin along instead, instructing them, “The magistrate has not yet fully recovered from his illness; you two must take good care of him.”

“Yes, sir.”

The streets were bustling with people. Shops lined both sides in neat rows, and the sounds of street vendors hawking their wares filled the air. It was quite lively—after all, this was still the county seat, and things hadn’t yet reached the point of utter desolation. Duan Jin felt a little more at ease.

As they walked, Liu Cheng told him stories about the county town, with Feng Xin occasionally adding a few words.

When they reached a certain spot, Duan Jin suddenly stopped in his tracks. He glanced at the shop to his left; it was significantly larger than the surrounding stores. The sign above it seemed to read… pawnshop?

Liu Cheng explained, “That’s the largest pawnshop in the county, run by the third branch of the Xie family.”

The Xie family was one of the wealthiest in all of Wuyuan County, with vast estates and extensive holdings, yet it was also the family with the fewest heirs. The master of the house passed away early, and the matriarch, in her senility, insisted that her third son marry her niece from her own family. This caused a rift between husband and wife, and Xie Sanlang, having reached his limit, summoned the elders of the clan and demanded a division of the family estate—even if it meant leaving with nothing.

At the time, the incident caused quite a stir and was the talk of the town for a long while.

Especially after Xie Sanlang split from the family, he started from scratch and built a thriving business. His success eventually forced the old Xie family pawnshop out of business, so he opened several more branches in quick succession. The pawnshop before them was the most solid of his enterprises—honest and fair to all, young and old alike. In fact, the secretary’s clothes had been pawned there last time.

Duan Jin touched the jade pendant in his bosom.

Now the county magistrate’s office was deeply in debt, struggling even to repair a leaky roof. All the silver he carried had been stolen by bandits, leaving him with nothing but this jade pendant. Even though it had been passed down through several generations of his family, he feared he would have no choice but to pawn it now.

This jade pendant had originally cost over a thousand taels to purchase, yet when he went to pawn it, the shopkeeper was only willing to offer five hundred taels for a “dead pawn” and a hundred taels for a “live pawn.” 

In the end, Duan Jin chose the “live pawn.”

Stepping out with the “fortune” of one hundred taels tucked away close to his body, Duan Jin looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh. Now that he had money, he could finally ask the two constables, “Where in the city can I find a craftsman to repair the roof?”

“Most craftsmen live in the western part of town. Are you planning to repair the county office roof, sir?” Liu Cheng immediately understood. The only habitable room had lost its roof tiles to the rain; it might be bearable for a day, but it certainly wasn’t suitable for long-term living.

Duan Jin nodded.

Liu Cheng said, “Then there’s no need to go far. There are a few capable men on South Street. Though their craftsmanship isn’t as refined as that of professional artisans, their prices are reasonable, and they work quickly. I live over there. I’ll go call a few of my neighbors for you. They have experience and will guarantee a solid, neat repair.”

Duan Jin felt the few silver coins left in his pocket and agreed wholeheartedly, “That sounds excellent. But be sure to tell them that their wages will be paid in full, and everything will be settled at market rates.”

The three split up. Liu Cheng headed for South Street, while Duan Jin and Feng Xin took a detour down another street, strolling back at a leisurely pace.

This street was livelier than the one they’d come from. While the previous street had mostly been large shops, this side was lined with narrow storefronts, and the curbs were packed with street vendors selling their wares. Duan Jin carried none of the airs of an official; seeing such a place, he felt right at home and blended right in. Before long, he was on first-name terms with several stall owners and chatting with them animatedly.

Feng Xin stood by, staring in amazement. Had he not known that this was the county magistrate, he would have taken him for an ordinary villager.

“Auntie, your vegetables are indeed fresh, and the price is fair. Weigh me two catties,” Duan Jin said with a smile, brushing the dew and mud from the vegetable leaves off his hands and straightening up.

The old woman deftly tied the greens into a bundle, hooked it onto the scale, and lifted it to take a look. The end of the scale tip jutted high into the air. “Look at that! I’ve given you a little extra because you’re such a handsome young man. Where do you live? Are you looking to get married?”

Duan Jin chuckled. “Thank you for your kindness, Auntie, but I have no plans to settle down just yet.”

“When your parents give their blessing and the matchmakers speak, you’ll start thinking about it once you’ve had a look at her,” the old woman said, her enthusiasm undiminished.

Just as Duan Jin was about to speak, he suddenly felt something—neither quite sharp nor quite blunt—brush against the top of his foot. He looked down and saw a fluffy little yellow chick.

Its downy feathers are pale and fluffy, as if it had hatched only recently. It stood right by his foot, tilting its tender yellow beak upward and pecking him once more.

Duan Jin couldn’t help but smile.

Aunt Wang peered over. “Xiu Mei, your little chick has slipped out again. Hurry up and catch it.” Duan Jin had already coaxed the little chick onto his palm; seeing Aunt Wang come looking for it, he handed it over.

“You’re a kind-hearted young man. Do you like this little chick?” Aunt Wang took it, and seeing his gaze still fixed on the chick, she smiled. Duan Jin nodded. “This little chick is absolutely adorable. You’ve raised it to be so lively, Aunt Wang.”

“Of course!” Aunt Wang was quite proud of this, her face beaming with satisfaction. “When it comes to raising chickens, there’s no one else on this street who can match me!”

The little chick seemed to like him too; even after being put in the cage, it kept its beady eyes wide open and craned its slender neck, gazing longingly at Duan Jin. Aunt Wang couldn’t help but laugh when she saw this. “Look at that—it’s as if I were the Queen Mother of the West, breaking up a pair of lovebirds! All right, I’ll give you this little chick.”

She bent down to take the chick out of the cage, and the little creature, once set free, immediately began chirping happily.

“Although my chicks are sturdier than others’, they’re still young. You’ll need to be careful when feeding them. Until they’re fully grown, give them some fine feed,” Aunt Wang advised.

Duan Jin held two pounds of greens in one hand and cradled the chirping chick in the other. “Got it. Thanks, Auntie.”

After he left, Aunt Wang went around to check and secure her chicken coop once more. When she looked up, she saw a few copper coins had appeared on her counter. Glancing outside, she could only make out the young man’s fading silhouette. Holding the coins, she shook her head and sighed with a smile: “That boy… he even gave me an extra one.”

Feng Xin hadn’t expected that in the brief moment he’d looked away, Duan Jin had come back with his arms full—not just greens, but a plump little yellow chick as well!

“What are you going to do with the chicken, sir?” 

“Raise it, of course.”

Feng Xin：“……”

Of course, he knew they kept chickens; he asked that unnecessary question just to be sure. Was he supposed to keep chickens at the county office? Since ancient times, no official has ever kept chickens at the office!

Perhaps sensing his thoughts, Duan Jin smiled and said, “Don’t you think the county office is a bit too empty?”

It was spacious, yes, but raising chickens… What kind of nonsense was that?

Feng Xin silently took the greens from Duan Jin’s hands. By now, he was already carrying a round winter melon, a bunch of toon tree sprouts, a bag of green beans, and several bundles of greens. Duan Jin looked at his slightly stern face and smiled helplessly. “Don’t worry, we won’t buy any more later.”

About ten meters ahead, a crowd had gathered for some reason. People who had originally intended to pass by were drawn to the scene and stopped in their tracks.

It’s human nature to be drawn to a commotion, and Duan Jin, too, curiously pushed his way closer to the crowd. He could hear the lively chatter within the throng:

“If you ask me, this new county magistrate won’t last ten days.” 

“I’d say even five days is a stretch!”

“Didn’t you say the same thing last time? You really got your face slapped.”

“That’s different. That crooked official was living it up here, taking everything for free. Of course, he’d stick around a few extra days to squeeze every last drop of our hard-earned money out of us!” 

“You think this one won’t do the same?”

“He’s already sucked us dry—what else is there left for him to take? Besides, we’ve been burned once—are we really going to fall for it again? Want to make a bet with me? I’ll bet he’ll be out of here in five days!”

“Let’s bet! I bet he’ll last half a month!” 

“I’m betting seven days!”

“I’ll bet three days!”