Chapter 19

The Mark of the Family

From morning, after eating only spicy food, I clutched my aching stomach and wobbled my way to the inn. In my hands were three types of flowers, and on my back, a large bundle.

“Oh, I’m going to die.”

I couldn’t help but let out a groan.

The flowers, even if you call them a "root" of flowers, only weigh about 500 grams each, so all three together weigh only 1.5 kilograms. You might think, “Why are you acting like you’re dying?” But the reason I’m groaning isn’t because of the flowers in my hands, but because of the steamed buns (證餅) on my back.

The bag is full of steamed buns I received from various restaurants and street vendors since morning.

When I left the first inn, the waiter insisted on giving me the leftover steamed buns, and at every place I went, they kept giving me more. By the end, I had an enormous amount.

At one point, there were so many that I had to leave them with a street vendor for a while, but I couldn’t just leave them behind, so I had to carry them, which was incredibly tiring.

The reason I have so many steamed buns is that people here usually eat only two meals a day—breakfast and dinner. They use their bodies much more than modern people, so they burn a lot of calories and tend to eat a lot.

When you hear that the heroes in stories like "Water Margin" can eat 20 catties (about 13.3 kg) of pork, you might think, “Ha! They’re just exaggerating.” But it’s not an exaggeration. When you see them eat, it’s like watching a spectacle.

At the inn, the size of the steamed buns, which are about the size of two palm-sized buns, is 8-10 per meal, and they are not light and fluffy but solid and heavy.

Carrying about 50 of these, it’s no wonder they are so heavy.

Sweat dripped down my forehead.

‘If I just moved less and ate less, it would be fine...’

The world is all about slow life, so why do they move so quickly and eat so much?

What’s the rush?

Even when I serve noodles at the inn, I have to use a large bowl that can fit a person’s head, which is quite a challenge.

Because they eat so much, the basic cooking quantity is also large. In my previous life, it was like cooking for three or four people, and my wrist gets tired from flipping the wok.

Grumbling, I carried the steamed buns with the sweat streaming down my face and finally arrived at the inn, where a group of people was gathered.

They seemed to have been waiting for a while, looking around restlessly.

Seeing that they were wearing armor and carrying swords or spears, I realized they were soldiers.

‘What? Could it be?’

- Gulping

My mouth went dry at the sight of the soldiers.

The soldiers were looking around restlessly, as if searching for someone. Given that they were in front of my inn, it was highly likely that they were looking for me.

My hands were sweating, and my heart started to race.

Do soldiers often come to the inn in such large numbers?

This is definitely...

‘A group dinner!’

Checking the time, it was almost the end of their shift.

They might have taken some liberties and left early, but that’s not my concern.

What’s important now is that they came to our inn for a group dinner.

My fingertips trembled at the thought of my first group of customers.

‘And they’re soldiers, no less?’

They say that doing business with soldiers is the easiest. They’ll eat anything and say it’s delicious.

And since they work for the government, it’s good to make a good impression.

After the situation improved following Zhuge Guan’s visit, I felt naturally better.

The steamed buns on my back suddenly felt as light as feathers, and the bags of flowers in my hands felt like balloons.

I ran up to them and called out in an excited voice.

“Oh, you’ve been waiting so long!”

I bowed in several directions and repeatedly apologized to the customers as I headed towards the door.

“You must have been waiting inside, right?”

But as I approached the door, I saw that it was already fixed.

“The door was broken, so you couldn’t get in...”

‘They said they were busy when I asked them to come!’

Honestly, there’s not a single helpful person around here.

Thinking about it, the sign that said “Closed Today” was also gone.

The carpenter must have fixed the door and removed the sign.

But thinking about it, the group of customers must have been waiting because the sign was gone, so it turned out well.

The carpenter must have been helpful after all.

Feeling guilty, I thought that if the dinner sales were good today, I would give the carpenter a few of the steamed buns on my back.

After all, food is meant to be shared.

And if the carpenter fixed the door, he wouldn’t have left it closed.

I pushed the door, and sure enough, it creaked open. The soldiers probably thought I had gone out for a while and were waiting for me.

Fortunately, the door was open, so I opened it and called out to the soldiers.

“Please come in! Come on, everyone.”

Calling out in an excited voice, the soldier with the most impressive armor, who seemed to be of high rank, stepped forward and asked.

“Are you Liu Qingyun, the owner here?”

“Yes, that’s me. I’m Liu Qingyun, the owner.”

‘Oh, who spread the word so quickly that they even know my name? If they know my name, it must be Zhuge Guan or the Six Great Heroes... Indeed, indeed!’

Just as I was feeling grateful to them in my heart, the leader of the soldiers, who seemed to be the captain, shouted.

“Seize this man!”

“Huh!?”

“He has violated the law!”

“No, wait! No, wait. There must be some misunderstanding?”

As the soldiers grabbed me, the steamed buns I had carried from the market fell to the ground and rolled in all directions.

The round steamed buns rolling in all directions.

‘If I had known, I would have just left them behind...’

I felt so helpless.

And the only thought that came to my mind was:

‘Don’t they have Miranda rights here?’

***

Being seized by the soldiers and dragged by the neck, I was taken to the government office of Simu County, in front of the magistrate.

Bound and kneeling, I looked up at the magistrate, a plump man whose jowls wobbled as he gestured at me, seemingly asking who I was.

Then, the voice of Xian, the official in charge of criminal affairs, was heard.

“He was arrested on a complaint. He was doing business without reporting to the Commercial Tax Office and without joining the Wine Guild or the Food Guild.”

“Did he sell illegal alcohol?”

“No. He... bought the inn and sold the leftover alcohol from when he took it over.”

The magistrate, who had been looking at me with half-closed eyes, asked in a greasy voice.

“Why didn’t you report to the Commercial Tax Office or join the Wine Guild and the Food Guild?”

It was something I had never heard of before.

It seemed that there were administrative procedures required for running an inn.

While other aspects were completely lax, the administrative procedures here were on par with my previous life.

I couldn’t be sure, but the Commercial Tax Office clearly had something to do with taxes, and it seemed that taxes were always strictly enforced, no matter the era.

‘So, did I evade taxes?’

My dream was to be a diligent taxpayer, but now I was suddenly a criminal.

I didn’t know what the punishment would be, but I had to survive, so I decided to try the tearful approach.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. I come from a humble family, and both my parents have passed away. I bought the inn with the inheritance I received, thinking I could make a living. I didn’t know anything. If you tell me, I will do my best. Please forgive me! I only served one customer!”

Yes, I felt a bit wronged. It was true that I hadn’t done my research and ended up evading taxes.

But how many customers did I serve? Just three.

I pleaded with the magistrate with the most humble expression I could manage.

Then, the magistrate’s jowls wobbled, and he shouted at Xian.

“It’s just a fine. What’s the matter at this time? If he had made and sold illegal alcohol, it would be a different story, but this is nothing.”

The magistrate’s words made my spine chill.

I had even thought about making and selling alcohol... If I had, I might have been beheaded.

At least I was lucky to be caught now, and it seemed that a fine would be enough.

I thought it would end with just a fine, but Xian, instead of the magistrate, shouted at me.

“If you lie to the magistrate, you will be beheaded! The person who reported you didn’t say that! Bring him in!”

‘They reported me? Who could it be?’

As Xian shouted, a dirty, unkempt man entered.

I turned my head to see his face, and the person I saw was someone I knew.

‘Oh, that guy?’

He was definitely the same person, though he looked even dirtier than before.

The gambler who sold me the inn, the former owner.

As soon as he entered, he knelt and started crying