Chapter 18

Cheng Chumo pulled up two large carts of things, pots, pans, bowls, and basins, felt blankets, and all sorts of daily necessities. Zhao Chen was so surprised that his mouth dropped open. Was this guy planning to settle down in the College of Physical Studies?

Sure enough, Cheng Chumo, with his head tilted at a 45-degree angle, said with a sentimental look on his face, "From now on, your brother will be a young man with ambition. I will eat here, live here, work diligently, and fulfill my duties..."

Zhao Chen covered his face in pain and kicked Cheng Chumo away. Clearly, he was planning to live like a pig, yet he still put on such a disgusting act.

Old Cheng was a straightforward man, and it was unclear where Cheng Chumo had picked up this bad habit!

The two large carts were full of everything they needed for daily life, but when the things were moved in, a few people were dumbfounded.

Where were they going to put everything? The courtyard only had two thatched huts, and it was unclear what the Ministry of Works had originally used them for. The huts were infested with rats, and when the doors were opened, a pungent smell of decay hit their nostrils. How could anyone live there?

After standing in the courtyard for a while, they had no choice but to go to the Ministry of Works to seek an explanation. They couldn't possibly live in such a place! Building new houses would take too long, but surely they could get a couple of tents!

But it turned out they couldn't! No matter how much the two of them pleaded and begged, the officials listened politely and smiled, but wouldn't budge. Cheng Chumo even slammed the table in anger, but even if he broke the table, they still wouldn't give in, saying that if he had the nerve, he could ask the emperor.

Completely out of options, they returned with their heads hanging low. Looking at the two thatched huts, they gritted their teeth and moved the things inside. A thatched hut that could shelter them from the wind and rain was better than being exposed to the elements!

Zhao Chen thought to himself, once he got his strength back, he would build beautiful houses in the College of Physical Studies, just to make them envious.

After noon, when the three unlucky ones were desperately cleaning the thatched huts, two more unlucky ones arrived at the College of Physical Studies: He San and Old Zhuang.

Seeing that these two were also sent here by Li Er, Zhao Chen didn't even bother to show surprise. Li Er was clearly implementing a cruel isolation policy, sending anyone who had been close to him to this desolate place.

Fine! He wanted to see where Li Er's limits were. If he sent all the people who had been close to him to this place, Zhao Chen was very curious if Old Qin and the old eunuch would also be sent here.

He was disappointed! By evening, Zhao Chen still hadn't seen Old Qin. This meant that Li Er was picking on the weak, and among this group, only Cheng Chumo was relatively tough.

For dinner, Zhao Chen personally cooked a large pot of pork ribs. He chopped the ribs into fist-sized pieces, boiled them in a pot of water to remove the blood, then drained the water and replaced it with fresh water, adding spices like star anise and cinnamon, and simmered them until they were tender.

The tender ribs were placed in a wooden basin, and some garlic paste was prepared. When eating, the ribs were dipped in the garlic paste, which made them incredibly delicious.

The saying "Pork ribs with garlic, I wouldn't look at any other delicacies" wasn't said lightly.

Among the current residents of the College of Physical Studies, He San and Old Zhuang had known Zhao Chen the longest and were the first to taste his cooking.

This probably gave them a sense of superiority. When the ribs were served, Cheng Chumo and Hu Lu both looked like they were starving, but these two acted as if they were city people seeing country bumpkins for the first time.

The tragedy was that before they could fully display their superiority, they looked down and saw that the large basin was already empty. Looking at Cheng Chumo and Hu Lu, they saw a pile of clean bones in front of them.

"This is what real deliciousness is!" After eating a large basin of pork ribs, Cheng Chumo, with his round, full belly, said, "When Xiao Chen mentioned it earlier, I didn't pay much attention. If I had known, I would have gone into the mountains earlier!"

Hu Lu, hearing this, nodded vigorously in agreement.

Since Cheng Chumo arrived, this guy had completely transformed. Now, if someone suggested transferring him back to the post station to continue being a postmaster, he would probably fight to the death.

Being able to form a bond with the son of General Cheng was much better than trying to please his superiors, who would only make his life harder!

After eating a large basin of pork ribs, everyone's bellies were round and full. To avoid indigestion, they each took a pill before squeezing into the thatched huts to sleep.

That night, Zhao Chen slept very poorly. At first, it was because of the various pungent smells: Cheng Chumo's foot odor, the moldy smell of the thatched hut, and other indescribable odors. The mix of smells was almost maddening.

In the middle of the night, when he was finally about to fall asleep, the snoring started, like a symphony of snores, which made Zhao Chen sit up in bed.

What a nightmare!

He scratched his head and got out of bed, carefully picking up the blanket Cheng Chumo had kicked off and preparing to cover him. To his surprise, Cheng Chumo was sleeping like a baby, with his hands under his head and his body curled up like a shrimp.

Psychology says that people who sleep in this position lack a deep sense of security. Zhao Chen shook his head, not understanding what could make a rich, spoiled young man like Cheng Chumo feel insecure.

Perhaps it was close to the 15th, and a full moon hung high in the night sky, casting a bright, clear light over the quiet courtyard, making the College of Physical Studies as bright as day.

Zhao Chen quietly closed the door, came out into the courtyard, lit a cigarette, and took out his phone to look at his wife's photos. He had been missing for almost a month, and the foolish woman must have given up by now!

And his parents, who needed him so much, had lost their son in their old age. He wondered how sad they must be!

In the morning, when Cheng Chumo woke up, he found that Zhao Chen, who had slept next to him, was gone. He got up groggily, opened the door, and was surprised to see Zhao Chen already up and preparing breakfast.

"Xiao Chen, why are you up so early?" Cheng Chumo yawned, leaning against the door frame, looking confused.

Zhao Chen turned around and glared at Cheng Chumo, his eyes red and dark circles under them.

Seeing Zhao Chen like this, Cheng Chumo almost fell over. Looking at Zhao Chen's bed, he realized that Zhao Chen hadn't slept all night, which explained the dark circles.

During breakfast, Zhao Chen spoke up, saying that they had to find a way to solve the housing problem today. They couldn't count on the Ministry of Works, as they had already tried everything last night and couldn't even get a tent, let alone money.

The treasury was probably empty, and anyone who mentioned money would probably be fed to the dogs. Zhao Chen was now very regretful. If he had known, he should have stayed in the mountains longer and brought back a small bag of gold. But it was too late now!

When Zhao Chen finished speaking, Hu Lu and the others all looked at Cheng Chumo, who was the only one with a wealthy family.

"Sure, no problem!" Indeed, when Hu Lu and the others looked at him, Cheng Chumo's rebellious nature came out, and he slapped his chest and agreed.

"Cheng Chumo, you're not going to take it from home, are you?" Zhao Chen didn't want to say "steal" in front of Hu Lu and the others, but that was the implication.

"No need!" Cheng Chumo gulped down two bowls of rice porridge, wiped his mouth, and said confidently, "This amount of money is just a word from me, but Xiao Chen, you have to agree to one condition!"

Deal! As long as they got the money, one condition was no problem. He needed to solve the housing issue quickly to get a good night's sleep, so he was willing to consider any condition.

Eating? Visiting brothels? No need to pay, someone would treat him!

After confirming he hadn't misheard, Zhao Chen was so surprised that his mouth dropped open. Wasn't this the village fool? Not only was he offering money, but he was also indirectly inviting him to eat and visit brothels. Even the village fool wasn't that foolish!

No, something was off. Zhao Chen decided to ask Cheng Chumo clearly to avoid being tricked and becoming the village fool.

However, Cheng Chumo was hesitant and wouldn't say, but he swore that it wouldn't harm Zhao Chen, which was suspicious!

"Cheng Chumo, if you don't explain clearly, I don't want the money!" Zhao Chen said seriously.

"If I tell you, you can't get angry!" Cheng Chumo saw Zhao Chen's serious expression and hesitated for a long time before saying.

"I promise I won't beat you to death!" Zhao Chen, mimicking Cheng Chumo, slapped his chest and said confidently.

Old Zhuang, hearing Zhao Chen's promise, closed his eyes in pain. How despicable! Even his own brother!

Ignoring Old Zhuang's pained expression, Zhao Chen listened quietly as Cheng Chumo spoke, feeling his anger rise. By the end, his face was as black as a pot bottom, his fists clenched, and his body trembling.

When Cheng Chumo finished, Zhao Chen threw down his bowl and chopsticks, pounced on Cheng Chumo, and grabbed his neck, punching him in the chest.

Grandma, I promised not to beat you to death!