Chapter 16: Adaptation

The room where the laborers stayed was naturally far from luxurious. They slept on earthen kangs, and the length of the kang from head to foot spanned the entire length of the room. Opposite the kang stood a row of wooden cabinets, and there was nothing else.

Hua Changxi glanced at the communal sleeping area; the inner spots had already been taken, leaving only the space by the window available.

After quickly spreading out her bedding and changing into the blue laborer's uniform, Hua Changxi headed out to find Du Ruo.

"Manager Du, my family didn't know I would be staying at the Laborer Hall. I would like to ask for leave to send someone home with a message."

Du Ruo looked at Hua Changxi in surprise. "Who are you looking for? What, do you know someone in the Medical Bureau?"

Hua Changxi viewed entering the Laborer Hall as entering a workplace. In a workplace, having an elder to look after you made things easier for a newcomer, so she said with a smile, "I have an elder who is a pharmacist on Ninth Street."

Upon hearing this, Du Ruo naturally gave Hua Changxi a bit more respect and asked curiously, "Since you have such connections, why did you come to be a laborer?"

Hua Changxi smiled and replied, "My elder is quite busy, and I cannot trouble them with every little thing."

Du Ruo didn't press further, nodding instead. "Then go and come back quickly. If you don't finish cleaning those two hundred herbs, you won't be sleeping tonight."

Hua Changxi accepted with a smile and hurried out of the Laborer Hall.

Outside Pharmacy No. 12 on Ninth Street, as soon as Pharmacist Xu stepped out, he saw Hua Changxi dressed in laborer's attire. His jaw dropped. "Jiu Niang, you..."

Hua Changxi smiled. "Uncle Xu, I've joined the Medical Bureau. I am now a laborer in the Laborer Hall."

Hearing this, Pharmacist Xu felt a sense of heartache. "Didn't I tell you? If you can't become an apprentice this year, wait until next year to take the exam. Why did you run off to be a laborer?"

He knew all too well how massive the daily workload in the Laborer Hall was. How could a young lady like Jiu Niang possibly endure it?

Hua Changxi smiled. "Uncle Xu, I have my reasons for joining the Laborer Hall. You don't need to worry about me."

Pharmacist Xu looked at her and sighed repeatedly. "Your family didn't even try to stop you!" He paused. "Though the Laborer Hall is a place for heavy, grueling work, the internal politics are complicated. If you run into trouble in the future, be sure to come find me."

Hua Changxi nodded with a smile. "Uncle Xu, I start my duties today. I didn't know I'd be staying at the Laborer Hall. After you finish work, could I trouble you to go to the Hua family shop to send a message? Tell my third brother that I will come home as soon as I have leave."

Pharmacist Xu shook his head. "I truly don't know what you're after, insisting on coming to the Laborer Hall to suffer. Don't worry, I'll go speak to your third brother."

Hua Changxi thanked him, listened to a long string of his instructions, and then returned to the Laborer Hall.

Upon returning to the Sixth Bureau, Hua Changxi went to Du Ruo to receive her assignment.

"These two carts of herbs must be cleaned thoroughly today."

Du Ruo led Hua Changxi to the two carts of herbs, gave her the cleaning tools, and then went off to attend to her own business.

As the Third Manager, she also had a daily task of cleaning 400 herbs.

The layouts of the courtyards for each bureau in the Laborer Hall were similar. They were split in half by a five-meter-wide artificial canal, and all the laborers cleaned the herbs along both banks of the canal.

To increase their speed, many laborers rolled up their trouser legs and stood directly in the canal to clean.

Hua Changxi inspected the herbs she had to clean; they were all herbs used by martial artists. Seeing nothing that required special attention, she followed the others, rolled up her trousers, stepped into the water, and began to work.

[Immaculate Technique (Great Success): Cleaning Herbs 256/1000]

[Immaculate Technique (Great Success): Cleaning Herbs 257/1000]

┊

Watching the numbers continuously change, the corners of Hua Changxi's mouth began to curl upward.

Not far away, Du Ruo occasionally glanced over at Hua Changxi. Seeing that she worked efficiently and cleaned the herbs both quickly and thoroughly, she finally felt at ease.

As a manager, she had no desire to take on a useless burden.

With Hua Changxi's speed, she could finish the two hundred herbs in one or two hours. However, knowing she had just joined the Laborer Hall, she knew it wasn't wise to stand out too much. Although she desperately wanted to raise her Immaculate Technique to Perfection, she intentionally slowed her pace.

During this time, Hua Changxi secretly tasted every kind of herb she cleaned.

[Scripture of a Hundred Herbs (Great Success): Tasting a Hundred Herbs 565/1000]

As noon approached, while Hua Changxi was still buried in her work, someone walked past her and called out.

"It's mealtime. Go eat first."

Hua Changxi straightened up and looked at the speaker. Just as she was about to say thank you, the person and several others had already walked away quickly.

Hua Changxi climbed out of the canal, put on her shoes, and followed the group to the dining hall in the back.

After lunch, everyone rushed back to the canal to continue cleaning herbs, without a moment's rest.

Despite her lingering, Hua Changxi still managed to clean all two hundred herbs. Seeing that everyone else was still working hard, she didn't seek out Du Ruo for more work. Instead, she placed her hands in the water and secretly practiced her Water Control Technique.

"Changxi, are your herbs finished?"

Du Ruo suddenly arrived.

Hua Changxi stood up. "Manager Du, I have finished all the herbs you assigned to me."

Du Ruo inspected the herbs Hua Changxi had cleaned. Every single one was spotless, leaving nothing to criticize. "Since you're finished, come with me to deliver the herbs to the Second Bureau."

Hua Changxi was surprised to see Du Ruo pulling the cart herself. She quickly hurried to her two carts and took hold of one.

It was a bit strenuous at first, but once the cart started moving, it became easier.

Only then did Hua Changxi truly realize how exhausting the work in the Laborer Hall was. Fortunately, she had begun her cultivation; with her former physical strength, she certainly wouldn't have been able to pull the cart.

As Hua Changxi hurried to keep up with Du Ruo, she failed to notice that the other female laborers were all staring at her in shock.

Female laborers had less strength, so when delivering herbs, they usually delivered them in small batches. Among all the female laborers, one could not find even ten who could pull a full cart like Hua Changxi.

Du Ruo was also startled by Hua Changxi, stammering, "Changxi, you have quite a bit of strength."

Only then did Hua Changxi notice the cart Du Ruo was pulling; the herbs on it were not piled high. She couldn't help but give an embarrassed smile.

Du Ruo looked at her with envy. "Having more strength is a good thing. More strength means faster work, and faster work means you can sleep earlier at night. Now I finally understand why your family sent you here to be a laborer."

Hua Changxi smiled sheepishly and asked, "Manager Du, why do we have to send the cleaned herbs to the Second Bureau?"

Du Ruo explained, "Our Laborer Hall is responsible for the preliminary processing of herbs sent from various places. Once the herbs are cleaned, they still need to be processed."

"The First and Second Bureaus are responsible for processing the herbs. Only after they are processed are they sent to the Medical Warehouse for storage."

Hua Changxi listened intently, and before long, the two arrived at the Second Bureau.

There were people at the Second Bureau responsible for receiving the herbs. Upon receipt, they had to record the types and quantities of the herbs. Once recorded, the process was only complete after Hua Changxi and Du Ruo signed for them.

"Remember, next time you come to deliver herbs alone, you must watch the people at the Second Bureau as they count them. Don't let them record the wrong amount."

"If they record fewer than what you brought, you won't complete your daily quota, and your monthly wages will be deducted at the end of the month."

Hua Changxi: "Thank you for the tip, Manager Du. I'll remember."

Afterward, Hua Changxi made three more trips to the Second Bureau. Not only did she deliver all of her own herbs, but she also helped Du Ruo with two trips.

Once all the herbs she and Du Ruo were responsible for had been handed over, her duties for her first day at the Laborer Hall were finally complete.

(End of Chapter)