I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 226: Chapter 93: Spring Outing

Winter gave way to spring, and the frozen rivers thawed.

Spring had arrived.

Fang Ling and Nannan, the two little girls, had changed into lighter clothes. Like chubby little ducklings that had been plucked, they looked much slimmer and seemed to have shot up in height, growing more and more delicate.

Every other day, the Third Lady would visit the Four Seas Building. Under her management, the Four Seas Commerce Association was experiencing steady growth and continued to develop.

Fang Rui was still coasting through his days at the Government Office. He kept an eye out for matters related to "Spirit Medicine" and "Half-Spirit Medicine," but had yet to find any leads.

Furthermore, with winter over, the workload at the Divine Capture Bureau’s Southeast Branch had increased. It was all trivial matters—no major cases, just a constant stream of minor issues that were endlessly annoying.

He delegated whatever he could, pushing as much work as possible onto his three subordinate Chief Constables to enjoy his own leisure.

...

"This fine spring scenery is nothing compared to a dream!"

On this day, Fang Rui woke from his afternoon nap at the Government Office and gazed out the window. Willows swayed gracefully by the riverbank, their branches sprouting fresh green leaves. The surface of the river shimmered, its sparkling light like the scales of a great fish under the sun.

’Why not take Mom, Third Sister, Ling’Er, and Nannan out of the city for a spring outing tomorrow?’ The idea suddenly struck him.

The more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed.

In this season of new grass and soaring birds, they could go on a spring outing to Mochou Lake. The lakeside grass would be lush and green, and bees and butterflies would be flitting about. All of life was bursting forth. The lake’s surface would be dappled with gentle light as large fish swam by, sending ripples across the water.

On the shore, they could grill fish and fly paper kites... or just lie on a blanket under the open sky and drift off into a long dream. The very thought was exhilarating.

As for tomorrow not being a day off... was that even a problem?

Fang Rui stretched languidly, then went out to inform his three subordinate Chief Constables—Li Dadan, Xun Buhe, and Niu Bajin. "Tomorrow, I plan on taking the day off..."

"Chief, is there a family matter?" Li Dadan asked hurriedly.

"Yeah, if you need any help, just say the word." His number one sycophant, Niu Bajin, looked over with concern, thumping his chest loudly. THUMP. THUMP.

"Needless to say, count me in too." Even Xun Buhe, that old fox, stood up.

...

"Yes, there is indeed something."

Fang Rui glanced at the three of them with a serious expression. "Tomorrow, I’m planning to take my family out of the city for a spring outing. Therefore, I’m leaving all matters at the Government Office in your hands."

The moment the words left his mouth, the three Chief Constables—Li Dadan, Xun Buhe, and Niu Bajin—froze for a second before turning to stare at him with looks of utter resentment.

’Are you kidding me? We thought it was something serious, but you’re just taking a day off to go have fun?’

’Seriously, is he even human?!’

"Then it’s settled."

Ignoring the trio’s resentful glares, Fang Rui waved his hand dismissively and left.

’What are subordinates for, anyway? If not to share the workload and take the fall? I don’t need them for the latter, but they definitely have to step up for the former.’

After Fang Rui left, Li Dadan, Xun Buhe, and Niu Bajin were still muttering amongst themselves.

"I knew those Jade Plums wouldn’t go down so easy. With all this work at the Government Office these days, I..." Niu Bajin trailed off, collapsing into his seat with an agonized expression.

"Pah! Niu Bajin, don’t think I don’t know how much you’ve been bragging about attending the Jade Plum Association. You really enjoyed the limelight, didn’t you? Well, now it’s payback time, haha!"

Li Dadan exposed him mercilessly.

’Sure, having to work sucks. But watching my old rival suffer right alongside me—and even more than me—makes it all bearable.’

"Indeed. I can trust Dadan, he’s a straightforward guy," Xun Buhe warned. "But you, Bajin... In any case, with this much work to do, don’t you even think about slacking off!"

...

In any other department, if a superior were this lazy, forcing his subordinates to toil away like this, they would have protested long ago. Or they would have simply slacked off and shirked their duties.

After all, if anything went wrong, the man at the top would be the one to take the fall.

But the Divine Capture Bureau’s Southeast Branch was different. Fang Rui was generous. He had taken Li Dadan, Xun Buhe, and Niu Bajin to the Jade Plum Association; moreover, he was always willing to share any other perks or spoils from their cases.

Although the distribution of such gray income followed a set of unwritten conventions, there was still leeway within those rules. And when Fang Rui shared the spoils with his men, he always gave them the maximum amount allowed.

On this point alone, if you were to ask any of the constables at the West City or North City Branch Offices, from the highest rank to the lowest, who among them wouldn’t be green with envy?

And so.

Even when Fang Rui slacked off, shirked his duties, and piled more work onto Li Dadan, Xun Buhe, and Niu Bajin, they would grimace, grit their teeth, and get it done.

They even had to do it well and pretend to enjoy it!

...

The next day, Fang Rui did indeed take the day off from the Government Office. He brought along Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, the Third Lady, and the two ecstatic little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, for a spring outing outside the city.

As they were approaching the city gate.

"WHOA!"

The driver reined in the carriage horses and called out, "Master, the road ahead is blocked. We may have to wait for a while."

"Hm?!"

Fang Rui lifted the carriage curtain and looked ahead.

You have to understand, he was a Silver Seal Chief Constable of the Divine Capture Bureau—a figure that ninety-nine percent of the city’s populace could not afford to offend. Usually, others would proactively make way for him; it was exceedingly rare for him to be the one kept waiting.

A single glance confirmed it: the road ahead was blocked, with numerous carriages jammed together. In the distance, he could even see a carriage bearing the banner of a Jade Seal Divine Hunter from the Divine Capture Bureau, also stuck in the jam.

’There aren’t many people in this city who can make even a Jade Seal Divine Hunter wait. An ordinary person certainly doesn’t have that kind of clout.’

Fang Rui mused, telling the driver to go and ask around.

The driver returned shortly and reported, "Master, it’s the Zheng Family’s convoy leaving the city. I hear they’re headed to Nanshan Garden."

"The Zheng Family, ah... no wonder..."

Fang Rui murmured, understanding instantly.

Huaiyin Prefecture City was nothing like his old home, Changshan County, where the Lin and Xia Families had coexisted as equals. Here, the Zheng Family reigned supreme, utterly unrivaled.

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