The Scroll of Departures Chapter 1

"Over this mountain, you will reach Tanyang County." Old Tao said casually with his shoulders hunched and his head lowered as he peeled an orange.

Kylan Tao couldn't help but lift the curtain.

The cold wind in winter blew in immediately, and the outside was covered with snow and nothing could be seen. Easton, who was driving the car, turned around and asked, "What are your orders, Master?"

"It's nothing." Kylan Tao shivered from the cold and quickly lowered the curtain.

Finley Lao handed him the peeled orange.

The oranges have been stored for a long time and are a little dry, but they are sweet in your mouth. Kylan Tao ate a few pills before putting the rest into Finley Lao's hand.

Finley Lao was not polite and ate it all in one bite.

Kylan Tao subconsciously touched the fragrant towel in his arms to wipe his mouth, but as soon as he put his hand into his arms, he remembered that he had thrown the fragrant towel into the stove and burned it, and he couldn't help feeling a little regretful. After visiting Qunxiang Pavilion for so many years, I only had this piece of incense towel as a souvenir. Unexpectedly, there was nothing left in the end.

"Master, are you cold?" Old Tao moved the heater forward.

"It's not cold." Kylan Tao felt depressed. After sitting for a while, he couldn't help but asked, "I heard that there are many wealthy households in Tanyang County, so I'm afraid it's hard to get along with them."

Finley Lao said: "Good people can be bullied by others. If the young master is afraid of them, they will naturally bully him."

"Why am I afraid of them?" Kylan Tao's voice increased slightly, "I must be a good official!"

A hint of brilliance finally bloomed under Finley Lao's sleepy eyelids, "Young Master can definitely do it."

Kylan Tao seemed to have seen the scene of himself becoming "Tao Qingtian" and being greeted by the people, and he suddenly felt that his future was bright.

The carriage suddenly shook.

The back of Kylan Tao's head suddenly hit the car wall, and his body fell half-upright into the corner of the car.

Since Finley Lao was sitting opposite him, the situation was slightly better. At the critical moment, he supported the car wall with both hands and was not as embarrassed as he was.

Easton lifted the curtain, poked his head in, and said with a sad face: "The wheel is broken."

The wind was blowing hard.

Kylan Tao squeezed his neck hard, trying to put his head into his collar.

"Fortunately, it's not far from Tanyang County. We can just walk there." Old Tao said to Easton, "Untie the horse and carry the luggage. Let's wait until the young master enters the county government office and send someone to pick up the car."

Kylan Tao had no choice but to get out of the car.

Easton said: "I wonder if the previous county master has left. If not, we may not have anywhere to live."

Finley Lao said: "I have inquired about it. The previous county master died of illness, and his family had already buried him and returned to his hometown."

Easton muttered: "It's worse now, there's not even a reminder."

Finley Lao said: "Why are you anxious? The county master is not here, but the county magistrate, the chief registrar, and the historian are always there. Maybe there is also the master. These people are much more sophisticated than the county master."

Easton stopped talking and neatly unloaded the luggage and tied it to the horse.

Kylan Tao stood on the side of the road, his body trembling constantly.

Old Tao took out the heater and asked him to carry it, "It will be warmer."

Kylan Tao reluctantly stretched out two fingers from his sleeves and pinched them.

A group of three people and a horse set off again.

The ice and snow have melted slightly, making it slippery underfoot.

Easton fell down three times before finally finding his way out.

Kylan Tao was about to fall, but was held up by Finley Lao. Despite his age, he is the most steady-footed among the three.

After all this time and effort, he managed to get into the city before it closed.

After walking in the uninhabited forest for a long time, they suddenly encountered a noisy crowd, and all three of them had the illusion that they were in a dream.

Easton wiped the corners of his eyes and said, "This will be my home from now on."

Finley Lao said: "It may not be a lifetime."

Easton widened his eyes and said, "You said the young master will be dismissed from office?"

"Bah." Finley Lao quickly spat on the ground, reached out and slapped his head, and said displeasedly: "Can't it be a promotion?"

Easton smiled dryly and led his horse forward.

Kylan Tao and Finley Lao followed him from a distance.

Perhaps because of his popularity, Kylan Tao felt that his groggy head finally became clearer.

Easton walked along East Street to the county government office door, knocked on the door and handed over the post.

When Kylan Tao arrived, the people inside had already come out to welcome him.

"The official document said that I will arrive after the first lunar month, but I didn't expect that I would arrive a year ago. It's really disappointing." Seeing Kylan Tao looking at him curiously, the man introduced himself, "I am the former county magistrate Archer Zhang." Master, my surname is Jin, so I am called Sawyer Master."

Kylan Tao called out honestly, "Sawyer Master."

Sawyer Master's eyes were as bright as a torch, and he looked around among the three of them before landing on Old Tao.

Finley Lao said: "The villain is guarding the door with his employer."

He said it modestly, but Sawyer Master could see that among the three people, this one was the most difficult to deal with. He immediately laughed and said: "I have traveled a long way to take office, so we should come into the house to talk. Please."

Old Tao couldn't help but frown secretly when he saw that his words were polite but his expression didn't take Kylan Tao seriously at all.

Entering the second hall, Sawyer Master suddenly stopped and led Kylan Tao to the upper seat, while he sat next to him.

Kylan Tao looked at Finley Lao doubtfully.

Finley Lao said: "Young master has been walking for a day and is tired. Why don't you lead him to the inner hall?"

Sawyer Master jumped up in shock, slapped his forehead continuously and said, "I'm really confused. However, when the last Mr. Zhang was dying, he was always worried about his failure to complete the handover of official seals with the new county master, so if the master can Please support me and show me your appointment documents so that I can transfer my official seal to you and relieve myself of the heavy responsibility."

He carried a gun and a stick, clearly leaving no room for anyone.

Kylan Tao had no choice but to take out his appointment documents and give them to him, then went to the study and received the official seal. After holding on until now, he was already a little weak, his body was getting cold, and his teeth were chattering. He was afraid that Finley Lao and Easton would be worried, so he had to step aside and endure it secretly.

When Finley Lao saw Sawyer Master turning around to leave, he quickly called out, "Sawyer Master, where are you going?"

Sawyer Master smiled and said: "My boss is Mr. Zhang. Now that Mr. Zhang has passed away and the tasks entrusted to him have been completed, there is no reason to stay."

Finley Lao said: "Why did Mr. Jin say this? My young master has just taken office. It is the right time to employ people."

"People die for money, and birds die for food." Sawyer Master looked at Kylan Tao and chuckled, "The new master donated five thousand taels to serve as a county official. It shows that he is rich and has no worries about people coming in droves. What's the use of it?" Can you get me? In my opinion, it is not easy to find a prosecutor in Tanyang County, but it is extremely easy to find a lawyer or a master."

Old Tao was still trying to persuade him, but Sawyer Master threw up his sleeves and left.

Easton complained: "This man has such a bad temper."

Finley Lao looked at Kylan Tao, as if blaming him for not saying a word at that time, but saw that his lips were purple and his eyes were distracted. He was surprised and reached out to touch his forehead. It was actually burning hot. He hurriedly looked at Easton Said: "Go, ask the doctor!"

Easton agreed and ran outside quickly.

Old Tao helped Kylan Tao into the inner room.

They didn't bring much luggage, and they lost some along the way. What they left behind at the end were all valuables, valuable but not cold-proof.

Finley Lao had no choice but to rummage through boxes and cabinets to find the old things left by the previous county magistrate, and actually found two quilts. He quickly laid the bed, let Kylan Tao lie down, lit the heater again, put it next to the bed, and went to boil water himself.

When he came back from boiling water, Easton was still nowhere to be seen. He thought he was a new arrival and was unfamiliar with the place and couldn't find the place. He also thought that Kylan Tao was always afraid of the cold. In the past, he always curled up in bed and refused to come out, but this time he insisted on taking office early in order to be a good official. He couldn't help but feel happy and sad at the same time.

He walked into the room carrying hot water and heard Kylan Tao calling someone in a daze on the bed.

As I got closer, I heard him calling "Dad".

There were footsteps outside the door.

Easton led the doctor in.

Old Tao stepped aside and waited for the doctor to diagnose his pulse and prescribe a prescription, then wrote down the precautions he had given him in his mind.

By the time everything was settled, the sky had darkened.

Since the wife of the previous county magistrate took away most of the county government servants when she left, only two gatekeepers were left. So Finley Lao could only ask Easton to buy some food outside and come back to deal with it all night. But when I get up tomorrow, there are too many things to be busy with.

Kylan Tao sweated all night. When he got up the next day, he felt a little weak but in good spirits, so he got up and put on his clothes and went out.

Easton was coming over with hot water. He was surprised when he saw him getting up and said, "Master, why are you up?"

"I'm hungry." Kylan Tao turned around and went into the house, washing up slowly.

Easton said: "I bought firewood and rice this morning and am cooking porridge."

"White porridge doesn't taste good." Kylan Tao said subconsciously.

Easton squinted his eyes and said with a smile, "I'll go to a restaurant in the city to find some delicious food to go with the wine."

Kylan Tao's expression changed, and after a while he whispered, "You can make do with white porridge."

Easton whispered: "I won't let Old Tao know."

Kylan Tao shook his head.

Easton sighed, picked up the basin, lowered his head and went out.

Kylan Tao walked around in the room, still unable to sit still, when someone heard voices outside, he opened the door and walked towards the second hall.

The county government is not big and is divided into three halls. One hall is for trial cases, the second hall is for receiving guests, and the third hall is for the inner chamber.

It was the guests who came to the second hall at this time.

When the man saw Kylan Tao, his eyes lit up and he said, "But Mr. Tao?"

Kylan Tao nodded.

"The villain is Grayson Cui, the official historian of this county." He glanced at Kylan Tao and said with a smile, "I originally wanted to come to pay my respects last night, but Sawyer Master said that the Lord seemed to be unwell after a long journey, so he had to change it to this morning. Don't you blame me, sir?"

Kylan Tao looked outside and said, "Did you come in by yourself?"

Grayson Cui was stunned.

Kylan Tao said: "How come no one reported it?"