Chapter 125: First Class (1)
The maid Ying’er sat in the empty official residence and thought.
“…There is nothing written in the notebook today either.”
Resting her plump cheeks on her hands, no matter how much she thought about it, she could not understand the reason.
“I heard that those who use the other rooms have a lot of things to demand.”
Her fellow peers were always extremely busy.
When they went to clean or deliver meals, the notebooks were always packed with instructions, and as if that weren’t enough, they allegedly threw all kinds of minor errands right in their faces.
Whether it was that the cleaning wasn’t done well, the objects weren’t arranged neatly, there was a problem with the humidity, the lighting was unsatisfactory, they didn’t like the bedding, the meal was cold or tasteless, or this and that, and so on…
On top of that, verbal abuse and cursing were poured out, and even sexual harassment, such as secretly groping breasts or buttocks, was allegedly frequent.
But the maids endured it patiently.
Even if they wept in their hearts, they had to smile with their faces.
In this world, there is not only physical labor but also emotional labor.
Sometimes, that emotional labor could be far more harsh than physical fatigue.
Ying’er had also entered the official residence of the Ascending Heaven Academy with such determination at first.
“But… I don’t have any of that at all.”
Ximen Qing, whom she came to serve, handled all the chores on his own.
And he did not treat Ying’er, the maid, carelessly either.
Although there were barely any conversations, whenever they occasionally saw each other, he was always brief, in a tone where respect was felt, keeping to business.
‘He seems like a good person.’
Ying’er thought that this was exactly what they meant when they said someone has a scary face but a heart of silk.
At that moment,
Creaaak…
the door of the official residence opened.
The owner of the room had returned.
Ximen Qing returned to the residence.
“Ah! Have you returned! I have brought your meal!”
Ying’er sprang up and scurried in front of Ximen Qing.
Ximen Qing looked down at the tray Ying’er was holding out.
White rice, grilled fish, braised chicken, pickled and stir-fried vegetables, radish and meat soup with dried radish greens, and a bit of fruit and snacks.
Although the number of dishes was not large, it was a quite neat and hearty meal.
Ximen Qing shook his head.
“I have already eaten. And you do not need to bring my meals separately in the future. Because I have little reason to return to the residence.”
“Ah, is that so…”
Ying’er bowed her head with a gloomy expression.
Even though her chores would decrease if she didn’t carry meals, Ying’er’s expression was not bright.
Ximen Qing asked the reason.
“Is there a problem?”
“T-That is…”
Ying’er’s cheeks flushed red.
She observed his reaction and continued speaking haltingly.
“Because the Ascending Heaven Academy does not prepare meals for the maids separately…”
“?”
Ximen Qing tilted his head.
Ying’er closed her eyes tightly and continued speaking.
“T-That is… originally, maids have to spend money to buy and eat meals. But… I-I’m not saying that I do that. Among my peers or seniors… well… when the instructors leave leftovers after eating… they make a meal out of it… since they would be thrown away anyway…”
Hearing up to there, Ximen Qing nodded his head.
In other words, the Ascending Heaven Academy did not provide meals for the maids or servants separately.
Therefore, they had to buy and eat meals with their own money, but because their wages were not very high, the cost of meals for each day was a burden.
Consequently, it seemed that maids or servants often filled their bellies with the leftovers left behind by those they served to save on food expenses.
“I-I’m absolutely not saying that I do that! I-I just wanted to tell you that there are such maids too…”
Ying’er spoke, suppressing her embarrassment.
How could she say it?
That with a training maid’s meager salary, the cost of each meal was a burden, and to send money to her family far away, she could only afford to buy one meal a day, and even then, just rice and salted radish at best, so the rice or side dishes he left behind would be of great help in sustaining her day-to-day life.
How could she possibly say such a thing?
“…”
Thus, Ying’er kept her head deeply bowed and fidgeted with her fingers.
If Ximen Qing refused meals in the future, the leftovers Ying’er could eat would also disappear.
That was why Ying’er’s expression was dark.
At that moment,
“I said you do not need to bring my meals, but I did not say I would not receive the rations.”
Ximen Qing’s words followed.
“I will receive the rations as scheduled. But there is no need to bring them to me.”
“Pardon? What does that…”
“It means you should eat them.”
“…!”
Ying’er’s eyes grew wide.
That meant… this white rice, grilled fish, braised chicken, pickled and stir-fried vegetables, radish and meat soup with dried radish greens, and a bit of fruit and snacks here were all hers.
And that it would continue to be so in the future.
Ximen Qing spoke.
“If you do not have a proper place to eat, bring it here and eat comfortably.”
“Uh… I… h-how could I dare to do so…”
Ximen Qing was about to enter the bathroom without waiting for Ying’er’s words.
At that moment, Ying’er spoke.
“I-Is it perhaps alright if I share these with my peers!”
“…”
Then Ximen Qing turned his head.
Before that indifferent gaze, Ying’er felt small once again.
‘Ah, I must have crossed the line and made too many demands, so shamelessly… Even this much is something to be deeply grateful for, so why did I… What if he suddenly changes his mind… Ah, why did I do that? Why did I not know my place…’
But the thing Ying’er worried about did not happen.
“That is also your freedom.”
Ximen Qing entered the bathroom with those words as his last.
‘…Without a doubt, Assistant Instructor Ximen Qing must be the reincarnation of the Buddha.’
Ying’er put her hands together as she watched his retreating back.
‘And I am the happiest maid in the world, being able to serve such a person.’
* * *
Early in the morning, Chui went to work at the lecture hall building.
The place where the class ‘Mental Cultivation Method and Lightness Art’ was held was Small Lecture Room on the sixty-sixth floor.
Chui slowly climbed the stairs while thinking of the lecture content.
‘…Drilling greenhorns is simple.’
When Chui was in the military camp, he had held the post of ‘military commissioner’ commanding soldiers, and when he was in the assassin sect, he had held the post of ‘head assassin’ nurturing low-ranking assassins.
For Chui, who had handled even the soldiers on the frontlines of the battlefield against the barbarians and the assassins whose trade was killing people like his own limbs, the fresh chicks of the Ascending Heaven Academy were nothing.
At that moment,
“…?”
A chair shoved into a corner of the southern terrace caught Chui’s eye.
Although he wondered what it was since the chair had been discarded in an odd place, it was not particularly his concern.
Chui opened the door of the lecture room and stepped inside.
Small Lecture Room on the sixty-sixth floor.
Within the rectangular space, a row of chairs could be seen placed at an integrated desk arranged in a circle.
Although the space inside the lecture room was narrow, it was characterized by a very wide space that could actually be utilized, because a suspension bridge extending to the opposite pavilion through a large window could be used.
For reference, the suspension bridge was firmly connected with ropes to the large branch of the divine tree above, having the advantage of allowing direct demonstrations of lightness arts.
It was a lecture room perfectly suited for a lightness art class in many ways.
Meanwhile, quite a lot of cadets were gathered inside the lecture room.
‘Mental Cultivation Method and Lightness Art’ was a required elective class, the credits assigned to it were a whopping four credits.
This was a level counted among the high-credit elective classes, so it was inevitable that students would crowd in.
“Everyone, sit down.”
When Chui entered the lecture room, the cadets fell quiet.
However, whispering voices were still heard from various places.
“What? Is he the new assistant instructor?”
“Ugh—why does he look like that? What a shock.”
“He must have been burned, right? Ugh, even though he covered it with his hair, if it’s to that extent…”
Most of them were backbiting comments about Chui’s hideous appearance.
Whether they did or not, Chui began the lecture at his own pace.
“I am Ximen Qing, the one who will teach you ‘Mental Cultivation Method and Lightness Art’ from now on. Today, I will only briefly explain the outline. Is everyone present?”
Chui began to compare the attendance sheet with the faces seated in their chairs.
At that moment,
“…?”
Chui paid attention to a female cadet.
While the other cadets were well seated, she alone stood blankly beside a desk on one side of the lecture room.
Judging by the looks of it, there was no chair for her to sit on.
“Snicker, snicker, snicker—”
Sneers were heard from everywhere.
Chui stared silently at the female cadet.
“…”
Disheveled hair completely covering her face.
A uniform that was particularly shabby compared to the other cadets.
This female cadet, who gave a gloomy impression overall, had met Chui yesterday.
Chui looked at the name on the attendance sheet.
“Sima Yuli. Is that right?”
“…Yes.”
The female cadet nodded in a gloomy voice.
Chui asked.
“Why are you standing?”
“…”
“Is there no chair?”
“…Yes.”
Chui roughly grasped the situation.
“There was a discarded chair on the terrace railing of the northern stairs on the floor below. Go bring it back and sit down.”
“…”
Sima Yuli. She bowed her head once and trudged out of the lecture room.
Then, laughter was heard from various places again.
“Do you want to bet on whether that gloomy bitch will come back to the lecture room or not?”
“Would she return? Even if she comes, she won’t have a textbook anyway.”
“That retarded beggar bitch. Why doesn’t she have a textbook either?”
“Because I secretly threw it away earlier during break time. Hehehe—”
Chui turned to look at the cadets who were chatter-boxing.
Four first-class cadets wearing the Vermilion Bird Hall’s characteristic red uniform were giggling and chatting by the window.
Chui searched for their names in the attendance sheet.
‘Shen Shilin of the Shenshi Merchant Alliance, Song Yu of the Song Family Manor, Tai Zhenzhe of the Dajing Bank, and Jin Xizhi of the Yingjun Escort Agency.’
Two female and two male cadets. Four in total.
Their average score on the quizzes they had taken so far was the highest.
They seemed to be the group that practically led the atmosphere of the class.
In other words, it meant they were the highest-ranking cadets in the lecture room.
As Chui was looking into the attendance sheet for a moment, someone stood up from their seat.
“You’re the newly arrived assistant instructor, right? I look forward to working with you.”
She was Shen Shilin of the Shenshi Merchant Alliance. She was the leader among the four female cadets.
“What are you all doing? Greet him.”
“Hello~”
When Shen Shilin turned her head, Song Yu, Tai Zhenzhe, and Jin Xizhi bowed their heads with unconcerned expressions.
Only then did all the cadets in the lecture room greet Chui.
Shen Shilin then turned back to Chui and grinned.
“Now. You can start the class. You can just ignore the kid who went out because she didn’t have a chair~”
“…”
A bizarre scene where a cadet was instead leading the atmosphere of the lecture room.
Chui twitched his eyebrow.
“Whether the class begins or not is not for you to decide.”
“Oh, really. Being so particular from the first lecture. We know everything. We’re doing this because we want to go smoothly. In the end, won’t you also be satisfied, Assistant Instructor?”
“…?”
Despite Chui’s correction, Shen Shilin smiled triumphantly.
And soon she confidently continued speaking.
“You will find out tonight.”
It was Shen Shilin, who gave a wink with one eye while showing a meaningful smile.