I am dying of old age, and I have awakened to the character of longevity.

The next day was the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.

The snow had stopped by early morning.

Xie An rose early and instructed Han Li and He Chunli to wipe down the pawnshop in preparation for opening tomorrow.

After seven days of recuperation, He Chunli was able to walk with crutches. Although he couldn't do heavy work, he could still assist Han Li.

Seeing his two apprentices working diligently, Xie An found an excuse to go out. He first borrowed a horse from Chen He at the Chen Family Martial Hall and headed straight for the county town.

Although Li Ru had returned the original contract of sale and had written a letter of manumission, this did not mean that Xie An was a free man.

According to the Daqian Dynasty's procedure for redemption, a slave needed to first apply to their master for redemption and obtain a letter of voluntary release from the master.

Then, they had to pay the ransom and take the letter to the county government's household registry for review.

After the review was approved, the household registry would issue corresponding documents proving that the slave had become a free citizen, and finally re-register their household, removing them from the slave registry and transferring them to the commoner registry.

Only after completing this entire process would Xie An be considered a good citizen of Daqian, entitled to the rights and obligations of a commoner.

Although things had largely been settled, Xie An still dared not relax before registering his household.

At the beginning of Si time (9-11 AM), Xie An arrived at the county government's household registry and waited in line outside.

There were quite a few people queuing up at the household registry today.

There were probably a dozen people ahead.

Xie An, at the end of the line, was not in a hurry and waited quietly.

Although Qingwu County was located in a remote area, it was very large, governing a population of 500,000.

Moreover, the household registry had a lot of daily affairs to handle. In addition to household registration and transfer, it was also responsible for the county's tax collection, converting the collected imperial grain into silver, and casting it into ingots, medium ingots, and nuggets, which were then handed over to the national treasury.

In addition, the household registry also managed the cadastral maps, the registers of money, grain, and land, and was responsible for disaster relief and the handling of disaster relief grain distribution, and so on.

It was only the beginning of Si time now, and there were still two hours before the county government's lunch break. Xie An felt that it would be no problem to reach his turn.

But…

The clerk said listlessly, "Didn't I say, come back in the afternoon… oh, then I'll handle your matter."

Before the clerk could finish speaking, Xie An handed over a piece of silver, and the clerk changed his tone.

Xie An took out the contract of sale and the Li family's letter of manumission and handed them over, explaining his purpose.

The original contract of sale stated Xie An's previous life, origin, age, and situation. The Li family's letter indicated their willingness to voluntarily release the slave. The two combined made it easier to register the household.

Of course, some slaves didn't have a contract of sale, or it was lost. In this case, registration could be done directly with the master's letter of release.

The clerk took it and glanced at it, very surprised. "Thirty-one years ago, you were twenty years old, a refugee who came to Qingwu County, with an unknown origin. Based on this, you are now fifty-one years old… It's difficult to live without a master at this age. Are you sure you want to redeem yourself?"

The clerk took Xie An's money and asked a concerned question.

He had handled many redemption cases, but this was the first time he had seen someone who was fifty years old come to redeem himself…

Xie An said firmly, "I'm sure."

The clerk didn't say anything more and immediately completed the procedures for Xie An.

Finally, Xie An saw with his own eyes that his household registration was changed to that of a commoner, with the obligation to pay taxes and grain, as well as the right to report to the government and take the imperial examinations. Only then did he thank him and leave.

Walking out of the county government gate, Xie An breathed a long sigh of relief.

He looked up at the sun overhead, feeling that the sunlight was particularly bright. The gentle breeze was warm, giving him a feeling of being bathed in spring.

"After thirty years as a slave, I've finally turned over a new leaf."

Xie An couldn't help but laugh.

Normally, Xie An was not a person who wore his emotions on his sleeve. But today's matter was really too important for Xie An. The feeling of depression that had been weighing on his heart for thirty years was suddenly released.

He was really happy.

From now on, he would be an upright person.

He could marry and have children, and he could be open and honest.

"How does Li Bai's poem go… 'We are not people of the weeds, I laugh to the sky and go out the door…'"

Xie An didn't pay attention to the surprised look of the gatekeeper and left with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.

Xie An, feeling his stomach rumbling with hunger, came to a nearby affordable restaurant and ordered a bowl of braised mutton, spicy lamb's head, with peanuts, and a pot of warm wine. He began to feast.

Eating meat in large bites and drinking wine in large gulps, how delightful.

It just felt like he was missing a confidant to share his joy with.

If one could drink wine and eat meat while singing with a confidant when life was going well, that would be a happy event in life.

Since there was no confidant by his side, Xie An had to drink alone, occasionally raising his glass to the sun in the sky.

If time could be reversed, Xie An really wanted to drink with Li Bai.

During the meal, Xie An heard the diners next door discussing.

"Have you heard that Tang Family Fortress has recently opened its doors wide, recruiting talented young people who practice the art of nourishing life?"

"Anyone who passes the test will be given five taels of silver per month. There is also a chance to be selected as the successor of Tang Family Fortress."

"Wow, if you are selected as the successor of Tang Family Fortress, you will be rich for the rest of your life. That is the number one prominent family in Qingwu County."

"Perhaps Old Mr. Tang's health is getting worse and worse. Tang Family Fortress is worried that its unique skills will be lost, so it is eagerly spending money to recruit talents."

"I wonder which family's young people will have such good fortune…"

"…"

Xie An's heart skipped a beat.

Several months ago, when he came to the county town with Chen He, he also heard people talking about the Tang Family Fortress.

Now that he came again, it was still the same. It could be seen that the influence of Tang Family Fortress in Qingwu County was indeed very large. It could be counted as the number one prominent family.

"Should I also try my luck? After all, the art of nourishing life is suitable for me…"

Xie An had this thought in his mind, but then he thought that everyone was saying that Tang Family Fortress was recruiting talented young people, but he was, after all, a middle-aged old man. Wouldn't it be a joke if he went rashly?

"I'll just buy some gifts to visit Master Tang Qingfeng. It's only right and proper to thank Master Tang for his teaching back then."