Chapter 11: Earning Money and Eating is a Bit Difficult

It was a bit regretful—no more video games, no more computer, no more beloved car.

And also, he’d never see his family again.

Still, being able to keep his life was good enough. Staying alive was what mattered most.

He Yanxin had always been cheerful and optimistic, probably thanks to the warm atmosphere in his home.

His parents were deeply in love. The couple had built everything they owned from scratch, working hard side by side to achieve success. Every year, they were voted by netizens as the “Model Entrepreneur Couple.”

They were in their fifties and still inseparable at home.

As the youngest son in the family, he had indeed been pampered.

He could only hope that his parents wouldn’t be too heartbroken when they heard the bad news. He also hoped his older brother would work hard to find a wife and have a child soon. That way, maybe their sadness would slowly fade.

He really wished he could tell them: It’s okay! Your son is alive and well. I’ve even got a wife now—and two sons!

Wait a minute!

Wife? Sons… Two sons?

He was wrong. He shouldn’t have been so optimistic.

Still, he didn’t avoid reality. He finally remembered that the original host had come to the county town to earn money to buy food.

He had woken up in a rundown temple outside the city that morning. Many people stayed there at night to save money and then went into the city during the day to work.

After gnawing down the dry, oil-less brown rice biscuit he’d brought with him, He Yanxin began thinking about what to do next.

The original host had studied and could read and write, as well as do accounting. So he used to come periodically to help households who didn’t employ a full-time accountant settle their books.

After all, hiring a full-time accountant cost more than ten taels of silver per year, but hiring He Yanxin once a quarter only cost about one tael. So yes, education in ancient times was truly expensive.

But yesterday, when the original host arrived in the city, he discovered that due to the drought, all the wealthy families who could leave had already done so— including several regular clients from last time. The entire county town was bleak and desolate.

He visited a few homes and was told they no longer needed accounting help. So he returned to the temple, planning to try again the next day. If he still found nothing, the original host had planned to become a laborer.

Was he supposed to haul goods too? But at most that paid 100 wen per day. Given the current situation at home, that was far too little.

He Yanxin racked his brain, trying to think of what skills he had that could be used in ancient times.

Piano? No piano.

Equestrian skills? Couldn’t afford a horse.

Shooting? Needed a gun.

Modern education knowledge? Completely different system from the imperial exams. He couldn’t even write poetry, so forget about passing exams or becoming a teacher.

Taekwondo? Becoming a bodyguard meant selling oneself into servitude; escorting goods meant long journeys; opening a martial arts school required capital.

Making glass or soap? He’d read books on the topic, and his tutor had done small experiments with him. But he couldn’t even afford to eat right now, so there was no point in attempting anything that time-consuming or complex.

Computer science? Not even electricity here—let alone internet.

He Yanxin suddenly realized he was pretty useless. Madam Song was way more capable than him.

The four embroidered pieces Madam Song had made in recent days—sold by the original host—earned 300 wen. The price was higher than in town, and one of the items was large, besides handkerchiefs and pouches.

But it still wasn’t enough to buy food for a family of four. Rice had gone from 500 wen per dan to 2 taels and 1 qian per dan now. One dan was about 120 catties.

The original host’s family currently had around 3 taels of silver—reserved for emergencies.

Which meant the 300 wen on hand could buy only about 17 catties of rice. Coarse grains or old grain could maybe get 20 catties.

He Yanxin thought about those watery porridges with pickled vegetables, which in his eyes weren’t proper meals, and sighed helplessly.

How could one survive on that alone?

More importantly, he couldn’t stand porridge with salty, greasy-less pickles. He had to find a way to buy something else.

That biscuit he had just gnawed on—if he hadn’t been that hungry, he would’ve chucked it straight away.

He had truly never suffered this kind of hardship before.

The road ahead was long and difficult. Restoring a modern lifestyle was impossible, but at the very least, he had to eat well and stay full.

Come on now—wasn’t he considered a talent in the modern world? How was it that now, in ancient times, he couldn’t even earn money for food?

He Yanxin tried hard to think of something he could do to make quick cash here.

He furrowed his brows, carefully reviewing all the memories in his head. Soon, he thought of a plan. It just needed careful execution to avoid mistakes.

Although it carried great risk, it was the fastest and simplest way. He’d go for it! As the saying goes, no risk, no reward—go big or go home.

After entering the city, he bought a rice-white and ink-black patchwork outfit at a clothing shop for 70 wen. Then he spent 7 wen at a cosmetics shop on the cheapest powder.

He had a bowl of minced meat noodles by the roadside—20 wen. Grain prices had doubled, and so had noodle prices.

That night, he spent 40 wen to stay the night at a commoner’s home on the outskirts. While interacting with the homeowner, he kept his head down so his face wouldn’t be clearly seen.

Because inns now required guest registration and a travel permit. He had one, but still…

That night, He Yanxin paced the room back and forth, mumbling to himself. He frowned, then smiled—frankly, he looked a bit unhinged.

The next morning, he got up early and started grooming himself. He left by six.

The material of his outfit was plain linen, but his facial features were good-looking—just not very fair-skinned.

That was an easy fix. He’d watched his mom put on makeup so often that he’d practically learned it by heart. That’s why he’d bought the powder—to apply to his face and any exposed skin.

Once done, he really gave off the refined look of a gentleman or even a secluded sage. Then again, maybe it was just because he was thin.

Perfect! At the very least, no one would associate this look with the black-clad farmhand who’d entered the city yesterday.

“Mom, what’s that man doing?”

“He’s admiring himself. Don’t you copy him, you hear me? A grown man…”

The woman tugged her child away in distaste, skirting the puddle of dirty water He Yanxin was using as a “mirror.”

He Yanxin: …

After confirming under the morning twilight that there were no major flaws in his look, he confidently walked to the county magistrate’s residence—and when he came out, his arms were full.

Then, cool and swift, he darted through the winding city streets and finally lost the person who was tailing him.

Tsk tsk tsk, compared to the kidnappers he’d encountered before, this level of tracking was amateur hour.

He finally reached a secluded alley, changed into clothes he’d hidden there, and went to a nearby well to wash off the powder. He used burnt charcoal to reshape his brows, giving himself a fierce look.

The new clothes? He tore them to pieces and scattered them in the latrine.

Not because he was wasteful, but because keeping them would be risky. Best to eliminate evidence entirely.

The material was good. If someone found them, they’d definitely wear them. That could bring disaster to others, since what he had said to the magistrate was no trivial matter.

And it left him some room to maneuver in the future. If the magistrate’s men couldn’t recognize him or find the discarded outfit, he could still deal with them later.

Besides, even with modern surveillance, finding someone wasn’t easy. Let alone here in ancient times.

Neither the original host nor himself had used a travel permit in the city. How could they be found? Go door to door? By the time they got close, he’d be long gone.

He tucked the 200-tael silver note and the 10-tael silver ingot he’d gotten from the magistrate into his clothes and kept them close. He carried just 10 taels for buying supplies.

First, he ate a proper meal and gathered some information around town.

That afternoon, he leisurely went to the grain shop and bought 60 catties of rice. Since he liked red beans, he also bought 5 catties of those.

Then to the butcher’s—6 catties of pork and one whole chicken. He didn’t trust the safety of straw-wrapped eggs, so he bought only 20.

After searching around the city, he finally found someone with a water well and bought vegetables. The selection was limited: greens, cabbage, garlic sprouts, and eggplants—expensive too. He Yanxin didn’t care. He took everything they had.

(End of Chapter)