Chapter 20: Finding a Job

The environment in ancient times was truly good, with incredibly fresh air and clear river water.

People were working in the fields, and many of them knew Jin Xiaoye and greeted her as they passed by.

“The county town is quite big. When we get there, Grandpa will take you to see the big ships!” Li Laogen enthusiastically spoke to the two children along the way.

Jin Xiaoye was carrying more things than Li Laogen, and with the hot weather, she tried not to speak much, just occasionally glancing at Li Qingzhi, afraid that he might faint.

But Li Qingzhi didn’t faint.

Although he felt very uncomfortable, with his heart rate feeling alarming, he persisted by continuously activating the golden finger within him.

The group slowly made their way, and after an hour, they finally saw the gates of the county town.

The original owner had been to the county town before, and Li Qingzhi had the original owner’s memories, but seeing the county town for real, he had a completely different feeling from the original owner.

The original owner thought the county town of Chongcheng was very large and beautiful, but Li Qingzhi looked at it… Chongcheng County was really not big at all.

This city resembled the scenic areas of ancient water towns he had visited in modern times. It was a bit larger than those scenic areas, but compared to modern cities, it couldn’t be compared at all.

Chongcheng County had city walls. The walls weren’t high, but there was a moat outside the walls. The bridge over the moat, used for entering the city, wasn’t a stone bridge directly built on top, but a drawbridge made of bamboo and wood that could be pulled up. The locals called it a suspension bridge.

If there was danger, they could pull up this bridge, and the enemy wouldn’t be able to run directly to the city walls!

During curfew, the bridge could also be retracted.

However, since the establishment of the Daqi, the area where Chongcheng County was located had always been very stable. Even the curfew had been lifted, so now, even if it was night, the suspension bridge wouldn’t be retracted.

Of course, there was more than one way to enter the city other than crossing the bridge; they could also take the water route. However, there were gates there too, and if there was real danger, they could block the river with gates and stones.

Once inside the city, they could see the streets.

The streets were indeed paved with stone slabs, but they were very narrow. The widest street was only a bit over two meters wide, and many alleyways were only one meter wide.

The streets were narrow, but the river was wide, with many small boats coming and going in the river.

Summer days started early, and even though Jin Xiaoye didn’t leave until after killing the chicken today, it was only around six o’clock when they left, and now it was only a little after eight.

At this time, the county town was bustling with activity.

All the houses in the city were built along the river. Some people wanted to buy things, so they would open the windows facing the river and shout out. Soon, a boat would come over for business.

There were also some boatmen constantly shouting their wares: “Songhua Cakes, sweet Songhua Cakes!”

“Meat buns! Delicious meat buns!”

“Freshly picked eggplants and green beans! Freshly laid chicken and duck eggs!”

“Old hens! Nourishing old hens!”

…

Curiously, Li Damao and Li Ermao looked at those boats and asked, “What are Songhua Cakes?”

Songhua Cakes were a local pastry made from glutinous rice flour and sweet bean paste, very delicious but not cheap.

Expensive items in the county town were not limited to Songhua Cakes. Just as Li Qingzhi entered the city, he saw a breakfast stall where people were eating tea cakes made of glutinous rice flour stuffed with meat, accompanied by soy milk.

Further ahead, there was a restaurant emitting a rich fragrance, probably frying something in oil.

The technology for making vegetable oil in Daqi was much more advanced than in previous dynasties. Many people in the county town could afford to use oil for cooking, let alone in big restaurants. However, in the countryside, people generally wouldn’t buy oil.

The living standards in cities and rural areas were vastly different.

Li Laogen, who had been praising the county town all the way, felt restless after entering the county town. He kept his head down and didn’t dare to look at the people in the county town.

Li Damao and Li Ermao were also very scared, tightly holding Li Qingzhi’s hand.

Seeing this, Li Qingzhi smiled and comforted them, “Damao, Ermao, don’t be afraid, everything will be fine.”

Both Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye didn’t show any fear. Li Damao and Li Ermao finally stopped being afraid after seeing their parents, but even though they were no longer afraid, they felt somewhat inferior when they looked at the children in the city who were dressed in bright clothes and nice shoes. They curled their toes.

Their clothes were very worn, and they weren’t wearing shoes.

In the countryside, nobody wore shoes in the summer, and they didn’t think there was anything wrong with that, but it seemed that city people weren’t like that.

Li Qingzhi noticed the situation of the two children, but he couldn’t do anything about it now.

They were indeed poor, that was a fact.

Jin Xiaoye looked at Li Qingzhi. “I’m going to sell things. Are you going to follow me or wander around?”

Li Qingzhi replied, “I’ll wander around.” He wanted to inquire around and see if any shops needed workers.

Upon hearing this, Jin Xiaoye took out ten coins and gave them to Li Qingzhi. “Then wander around. When you’re tired, go to the pier and wait for me there.” She had a lot of things to sell, and it might not be possible to sell them all to acquaintances. If she couldn’t sell them all, she would have to set up a stall at the pier.

Li Qingzhi agreed to go after they had wandered around for a while. By then, she should already be there. If they went straight away, there were plenty of new and interesting things at the pier for Li Qingzhi and the children to see.

“Okay.” Li Qingzhi took the money and watched as Jin Xiaoye and Li Laogen left with their baskets.

After resting for a while, he took Li Damao and Li Ermao’s hands. “Damao, Ermao, let’s go wander around together.”

Li Qingzhi had the memories of the original owner. Although the original owner was not very familiar with Chongcheng County, he was knowledgeable, and Li Qingzhi could name many things in the county town. He carefully explained each one to the two children.

“This is a rice store, a place that specializes in selling rice. Common rice types include japonica rice and glutinous rice…” Li Qingzhi stood not far from the shop’s door, first introducing the situation of the shop to the two children, then holding their hands and walking towards the shop. “Shopkeeper, hello. Is the shop hiring? I can read and do accounting quite well.”

Although Li Qingzhi’s current appearance didn’t look great—he was too thin, and his clothes were of poor quality—his eyes were clear, and he spoke politely. Moreover, he mentioned his ability to read and do accounting.

The shopkeeper responded kindly, “Sorry, we don’t need anyone at the moment.”

“No problem, thank you,” Li Qingzhi replied with a smile.

After leaving the rice shop, Li Qingzhi took the two children to other shops. After introducing himself, he asked if they needed any help. Unfortunately, most of the shops weren’t hiring.

At this time, people didn’t often change jobs. Once they were hired at a shop, they might work there for a lifetime. And they preferred to hire people they knew.

As Li Qingzhi asked around, he also chatted with several shopkeepers. He found that although there were very few literate people in the countryside, there were actually quite a few in the county town. Finding a job wouldn’t be so easy for him.

However, Li Qingzhi didn’t feel discouraged. So what if he didn’t find a job today? He could always come back to the county town another time and ask around again.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have money to buy pen and paper to practice writing. Otherwise, if he could improve his writing, he could earn money by copying books.

Printing technology in Daqi was already very advanced, and books with good sales would be printed, resulting in fewer errors. But some books had few buyers, so bookstores would hire people to copy them. Additionally, some wealthy households would also hire people to copy their collection of books for backup.

Li Qingzhi walked with the two children, asking around as they went, until they unknowingly arrived at the pier.

The pier was very large and bustling. Many boats were docked, and many people were helping with loading and unloading goods.

The connection between the boats and the pier was only a foot-wide plank made of wood. Li Qingzhi watched as shirtless men carried or lifted various heavy goods on the plank. Seeing the plank bending under their weight, he couldn’t help but feel anxious for them.

These people could easily fall into the river if they weren’t careful.

Carrying goods at the pier was very tiring, but many people were willing to do it. During the slack farming season, some young men from Miaoqian Village would come to the pier to carry goods.

However, Li Qingzhi couldn’t do this kind of work now.

Near the pier, there were many businessmen. Li Qingzhi observed for a while and approached some who seemed well-dressed, inquiring if they needed any help.

Unlike the shopkeepers who had been generally polite, some of these people were impatient when he stopped them.

Li Qingzhi didn’t mind at all.

Their impatience was nothing compared to what he had faced before. They wouldn’t come up and bite him or suddenly attack him!

How nice these people were!

Unfortunately, none of them were hiring.

What he had thought earlier about finding a job might not be so easy after all.

Or perhaps he could find another way to earn money?

Li Qingzhi really wanted to make money. He needed enough food to maintain his health, and to have enough food, he needed money.

At that moment, Li Qingzhi began to think about what skills he could sell.

But he didn’t have any cooking skills, and besides, there were already many delicious foods in this era. Some delicacies hadn’t appeared simply because of the lack of seasoning. In this situation, he didn’t have any skills to sell.

Li Qingzhi found a shady spot with Li Damao and Li Ermao and rested. As he pondered ways to make money, he saw a wealthy-looking man disembark from a boat, surrounded by three people, and come over.

The man looked to be in his forties, with a stout build and a slightly dark complexion, wearing a carefully trimmed beard.

His appearance was nothing special, but his attire… Not only were his clothes brightly colored, but he also wore several gold rings on his fingers, and his hat, belt, and even his shoes were studded with gemstones.

He seemed like someone who wanted everyone to know he was wealthy—an ancient version of a nouveau riche.

At the moment, he was talking to the people around him. “I’ve checked the goods, and everything is fine. Arrange for someone to move them quickly, and tell them to be careful. We can’t afford any mistakes…”

Although the man’s attire was gaudy, he seemed very dedicated to his business.

Two of the three men beside him went to find people to move the goods, but he stayed behind, standing in the shade and wiping his sweat with a handkerchief.

Seeing this, Li Qingzhi greeted him with a smile. “Sir, you have a grand appearance; clearly, you are not an ordinary person!”

The local dialect didn’t have a formal address like “you,” so Li Qingzhi didn’t use any honorifics.

Interestingly, although the original owner of this body wasn’t very proficient in the local dialect five years ago, having spent five years imprisoned with locals all around him, his accent is now indistinguishable from theirs.