Chapter 10

Chapter 10

On a summer morning, the air was slightly cool, filled with the fragrance of earth and grass.

Lu Yao carried a basket as he walked toward the town. He had taken this path many times before, so he knew exactly where to go without asking for directions.

The distance from Wan'gou Village to Qiushui Town was ten miles, which took about an hour on foot.

Today seemed to be a big market day in town, as he encountered many people heading to the market. Most of them were carrying baskets or sacks filled with fruits and vegetables they had grown themselves, intending to sell them at the market and buy some daily necessities.

Lu Yao also ran into an acquaintance, Song Guangfu, the man he had argued with that day.

Because of their past conflict, Lu Yao ignored him. It felt like this person was following him, occasionally stealing glances.

Lu Yao quickened his pace to shake him off, but the faster he walked, the faster Song Guangfu followed.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn one stick of incense, Song Guangfu couldn't keep up anymore. He was carrying over twenty pounds of plums.

Exhausted, he sat by the roadside, fanning himself and cursing Lu Yao under his breath. "This pest is walking so fast, rushing to reincarnate! He must be up to something shady in town!"

*

Half an hour later, Lu Yao finally arrived in Qiushui Town. Although he had memories of this body, seeing everything firsthand was a completely different experience.

Walking down the noisy streets, he listened to the ancient vendors calling out their wares, ringing bells, and clapping, their voices echoing near and far, high and low.

"Sharpening knives, sharpening scissors~"

"Selling rice wine, rice wine! Three copper coins for a bowl of rice wine~"

"Pork, pork, pork! Young sir, would you like to buy some meat?"

There were also old men selling drinks, peddlers carrying cosmetics, and beggars in the corners.

All these scenes intertwined, making the descriptions in books, paintings, and TV shows come alive. Lu Yao stood there, stunned, feeling for the first time that he had truly traveled back in time.

"Hey, young sir, move aside!"

A sudden shout came from behind, and Lu Yao quickly stepped aside.

A cart pulled by a mule passed by, the driver whipping the animal to keep it moving.

He hadn't seen any cattle or horses in the village yet. He heard that a cow cost around ten taels of silver, which ordinary people couldn't afford. Even if they could, they wouldn't dare raise one because veterinary care was not advanced, and if the animal died, the money would be lost.

Qiushui Town was small, with only one main street. Lu Yao slowly walked along the road, observing the shops on either side.

Although the original body was illiterate, Lu Yao could read. The writing in this era was similar to what he knew.

Each shop had a colorful sign hanging outside, like little flags, displaying the names of oil mills, grain stores, cloth shops, and post stations, fluttering in the wind.

Private stalls were not allowed near the shops; if caught by patrolling officials, one would be fined.

To sell goods, one had to walk further down the street to a wide open area called Xiasanli, where setting up a stall was free.

Most of the people on the street were elderly, women, and children, as the men were serving their conscription duties. Some were buying goods, others trading, and the haggling never ceased.

Lu Yao circled around but couldn't find anyone selling chicks. Instead, he saw someone selling ducklings.

Ducklings would work too. While duck eggs were less tasty than chicken eggs, they could be preserved as salted or century eggs.

He approached the seller and asked, "Uncle, how much are these ducklings?"

"Seven copper coins for males, ten for females."

The price was higher than for chicks. "Can I get a discount if I buy more?"

"If you buy ten, I'll give you one for free."

Buying ten would leave him with very little money, so Lu Yao shook his head and continued walking.

Further north, there were more livestock sellers, and the smell grew worse. There were lambs still nursing, piglets, and occasionally calves. A group of elderly men gathered around, discussing the animals.

Finally, at the last stall, he found someone selling chicks. The seller was an elderly woman, wearing a headscarf, her back bent and unable to stand straight.

"Auntie, how much are your chicks?"

Perhaps Lu Yao was the first customer today, as the old woman seemed quite excited. "Young sir, do you want to buy chicks? Roosters are five copper coins each, hens are six."

The price was similar to what Old Lady Zhao had mentioned. Lu Yao squatted down to pick some out.

These chicks weren't the pure yellow ones from the future; they had brown feathers with two stripes, looking fluffy and adorable.

"I'll take eight hens and two roosters."

The old woman started counting on her fingers. "Two roosters for ten copper coins, eight hens... eight..."

"Eight hens for forty-eight copper coins, totaling fifty-eight copper coins."

The woman looked surprised, then drew on the ground with a stone, eventually accepting his count and taking the money.

She began picking chicks and putting them in his basket, grabbing several at once.

"Wait, I need eight hens, don't put the wrong ones in."

"Don't worry, don't worry. If you get the wrong ones, bring them back." She added a few more.

Lu Yao frowned and stopped her hand. "These are roosters, right?" Before coming, he had learned from Old Lady Zhao how to distinguish between males and females.

Chicks have two layers of feathers on their wings; even feathers indicate roosters, uneven ones indicate hens. Roosters were cheaper and harder to sell, so the old woman thought she could fool him. But when he pointed it out, she reluctantly picked out the roosters and counted eight hens instead.

Initially, he hadn't bargained with her due to her poor health, but now he wasn't going to let her cheat him. He picked out the weak chicks and replaced them with healthier ones before leaving.

With over forty copper coins left, Lu Yao decided to explore further.

There were few food vendors on the street. He wanted to buy some tofu but couldn't find any after circling around.

On his way back, he ran into Song Guangfu again, who was selling plums in a corner. Lu Yao remembered how he had falsely accused Xiaonian and Xiaodou of stealing plums, so he approached him.

"Want to buy some fresh, crisp plums..." Song Guangfu started to call out when he saw someone approaching, but upon recognizing Lu Yao, he turned away, pretending not to see him.

Lu Yao didn't mind and squatted beside another stall to pick some plums.

Next to him was a round-faced girl, who greeted him warmly. "Brother, want to buy some plums? Five copper coins for five plums."

"Are these plums sour?"

The girl smiled, picked a large one, rubbed it on her clothes, and handed it to him. "Try it; it's sweet and juicy."

Lu Yao took a bite; the taste was indeed good. "I'll take five copper coins worth of plums."

"Sure thing!" The little girl happily counted out the plums and put them into Lu Yao's basket. The plums and the chicks were separated by a thin wooden board to prevent the chicks from stealing the plums.

After buying the plums, it was still early, so Lu Yao wandered around the shops he had passed on his way.

In ancient times, productivity was low, and prices were exorbitant. A foot of the most ordinary cotton cloth cost thirty cash, and making one piece of clothing required at least five feet of cloth, which would be one hundred fifty cash.

A dou of millet cost one cash, and a dou of gray flour cost one and a half cash. One dou here was roughly equivalent to twelve pounds in modern times.

Oil and salt were even more expensive. A small jar of rapeseed oil cost eighty cash, and a pound of salt cost seventy cash. The salt was coarse and bitter, requiring crushing before consumption.

By the time he finished browsing the shops, it was already noon. There was a noodle shop ahead, and Lu Yao, feeling his stomach rumble, couldn't help but walk over.

"Little lad, want some soup noodles?"

"How much is a bowl?"

"Seven cash with meat sauce, five cash without."

The smell of meat made Lu Yao's mouth water. Who knew that a pound of pork cost over eighty cash; the money in his pocket wasn't enough for that.

"Give me a bowl with meat sauce!"

Soup noodles were what people here called wide noodles. With a bit of meat sauce, they tasted average but were a heavenly treat for someone who hadn't had much meat in over half a year.

Lu Yao started eating the noodles in large bites. Just as he was eating, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Yao?"

"Pfft—cough, cough, cough..." Lu Yao choked on the noodle soup and turned around in shock.

He saw a man wearing a scholar's hat and an indigo robe, stretching his neck to look at him.

"Indeed it's you. Why didn't you come to the bookstore when you came to town?" The man sat down next to Lu Yao without invitation and ordered a bowl of meat sauce soup noodles from the shopkeeper.

This man was Scholar Xu, also known as the original body's old flame.

Lu Yao stood up abruptly. "You must have mistaken me for someone else. I don't know you."

Xu Dengke was taken aback but then grinned widely. "Are you still angry with me? I was wrong last time, and I shouldn't have said those things. I apologize." He lightly bowed, trying to pull Lu Yao back down to sit.

Lu Yao sidestepped away. "I'm already married. Please respect my situation!"

"Married? When did you get married? Yao, didn't you say you'd only marry me?" Scholar Xu spoke loudly, drawing attention from others eating nearby.

Lu Yao cursed him silently. What kind of taste did the original body have, falling for such an ugly and low-quality person?

They hadn't been serious; at most, they held hands. Now it sounded like they had already pledged their lives to each other. If this got out, how could he face anyone?

"I don't remember saying anything like that. If you really wanted to marry me, why didn't you propose earlier? Why wait until after I'm married to say these things and embarrass me?"

"No, no, Yao, you misunderstood."

"Don't call me Yao. My husband's surname is Zhao. From now on, call me Zhao Lu." Lu Yao impatiently picked up his basket and walked out. Today was not a good day to go out, encountering such bad luck.

Scholar Xu tried to stop him, but Lu Yao slipped away quickly, leaving him frustrated and scratching his head.

Suddenly remembering he had only five cash left, he hurriedly told the noodle shop owner, "Don't add the meat sauce to the noodles. My stomach has been acting up lately, and greasy food doesn't agree with me."

He had thought Lu Yao would pay for the noodles...

*

Leaving the noodle shop, Lu Yao lost all interest in shopping and hurried back to the village with his basket.

Approaching home, he shouted before entering the courtyard, "Zhao Xiaonian, Zhao Xiaodou, come out and take the stuff. I'm exhausted!"

After waiting for a while and seeing no one come out, Lu Yao pushed open the gate in confusion. He saw a bare-chested man sitting under the eaves, weaving straw shoes.

Zhao Beichuan looked up at the sound, and their eyes met. In that instant, it felt like a stone dropped into a calm lake, causing ripples.