Putting away the three taels of fine silver, Shen Xiuhan looked up at the sky.
There was still plenty of daylight left, so he hurried toward the north of Xiaojing Bay without stopping, planning to retrieve the items stored by the Gold-Tailed Rat.
The woods lay near the foot of the Dali Mountains.
The Dali Mountains stretched for hundreds of miles with rolling peaks and ridges. Deep within the range, wild beasts roamed in packs, and predators like tigers, leopards, and wolves were unpredictable, claiming the lives of hunters every year.
Over time, no one dared to venture deep inside, only daring to hunt wild rabbits and pheasants along the outskirts to scrape together a living.
However, according to stories passed down by the older generation, if one crossed to the other side of the mountains, there lay a nation called the Yue State.
Shen Xiuhan followed the pale golden pinpoint of light deep into the forest, quickly arriving beside a massive, withered old tree that would take three people to clasp their arms around.
Its trunk was cracked and weathered, covered in the scars of time.
After circling the trunk, he discovered a tree hollow halfway up, tightly concealed by withered, yellowing thatch.
Setting his fishing rod down at the base, he scrambled up the old tree using both hands and feet and pulled aside the layer of dried grass.
Shen Xiuhan's eyes instantly lit up.
“Whoa!”
Inside the hollow was a dazzling array of hoarded goods.
All kinds of dried mushrooms, pine nuts, and air-dried wild fruits were stacked neatly deep inside.
Scanning the stash, Shen Xiuhan recognized wild raspberries, ground figs, August melons, red raspberries, wild apricots, and wild grapes...
All in all, it weighed a good three to four catties.
If he brought so many wild goods to the Inner City, they would sell for at least a hundred copper coins!
But he did not plan on selling them.
The dried mushrooms and pine nuts would make excellent seasonings for cooking.
These dried fruits were also a rare source of sugar.
Since he was not short on money now, he would naturally use them to nourish his body.
Thus, he unceremoniously prepared to sweep everything into his fish basket.
“Huh, what is this?”
As he was gathering the pile of dried wild apricots, his fingertips suddenly paused.
Beneath the dried fruit, he pulled out a piece of stone-jade only the size of a fingernail.
The reason he called it stone-jade...
...was because it was dark brown and warm to the touch, resembling stone yet not stone, and resembling jade yet not jade.
Shaking it by his ear, he could faintly feel a subtle, almost imperceptible wave of warmth radiating from it.
Shen Xiuhan weighed it in his hand for a long moment. Unable to make heads or tails of it, he tucked it away close to his body.
He would figure it out later once he had gained more knowledge.
Carrying the three to four catties of dried goods, he leaped down from the old tree and made his way back toward Xiaojing Bay.
On his way back, he passed through Xuanhua Ward.
Like Xiaojing Bay, Xuanhua Ward was a slum in the outer city of Changyun County.
Low, dilapidated mud-and-thatch shacks were packed tightly together, their eaves practically touching.
The narrow dirt alleys were constantly filled with the stench of fermenting slops and manure, forcing passersby to pinch their noses.
The sky was gradually darkening.
The cold wind whistled through the alleys.
The pedestrians on the street were all in a hurry, pulling their collars tight and walking briskly.
Suddenly!
“Hack him to death!”
“After him!”
“How dare you cross our Black Wolf Gang! Today, we'll make sure you die right here!”
Hectic footsteps, shouts, and roars suddenly erupted, shattering the peace of the street!
Shen Xiuhan's eyes narrowed.
In the next moment, from the corner of the alley ahead, over a dozen men wielding knives and daggers charged out, exuding murderous intent!
The blades gleamed like snow, reflecting the twilight with a chilling light.
The pedestrians on the street, along with the residents in the shacks on both sides, snapped back to reality in an instant.
Clatter!
Clang!
The doors and window shutters on both sides of the ward slammed shut almost simultaneously. The speed and familiarity with which they jammed wooden bars against the latches seemed engraved into their very bones!
“Not good!”
Shen Xiuhan's heart tightened.
Almost purely on instinct, he slipped into a narrow dead end piled with clutter, holding his breath and burying himself deep within the shadows.
This Outer City was nothing like the Inner City.
In the Inner City, there were patrol guards from the magistrate's office at night.
But places like Xuanhua Ward, Dongxi Ward, and Xiaojing Bay were the domains of various gangs and shady characters.
Robberies and street fights were daily occurrences.
Even if someone died, as long as it wasn't reported to the magistrate's office, no one would bother to look into it.
Lowly commoners, once dead, were just dead. No one cared.
Furthermore...
...no one dared to report it to the officials anyway.
Shen Xiuhan curled up in the shadows, waiting silently.
Only when the shouting and killing noises had faded completely down the street and disappeared into the depths of the alleys did he cautiously poke out half of his head.
Confirming that it was safe, Shen Xiuhan bolted, sprinting all the way back to Xiaojing Bay.
Only when the three familiar thatched huts came into view did Shen Xiuhan let out a sigh of relief, leaning against the picket gate and panting heavily.
“This world...”
...is truly as chaotic and fragile as weeds.”
He sighed, warning himself over and over in his heart that before he achieved success in the martial path, he had to act with utmost caution and avoid provoking others!
Staying alive was the most important thing.
Pushing open the picket gate, Shen Xiuhan paused slightly.
In the kitchen, a fire was burning.
He put down his fishing rod and basket, walked over to take a look, and found that Madam Zheng had returned home early. She was sitting in front of the stove, holding Shen Momo and staring blankly.
“Mother, why are you back so early today?”
Madam Zheng usually went to work at the Bai Family Textile Mill and often did not finish until the hour of Xu.
Yet right now, the sky had only just begun to darken, barely a quarter past the hour of You, and she was already home.
“Big bwother!”
The little girl suddenly broke free from her mother's embrace, toddling over on her short little legs.
Shen Xiuhan scooped her up and walked into the kitchen.
Seeing him return, Madam Zheng let out a long sigh of relief, her face immediately clouding with worry.
“Dalang, things haven't been peaceful lately.”
“Auntie Liu, who does laundry with me at the textile mill, said that in Shunchang Ward where she lives, a four-year-old little girl went missing a few days ago.”
“At noon, she was even advising me to make sure I kept a close eye on Momo...”
She paused, her eyes turning red.
“But by the hour of Wei, her husband rushed to the textile mill to find her, asking if their little grandson had come by.”
“Auntie Liu fainted on the spot.”
“Later, everyone outside was saying that a gang of child traffickers had sneaked into the county, specifically kidnapping young boys and girls!”
Madam Zheng pulled Shen Momo close, her voice trembling.
“I was terrified listening to it at the mill, and I couldn't bear to leave Momo home alone. I didn't even dare to ask for today's wages and just rushed back...”
At this point, Madam Zheng glanced at Shen Xiuhan. Her lips trembled a few times, and she lowered her head, speaking in a tentative tone.
“Dalang, I was thinking...”
“Since it is so dangerous outside lately, I won't go to work at the textile mill for now. I'll stay at home, weave some fishing nets, and sell them at the market to help support the household... What do you think, is that okay?”
Listening to Madam Zheng's almost submissive tone, Shen Xiuhan felt a heavy tightness in his chest.
Working at the textile mill, though hard and exhausting, and despite her wages being docked constantly, at least provided a stable income with daily earnings.
What about weaving fishing nets?
It was both time-consuming and laborious.
Moreover, it was currently the dead of winter, the off-season for fishing.
The shallow waters were devoid of fish, and even the veteran fishermen who spent their lives on Cloudwater Lake often returned empty-handed.
Even if she wove the nets, who would she sell them to?
The reason Madam Zheng was being so submissive was that she feared staying at home without an income would make her a freeloading burden in her son's eyes, causing him to resent her...
“Mother.”
Shen Xiuhan sighed. He reached into his robes and pulled out the three ingots of fine silver, grabbing her hands, which were covered in chilblains, and pressing the silver into them without allowing any refusal.
“From now on, we never have to worry about our family's debts again!”
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