The autumn air was crisp and refreshing, the weather pleasant and sunny.Jiang Yunzhou was located in the southern part of Da Wei, with a warm climate compared to other provinces.Even as winter approached, many pedestrians still wore short sleeves and shorts on the streets.
In the afternoon, the streets of Songyi City were bustling with pedestrians.Baiwei Street was one of the busiest areas in Songyi City.
Here, one could find delicacies from various provinces of Da Wei, boasting that one could taste a hundred flavors of the world.
Hence, it was called Baiwei Street."Excellent!""Wonderful!"There were enthusiastic applause erupting from the Bidan Teahouse.
On the stage, a young scholar spoke eloquently."The night was deep, and all was silent. Ning Caichen was just about to fall asleep when he felt someone enter his room. He quickly sat up and saw that the visitor was none other than the beautiful girl from the household in the north courtyard, vaguely recalling her name as Xiaoxian. Ning Caichen was surprised and said, 'Miss, what brings you to my humble abode?' Xiaoxian smiled charmingly..."."..."Clap!
With a decisive clap, the scholar concluded today's performance: "To know what happens next, stay tuned for the next installment!"
"Ah!" "That's it?"
"No way, it just got interesting!"
"Young sir, give us a little more, it's still early!"
In the teahouse, the guests clamored for more.
Behind the storytelling stage stood a sixteen or seventeen-year-old young scholar.
His facial features were decent, albeit slightly dark, and he appeared somewhat slender.
Dressed in a green robe typical of scholars, he exuded an air of scholarly spirit.
"No more for today, my throat can't take it anymore."
Lin Zheyu waved his hand.
His voice was a bit hoarse after speaking for over an hour; his throat couldn't bear it anymore.
"What a predicament, I won't be able to sleep tonight."
"Young sir, how could you stop here?"
...
Amidst the reluctant calls of the guests, the young man bowed and stepped down from the stage.
"Young sir is truly talented to be able to write such intriguing stories. Even someone like me, at my age, can't help but admire," remarked the manager of the teahouse.
The manager, named Wu Yinghe, was a wealthy middle-aged man who always wore a smiling face.
"Your praise is too kind; I'm just trying to make a living," Lin Zheyu replied, accepting the silver coins handed over by the manager.
"This one hundred and thirty-eight wen is the reward from the guests, and this one hundred wen is your wage for today."
"Seeing how hard you worked, I've increased your pay a bit," Manager Wu Yinghe said with a smile.
About a dozen days ago, Lin Zheyu volunteered to tell stories and insisted on not taking any money.
Initially, Manager Wu Yinghe was hesitant.
After all, Lin Zheyu was too young and lacked experience; he didn't seem like someone who could tell good stories.
However, being a kind-hearted person, he let Lin Zheyu give it a try, thinking that he wouldn't pay him if he wasn't any good.
Unexpectedly, although the young man's storytelling skills were mediocre, his stories were unexpectedly fascinating.
Since Lin Zheyu started storytelling here, more and more tea customers came out of curiosity.
The business of the teahouse became increasingly prosperous.
"Thank you, Manager," Lin Zheyu expressed his gratitude.
Leaving the teahouse, he walked along Baiwei Street.
On both sides of the street were a variety of delicacies, emitting fragrances that aroused Lin Zheyu's appetite.
Having been in this world for over a month, he had already adapted to life here.
Recalling the miserable days when he first arrived in this world, Lin Zheyu still shuddered.
The city where his predecessor lived was invaded by marauding soldiers, and their family, being wealthy merchants in Jiunan City, had moved out ahead of time upon receiving the news.
However, they still couldn't escape misfortune.
On their way to the Central Plains, they encountered bandits, and his predecessor's parents and relatives were separated.
After many days of wandering, mingling among refugees, they arrived in Songyi City.
Not long after arriving in Songyi City, his predecessor couldn't hold on any longer, and Lin Zheyu took over his body.
When he first arrived, Lin Zheyu was covered in dirt, bark, and weeds, feeling uncomfortable for several days without being able to relieve himself.
It wasn't until one day when he drank dirty water and got diarrhea that he felt a bit better.
But he almost lost his life because of it.
"I have to thank Miss Ren Qingying from the Ren Family. Without the porridge she gave me, I'm afraid I wouldn't have survived after being reborn," Lin Zheyu sighed.
The Ren family was a well-known family in Songyi City, and Ren Qingying, beautiful and kind-hearted, was considered a living bodhisattva by many refugees.
If it weren't for their repeated efforts to cook porridge for the refugees outside the city, Lin Zheyu wouldn't have made it.
"So delicious!"
Walking on the street, Lin Zheyu sniffed and heard his stomach rumbling.
He reached into his pocket, resisting the urge to buy something.
He had just saved some money; he couldn't spend it recklessly.
In this world, besides storytelling, Lin Zheyu couldn't find a good way to make money.
Originally, he had ambitions to rely on his past life's thinking and knowledge to make a name for himself in this world.
But soon, the harsh reality woke him up from his dreams.
After several attempts, Lin Zheyu found out that he didn't know anything.
Fortunately, he liked listening to stories told by old Guo in his past life, and he learned some basic storytelling skills through osmosis.
In the end, relying on the stories from his past life, he managed to get a job as a storyteller.
His storytelling skills were mediocre, but his facial expressions and emotional expressions were excellent, and his stories were fascinating.
Overall, he did a decent job and earned a living.
"Now that I've saved a bit of money, I wonder if it's enough to learn martial arts."
"This world is too chaotic. Without any family and relatives around, it's easy to be bullied."
Lin Zheyu tightened his grip on the silver coins in his pocket.
He had been robbed several times.
Being alone without family support, he had suffered a lot since coming to this world.
Even reporting to the authorities was of no use. The prefectural government was busy with many affairs, and they didn't bother with trivial matters like Lin Zheyu's.
Fortunately, in this chaotic world, he had something to rely on.
Lin Zheyu looked at the data in his mind, something that had existed since he came to this world.
[Talent Rewards Effort]
Name: Lin Zheyu
Source Force: 1
Skills: None
This appeared in his mind after he came to this world.
As long as Lin Zheyu worked hard and pushed his body to the limit during exercise. As long as Lin Zheyu works hard enough, and surpasses his physical limits, he can gain 1 unit of Source Power.
With Source Power, he can enhance his skills.
He tried it a few days ago. After that breakthrough, his whole body was sore for a week before recovering.
"Ordinary exercise movements can't be considered skills. I wonder if martial arts in this world count."
Lin Zheyu thought to himself.
The martial strength in this world was formidable.
Before Jiunan City was attacked by rebel forces, his predecessor's family had many martial artists, and those with strong abilities could easily take on ten opponents alone.
Unfortunately, his predecessor was a weak scholar who only wanted to pass the imperial examination and had not learned any martial arts.
Passing through Hundred Flavors Street.
After traveling a few more miles, passing through the square, turning through the streets and alleys, he arrived at the rundown Baishan District.
This area was far from the core area of Songyi City, belonging to the outer city, where only the poor lived.
As Lin Zheyu was new here and didn't have enough silver coins, he could only rent a small house here temporarily.
Fortunately, storytelling was gradually improving, and he had saved up quite a few silver coins. It was time to move to the city to live.
"Such a foul smell."
Lin Zheyu pinched his nose, unable to bear the stench of the Baishan District.
The odors of sweat, urine, feces, and fermenting garbage mixed together, brewing a nauseating and unbearable smell.