Returning home, Liang Qu poured out all the silver he had managed to scrabble together, a total of nine taels and three qian, plus one hundred twenty-seven copper coins on his person—this constituted his entire current wealth.
The clinking of small silver pieces rolling on the hard wooden bed, producing a rattling sound, grew increasingly intoxicating to hear.
Having been in this world for twenty-six days, nearly a month, he had finally saved enough money to learn martial arts and catch a glimpse of the world's most mysterious corners.
It was not easy, not easy at all.
Liang Qu continuously flipped the small silver pieces, gazing at their tempting bright lustre; for a moment, he felt a kinship with the miserly Grandet.
But spending money now was with the purpose of earning more money later and leading a better life.
Liang Qu took a deep breath, picked out seven taels of the silver pieces, and placed them into the small purse that Martial Artist Hu had given him, carefully tucking it into his chest.
Yixing City was considered a big market—not just inhabited by the likes of Scabby Zhang the thug. Within a few thousand people, there were always some rotten scum oozing with bad intentions.
But now he was no longer an orphan struggling to survive; people would have some considerations.
The remaining two taels and three qian of silver along with one hundred twenty-seven copper coins were buried beneath the rice container's earth, set aside for the autumn taxes.
Dashun had already implemented a system of 'apportioning adults to land' and the 'single whip method' of taxation which was straightforward, involving just one type of tax. However, in essence, the amount had not decreased at all; it was simply consolidated, and the money had to be prepared. Otherwise, failing to pay taxes could result in forced labor, which would be a loss far outweighing any potential gains.
Once he had paid the tax and joined the Martial Arts School, his finances would be much relieved. First, he would buy a mattress because the hard wooden bed was downright uncomfortable to sleep on. Then, saving up a few taels of silver to repay Uncle Chen would make life much better.
With his heart pounding with excitement, Liang Qu finally fell asleep in the latter half of the night.
The next morning, with dark circles under his eyes, Liang Qu met up with Li Libo, who sported similar signs of exhaustion.
Their eyes met, and they both laughed heartily.
"What time did you go to bed last night?"
"Around 11 p.m., how about you?"
"2 A.M."
Liang Qu mocked, "No wonder your dark circles are worse than mine."
Li Libo snorted coldly, looked around, and whispered, "Did you bring all the money?"
"Yeah."
Liang Qu nodded. He came out early that morning, eager to get to the Martial Arts School to pay the fee, to avoid any unnecessary complications and prevent others from getting any unwarranted ideas.
Once the fee was paid, even the boldest hooligans wouldn't dare approach martial masters to demand money.
As for Li Libo, today wasn't actually the day he had planned to become an apprentice, but seeing Liang Qu in such a hurry, he decided to go ahead, thinking it was better to have company. His father had also expressed his approval.
Following the road, the two set off together to the entrance of Yixing City, spending ten cents on a board cart to head to the neighboring Pingyang Town.
The road, though not perfectly smooth, was lined with lush trees. It was indeed a pleasant and sunny day, but Liang Qu estimated that few would dare travel such a road by night, and at the same time, he felt a tinge of anticipation about the imminent arrival in Pingyang Town.
The Liang Qu from his memories and Chen Qingjiang alike, in order to sell fish for a higher price, followed their father for more than ten li, carrying the fish baskets to Pingyang Town to sell fish.
It was a sight completely different from Yixing City.
"Roasted chestnuts, fresh roasted chestnuts! Fresh out of the oven, fragrant and soft, sweet and delicious."
"Sheep blood soup, fresh sheep blood soup."
"Osmanthus buns, steaming hot osmanthus buns."
The calls of vendors filled the long street. Like in Yixing City, it was paved with blue stone slabs, but it was much wider here, even the side paths were laid with stones instead of being just mud roads.
The long street was lined with shops, their upturned eaves connected to one another. To attract business, various eating houses extended colored canopies outside their storefronts.
"Guest, why not take two? They smell heavenly."
"Give me two."
Liang Qu tossed over a copper coin and received two osmanthus buns, tossing one to Li Libo.
"Sss, hot, hot, hot." Li Libo juggled them between his hands before taking a bite, relishing the burst of fresh fragrance.
Liang Qu had tried osmanthus cake before but never osmanthus buns, and upon biting into one, he found it was not as delicious as he had imagined; the gap was too wide compared to modern industrial products.
The bustle of Pingyang Town exceeded expectations, with swarms of pedestrians, nearly comparable to the bustling city depicted in 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival', suggesting that this world's productivity might be more advanced than he had thought. What might the capital of Dashun look like?
Lost in thought, Liang Qu found himself at the gates of the Yang Family Martial Arts School, the place he'd been yearning for, thanks to Li Libo's guidance.
The school had no fancy carved beams or painted rafters but was a spacious place on the edge of Pingyang Town, backing onto a cedar forest, with a stone wall around the yard. There was a regular flow of people coming in and out, perhaps to some lodgings worth ten taels of silver.
At the entrance of the Martial Arts School, there was a long table where a young man sat. Upon seeing visitors, he stood up and greeted them, "My name's Xiang Changsong. You two are new here; may I know your business? Are you here to learn martial arts or to visit friends?"
Li Libo, being older, stepped forward and performed a fist-and-palm salute, "Hello, we've come to learn martial arts."
"Are you aware of the costs for learning martial arts?"
"We know a bit, seven taels, right?"
"Correct, seven silver taels excluding food and lodging, ten including lodging, and twenty for lodging with medicinal baths, the meals priced separately. Fifty taels cover food, lodging, and herbal baths. The lessons last only three months, though. Of course, the teaching is the same for all – what you learn depends entirely on you."
"Should you fail to break through the 'Skin pass', the first of the four stages—skin, flesh, bone, blood—after three months, you must pay tuition again if you wish to stay on."
Liang Qu was astounded at the prices; fifty taels for an advanced medicinal bath meant catching ten Bull Horn Pomfrets. It was a sum ordinary people couldn't save in a lifetime.
He wasn't surprised by the concept of a term limit; those without talent couldn't be allowed to occupy a spot indefinitely.
Impressively, the Yang Family Martial Arts School had everything well organized, even a professional greeter at the door who was friendly and didn't show the slightest aversion to the fishy smell on the visitors. This was quite unlike the arrogance and face-slapping commonly described in novels.
Li Libo nodded repeatedly, "We understand, we'll take the seven-tael option."
Xiang Changsong showed no disdain and pointed to the long table where he had been sitting, "If that is the case, please come here to register. State your names, ages, and places of origin, and then pay your dues."
The two men approached, relayed their information, and Xiang Changsong read it back to them after writing it down.
The written language in this world was pictographic and, surprisingly, almost the same as in Liang Qu's former life. Liang Qu was initially taken aback, but he soon grew accustomed to it and had not yet revealed his ability to read. He simply nodded along with Li Libo to confirm the details.
Once everything was verified, Xiang Changsong led them into the Martial Arts School, through a corridor, to the payment area, handing over the just-filled sheet of paper with their information on it.
After verifying the silver coins, Xiang Changsong handed each of them a wooden token.
The whole process of becoming a disciple was smooth and efficient, signifying that the Martial Arts School had clearly onboarded many apprentices before.
Liang Qu examined his wooden token, which was simple, just his name and the date he joined inscribed on it. The token would become void once the three months were up.
There didn't seem to be an overwhelming number of people at the Yang Family Martial Arts School; students were probably recognized mainly by face, with no need for any anti-fraud measures.
"Congratulations to you both. From today on, you are disciples of the Yang Family Martial Arts School. You may address me as Senior Brother Xiang."
"Senior Brother Xiang!" *2
Xiang Changsong smiled, "I'll give you both a tour, help you get acquainted with the surroundings, and briefly introduce you to some martial arts knowledge so that you can have a better understanding of the path of martial arts."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Xiang."
Liang Qu's spirits lifted; finally, the moment he had been eagerly anticipating had arrived. He hadn't come all this way to miss out on these essential insights.