The court oppressed the Han people, and local gangs ruled the area.
This was the current political situation in Mianshui County, and while all of Chen Jie's methods for making money could bring in a substantial fortune, if he dared to pursue them, he didn't need to guess; he was sure to be targeted by the gang forces.
After that, his fate would no longer be in his own hands.
Chen Jie understood the principle of bearing a jade invites peril—getting into business and making money required peace and stability, something this era sorely lacked. Becoming a merchant was akin to being a lamb in the hands of those in power.
Therefore, Chen Jie ruled out the option of going into business.
For the sake of long-term development, he should figure out a way to join a guild.
First, the guilds provided systematic martial arts training, and second, in this world, the typical channels for social ascension were blocked; only through joining a guild could he see a viable path.
As for becoming an official, are you one of the Mulan people? If not, what qualifies you to be an official?
However, guilds were not easy to join—you had to be recommended by someone, or else the guilds would not readily accept new members.
For example, there was Lu San.
Lu San had always wanted to join the fishery, an arm of the Fishing Guild in Xiantao Village, but despite doing so much for others, he still hadn't been recommended to join the guild.
It showed just how difficult it was to get in.
And Chen Jie himself had no connections at all. Who could recommend him to join the Fishing Guild?
The Fishing Guild wasn't an option; what about the Guild Cao?
That wasn't possible either; Guild Cao typically only recruited laborers who carried heavy loads on the docks, and Xiantao Village didn't have a dock for cargo transport. Even wanting to work as a laborer meant going to Lin Fengdu, near the county town.
But then what would become of his two sisters at home?
The villagers, especially Lu San's family, would devour them without him. He could only imagine how Qin, from Lu San's family, would retaliate if he left.
So, wanting to join a guild right now was impractical; he had to proceed step by step.
Besides that path, what other options were there?
Chen Jie rubbed at his temples—then the only option left was to find a job. Work as a long-term servant for a wealthy family? A bouncer for a gambling hall? Or a waiter in a restaurant?
None of these had prospects for growth!
"Sigh, just take it one step at a time."
Chen Jie decided to stop thinking about it. Where there's a will, there's a way.
"Gurgle, gurgle..."
While Chen Jie was lost in thought, he saw a little figure leaning over the stove, staring at the milky white fish soup bubbling in the pot, swallowing salivatingly.
Chen Jie smiled, looked at the rolling fish soup, took a bowl, scooped up half a spoonful, blew on it, and handed it to Daisy, "Try this for saltiness."
"Uh-huh."
Daisy nodded eagerly, then took the bowl and, not minding if it was too hot, gulped it down in one go.
Then, a look of delight appeared on her face.
"How is it, too salty or too bland?"
Chen Jie asked.
Daisy smacked her lips and said, "I drank it too fast to taste. Give me a bit more, brother-in-law."
Chen Jie, resigned, scooped a bit more, and she drank it again.
"How is it, too salty or too bland?"
Daisy said, "How about a bit more?"
At that, Chen Jie laughed, "Never mind, I don't need your help. You could drink the whole pot and still not be able to tell if it's too salty or not."
Daisy's face turned color when she was found out.
Chen Jie scooped a little for himself and took a small sip. Mmm, the saltiness was just right, but it lacked the seasonings of ginger and black pepper, making the taste somewhat off.
However, for the people of this era, it should be considered tasty.
Chen Jie found a large bowl, ladled in half a fish and some soup, and then said to Su Yunjin, "Yunjin."
Su Yunjin was at this time sweeping the house with a broom. Hearing him, she turned her head to look his way, and Chen Jie said, "I'm going to Uncle Erba's place. Heat up the leftover wild vegetable dumplings from lunch today. When I get back, we can start dinner."
Su Yunjin nodded and replied, "Mmm."
Although Chen Jie had changed a lot, Su Yunjin still had her guard up— or rather, it wasn't so much wariness as it was a discomfort with not knowing how to interact with him.
This was a process that would take time.
Chen Jie, carrying the fish soup, arrived at Uncle Erba's. On the way, he encountered several villagers who looked at him quite peculiarly, but greeted him warmly nonetheless.
Once Chen Jie had passed, these people began their discussions.
"Hey, did you know, just now Chen Jiusi broke Lu San's leg."
"How could I not? I saw Lu San's wife going to fetch Doctor Bai."
"Oh, so it must be true then. But wasn't Doctor Bai in Upper Peach Village before?"
"Man, you're out of the loop. Doctor Bai and the old Doctor Chen were from our village. They were equally matched back in the day, but during a bet on a tricky case, Old Doctor Chen won. After that, Doctor Bai stopped treating people in our village and went to Upper Peach Village."
"Old Doctor Chen has been dead for eight or nine years now, right? These past few years, our villagers have been seeking out Doctor Bai for medical treatment. Besides, his son-in-law is the manager of the fishery in Xiantao Village, right? They brought Doctor Bai back to the village and now he lives in the big tiled house to the east of the village."
"Oh, so that's how it happened!"
The villagers were abuzz with conversation, and though Chen Jie kept walking, his hearing had improved significantly ever since the Yang Chun Skill had allowed him to swallow the 'Primordial Qi'.
He caught most of what they were saying.
"Doctor Bai..."
Chen Jie muttered to himself, feeling as if he had heard the name before. Bai Wenjing, the 'Earth Doctor' who had been a match for his own grandfather. It was said that Doctor Bai used to be a resident physician sponsored by the Fishing Guild before returning to his hometown for some unknown reasons.
For a time, he competed with his grandfather for business; however, the two settled their competition through medicine, and Bai Wenjing, having lost, left Xiantao Village in disappointment.
Over the years, he continued to practice medicine. He had only one daughter who married one of his apprentices. Although the apprentice wasn't very talented in medicine, Bai Wenjing used his connections to get him a position with the Fishing Guild. After more than a decade, he worked his way up to become the manager of the Xiantao Village fishery.
"Bai Wenjing, the Fishery Manager."
Chen Jie murmured to himself and continued forward to deliver the fish soup to Uncle Erba's family.
Soon, he arrived at Chen Erba's place.
Uncle Erba was still weaving baskets. In this world, the rural folks only ate two meals a day; only the wealthy families could afford three.
Therefore, they didn't eat dinner in the evening.
Chen Jie stood at the gate and called out, "Uncle Erba."
Chen Xiaohu, who was helping his father weave baskets, immediately stood up and said, "Dad, it's Jiu Si."
Uncle Erba also set his basket down and stood up with the help of his cane.
Then, he saw Chen Jie push open the yard gate and come in.
"Jiu Si, brother," Xiao Hu greeted cheerfully, thinking that Jiu Si was quite impressive today.
Chen Jie said with a smile, "Hey, Hu Zi, Uncle Erba."
At that moment, Uncle Erba too came out. Chen Jie nodded, then handed over the fish soup and said, "The two fish that Lu San brought today, I made into a soup. I wanted to thank Uncle Erba for speaking up for me today. Please have a taste of this soup."
Today, Chen Jiusi acknowledged the kindness Uncle Erba had shown by attempting to mediate the dispute, even though the attempt had not been successful. That was why he brought the fish soup as a gesture of gratitude.