Bullies In The Ancient Times
At the end of November, the temperature in Jingzhao City dropped below zero. That fact was established when Xu Qian woke up one morning and saw the frozen layer of ice in the water jars out in the courtyard.
Dafeng’s imperial family was located prominently in the Central Plains of ancient China. The weather in Jingzhao City was akin to the temperate monsoon climate regions of modern-day China.
A winter without heating in these temperate regions would be a difficult affair.
‘It was common for people to freeze to death in the winters during this era. It’s simply fate’s doing,’ Xu Qian thought and sighed.
He lamented his weak grasp of mathematics and chemistry. In this primitive era, he could have contributed to mankind’s advancement and brought comfort to the common folk.
The sun was high in the sky. The teenage girl held hands with her five-year-old sister as they walked through the rowdy marketplace. Bright eyes flitted from left to right as the girls took in their surroundings with smiles on their faces.
The teenage girl was in a jade silk dress—flowers bloomed romantically across the sleeves.
The broad sleeves fluttering in the wind made Xu Lingyue look magical.
Women in traditional clothing rarely appeared in Xu Qian’s mind. The clothing of this era was more conserved than the traditional clothing he was familiar with.
A thought crossed his mind, ‘Perhaps I could earn money altering clothes. I’ll make them more attractive.’
Images of revealing clothing from the future—black pantyhose and garter belts—flashed through his mind.
‘Stop! I will be executed for this!’
The streets were littered with rumbling horse carts that carried loads of produce and supplies. Stalls were set up in rows while people crowded in every nook and corner. It was a classical depiction of a traditional marketplace.
The past month had changed Xu Lingyue’s opinion about her cousin. She no longer treated him like an outcast.
Previously, the host had a strong dislike for the siblings and aunt. Pleasant interactions were reserved for his uncle and the youngest sister.
Xu Lingyue’s calls of ‘big brother’ had been repeatedly ignored in the past. Therefore, she only nodded in greeting.
Their relationship had improved from then but the awkwardness was still present. Hand in hand with her younger sister, Xu Lingyue made sure to keep a distance from Xu Qian.
The little bean’s attention jumped from one thing to another but her impulsiveness was tamped down by her sister’s strong grip on her hand.
“Candied fruits, candied fruits!” Xu Lingyin pointed at one of the vendors and shouted.
“Your teeth are rotting,” said Xu Lingyue. She tugged her sister away from the vendor.
The Xu family was going through a tough period. They were hard-pressed for money in the past month so Xu Lingyue had no copper coins to spare for her sister.
Xu Qian trailed behind the sisters. He watched the elder sister walk with her head held high, full of youth and grace.
Xu Lingyue was at the cusp of adulthood. She did not possess a woman’s curves but her youthfulness—unique to girls of this age—was charming in its own way.
The little bean fought her sister’s grip and turned around. “Big brother!”
Xu Lingyue bit her lip—a frown was forming on her forehead.
“I don’t have any silver on me but give me a moment…” Xu Qian soothed the young girl. Suddenly, he felt something hard under his sole. He looked down and spotted a broken piece of silver.
He collected the broken fragment and examined it—it was money.
In the past month, the rate at which Xu Qian found silver maces was abnormally high.
Xu Lingyue’s eyes widened.
He found another piece of silver?
‘Yes. I can go to the playhouse today.’ Xu Qian had not visited the playhouse in two days because he ran out of money.
Happy with his find, Xu Qian went to the vendor and said, “Give me three candied fruits.”
A broad smile graced the vendor’s tan face as he served them. “There you go. That’ll be six copper coins.”
The silver fragment could not be broken down further so the vendor went to a nearby store to exchange it for some copper coins. He kept six copper coins for himself and the remaining 94 coins were tied up with a thread for Xu Qian.
Dafeng’s monetary system was as follows: one silver tael could be broken into eight maces or 1,000 copper coins. Gold was a luxury item that existed outside the official monetary system. Most common folk lived their whole life without encountering gold.
Xu Qian took the copper change and the candied fruits. He bit down on one stick and gave the others to his sisters.
Xu Lingyue politely received the snack and said, “Thank you, brother.”
She bit down on the candied fruits and savored the sweetness in her mouth. Her eyes crinkled in happiness—a sight that would melt any boy’s heart.
Xu Qian nodded and looked at the youngest girl. She was also chomping down on her candied fruits.
“Brother! Is yours sweet?” Xu Lingyin mumbled with her cheeks stuffed.
“You want to have a taste?” Xu Qian had an inkling of his sister’s plan.
“You read my mind.” Xu Lingyin was surprised her brother knew what she wanted.
Xu Qian let out a huff and said, “Eating too much candy will give you cavities in your teeth.”
“What are cavities?” the little bean asked out of curiosity.
After a moment’s thought, Xu Qian said, “Worms that are plump, white and slithery.”
He glanced at Xu Lingyin and found her licking her lips and swallowing her saliva.
Defeated… Xu Qian folded his hands and presented her his stick of candied fruits.
Xu Qian followed his sisters through the busy streets of Jingzhao City—his mind too occupied to appreciate the sights passing by.
‘I found another piece of silver. The probability is uncanny.’
As a police academy graduate, he did not believe in coincidence and luck.
‘Is it related to the cross over?’
Before he came to this world, Xu Qian did not remember touching any ancient artifact or being cursed by a mysterious old man.
‘Do I have the golden touch? A silver mace a day, just enough to pay for a visit to the playhouse. Is this fate telling me to spend my days in the playhouse?
‘I should focus on my martial arts training. For now, the extra money is beneficial and I haven’t noticed any downsides.
‘I’ll observe if there are any changes when I enter the Qi rank. Thus far, I haven’t witnessed the peak of this world’s martial arts. Perhaps when I’m stronger, I’ll be able to uncover the meaning behind my luck.’
Xu Qian remained cautious of the unexplainable luck. If there was a System in place, he would be less wary.
…
Along the street, there was a third-grade pleasure house called Guiyue Tower.
Xu Qian had extensive knowledge of pleasure houses thanks to Constable Wang. He was also educated and enlightened by his peers.
The naming convention of the pleasure houses indicated their grades. The first- and second-grade pleasure houses were called courts, houses, or plazas.
The third- and fourth-grade pleasure houses were called rooms, towers, and parlors.
It was not yet noon but the ladies of Guiye Tower were already working. Several ladies in red and green were perched on the second-floor balcony, smiling and waving at the passersby.
One of the ladies in silk waved her colorful handkerchief and called out sultrily, “Dear sir, come join us for a drink.”
Entering a third-grade pleasure house required an entrance fee of two silver maces to cover for drinks. The cheapest lay ranged between five to six silver maces while the better ones cost one to two silver taels. Xu Qian felt his pockets and confirmed he was too poor for the pleasure house.
He only had a few silver taels to his name. Staring at the beautiful women on the second floor, he brandished a poem. “Green-robed and young, I rode my horse gallantly across the bridge as the red handkerchiefs danced from the towers above.”
He was depicting every man’s dream.
Xu Lingyue said impassively, “Brother, you should use your talents appropriately.”
She recited the poem in her mind and mentally sighed. Perhaps her father was right, her eldest brother was the scholar of the family.
A childish voice said, “Brother, the girls are so pretty.”
Xu Qian replied, “They have to dress well for work.”
“What work?”
“They sell newspapers.”
“What?” Xu Lingyin’s eyes glimmered with curiosity. She stared up at the women on the second floor, unwilling to leave.
“Brother!” Xu Lingyue shrieked. She was upset that her brother was discussing such immoral things with their youngest sister.
Xu Qian gave her a look. ‘What are you mad about? Did you get my humor?’
The group moved on from the pleasure house but was stuck at a meatball shop down the road. Xu Lingyin was rooted on the spot, drunk on the delicious smell of meat.
Xu Lingyue glanced at the shop as saliva filled her mouth. After the missing tax money incident, the Xu family could only afford fish and meat once every three days.
Her appetite had grown as she was going through a growth spurt—she especially craved for meat.
“Wait here, I’ll buy some for both of you.”
The shop was small but business was good. Xu Qian squeezed through the crowd while the sisters waited on the side.
“Big brother is a nice person,” Xu Lingyin said after gulping down a mouthful of saliva. She turned to look at her sister.
Xu Lingyue was staring at Xu Qian, a hint of a smile tugged at her lips.
Soon, Xu Qian was holding three portions of fish balls and meatballs neatly wrapped in greaseproof paper. When he turned around, he saw five followers of a nobleman gathered around Xu Lingyue. There was no physical contact but it seemed like they were taunting her.
The 16-year-old girl looked like a startled deer. She tried to get away but could not break through the circle of men.
She was on the brink of breaking down—terror plastered on her face.
The men laughed at her misery.
A short distance away, a young nobleman in an embroidered robe sat above his horse—he watched the scene attentively.
Wanting to save her bullied sister, Xu Lingyin ran toward the nobleman. Her assault was a loud, unrestrained shriek.
“A nuisance.” The nobleman raised the horsewhip but thought twice. A cruel glint appeared in his eyes as he tugged on the reins, causing the horse to rear up on its hind legs. The horse was about to crush Xu Lingyin.
Xu Lingyue let out an ear-shattering scream.