Chapter Eighteen: A Probe

  "Listen up, kiddo. Since we came into this world, we don't have the right to cry anymore. We have nothing but each other, and not only do we need to live on strongly, but also better than most people. We can't bring shame to our world."

  It's just the beginning, and we'll encounter many more unfortunate events later on, so many that we can't even imagine. You were right before, once we get to the city, our lives will be ten times, a hundred times better than they are now. But we can't escape, escaping is cheating. As someone who was born into a teacher's family, I hate nothing more than cheating. Since fate has given us another chance, let's start again. A hard life doesn't necessarily mean a painful one, it might even be a wealthy one.

  Yun Er lifted her tear-stained face and shouted at Yun Zheng: "Can't you speak like a human being? At this time, you still want to deceive me? You almost died today!"

  Yun Zheng sat down helplessly, looking straight into Yun Er's eyes and said seriously: "Sorry, I'm used to talking like that, bear with me a bit. We have no choice but to end up like this, without any official titles, if we run away, we'll become fugitives. I used to think that the Song Dynasty was a commercial society where everyone was free, but now I realize it's not that simple."

  Unless we are robbers, there is no such good thing. Tonight I met a leopard, and I chopped a hatchet on its head. Although it didn't take two minutes from start to finish, the danger in between is absolutely not enough to tell outsiders.

  But just now there was one sentence I didn't deceive you, that's for sure our two brothers must live a carefree life. In my previous life, I even married an ugly old woman and was despised by others. This time, I plan to marry a beauty back home. If she has a bad temper and can't manage the household, we don't want her either.

  "We've thought about this kind of life, and the only way to achieve it is through imperial examination. Otherwise, even if we brothers were wealthy, we would still be treated like pigs for slaughter. This won't do, we must somehow get into the ranks of officials. Only by entering the scholar-official class can we have a good life, and not waste our trip to Song Dynasty."

  "Does your back still hurt?"

  "Nonsense, how can it not hurt? I'm made of flesh and blood, not wood. Hurry up and wipe the blood clean for me, let's take a look at how serious the injury is." Yun Zheng gently patted Yun Er's little head, then undid his clothes to examine his back.

  "I thought you weren't hurt, and still had the energy to cook and eat. Fortunately, it's just a superficial wound, not deep, and the bleeding has stopped. This kind of injury will heal in five or six days." Yun Er wiped away the bloodstains on Yun Da's back with a clean damp towel, while continuously teasing him.

  The moon had already risen to the top of his head, and he saw Yun Er sleeping very sweetly. He himself also let out a yawn, and snuggled into the quilt. The quilt was warm and cozy, and sleepiness came flooding in like a tide, completely submerging him.

  He was used to getting up at dawn, but yesterday evening was still sunny, how did it start raining this morning? The clouds were not ordinary, and he was worried. Today, he had to go to the construction site to distribute soil to the laborers, which was what he promised Liu Duotou yesterday, and he couldn't back down. Just thinking about working in the cold wind and rain made him very reluctant to leave home.

  Cang Er has already left home, and the workload on the construction site is not tight these days, so laborers can also return home. As long as they work for another 15 days, they will be able to go back home, and their labor contract will be considered fulfilled.

  Yun Zheng finally knew why these people had labor to do every year. A group of foolish soldiers were modifying their city defenses according to their own foolish ideas. It was said that the imperial court issued a formation chart every year, and they were doing it according to the formation method. The nearby mountains had already been dug with thousands of holes, and in the spring and summer, a mudslide would destroy all the efforts of the previous year in an instant.

  Yun Zhen can responsibly say that this year, except for the fortress on the mountain, other places will have to be dug again next year. Because some places are already collapsing now.

  The Cang Er family has an ox cart, which is also considered a strong labor force. This strong laborer must be paid wages. The old patriarch's family originally only needed to send the ox cart up to fulfill their labor obligations, but the old patriarch couldn't bear to part with the 20 cents of daily wages, so his sturdy son had to go to the construction site to dig mud.

  Yun Cong sat on the ox cart, continuing to stare blankly. Cang Er didn't want to sit on the ox cart, so he ran barefoot on the ground. When they passed by a large bluestone, Yun Cong casually glanced over and saw that three birds were carved on it. Next to them was a small piece of tattered cloth pressed down by another stone. Needless to say, Lai Ba and the others had hunted three wild chickens and planned to have Yun Cong exchange them for hemp cloth. Seeing that one of the birds' tails was drawn particularly long, Yun Cong's face suddenly lit up - they had actually caught a golden pheasant, whose feathers were worth more than meat.

  In the bean paste alley, there are merchants who specialize in collecting feathers. It is said that beautiful feathers are very popular in Tokyo's Bianliang City. Some brothels use bird feathers to make colorful clothes and plan to restore Yang Yuhuan's "Rainbow Feather Dance" for performance at the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration.

  This is just a rumor that Yun Zhen heard when he sold wild chickens a few times, and it's not clear whether it's true or false. However, the fact that the feathers of golden pheasants are very expensive is indeed true.

  Liu Dutou mysteriously pulled Yun Zheng to one side on the construction site, raising an eyebrow and saying: "Young man, you're in luck, do you know Yu Fu Xuan?"

  "Do you know, those who sell jewelry and gold and silver ornaments, clearly, what relationship do we have with them?" Yun Zheng was very puzzled, this was a big business, their family's ornaments were not actually sold to local people, but were transported through horse teams to the Dali Kingdom, sold to the Dali people, and were well-known merchants in Chengdu Prefecture.

  "Yu Fu Xuan's shopkeeper at Dou Sha Guan has taken a liking to you, he wants to recruit you as his son-in-law, and the matchmaker is none other than Old Master Zhang. The Tian family in our Dou Sha Guan is one of the wealthiest families, if you change your surname to Tian, you'll be set, you can immediately go to Yu Fu Xuan as a business partner, after a few years when you get married, who knows, maybe you'll become the shopkeeper of Yu Fu Xuan at Dou Sha Guan. What a great opportunity! As long as you change your surname, your younger brother can still inherit your family's ancestral line, this way all your troubles will be gone."

  Yun Zheng looked at Liu Doutou, who was speaking with flying spittle, and didn't make a sound. Liu Doutou felt uneasy all over his body, and his smile slowly disappeared. He let out a sigh and said: "I knew you wouldn't agree. We haven't known each other for long, but you're definitely a man of integrity. This matter might be good for others, but it's probably an insult to you. The old master asked me to come talk to you about this. If you agree to this marriage, we won't mention what happened later. But since you didn't even ask whether Tian's daughter is ugly or beautiful, I'll just say the rest directly."

  Your matter has been settled, the person from Lianbao has been found, and the Xiucai who recommended you to take the test has also been found. It's just Old Master Liu himself. However, Old Master Liu wants to test your learning first. The date is set for after the labor service ends. How about it? I, Old Liu, am still quite reliable in handling things, right?"

  "It's a good thing you said the rest, otherwise I would have lost face in front of our ancestors and I wouldn't have considered you, Old Liu, as a friend anymore." Yun Zheng was very satisfied after hearing Liu Dou's words.