Chapter 104: Lesson 99

With a splash, Zhang Rongfang poured the bathwater from the bucket into the gutter at the courtyard entrance.

Foamy water from the public bath next door trickled down the gutter as well.

He turned his head and glanced; those two kids were sitting in front of the bathhouse washing buckets again.

“Tangyuan for sale~~ pork filling with scallions, gold osmanthus with bean paste, shrimp stir-fried with scallops~~~”

The old man carrying the baskets slowly turned the corner along the street.

Steam rose from the edge of the jars in the basket, and even with a thick cloth wrapped around, a faint aroma of glutinous rice flour wafted out.

“Two pounds, sir.” Zhang Rongfang put down the bucket, touched the silver coins on him, and stopped the man.

“Get up late today, Zhang?”

The tangyuan vendor passed through this street every day and was occasionally patronized by Zhang Rongfang.

He had a fondness for this young man who was gentle with everyone he spoke to.

“Practiced a bit late last night,” Zhang Rongfang replied casually. “By the way, sir, where in this city can I find old books and oddities? I mostly wander nearby with the team, not familiar with other places.”

“Old books? Oddities?” The old man thought for a moment, “You should be able to find them over at Yanliu Lane. That place is full of those things.”

“Yanliu Lane? Alright, thank you.” Zhang Rongfang paid, took the tangyuan back to the courtyard, and returned with the bath bucket.

After tidying up a bit, he changed clothes and headed straight for Yanliu Lane.

He had passed by the place before but never went in.

Crossing about half of the city, he found this somewhat hidden alleyway in another district.

Outside the alley stood a large wooden pole called a “wangzai”.

A “wangzai” is a long wooden stick with a piece of cloth hung at the top, bearing various signs and advertisements.

At this time, the wangzai had inscribed: Major tobacco and alcohol outlet, authentic and certified, Tan Yang old brand, Liu’s.

These phrases were scattered, surrounding a round copper coin pattern.

Zhang Rongfang looked it over several times; it was quite rare to see such a modern-style advertisement here.

At the alley entrance, donkey carts carrying goods kept going in and out.

Two bare-chested, dark-skinned men stood aside, smoking dry tobacco and chatting.

Zhang Rongfang straightened his clothes and walked into the alley.

As soon as he entered, on the left side of the alley entrance was a small shop.

The shop had no sign, no notice, and no wangzai plaque.

Only a pink silk scarf hung by a bamboo pole at the entrance.

The shop’s door was half open, and inside a woman in a high-slit pink dress lazily leaned against a bed, gazing outside.

When she saw Zhang Rongfang looking over, she immediately revealed a seductive smile and waved at him.

“Jade, if not carved, can’t become a vessel. People, if not educated, don’t know righteousness.

Be a good child, at a young age. Respect teachers and friends, learn manners…”

A faint chant of children’s educational recitations came from deeper within the alley.

Zhang Rongfang withdrew his gaze and followed the sound inward.

Unmarked brothels densely lined both sides of this alley.

And between these brothels, one could occasionally hear the recitations from simple residences.

Soon, he finally found the shop the old man had mentioned.

A piece of well-washed triangular cloth hung outside the door with a bamboo pole, inscribed with: Book Mountain Has a Path.

The shop’s entrance was only wide enough for one person, truly resembling a small path.

“Mother~~”

Suddenly, a little girl with pigtails ran out from the shop, holding a slightly worn pale yellow book with a cover of the “Three-Character Classic”, and dashed into a nearby brothel.

“Mother, can I buy another book?”

From inside the brothel, a blue-dressed woman with an annoyed expression hurriedly came out and swiftly closed the door.

“I told you not to come in when I’m doing business! Why don’t you listen, you little brat? Don’t call me during the day, don’t let your classmates hear…”

The voice gradually lowered.

“But you’re my real mom, aren’t you? If others say otherwise, I’ll hit them!”

“Hit, hit, hit, who the hell do you think you can beat? If you hurt someone, you’ll have to apologize and pay up….”

The mother and child’s voices gradually faded.

Zhang Rongfang sighed lightly in his heart and stepped into the small shop named “Book Mountain Has a Path”.

The shop was dimly lit, just a long rectangular passageway.

The walls on both sides had rows of long narrow grids, each containing books.

The books looked quite worn, with their titles thickened with neat ink.

“Three-Character Classic,” “Prosody Primer,” “The Classic of Filial Piety,” “Erya”….

Each book was a neatly arranged Confucian classic.

Looking at these familiar classics, Zhang Rongfang suddenly felt as if he had returned to his previous life.

Many places in the Great Spirit were similar to the ancient world of his past life; sometimes he suspected this world might be an alternate branch of history.

Passing row after row of books, he reached a small stool with a patina-like appearance at the far end, where an old man with glasses sat.

The old man wore a dusty gray robe, with a jade pendant woven from string hanging from his waist.

From afar, it almost looked like real jade.

“Old shopkeeper?” Zhang Rongfang asked softly.

The old man didn’t speak, merely gestured toward a bookshelf, indicating for him to browse.

Zhang Rongfang nodded, turned, and began searching bit by bit along the wall.

This time, he learned from previous experience and activated the attribute panel in the blink of an eye.

The previous situation with the Chasing Moon Saber made him realize this world might not be as simple as he had thought.

The attribute panel is not only for observing oneself, but also for observing external objects.

Books on the wall were being scanned continuously.

However, the situation like last time with the Chasing Moon Saber did not happen again.

Zhang Rongfang quickly scanned the books on both walls, but none of them triggered a reaction from the attribute panel.

“Shopkeeper, do you have any other old items here?” Zhang Rongfang recalled that the item inside the Chasing Moon Saber seemed to be a component.

The old man adjusted his glasses and scrutinized Zhang Rongfang.

“Go a bit further inside, there are a few shops there selling Western trinkets. But there’s a lot of fakes.”

“Thank you.” Zhang Rongfang nodded and clasped his hands together.

He turned and started walking out, but suddenly stopped halfway.

“Sir, may I ask you a question?”

“What question?” The old man looked at him with confusion.

Zhang Rongfang paused in silence.

“Do you think people are living well in the current Great Spirit?”

In the Great Spirit, there is freedom of religion and speech, and there are many discussions about the current dynasty. As long as there is no disturbance, there are no restrictions in this area.

Therefore, his question wasn’t considered sensitive.

The old shopkeeper thought for a moment.

“Young man, you think we’re here living in hardship, right?” He laughed.

“Aren’t you?” Zhang Rongfang countered.

The old shopkeeper stood up and shook his head slowly.

“Actually, the current Spirit Emperor, although he categorized us scholars as a lower class, he hasn’t troubled us much.”

“Do you know why?” He looked at Zhang Rongfang.

“Why?”

“Because we are scholars,” the old man smiled, “and that’s all we are: scholars.”

He took a book from the shelf and gently rubbed the words on the cover. The book bore the title: Lingyue History.

“You see, many people misunderstand us, seeing many scholars impoverished and assume the Spirit Court persecutes us. But it’s not true.”

He spoke with robust energy and appeared to be in a good mood.

“Apart from abolishing the imperial examinations, the Spirit Court hasn’t restricted the scholars. Many of us still have land and property. Despite paying heavy taxes, many still live without worrying about food and clothing.”

“Aside from a few scholars born into poverty and having to write plays and sell songs, many scholars wear a Daoist or Buddhist guise, traveling and enjoying life.”

Zhang Rongfang looked at him in slight surprise, unsure if these words were sincere or sarcastic.

“Don’t look at me like that. Even without the imperial exams, we scholars are still learned men, the most sought-after teachers by all great families.” The old man chuckled.

“So, apart from not being able to hold office, we lack nothing. Life is quite enjoyable now.”

He concluded.

“We need no pity, just temporarily in a downturn.”

Seeing Zhang Rongfang’s astonishment, the old man continued.

“Actually, in today’s world, despite frequent military service, the common people’s lives are bearable. Take Tan Yang City, have you heard of anyone starving or freezing to death?”

Zhang Rongfang was taken aback and shook his head slightly.

“No.”

“Exactly.” The old man laughed, “Great Spirit values craftsmanship and agriculture, often revising farming books and improving cultivation techniques, resulting in significant agricultural yield increases. Textile production has also doubled in efficiency with better tools.”

“With maritime trade opening, blue and white porcelain, glass paintings, tea, and wine are exported, bringing in massive resources of silver coins. People are indeed living more comfortably.”

Zhang Rongfang was speechless.

On reflection, despite the numerous military services and uprisings by the Spirit Court, none managed to gain momentum.

During his two years here, he rarely heard of people starving or freezing to death.

And in military service, upon reflection, not many people died… Many families had members who returned after their service.

It’s said that the Spirit Court’s army often forcibly recruited conquered peoples as first-line cannon fodder.

They were used to deplete enemy forces by attacking first, then sent the main army when the enemy was exhausted.

Coupled with the Spirit Court’s formidable elite forces and advanced war machines, casualties were indeed low.

“As long as the common folk have food and clothing, they’ll behave,” the old man sighed. “The current court… is the strongest in the world, surveying the four directions. No nation dares to close off its borders, as the great army will sweep through everything, forcing open the borders.

Whether through trade or conquest, they forge our peace and prosperity with the blood and flesh of all races. Such a grand enterprise… it’s a pity… such a pity…”

He didn’t continue, only revealing a sense of regret in his gaze.

Zhang Rongfang didn’t inquire further. He realized this was the old man’s genuine thoughts.

He clasped his hands, turning silently to leave.

Leaving the book-filled shop, he followed the old man’s directions, heading deeper into the alleyway.

Soon, the brothels on both sides became sparse.

A shop called the Oddity Shop appeared before him.

The shop’s signboard was old, and the main door was half-open.

A curly-haired old man with blond hair and blue eyes was fawningly speaking to a few officials who were inspecting the shop.

Soon, he discreetly handed over a roll of banknotes from his sleeve, pleading nicely.

Unfortunately, those officials were still reluctant to leave, casting their eyes around, seemingly looking to get more out of the situation.

Zhang Rongfang squinted as he stepped forward.

“What’s going on?” He asked casually with a stern face.

One of the officials recognized him immediately and his expression changed.

“Oh, Captain Zhang! We saw you several times recently at the Ministry of Justice.”

He hurriedly stepped forward, clasping his hands in respect.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep