After walking for another quarter of an hour, Chen Jie began to feel that Doctor Bai was getting heavier and heavier…
*His body, to be honest, was still too weak. Just when he thought he couldn't keep going, he suddenly remembered the Yang Chun Skill. He immediately adjusted his breathing and switched to the breathing techniques used in the Yang Chun Skill.*
At first, there wasn't much of a change, but gradually, Chen Jie felt his breathing become much smoother—not as labored. As his breathing eased, his body stopped feeling so exhausted and even started slowly recovering.
It became easier and easier to walk.
*This Yang Chun Skill really has some merit!*
Continuing downhill, he finally reached the village and brought Doctor Bai home.
Only Doctor Bai's daughter was home; his son-in-law had not returned as he had matters to attend to at the fishery.
When she saw how severely injured Doctor Bai looked, his daughter was terrified and quickly asked if he was okay. Doctor Bai waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, just twisted my foot."
Chen Jie helped Doctor Bai inside and sat him down on the bed, at which point Doctor Bai finally let out a sigh of relief.
His daughter naturally served him water without needing further mention.
Seeing that all was fine inside the house, Chen Jie stepped outside and noticed various grindstones of differing sizes. Judging by their appearance, they were likely used for building strength.
He recalled that Doctor Bai's son-in-law, Wu Zhong, was a Ming Jin Martial Artist who had already broken through a threshold.
*Thinking about it, these grindstones were probably part of his strength training.*
While Chen Jie pondered this, inside the house, Doctor Bai called his daughter over.
"Go to the cabinet and take out three taels of silver, then give it to him."
The daughter paused, looking at Doctor Bai in surprise and said, "Father, isn't that too much?"
Doctor Bai replied, "Is my life not worth three taels of silver?"
The woman hesitated, then followed up, saying, "No, Father, that's not what I meant."
Doctor Bai continued, "Do you know who he is?"
"Who?"
The Bai Family had only recently moved back to Xiantao Village, so the younger generations weren't yet familiar with everyone.
"He's Chen Yongwang's grandson."
"What! Could it be Chen Jiusi—the gambling addict?"
"Shh, keep your voice down."
Doctor Bai made a gesture for silence before continuing, "Ah, back in the day, I lost to Chen Yongwang. I wasn't convinced, but I couldn't deny his exceptional medical skills. This Chen Jiusi might also count as the descendant of a famous physician."
"It's unfortunate he's fallen into gambling, but judging by his insights on medicine today, his understanding is quite unique; he shows some aptitude…"
"Father, you're not thinking of taking him on as your apprentice, are you?"
Doctor Bai replied, "Why not? Back then, I lost to his grandfather; today, I'll take him as a disciple. Let the deceased Chen Yongwang see that Bai Wenjing has a magnanimous heart."
"However…well, give him the silver first. If he accepts it, we won't bring this matter up again, and it'll simply count as me repaying the favor. If he doesn't take the silver, then go to his house tomorrow and tell him I'm overwhelmed here and want to recruit an apprentice. See if he's willing."
Having given instructions, Doctor Bai sent his daughter out.
His daughter soon went to the courtyard and saw Chen Jie patting one of the grindstones. Seeing this, she chuckled and said, "You must be Jiusi."
"Hello, Auntie."
Chen Jie walked over, and the woman said, "Mm, we owe you quite a lot today. Otherwise, my father might've been in real danger. No need to say much; true gratitude doesn't require words. Take these three taels of silver."
"Ah, no, I can't accept that."
Chen Jie refused outright. The woman insisted, saying, "Take it."
Seeing this, Chen Jie quickly jumped back and said, "Auntie, I brought the person back, so I won't stay any longer. Please let Doctor Bai know I'm leaving."
Chen Jie left in haste, as if escaping.
Inside the house, Bai Wenjing was observing through the window. When he saw Chen Jie refuse the money and leave, he smiled and gave a nod, saying nothing further.
The woman also looked at Chen Jie's departing figure and couldn't help but view him in a better light. This Chen Jiusi didn't seem as bad as rumors suggested.
Back in the house, the woman said, "Father, he didn't take the money."
Bai Wenjing said, "When Ah Zhong comes back, have him prepare a large fish, and tomorrow, go to his house and see if he's willing to apprentice with me."
"Alright, Father."
Chen Jie left the Bai Family home, glancing back at the village's few larger houses built with green bricks. He felt a twinge of envy.
*As for the silver they tried to give him today, Chen Jie was adamant about not accepting it.*
*Taking the money would mean settling the favor, but his goal wasn't the three taels of silver. Instead, it was to use Doctor Bai's platform to eventually climb up to the Fishing Guild—a powerful connection.*
*Never underestimate the Fishing Guild.*
*In the Daqian dynasty, established by foreign rulers, their mistrust of Han people ran deep. Even though each region had a government and magistrates, many officials were either house slaves of the Mulan people or were Han folk hand-picked by Mulan people for higher positions.*
*As such, actual regional authority rested in the hands of the Darugachi appointed by the Mulan people to oversee local affairs.*
*To limit the authority of Han magistrates who were promoted through recommendations, the Darugachi relied heavily on local guilds. These guilds managed local affairs, created checks and balances, and incidentally served as a source of revenue.*
*Thus, local guilds held immense power, with leaders standing on equal footing with magistrates. In fact, guilds often held far greater sway over the populace than government officials.*
*In this world, joining a guild was incredibly promising—just like joining the Green Guild in early 20th-century Shanghai.*
Chen Jie left the Bai Family home, pondering his next move, and headed straight to town. He soon arrived and found a pharmacy, which was one of the Fishing Guild's subsidiary businesses.
Chen Jie sold the ten-year-old ginseng he acquired earlier for three taels and eight maces of silver.
This price wasn't particularly high, but it wasn't a rip-off either.
Now flush with cash, Chen Jie started shopping. His home could be described as utterly barren—barely surviving meal to meal—so he had to prioritize basic necessities.
First, Chen Jie purchased one hundred pounds of sorghum rice, then bought some fatty pork belly, which was perfect for rendering lard at home.
Next came oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.
*As the saying goes, the seven essentials for starting a household are firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.*
Chen Jie bought them all. Afterward, he went to the pawnshop to reclaim something.
Chen Jie remembered Su Yunjin had pawned a silver-plated copper hairpin, a gift from her mother, to buy arsenic. While the hairpin wasn't valuable, the damn shopkeeper insisted Chen Jie pay one tael of silver to redeem it.
After considering it, Chen Jie decided to pay and get it back.
Initially, he wanted to buy new clothes for both women, but after the expenses, he was left with only eight maces of broken silver.
Chen Jie borrowed a wheelbarrow from someone in the village and loaded it up with his purchases to head home.
On the way, he suddenly ran into a group of people. At the forefront was a man with a pockmarked face who, upon seeing Chen Jie and his loaded wheelbarrow, walked up with a teasing grin, shouting from a distance, "Brother Jiusi!"
Chen Jie immediately recognized him: Ma Liu, a lackey of Yu's Treasure House. In Macau, people like him were called betting agents.
From the intelligence Chen Jie gathered yesterday, there was news that Ma Liu had been colluding with Yu's Treasure House's young master.
The word was that Yu Sanliu, that lecherous pig, had set his eyes on Chen Jie's wife, Su Yunjin, and was plotting to trick Chen Jie into losing her in a rigged game.
And this Ma Liu was his accomplice. Chen Jie squinted and smiled, saying, "Oh, it's Brother Ma Liu!"