Chapter 13: Contemplating the Path Ahead

Chen Jie took two small crucian carp to the well, fetched some water, slit their bellies to remove the entrails, wiped away the blood along the bone, removed the black membrane, and then scraped off all the scales and mucus.

Doing it this way ensured the fish soup would have no fishy smell.

Chen Jie was a good cook. Having worked as an apprentice in a restaurant for a period after finishing school, he had a decent understanding of how to prepare conventional dishes.

Little Douding crouched nearby, watching Chen Jie with eyes full of curiosity. *The bad brother-in-law actually knows how to cook?*

Seeing that Douding was staring blankly, Chen Jie smiled and beckoned her over. Douding shook her head, not daring to approach, but Chen Jie beckoned again. After a moment of hesitation, Douding finally walked over, motivated by the prospect of fish soup.

Chen Jie said with a smile, "Rui Rui, why was Sister crying?"

Rui Rui froze for a moment before saying, "Before, it was because you hit her. Today, um... Rui Rui doesn't know either. It's just that when you were outside scolding those bad people, Sister started crying."

Hearing this, Chen Jie asked, "How do you know those people are bad?"

Rui Rui replied, "They are always talking behind her back, saying Sister is a jinx who caused Father and Grandma Chen to die. That's why Sister cried."

"Oh."

Chen Jie nodded upon hearing this.

For a woman in a rural area—a place where tongues could kill—living without a man to back her up, life was predictably difficult.

As Chen Jie was washing the fish again, Douding suddenly spoke up.

"Brother-in-law."

"Hmm?"

Chen Jie looked at her. Douding looked at him very seriously and said, "Can you please not hit Sister in the future?"

Chen Jie's expression froze. Immediately after, he saw Douding speak as if she had made a great resolution: "If... if Brother-in-law really can't help himself and wants to hit someone, then hit Rui Rui instead..."

Hearing this, Chen Jie gave a bitter smile. These two sisters truly had it hard.

Chen Jie rubbed Douding's head with the back of his clean hand and said, "Alright, Brother-in-law promises you. I won't hit Sister in the future, and no one else will be allowed to hit her either."

"Mm."

Hearing this, Douding grinned happily and held out her small hand.

Chen Jie asked, "What is it?"

"Let's pinky swear."

Douding spoke in her childish voice. Looking at her, he smiled, wiped his hands with a rag, and said, "Come."

A large pinky and a small pinky hooked together.

"Pinky swear, a hundred years without changing."

"Seal it with a thumbprint."

The two pressed their thumbs together, making a pure, innocent pact.

At that moment, Su Yunjin, whose eyes were red from crying, walked out of the house and witnessed this harmonious scene. For a moment, she had the illusion of seeing herself and her father when she was a child, and a faint smile touched her lips.

Douding withdrew her hand, feeling as though she had accomplished something monumental. Turning around, she saw her sister and lunged toward her with a smile.

"Sister!"

Su Yunjin picked her up, and the girl whispered, "Sister, I just made a promise with Brother-in-law."

"What kind of promise?" Su Yunjin asked.

But just then, Chen Jie interjected, "Rui Rui, promises must be kept secret. You can't tell anyone!"

Douding's expression turned solemn, and she said very seriously to Su Yunjin, "Mm, promises can't be told. I won't tell you, Sister."

Su Yunjin was intrigued. What kind of promise could be so mysterious?

However, Douding wore an expression that said, *My lips are sealed, I won't tell you,* which prompted the sorrowful Su Yunjin to reach out and playfully pinch the little girl's nose.

Chen Jie finished washing the fish, and Su Yunjin walked over, saying, "Let me do it."

Chen Jie replied, "No need. I'm an old hand at making fish soup."

As he spoke, he asked, "Do we have any green onions, ginger, or garlic at home?"

Su Yunjin shook her head. "No."

Chen Jie was momentarily stunned but said nothing more. He went to the stove and saw the wild vegetables they had gathered today. Among them were a few small wild onions. Thinking of this, he said to Su Yunjin, "Wash those small onions. Give me the roots and chop the leaves into pieces."

"By the way, do we have any lard at home?"

"Adding a bit of lard to fish soup makes the flavor much richer."

Su Yunjin shook her head. They were out of grain; how could they afford a luxury like lard?

Lard, or rendered pork fat, was precious. In this era, people's diets lacked fat, and lard was their primary way to supplement it. It was expensive and not something Chen Jie's family could afford.

Chen Jie sighed and looked at the tiny bit of rapeseed oil left; it was the only cooking oil in the house.

They truly were living in poverty.

Chen Jie said, "Alright, you chop the onions."

Chen Jie poured the rapeseed oil into the pot, heated it, and fried the fish golden on both sides. He added the onion roots to aromatically temper the oil, then poured in hot water. The only seasoning available was coarse salt.

Staring at the pot of milky white fish soup, Chen Jie fell into deep thought.

His biggest problem right now was survival. He had lost even his family's only three acres of fertile land, and there was no grain left in the house.

Under these circumstances, including himself, there were three mouths to feed.

His most urgent priority was solving the problem of food. It would be a tragedy to travel through time only to starve to death.

To eat, without land or means of production, the path of a self-sufficient farmer was closed to him.

The only viable paths left were commerce or manual labor.

For commerce, Chen Jie could choose to produce glass, soap, refined salt, or white sugar, but he quickly dismissed these ideas.

Because this was a world of martial arts.

According to the original owner's memories, this world placed martial prowess above all else. Forget the county seat—even in the major cities, there were gangs that stood on equal footing with the government.

For example, the two largest gangs in Mianshui County were the Fishery Gang and the Transport Gang.

The Fishery Gang controlled all the fish ponds in every village in Mianshui County, as well as the trade of aquatic products within the city, along with various other industries.

The Transport Gang controlled the docks and the movement of goods, as well as related industries within the city.

These two major gangs essentially held a monopoly over the economy of Mianshui County.

Even the County Magistrate had to treat the leaders of these two gangs with respect and courtesy.

For the common people of Mianshui County to rise above their social class, there was only one way: join a gang. If one could perform meritorious service and become a minor leader, they would be considered a person of standing throughout the entire county.

One could say that to live comfortably in Mianshui County, one had to be a gang member.

It was much like the old Shanghai—if you wanted to rise quickly, you had to join the Green Gang.

As for taking the imperial examinations to become an official—forget it. The Great Qian Empire was established by the Mulan people of the North after defeating the former Song Kingdom. To suppress the Han people, the government had strictly forbidden Han people from participating in the imperial examinations to hold office.

This effectively blocked the path for scholars. It was the reason why Su Yunjin's father, despite being a respected scholar, still held no official title and was not given the respect he deserved.