Chapter 14: A Way Out and Physician Bai

The imperial court suppresses the Han people, while gangs rule the local territories.

This was the current political landscape of Mianshui County. Every one of Chen Jie's methods for making money could bring immense wealth, but he knew without a doubt that if he dared to act, he would inevitably be targeted by the gang forces.

Once that happened, his life would no longer be in his own hands.

Chen Jie understood the principle of "possessing a jade makes one a criminal." To engage in business and strike it rich, one must have the prerequisite of living in a time of peace. This era was anything but peaceful; being a merchant in such times meant being a lamb in the hands of those in power.

Thus, Chen Jie ruled out business.

To ensure long-term development, he needed to find a way to join a gang.

First, gangs possessed systematic martial arts that could be taught. Second, the channels for social mobility in this world were blocked; joining a gang was the only viable path upward.

As for becoming an official—were you a Mulan person? No? Then what right did you have to hold office?

However, joining a gang was not easy. One required a recommendation; otherwise, a gang would not readily accept new members.

Take Lu San, for example.

Lu San had always wanted to join the Yulan, which was a branch of the Fishing Gang in Xiantao Village, yet despite doing so much work for others, they still had not agreed to recommend him.

Such was the difficulty of joining.

And since Chen Jie had no connections, who could recommend him to the Fishing Gang?

If the Fishing Gang wouldn't work, what about the Grain Transport Gang?

That wouldn't work either. The disciples of the Grain Transport Gang generally only recruited laborers who carried heavy loads at the docks, and Xiantao Village had no cargo docks. If he wanted to work as a laborer, he would have to go to Linfeng Ferry near the county seat.

But he had these two sisters at home; how would they survive if he left?

The villagers wouldn't just leave them alone, either—especially Lu San's family. He might be able to stay composed while he was around, but he could guess with his eyes closed that the Lu Qin clan would surely seek revenge once he was gone.

Therefore, joining a gang immediately was unrealistic; it had to be a gradual process.

If that path was blocked, what other options were there?

Chen Jie rubbed his temples. That left only manual labor. Working as a long-term laborer for a wealthy household? Being a thug for a gambling den? Or perhaps a waiter in a restaurant?

None of those offered any room for growth!

"Sigh, I'll just take it one step at a time."

After thinking it over, Chen Jie decided to stop worrying. There would be a way when the time came.

*Gurgle, gurgle...*

As Chen Jie was lost in thought, he noticed a small figure crouching by the stove, staring at the fish soup in the pot—which was as white as milk—and swallowing hard.

Chen Jie smiled. Looking at the bubbling soup, he took a bowl, ladled out half a portion, blew on it, and handed it to the little kid. "Taste it and tell me if it's seasoned right!"

"Mhm, mhm!"

The little kid nodded vigorously, took the bowl, and swallowed it in one gulp regardless of the heat.

A look of pure bliss immediately spread across her face.

"Well? Is it too salty or too bland?" Chen Jie asked.

The little kid smacked her lips and said, "I drank it too fast, I couldn't tell. Brother-in-law, another bit!"

Helplessly, Chen Jie ladled a bit more, only for her to finish that too.

"Well? Is it too salty or too bland?"

The little kid replied, "How about I have another bit?"

Chen Jie laughed. "Forget it, no more for you. If you drink the whole pot, you won't be able to tell the seasoning anyway."

The little kid's face fell, her scheme exposed.

Chen Jie ladled some for himself and took a small sip. Hmm, the seasoning was just right, though it lacked the kick of ginger shreds and pepper. It was a bit lacking in flavor, but for the people of this era, it would likely taste delicious.

Chen Jie found a large bowl, served half a fish and a bowl of soup, and then called out to Su Yunjin. "Yunjin."

Su Yunjin was currently sweeping the room with a broom. Hearing her name, she turned around. Chen Jie said, "I'm going to Uncle Erba's house. Heat up the leftover wild vegetable cakes from lunch; we'll eat as soon as I get back."

Su Yunjin nodded. "Okay."

Although Chen Jie had changed a lot, Su Yunjin remained wary—or rather, it wasn't quite wariness, but rather an awkwardness in not knowing how to interact with him.

That would take time.

Carrying the fish soup, Chen Jie made his way to Uncle Erba's house. On the way, he encountered several villagers. They looked at him with strange expressions, yet greeted him warmly.

As soon as Chen Jie passed, they began to gossip.

"Hey, did you hear? Chen Jiu-si broke Lu San's leg just now."

"How could I not know? I saw Lu San's wife going to fetch Physician Bai."

"Oh, so it's true then. But wasn't Physician Bai practicing in Shangtao Village before?"

"Sigh, you don't know? Physician Bai and the old Physician Chen were both from our village. They used to be evenly matched. But once, there was a difficult case, and they made a wager. In the end, old Physician Chen won, so Physician Bai left our village to practice in Shangtao."

"It's been eight or nine years since old Physician Chen died, hasn't it? Over the years, our villagers have been going to Physician Bai for treatment. Plus, his son-in-law is the manager of the Yulan in our Xiantao Village, right? He invited old Physician Bai back to the village. He's living in that large tiled house in the east of the village now."

"Oh, so that's how it is!"

The villagers chatted animatedly. Although Chen Jie's pace didn't falter, his hearing had improved significantly since the *Spring-Nurturing Formula* had brought that breath of Primordial Qi into his abdomen. He caught most of what they were saying.

"Physician Bai..."

Chen Jie muttered to himself. The name sounded familiar. Bai Wenjing. He had been a local physician who was a match for Chen Jie's grandfather. It was said that Physician Bai used to be a resident doctor for the Fishing Gang, but for some unknown reason, he had returned to his hometown.

For a time, he had competed with Chen Jie's grandfather for business, but after losing a medical wager to the old man, he had left Xiantao Village in dejection.

He had continued practicing medicine over the years and had only one daughter, who married one of his former apprentices. However, the apprentice lacked talent in medicine, so Bai Wenjing used his connections to send him to the Fishing Gang. After working his way up for over a decade, the man had become the manager of the Yulan in Xiantao Village.

"Bai Wenjing, Yulan Manager," Chen Jie murmured, continuing forward to deliver the fish soup to Uncle Erba's house.

Soon, he arrived at Chen Erba's home.

Uncle Erba was still weaving baskets. In the rural areas of this world, people only ate two meals a day; only the wealthy could afford three. Consequently, they did not eat dinner.

Chen Jie stood at the entrance and called out, "Uncle Erba."

Chen Xiaohu, who was helping his father weave baskets, stood up immediately upon hearing the voice. "Dad, it's Brother Jiu-si!"

Uncle Erba also set down his basket and stood up with his walking stick.

Chen Jie pushed open the courtyard gate and entered.

"Brother Jiu-si!" Xiaohu called out happily. He thought Brother Jiu-si looked quite imposing today.

Chen Jie smiled. "Hey, Hu-zi. Uncle Erba."

Uncle Erba came out as well. Chen Jie nodded and handed over the fish soup. "I made soup with the two fish Lu San brought today. Thank you for speaking up for me earlier, Uncle Erba. Please, have some of this soup."

Although Chen Erba's attempt to settle the matter with money today had failed, Chen Jie acknowledged the favor, which was why he had come to deliver the soup.