Chapter 2: Inquiring

Walking into the Baishan district.

The pedestrians were mostly dressed in rags, sallow and emaciated.

Songyi City was relatively stable, but the commoners were mostly not well-off, barely able to scrape by.

Lin Zheyu wore a clean robe, making him look somewhat out of place here.

As evening approached, many people were returning from work.

Lin Zheyu could see pedestrians in twos and threes, their gazes toward him somewhat strange.

"I've been watching this kid for a few days. His complexion is getting better and better; I'm afraid he's managed to get some benefits in the city."

Not far away, a man as thin as a monkey said to his companions.

There were four of them in total, sitting on stones by the roadside, bragging and joking while observing the passersby.

"I know him. He's a refugee who came a while ago. He's a scholar, so he was allowed into the city to work."

"I heard this kid came from a wealthy family in Jiunan City, but unfortunately, Jiunan City was occupied by rebel troops, and he became a refugee."

"What kind of money could a refugee have? I went to check the place he rents a few days ago; there was nothing there. It must have been snatched away by others on the road long ago."

Another companion curled his lips and said.

For guys like this who had no companions and were all alone, they were often quite bold.

Anyway, as long as no one died, the government usually wouldn't pursue it too much.

Even if someone did die, if no one stood up for you, perhaps no one would even know, and you would die silently.

"Ugh, bad luck."

From afar, Lin Zheyu saw the four of them and cursed his bad luck under his breath.

These guys were the local hooligans of this area, idling away their days, doing nothing but petty theft and bullying the weak.

Lin Zheyu took a different path from afar, avoiding them.

His small, frail body couldn't handle being tossed around.

"Yo!"

"That kid is feeling guilty and avoiding us. He might have something good on him!"

Seeing this, the eyes of the group lit up.

"Let's go, go over and take a look."

The largest man said.

His name was Gao Yu, standing 1.83 meters tall, twice the size of Lin Zheyu.

They loved bullying cowards like this who were fearful and had no one to back them up.

"Hey kid, stop! What are you hiding from?" Gao Yu shouted at Lin Zheyu from a distance.

Lin Zheyu had no choice but to stop. He couldn't even avoid them?

"I've seen you heading into the city every day these past few days. Did you find some good opportunity? Why not help us brothers out a bit?"

Gao Yu said with a smirk.

His eyes scanned and sized up Lin Zheyu.

"How could there be such a good thing?"

"You guys also know that work is hard to find now. I thought that since I learned a bit of knowledge, I could try to make a living by storytelling in the city. But my skills aren't great, and business is extremely slow."

Lin Zheyu put on a bitter smile.

"You, storytelling?"

"Hahaha!"

The group couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The thin monkey kept sizing up Lin Zheyu, then snatched the bag from Lin Zheyu's hand.

"Tsk tsk, looks like you did earn a few coins, actually willing to buy meat."

The thin monkey chuckled.

The meat wasn't much, just a small piece, with a mix of fat and lean.

"My body has been weak lately, so I gritted my teeth and bought this small piece of meat. This is already all the possessions I have."

Lin Zheyu said, patting his empty pockets.

Having had the experience of being robbed before, he had divided his money into several portions and hidden them in concealed places along his route.

A clever rabbit has three burrows; even if one place was found, there were still other places where he had hidden silver.

The group looked at the thin Lin Zheyu and felt that he really didn't look like someone with money.

"Alright, you can go. Next time you see us, come over and say hello, you hear?" Gao Yu waved his hand.

"Yes, yes, I understand."

Lin Zheyu said, not mentioning the meat.

The situation was stronger than the person; without family or companions, he would just be suffering in vain if he got beaten up.

"Phew..."

Lin Zheyu let out a long breath, swallowing the bitterness in his heart.

It's easy to see the King of Hell, but hard to deal with the little devils.

When the situation is unfavorable, keeping a low profile is the absolute truth.

"I'll move tomorrow morning. The rent in the city is a bit expensive, but it's better than here in terms of public security."

Lin Zheyu pondered.

The order in the inner city was much better than in the outer city slums. There were various gangs and government bailiffs maintaining order.

Those hooligans wouldn't dare to act recklessly; if caught, they would easily suffer a severe beating.

Returning home.

Lin Zheyu's stomach let out a growl.

Tonight's meat dish had been snatched, so he could only drink thin porridge.

...

After asking the aunt next door for some pickles, Lin Zheyu drank five big bowls of thin porridge.

Now was the time to recover his body, so he had to maintain sufficient nutrition.

The next day, Lin Zheyu got up early.

He explained the situation to the landlord, picked up his small bundle, and left. He didn't have much to pack.

"Good morning, Manager Wu!"

Lin Zheyu arrived at the Bidan Teahouse.

Early in the morning, the teahouse was very quiet.

"Oh, why did you come so early today?" Manager Wu Yinghe asked curiously.

"Well, I plan to move to a different place. The outer city is too chaotic, and living in the Baishan district is too uncomfortable."

Lin Zheyu pointed to his bundle and asked, "Does Manager Wu have any recommendations?"

"The Baishan district is indeed not suitable for living."

Manager Wu nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "I know a few brokers who handle house rentals. The prices are cheap."

"Then I'll trouble you, Manager Wu." Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

"Why be so polite between us?"

Manager Wu said with a smile.

Lin Zheyu was his god of wealth now.

He gave some instructions and personally took Lin Zheyu to look for a house.

With Manager Wu's help, Lin Zheyu moved to a quiet place, three streets away from Baiwei Street.

It was a small courtyard, costing 500 wen a month, which was quite affordable.

If it were a single small room, it would be even cheaper, only 200 wen.

The small courtyard was in a relatively remote location, with not many households around.

But this was exactly what he wanted.

He would definitely be practicing martial arts in the future, so a remote location was just right; he wouldn't disturb the neighbors.

Baiwei Street.

Qingsu Restaurant, Manager Wu played host.

Qingsu Restaurant was a famous restaurant on Baiwei Street, not only affordable but also delicious.

Originally, Lin Zheyu intended to treat Manager Wu to a meal as a thank you, but Manager Wu wouldn't hear of it, and in the end, he became the host.

"Does the young master plan to take the imperial examinations in the future?"

Manager Wu asked, his eyes fixed on him.

This young master was the teahouse's god of wealth. Whether the teahouse could continue to be so prosperous in the future depended on him.

If Lin Zheyu really intended to continue pursuing a career, he wouldn't be able to tell stories at their teahouse.

"No."

"With my current situation, it's not easy to get a recommendation again and obtain the qualification for the examinations."

"Besides, taking the imperial examinations is too difficult."

Lin Zheyu shook his head.

After arriving in Songyi City, he had re-applied for a temporary identity card and registered for a temporary household.

With this kind of temporary household registration, it was very troublesome to obtain the qualification for the imperial examinations. He would need to find a clan to accept him, redo his academic registration, or gain the appreciation of a big shot.

Phew...

Manager Wu breathed a sigh of relief.

"The stories the young master tells are so wonderful. I believe that in a few years, you will become a household name in Songyi City as a storyteller."

Manager Wu complimented.

"I hope your words come true!"

Lin Zheyu laughed.

The two chatted while eating. After filling their stomachs with a few bites of food, Lin Zheyu asked about the main business.

"Does Manager Wu know any masters who teach martial arts?"

"Does the young master want to practice martial arts?" Manager Wu was surprised.

"Yes, I want to learn some martial arts for self-defense."

"You know, I'm all alone in Songyi City, without family or relatives to accompany me, and it's easy to be bullied by some petty people."

"I'm thinking that learning some martial arts for self-defense would be better." Lin Zheyu said.

"Indeed."

Manager Wu nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

The legal system of this world was not as perfect as in his previous life, and the government's role was not strong. Many things among the people were handled by the gentry and clans themselves.

Someone like Lin Zheyu, who was all alone without a clan as a backing, often ended up being a target for bullying.

"If you want to learn martial arts, I do know someone, and you've met this person before."

Manager Wu said with a smile.