In late November, the temperature in the capital city likely dropped below freezing. Xu Qi An deduced this when he woke up in the morning to find a thin layer of ice on the water vat in the courtyard.
The Great Feng Dynasty, which dominated the Central Plains of the Nine Provinces and claimed to be the legitimate ruler of the world, had a capital with a temperate continental monsoon climate.
In such a climate, winters without heating would be unbearable.
“In this era, people freezing to death in winter is considered normal and inevitable,” Xu Qi An sighed inwardly.
He somewhat regretted that his knowledge of mathematics, physics, and chemistry wasn’t good enough to implement agricultural innovations in this era of underdeveloped infrastructure and material scarcity.
That way, he could have truly benefited the common people.
The sun hung tepidly in the sky as a beautiful young woman led her five-year-old sister through the bustling market street. Her eyes, like autumn waters, darted left and right, and a faint smile graced her delicately carved lips.
Her younger sister wore a light cyan silk dress, with floral vines embroidered on the cuffs and lapels. The loose, flowing sleeves gave her an ethereal air.
Xu Qi An couldn’t help but think of the beauties in ancient costume dramas from his previous life. He compared them in his mind, noting that the women’s attire in this era tended to be more conservative and less alluring than those depicted in modern historical dramas.
“I suddenly thought of a way to make money. Could I improve women’s clothing, make them more beautiful and enticing?” Xu Qi An had a flash of inspiration.
In an instant, his mind was filled with revolutionary women’s garments: see-through fabrics, black stockings, garter belts, provocative necklines…
Stop, stop… I’ll be beheaded at the palace gates for this!
The creaking of horse-drawn carriages, peddlers carrying goods on shoulder poles, hurried passersby, and rows of shops… All these elements composed a vivid picture of an ancient marketplace.
After a month of interaction, Liu Yingyue’s impression of her cousin had changed significantly. The barrier between them was no longer as pronounced as before.
In the past, due to his aunt’s influence, the original Xu Qi An disliked his two younger siblings, except for Second Uncle Xiao’s little girl.
Initially, Liu Yingyue would still address him as “Elder Brother,” but after being coldly ignored many times, their greetings were reduced to mere nods.
Now, though their relationship had improved, there was still a hint of awkwardness. The beautiful elder sister walked to the side, deliberately keeping two paces away from Xu Qi An, while holding her younger sister’s hand.
The little one was attracted by various sights on the street and tried to break free from her sister’s grasp several times, but was held firmly.
“Candied haws, candied haws…” the little one called out in her crisp voice, pointing at a peddler on the street.
“Don’t you care about your teeth?” her sister scolded, pulling her forward.
The Liu family had fallen on hard times, depleting their wealth. They had been living frugally for the past month, and Liu Yingyue had no copper coins to buy candied haws for her sister.
Xu Qi An walked behind them, observing his sisters, particularly the elder one. Her figure was tall and slender, exuding the freshness and grace of a young woman.
Her silhouette was like a newly sprouting willow, perhaps not as voluptuous as a mature woman, but possessing a youthful and lively charm unique to girls her age.
“Elder Brother, Elder Brother…” the little one cried out urgently, her bottom sticking out as she dug her heels in to resist her sister’s pulling.
Liu Yingyue bit her lip, looking both anxious and annoyed.
“Elder Brother doesn’t have any money either, but soon we will…” Xu Qi An gestured to his younger sister to be patient. As he spoke, his foot stepped on something hard. Looking down, he saw a dull-colored piece of silver.
He bent down to pick it up and weighed it in his hand. It was indeed one qian of silver.
Over the past month, he had been finding one qian of silver with alarming frequency.
Liu Yingyue’s eyes widened.
He found silver?!
Now he had money for today’s visit to the brothel to listen to music… Calculating the time, he hadn’t been to the brothel for two days because he hadn’t found any money.
Xu Qi An was somewhat pleased. Holding the silver piece, he approached the peddler, “Give me three strings of candied haws.”
“Certainly!” the dark-skinned peddler said with a beaming smile as he took down three strings. “Six copper coins.”
Unable to make change for the silver piece, the candied haw peddler went to a nearby shop to break it. He kept six coins for himself and returned 94 copper coins to Xu Qi An, strung together with a thin rope.
In the Great Feng’s monetary system, one tael of silver = eight qian = 1000 wen. Gold was a luxury item not included in the currency system. Poor families might never encounter gold in their entire lives.
Xu Qi An took the copper coins and candied haws, biting into one string himself before handing the other two to his sisters.
Liu Yingyue accepted it gracefully, saying softly, “Thank you, Elder Brother.”
She took a bite, savoring the sweetness in her mouth. Her large eyes curved into crescents, a sight that could melt any man’s heart.
Xu Qi An nodded, then looked at the little one, who had already started munching.
“Elder Brother, Elder Brother, is your candied haw sweet?” Liu Ying’yin asked with her cheeks puffed out.
“You want to eat it, don’t you?” Xu Qi An saw through the little girl’s thoughts.
“Ah? How did Elder Brother know?” Liu Ying’yin was surprised that her brother had guessed her intention. Elder Brother was truly amazing.
Xu Qi An chuckled, “If you eat too many candied haws, worms will grow in your mouth.”
“What kind of worms?” The little one’s face showed vigilance.
Xu Qi An thought for a moment and described, “The kind that’s white, fat, and slimy all over.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw his younger sister swallow.
Incredible… Xu Qi An cupped his hands towards her and offered his candied haws with both hands.
Xu Qi An led his two sisters through the streets, the prosperous scenes of the capital city flashing before his eyes, but he didn’t feel particularly happy.
I picked up silver again…
This doesn’t make sense!
With his background in the police academy, he was extremely sensitive to such inexplicable details.
“Could this be related to my transmigration?”
Xu Qi An clearly remembered that before his transmigration, he hadn’t touched any antiques or been patted on the head by a smiling old man.
“Is this my cheat ability? But why exactly one qian of silver every day, just enough for a visit to the brothel to listen to music? So, is it fate that I frequent brothels every day?
“I should find a way to break through to the Qi Refining stage first. For now, picking up money when I go out is a good thing, regardless of what’s happening to my body.
“I’ll upgrade myself first, then observe to see if there are any changes later. Besides, I still don’t know the upper limit of martial prowess in this world. When I become stronger in the future, perhaps I can figure out the reason behind this bizarre luck.”
Xu Qi An remained vigilant about his strange luck. If it were a system, he would have accepted it readily, as that would be within his realm of understanding.
…
There was a brothel on this street called “Guiyue Lou,” a third-class establishment.
Thanks to the teachings of Constable Wang and others, Xu Qi An had learned a wealth of knowledge about brothels, greatly enriching his cultural understanding.
The suffix of a brothel’s name could indicate its grade. First and second-class brothels often used suffixes like “Yuan,” “Guan,” or “Ge.”
Third and fourth-class brothels were often named with suffixes like “Ban,” “Lou,” or “Dian”… Note this down!
It wasn’t even noon yet, but the brothel girls had already opened for business. Several beautifully dressed girls in red and green leaned against the railings on the second floor, smilingly appraising the passersby.
When they spotted a desirable customer (dressed in silk), they would wave their colorful handkerchiefs and say coyly, “My lord, come up for a drink.”
…Even for a third-class brothel, it would cost at least two qian of silver for the initial drinks… To sleep with a girl, depending on her quality, it would cost at least five or six qian for the lower end, and one or two taels for the higher end… Xu Qi An calculated briefly and confirmed that he couldn’t afford it.
There’s no need for this, my entire fortune is just a few taels of silver… He gazed at the coquettish women lounging on the railings of the second floor and sighed with emotion, “In those days, young and poor in a thin blue robe, I rode a horse and leaned against a slanted bridge, with red sleeves beckoning from every floor!”
This was every man’s dream.
“Elder Brother should use his poetic talent in the right place,” Liu Yingyue said coolly.
She silently savored the verse in her heart, sighing inwardly. Perhaps Father was right, Elder Brother was truly meant for scholarly pursuits.
“Elder Brother, the ladies upstairs are so beautiful,” the little one chirped.
“They’re doing business, of course, they have to dress nicely,” Xu Qi An replied.
“What kind of business?”
“Selling abalone.”
“Abalone?” The little one’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at the brothel, unwilling to leave.
“Elder Brother!” Liu Yingyue stomped her foot and called out, partly embarrassed and partly annoyed, reproaching Xu Qi An for discussing such things with their younger sister.
Xu Qi An turned his head to look at his sister. Why are you angry? Don’t tell me you understood my innuendo.
Leaving the brothel behind, they passed by a fish and meatball shop. The wafting aroma rooted the little one to the spot.
Liu Yingyue glanced in that direction several times, swallowing quietly. Since their release from prison, the Liu family had been living frugally, sometimes eating meat only once every three days.
She was at the age of growth spurts and had a great need for food, especially meat.
“Wait here, I’ll buy some for you,” Xu Qi An said.
The shop was small, with many people queuing to buy. Xu Qi An told his sisters to wait by the roadside while he squeezed through the crowd.
“Elder Brother is so nice,” the little one said sweetly while swallowing, looking at her sister.
Liu Yingyue held her sister’s small hand, gazing at Xu Qi An’s back, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curling up slightly.
Soon, Xu Qi An bought three portions of fish and meatballs, wrapped in oiled paper bags. As he returned, he saw four or five attendants surrounding Liu Yingyue. They didn’t touch her but were teasing her wantonly.
The sixteen-year-old beauty looked like a trapped deer, trying to protect herself while attempting to break out of the encirclement, but was always forced back by the attendants.
She was so anxious she was nearly in tears, her face full of fear.
The attendants laughed loudly.
To the side, a young nobleman in brocade clothes sat on a fine horse, watching the scene as if it were a show.
Seeing her sister being bullied, Liu Ying’yin ran towards the young nobleman on her short legs. She leaned forward, hands behind her back, and then burst into tears, launching a sonic attack.
“How noisy,” the young nobleman reflexively raised his horsewhip, then suddenly stopped. A cruel light flashed in his eyes as he yanked the reins, forcing the horse to rear up on its hind legs, about to trample Liu Ying’yin.
Liu Yingyue let out a piercing wail.