Chapter 3

As the sky gradually brightened, the last wisp of blue smoke from the brazier dissipated. Jiang Xingchen, who had been leaning against the corner of the bed, fluttered his eyelids and slowly opened his eyes.

His consciousness was not yet fully awake when he heard a creaking sound. Instinctively, he turned his head and saw the door being pushed open. Meier walked in, holding a clay pot in both hands.

"Brother! You’re awake, I’ve fetched the water, come and wash up!" Meier, seeing that Jiang Xingchen’s eyes were open, smiled and placed the clay pot on the table, speaking as she closed the door behind her.

"Huh?" Jiang Xingchen instantly became fully awake, surprised: "The little girl slept on my lap last night, and I didn’t even notice when she got up. How could I have slept so deeply?"

He usually slept very lightly, and after just crossing over, it was even less likely for him to sleep so soundly in a new environment. But now, he realized he hadn’t even had a dream. It seemed like he had just closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, it was already morning.

"Could it be because of that breathing technique!" Once fully awake, his mind was unusually clear, and every detail of what had happened after he crossed over was vividly remembered, as if it had just happened.

"Brother! Are you having a headache again? Didn’t you say you were fine last night!" Meier, seeing Jiang Xingchen lost in thought on the bed, quickly came to the bedside to ask.

"Oh! I’m fine, don’t worry!" Jiang Xingchen quickly put his thoughts aside, smiled at Meier, lifted the quilt, and patted her little head.

"Really fine?" The little girl’s face was serious, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, forming a small knot between them.

"Do you hope something happens to me... ahh!" Before Jiang Xingchen could finish his sentence, Meier suddenly leaned forward, her two small hands slipping down his neck and into his chest.

The little girl had just fetched water, and her hands were cold, like ice against his skin. Jiang Xingchen’s body shuddered violently, his smile completely distorted, and a pained cry escaped his lips.

"Whoosh!" Meier darted out, looking at Jiang Xingchen’s face, which was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and quickly said, "Brother, don’t be angry! The last few days when you were sick, you didn’t react to any stimuli. I just wanted to make sure you’re really fine now!"

Jiang Xingchen stared at the little girl’s pitiful expression for a moment, then said, "I’ll believe you this time, but if it happens again, watch out for your bottom!"

"Oh! I understand!" Meier’s face turned slightly red, and she weakly responded, covering her bottom with her hand, then lowered her head and stuck out her tongue, a smile curling at the corner of her mouth: "Brother really won’t go back to the way he was!"

Jiang Xingchen got out of bed and walked to the table to wash his face. The cold water stimulated his skin, making him shiver. He splashed his face a few times and then lifted his head.

Just as he finished washing his face, Meier brought a clay bowl filled with water to him: "Brother, rinse your mouth!"

Jiang Xingchen frowned, took a mouthful of cold water, and forcefully moved his cheek muscles: "Living in a leaky house, eating coarse bread, two people sharing a thin quilt with patches, the little girl wearing tattered clothes with her toes showing, and only cold water for rinsing, no toothbrush or toothpaste..."

The sound of splashing water caught his attention. He turned his head and saw Meier bending over the clay pot to wash her face.

"Spit!" The water in his mouth spurted out, and he frowned, "That’s the water I used!"

"What’s there to be afraid of, it’s not dirty! There’s only one well nearby, and many people are queuing up, so fetching water is very slow!" Meier said, wiping her face.

The little girl’s face, now free of dirt, was quite delicate, but her skin was slightly yellow, clearly a sign of malnutrition.

"Even using water is a struggle... This life of hunger and cold must end as soon as possible. The little girl is only thirteen, and if this continues, she will definitely fall ill!" Jiang Xingchen’s face darkened, and the sight of Meier using his used water deepened his resolve.

"Brother, let’s go!" Meier rinsed her mouth with the remaining half bowl of water, tidied up the room, and then called for him to leave.

"Is everything packed?" Jiang Xingchen asked.

"It’s all here!" Meier shook a cloth bag, the sound of copper coins clinking inside. Then she patted the clay water pot on her back.

Jiang Xingchen nodded and said, "Let’s go buy some food first. We only had half a loaf last night..."

"No way!" Before Jiang Xingchen could finish, Meier shook her head: "We need to find a place to stay first. We only have twenty copper coins, and if we spend them, we won’t find a place to live..."

After a pause, Meier pursed her lips and said, "Brother, please bear with it for a while. Once we find a place to stay, I’ll go work at the Chunxiang Building to earn money for food!"

Jiang Xingchen opened his mouth to speak, but Meier cut him off again: "Brother said last night that he would listen to me!"

"Alright!" Jiang Xingchen’s mouth twitched, and he responded somewhat helplessly.

"Then let’s go!" Meier clenched her fists in her heart, a victorious smile on her face.

Jiang Xingchen walked to the door, took a deep breath, and pulled it open, stepping out and truly entering this world...

On the narrow, hard-packed dirt path, Jiang Xingchen followed Meier, his eyes scanning the surroundings. The ancient-looking houses made of mud bricks and tiles, and the wide-sleeved long robes worn by people on the street, gave him a sense of time travel, as if he had entered a film set.

The buildings were all single-story, some high and some low, clearly unplanned, and looked very chaotic. Along the sides of the hard-packed dirt path, garbage and sewage were visible everywhere...

The windows were all covered with wooden planks, and what surprised Jiang Xingchen was that he didn’t see a single window covered with paper...

Most of the passersby on the street were dressed in cheap hemp clothes, and those few who wore clean cotton clothes walked with their chins slightly raised...

After a short while, Jiang Xingchen had already encountered three vendors selling things, but without exception, they were all selling black bread, which made him sigh: "Is the food in this world so monotonous and scarce? There’s no one selling vegetables, meat, or fruits..."

While Jiang Xingchen was observing the world, the passersby also cast curious glances at him. In the area where the common people lived, almost no one could afford expensive silk.

The little girl was unusually quiet, only asking people if there were any rooms for rent every so often, and hardly speaking otherwise. Compared to when she was alone with Jiang Xingchen, she seemed like a different person. However, every time she saw a vendor selling black bread, she would pull Jiang Xingchen away...

The morning passed quickly, but they had found nothing. The cheapest room cost ten copper coins a day. Meier’s expression was somewhat dejected, realizing that a place like Uncle Huang’s, which cost only two copper coins a day, was impossible to find.

After drinking the last of the water in the pot, they reached the end of the narrow dirt path. Looking ahead, Jiang Xingchen felt a sudden sense of openness. In front of them was a wide road paved with blue stone slabs, about twenty meters wide. The houses on both sides were much taller, with walls made of large blue bricks, looking neat and clean. The windows were no longer covered with wooden planks but with neatly arranged bamboo strips, which were both tidy and well-ventilated.

Most of the doors on both sides of the wide road were open, with many banners hanging at the entrances. Jiang Xingchen immediately recognized the characters on them, which were the signs of various shops: clothing stores, shoe stores, weapon shops, pharmacies, restaurants, inns...

There were many more people on the street, entering and exiting the shops, including some dressed in fine clothing. On the street, a few vendors had set up stalls, and many people were gathered around.

"This is a market!" Seeing this scene, Jiang Xingchen realized he had been wrong. This society was not as backward as his first impression suggested. The food was monotonous and scarce, and the environment was dirty and dilapidated, but only in the common people’s area. Other places were quite prosperous, as evidenced by the several restaurants and the steady stream of people entering them. If the food were so monotonous, how could so many people be eating there?

The familiar aroma of scallions frying in a wok wafted over, and Jiang Xingchen’s stomach growled. He couldn’t resist sniffing the air and, without a word, turned and walked toward the wide street.

"Brother, where are you going? That’s not the market in the common people’s area..." Meier quickly grabbed his arm.

"Little girl, stop looking! Uncle Huang’s place was a storage room for charcoal, which is why you could rent it for two copper coins a day!" Jiang Xingchen sighed, his face bitter, and pleaded, "Let’s eat something first. I’m so hungry I can’t walk anymore!"

He had only eaten half a black bread loaf at dusk yesterday, and the energy had been absorbed by the fog in his brain. After walking all morning, he now felt his stomach burning with hunger.

"Grumble~" Meier’s stomach also growled, her face turning slightly red, but she still said stubbornly, "We only have twenty copper coins. If we spend them, what about a place to stay?"

"Ah!" Jiang Xingchen pretended to be distressed, covering his forehead, "If we don’t eat, we’ll starve to death. What’s the point of a place to stay then?"

"We don’t have to eat there. The food there is very expensive! Come, let’s buy black bread!" Meier pulled Jiang Xingchen, trying to lead him back.

"Who said we’re eating black bread? Today, we’re eating white bread!" Jiang Xingchen said, pointing to a small stall not far from the wide street, where a stack of snow-white bread loaves was displayed.

"Ah?" Meier was stunned, her eyes wide, "No way, that costs two copper coins each. We only have twenty copper coins, and we need to save them..."

"Give me ten copper coins!" Jiang Xingchen suddenly interrupted Meier, his face cold.

Meier was taken aback, her eyes full of surprise. Her face then changed, her lips pressed into a thin line, and her eyes fixed on Jiang Xingchen, misty with tears: "He promised me he wouldn’t go back to the way he was! Is it a lie again?"

Jiang Xingchen’s expression softened, and he placed his hand on Meier’s head, speaking gently, "Brother will find a place to stay. I promise we’ll have a place to stay tonight... But first, we need to eat something, don’t we?"

Hearing Jiang Xingchen’s gentle words, Meier’s tense mood gradually relaxed, but the委屈 (grievance) on her face didn’t diminish. She turned her head to avoid Jiang Xingchen’s hand and said, "Do we really need to spend more money to eat? Black bread is just as good, isn’t it?"

"You’re only thirteen. Eating that coarse food all the time is bad for your health!" Jiang Xingchen placed his hand on Meier’s head again and rubbed it hard.

Meier was stunned again, staring straight at Jiang Xingchen, her eyes misty, but this time it was clearly not out of grievance.

"What are you looking at, little girl! Don’t you believe I can find a place to stay... I’ll tell you, in the future, we’ll buy a large courtyard near the Imperial Academy or in the noble district, eat rice every day, buy ten pounds of meat every day, ride in the most beautiful carriage, and watch the most famous performances in Hongyuan City... I’ll buy you beautiful clothes, the best silk in summer, and the softest fur clothes in winter... You’ll never wear shoes with holes again, and I’ll redeem your jade pendant..."

"Sniff~" Before Jiang Xingchen could finish, the little girl’s tears overflowed, and she hugged his waist, sobbing.

"Ah! Why are you crying!" Jiang Xingchen was taken aback, not knowing where to put his hands...

"Grumble~" After a long while, Jiang Xingchen’s stomach growled again. Meier pushed him away, wiped her tears, took out her cloth bag, and handed him ten copper coins: "Here, go buy white bread!"

As Jiang Xingchen took the coins, Meier asked, "Why did you look so cold and angry at me just now?"

"If I didn’t, would you have given me the money?"

"You tricked me!" As Meier pounced at him with her teeth bared, Jiang Xingchen had already turned and run away.

Watching Jiang Xingchen’s back, Meier chuckled, then asked in confusion, "Why did what Brother said just now sound like my dream last night..."

Soon, Jiang Xingchen returned with five white bread loaves. The two of them squatted by the street, holding the bread and eating it with big bites.

Meier’s little mouth was puffed up like a bun, chewing hard.

Jiang Xingchen, while eating, glanced at Meier, "Is it that delicious? The taste isn’t that great. Don’t they have steamed buns, dumplings, or stuffed pancakes here?"

After a while, Jiang Xingchen had eaten two loaves, and the thing he had been looking forward to happened.

A warm current rushed from his stomach to his head, and the breathing technique automatically activated. Then, the thick fog changed, and a circular, complex pattern appeared, merging into his mind.

At that moment, three words floated in his mind: Tai Chu Array.

With the appearance of these three words, it seemed as if his mind suddenly turned into the night sky, with countless stars shining brightly.