Chapter 3

Now, the young Shao is far from the young man the Fu family once knew.

His real name is Liu Qiang, a modern person. Four years ago, he suddenly woke up to find himself transformed into an ancient teenager in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, discarded as a corpse in a mass grave outside the city walls. Later, he was saved by a strange old Taoist. The old man claimed to have cultivated to become half a deity, known as the Sleeping Immortal and Fuyaozi. He saved Liu Qiang because he found the five elements in Liu Qiang's body to be contradictory; his face indicated water, but he had a fiery aura. Liu Qiang was very afraid, fearing that the old man would use him for alchemy research, and tried to escape; but he didn't succeed and was caught by the old man. Fortunately, the old man didn't harm him. Instead, he tore a few pages with diagrams and text, and gave Liu Qiang a "magic pill" for free, instructing him to practice according to the diagrams to remove the fiery aura from his body. Liu Qiang, of course, didn't take the magic pill, thanked the old man, and managed to escape.

Then he lived as an ancient person in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. The concerns from his past life had gradually faded over the long four years; however, there were always a few things that time could not heal. Some regrets, some concerns, some unfulfilled wishes.

...

"Clang, clang..." hammer after hammer, he was still forging. He wasn't making iron tools for sale, but a breastplate.

The sun had already set behind the towering Chongming Gate, leaving a brilliant orange-red afterglow in the western sky, making the ancient gate appear even more tragic and majestic. The heavy physical labor of the whole day had left the robust Shao a bit exhausted, feeling his arms weak and his head dizzy.

The noblewoman he had seen earlier, Shao had a memory of her, a memory belonging to the "young man." Especially the scene he saw before dying, which was particularly vivid when recalled... the increasingly blurred vision, the distant skirt and slender figure, the young man lying on the ground, struggling to extend his bloodied right hand, seemingly trying to grasp something, or perhaps hoping the beautiful woman would turn back one last time, to look at her one more time. The scene finally froze.

"Clang!" Shao swung the hammer with great force. The young man in his memory was too young, his short life not allowing him to understand the world, and his obsession with the "rich and beautiful" Fu family was something Shao could not accept now.

However, one thing was certain: the greater a person's belief or desire, the more they are willing to pay in terms of cost and effort.

At this moment, Yulian from the back room called out for dinner, saying she had already prepared the meal. The old man who was pumping the bellows got up to fetch water and said, "Shao, the sun has set, let's work tomorrow."

"Go ahead and eat, just leave me a pancake, no need to wait for me. Chen's wife has to go back and cook for her husband after eating." Shao said without turning his head, "I'll finish a few more hammer strikes to complete this armor. I won't have time tomorrow, as I have to go to the parade ground early to count heads."

The old man asked, "Is the imperial army really going to war outside the city?"

Shao responded casually.

This shop was Shao's property, bought with his accumulated military pay. There were three people in total, but they were not a family. The old man's surname was Huang, and the young wife Yulian were both hired. Huang was an old blacksmith from the countryside, making tools like hoes and knives, which sold for much less than those in Tokyo. Working here, he earned more than he did selling his own products in the countryside.

As for the young wife Yulian from the Chen family, her background was quite coincidental. In the memory of the "young man," she was a maid in Li Shouzhen's household when he served as a guard. After the ups and downs of life, they met again in Tokyo. Shao learned that her life was very difficult, and out of nostalgia, he hired her to do odd jobs at his blacksmith shop. In fact, most of the shop's earnings might go to her, as Shao, being on duty in the imperial army for many days, couldn't manage the shop's business and had to let Yulian handle it as she pleased.

Her name was Yulian, and it was said in the neighborhood that her surname was Dong, though it might just be a fabricated name.

Yulian's husband had a broken leg and couldn't work, and she, a young woman, was doing laundry and cooking in a bachelor's home, inevitably leading to gossip in the neighborhood. Shao didn't mind, but it seemed very difficult for her... being the subject of rumors and gossip was clearly not a pleasant experience. Often, Yulian would walk quickly with her head down, not speaking to anyone when she went out.

As night fell, Shao finally put down his work. He closed the shop by nailing wooden planks together, as the shop's front was open, and there was no large door, so this method was like a modern roller shutter.

Shao walked into the backyard and saw that the food on the table in the dining room hadn't been touched. Yulian was sweeping the floor, and Old Huang was sitting on the threshold repairing an iron tongs. Shao realized that the hierarchy in ancient times was very clear and not at all subtle. He was the youngest but the owner, and no one dared to eat before the owner.

The main dish was a soup pancake made of white flour, which was probably the material guarantee that kept people around. In this era, famine and starvation were common, and even local landlords couldn't afford to eat white flour regularly.

After dinner, Yulian hurried to leave. Shao, seeing that it was already dark outside and that the alley to her home was poorly lit, got up and said, "I'll see you home."

Yulian waved her hands, "No, no, Shao, rest early, I'll make breakfast tomorrow morning."

Shao insisted, "Tokyo only looks peaceful."

Yulian picked up her basket, and Shao followed her out the back door, which led to an alley. This commercial district had shops in the front and narrow, high alleys in the back to save space. The artisans and merchants lived and worked in the back, often throwing garbage into the alley's drainage沟, which would emit a foul odor if it didn't rain for a few days to wash it away.

Yulian walked ahead, her head down, looking timid and embarrassed, occasionally glancing around quickly, as if afraid of running into someone she knew. Shao walked behind her, quietly admiring her back. Her figure was actually very good, with a slender waist and a firm buttock that created beautiful folds in her skirt, even though the skirt was old and worn. The patched gray shirt and her white neck formed a striking contrast, reminding one of a lotus in the mud.

"What's wrong?" Yulian turned back and saw Shao's unusual gaze, unable to help but ask.

Shao shook his head and nodded toward a door ahead, "You're here, go in."

"Um." Yulian seemed to want to say something polite but hesitated and silently fled into her old home.

The paper window of her house lit up with the glow of an oil lamp, and suddenly there was a loud bang, followed by a woman's scream and a man's curse, "Shameless slut! Off to see your lover again!"

The woman sobbed and said something in a low voice, and immediately there was the sound of a ceramic container breaking.

"My legs may not work, but my ears still do! If you dare to conspire with your lover to harm me!"

Shao heard clearly outside, feeling sympathy for Yulian but also helpless. Anyone hearing rumors about their wife and others would find it hard to bear... but he was innocent. Perhaps the man from the Chen family hadn't fully understood his situation. He was either humiliated and living a miserable life or dead, and beyond that, could he really blame his wife?

Soon, the man's voice came again, "Wine! Wine! No more wine!"

Yulian's voice was too low to hear clearly, and then there was a series of loud noises, and the woman's cries were very pitiful.

Shao, hearing this, was furious. He looked down and saw some firewood nearby, picked up a piece, and moved forward. At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and Yulian, with one hand covering her face and the other holding her arm, tears streaming down her face, ran out. She was startled to see Shao.

She immediately noticed the wooden stick in Shao's hand and the murderous look on his face. Her expression turned from sorrow to fear, and she said in a low voice, "What are you going to do? The neighbors are spreading rumors. If you kill him, the authorities will find out."

The man inside shouted, "Who are you talking to?"

Yulian gritted her teeth and waved for Shao to leave quickly. At that moment, the man inside shouted again, "Since you're so slutty, go serve your lover all night, and you'll have money to buy wine, ha ha..."

The wooden stick in Shao's hand creaked as he clenched it tightly. His arm strength, which could pull a three-stone strong bow during practice, would likely break either the stick or the bones if he swung it at someone.

Yulian held her breath and stared at his face, her eyes bright, waiting for something. Her expression was a mix of pleading, excitement, and anticipation.

"I'm not sure," Shao said coldly, then bent down and placed the wooden stick gently back in the pile of firewood.

Yulian watched his back, puzzled... what was he unsure about? A strong young man serving in the military, couldn't he handle a disabled man who couldn't even stand?

Several windows nearby lit up, and the commotion had likely provided great entertainment for the gossips. Shao's actions were hard to hide. As the saying goes, if you don't want others to know, don't do it.