Chapter 39 of 100

Chapter 39

17 min read4,213 words

PS: The second volume has started, hahaha, Taibao sincerely requests all brothers and sisters to continue your support as always, to accompany our Marquis. I also sincerely request recommendations and collections, bowing in gratitude!

After a good night's sleep, when Xiaoming woke up in the morning, the outside world had turned into a vast white expanse. Snowflakes as large as goose feathers fell from the sky, covering the entire city of Chang'an in a white world.

The rooftops, tree branches, and courtyards were all covered with thick layers of snow, a silver world that dazzled the eyes.

Zhang Lu, the steward, was directing the servants to clear the snow in the courtyard. The snow was still falling, and the bodies and heads of several people were covered with snow. Any slight movement would cause the snow to fall off with a rustling sound.

Zhang Lu was a distant relative of Lady Qin's family, who had been living in the old Qin household for a long time. He was a trustworthy person. When Zhao Chen bought the house, the old Qin sent Zhang Lu over to be the steward since the household was short of one.

The room was warm, with the charcoal in the stove burning brightly. Several days ago, when Zhao Chen was renovating the house, he had the craftsmen build a heated wall in each room and had the blacksmith cast a stove.

However, the cast stove was very ugly, so Zhao Chen threw it into the Time-Space Supermarket and bought a new one from there. He then sent several to the old Qin's family.

On such a snowy day, it was not suitable to go out. There was nothing much happening at the Academy of Physical Sciences anyway. After instructing Zhang Lu to light the stoves in all the rooms, Zhao Chen crawled back into the warm bed and fell asleep again.

By noon, the snow had finally stopped. Zhao Chen got up, washed his face, and slowly made his way to the front hall, lazily lying in a chair. Soon, a maid brought breakfast, a large bowl of freshly made noodle soup with a small dish of pickled vegetables. Zhao Chen picked up the bowl without a care and started eating with gusto.

At some point, Zhao Chen suddenly realized that he had started to enjoy this life of luxury, where clothes were handed to him and food was served. This was probably the ease of moving from frugality to luxury!

While eating, he reflected on himself. After finishing a large bowl of noodles, he wiped his mouth and was about to head to the study to practice calligraphy. His ugly calligraphy had been criticized by Old Daoist Sun many times. If he didn't put in more effort, he would likely be criticized even more in the future. It would be a waste.

However, just as he got up from the chair, he saw Sun Simiao, covered in snow, enter the front hall with a dark expression, heading straight for Zhao Chen.

Something must have happened! This was Zhao Chen's first thought when he saw Sun Simiao. The old Daoist's face had never been so dark unless he was angry about something.

"Have you eaten?" Indeed, as soon as Sun Simiao entered the front hall, he glanced at the bowl and dishes on the table that had not yet been cleared, and asked in a harsh tone.

"Daoist, what's the matter with you this early in the morning?" Zhao Chen, startled, quickly stood up and instructed Zhang Lu to have the kitchen prepare a bowl of noodles for Sun Simiao, specifically telling him not to put scallions or garlic in it. After Zhang Lu reluctantly left, Zhao Chen pulled Sun Simiao to sit down and asked with a puzzled look.

Without waiting for a response, he pulled Sun Simiao to sit on a chair, took a towel to wipe the snow off the old Daoist's body and head. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to put him in such a state!

"Money!" Sun Simiao, sitting on the chair, placed a box from his chest on the table and loudly said to Zhao Chen, "I, a poor Daoist, have nothing but a few prescriptions in this box, which are worth some money. Unfortunately, they don't interest others, but I don't think you would look down on them, would you?"

This was serious! Zhao Chen knew that the box contained part of the Thousand Gold Prescriptions, the old Daoist's life's work, which he now had to sell for money.

"Don't worry, tell me what happened first," Zhao Chen quickly picked up the medicine box, put it back in the old Daoist's arms, pulled a chair over, and sat opposite him, looking at him with a serious expression.

"The house collapsed! The grain was also withheld!" The old Daoist suddenly raised his head and took a deep breath, then turned to Zhao Chen with red eyes and said, "Over a thousand people are standing in the snow. I spent the whole morning begging for help!"

Zhao Chen knew who the old Daoist was referring to. When he had almost lost his composure on the streets of Chang'an, the old Daoist had tried to take him to meet these people. They were a group of people who had survived the horrors of war, crawling out of piles of corpses, and were fortunate to be alive.

The old Daoist had been taking care of these people for years. They lived in Yongping Fang in Wannian County, surviving on the grain provided by the court each month. However, last night's heavy snow had collapsed all their houses.

Zhao Chen was stunned and silent after hearing the old Daoist's story.

No wonder the old Daoist was so angry. While he was in the warm room, he had to keep the stove burning, but those over a thousand people had to stand in the icy snow. There were even children among them.

The snow had just fallen, and the weather hadn't turned completely cold yet. But in the next few days, when the snow started to freeze, it would truly be freezing!

"About... how much money do you need?" Zhao Chen sat there for a while, then suddenly looked up at the old Daoist and asked.

But as soon as he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh bitterly. Asking the old Daoist was useless; his mind was filled with prescriptions. He might as well estimate it himself.

With over a thousand people, if five people shared one room, that would be two hundred rooms. If one room cost one guan, then it would be two hundred guan in total, a considerable amount.

But fortunately, it was within his means!

"Daoist, what do you mean by the grain being withheld?" After calculating the cost of the houses, Zhao Chen remembered the old Daoist had also mentioned the grain being withheld and asked curiously.

When Zhao Chen asked about this, Sun Simiao's eyes flashed with anger. He held back his curses for a long time, took a deep breath, and then said to Zhao Chen, "Today was the day for distributing the grain, but those who went to collect it only received half. I didn't even have time to ask why!"

"Then let's do this!" Zhao Chen thought for a moment and said to the old Daoist, "Daoist, go to the Ministry of Revenue and ask about the grain. I'll go and raise the money. I'll head to Yongping Fang later!"

Sun Simiao, of course, had no objections. He didn't ask how Zhao Chen would raise the money, knowing that asking would be pointless. He couldn't raise the money, and he couldn't pay Zhao Chen back in the future, so he didn't ask.

After sending off Sun Simiao, Zhao Chen immediately went to the study in the back of the house. He pushed aside the heavy bookshelf, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside was a metal lockbox, which contained Zhao Chen's most precious possession—the Time-Space Supermarket.

Two hundred guan was not a big problem for Zhao Chen. He could easily take something from the Time-Space Supermarket and sell it for over a hundred guan. With a bit of effort, he could even sell it for over a thousand guan.

When the Academy of Physical Sciences was building the house, Zhao Chen had asked Hu Lu to sell a piece of glass. However, since the glass now belonged to Changsun, it would be inappropriate for Zhao Chen to sell it again, as she was the Empress of the Tang Dynasty.

Since he couldn't sell the glass, he decided to sell a music box. This item could fetch at least five hundred guan, enough to solve the food and housing problems for over a thousand people.

Doing good deeds should be done from start to finish!

After buying the music box from the Time-Space Supermarket, Zhao Chen put on a thick robe and was about to head to the East Market when he ran into the old Qin, who had just returned from court.

To Zhao Chen's surprise, the old Qin, upon hearing his plan, immediately scolded him harshly. It was one thing for Sun Simiao to do this, as he was a monk and it was reasonable for him to do good deeds. But for Zhao Chen, it could be seen as seeking attention. Even the Emperor couldn't help, yet Zhao Chen was taking it all on himself. Was he more capable than the Emperor?

Zhao Chen was speechless and felt a bit frustrated. Over a thousand people were standing in the snow, and since no one was helping, he wanted to lend a hand. But he ended up being accused of seeking attention.

However, Zhao Chen knew the old Qin was doing this for his own good. If it were someone else, they would let him do as he pleased, and it wouldn't be their problem if he died. There was no need to waste words.

"What do you suggest, Uncle Qin? We can't just let those poor people freeze to death!" Zhao Chen, feeling frustrated, spoke with a hint of anger.

"Who should I ask, if you ask me?" The old Qin was also angry, with a lot on his plate. He had no time to think about other matters.

"But someone has to do it!" Zhao Chen sighed, looking at the white world outside. The houses needed to be built quickly, or it would be impossible to build them once the snow started to freeze.

"Whoever does it, I don't care!" The old Qin glared at Zhao Chen and said sternly, "But if you take on this task, don't blame me for being harsh!"

The old Qin then scowled and instructed the driver, leaving Zhao Chen alone on the street. He ignored Zhao Chen and drove off to his own residence.

"Damn, what a mess!" Watching the old Qin's carriage leave, Zhao Chen stood on the street, dazed for a while, then suddenly raised his head and cursed.

As he cursed, a snowflake drifted down from the sky and landed on Zhao Chen's eye, melting into a tear that slowly rolled down.

It's snowing again! This damned weather!

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