Linxia

Chapter 36, Show off
After seeing the three people off, Fang Lin was also thinking.

He really wanted to find a job right now. After all, his family didn't have much money saved - the Geng family gave him one or two taels of silver for the ginseng, and he sold some grain to the villagers at a slightly higher price these two days. In total, he only had a little over one or two taels of silver, which was not enough to do anything.

"As for the future, will it be the imperial examination or business? In this era where everything else is inferior except for education, if you want to improve your social status, the imperial examination is naturally the most effective way, but..."

Fang Lin found himself to be illiterate in this era - he could only recognize simplified Chinese characters, but the current ones were traditional Chinese characters!

'Even if I can read faster than the average person, the imperial examination is far more than just about reading. I didn't major in Chinese language or history in my previous life. I changed my major later in life. Can I really compare to those who have studied the Four Books and Five Classics since childhood?'

Even if it is possible, how long will it take? Ten years? Or twenty years? Thirty is an old student, fifty is a young scholar, this is not a joke!
Besides this, Fang Lin was even more worried: "This world is similar to the Ming Dynasty. If the Jurchens came south and seized the sacred artifacts, it would take 10 to 20 years to finally pass the imperial examination and become a minor official. Then the country would be destroyed and all the efforts would be in vain. If you want to live in disgrace, you will have to cut off your braids and kneel down to be a dog..."

"If you do business, you can accumulate wealth faster while capitalism is in its infancy. If you expand your business, you will be inferior to ordinary scholars and jinshi in terms of resource mobilization ability. But in this era of officialdom, if you don't have connections and a network of relationships to protect you, it's wishful thinking to expand your business."

‘That’s all! ’

Fang Lin shook his head and realized that he was thinking too much. Now that survival needs have not been met, how can he talk about higher demands?
What's more, studying or doing business are not career choices that can be made hastily without knowing the answer.

He would not set limits for his life, such as what must happen or what must not happen, and he would change at any time. Besides, no matter how good the plan was, it could not withstand the unexpected - just like the theft of thirty taels of silver, which shattered many of his ideas.

'For now, I'd better find a job that pays well and is easy. It would be even better if I can learn to read at the same time.'

——No matter what, no matter what you do in the future, at least you can't be a blind man.

'Also, understand the situation in the city, accumulate background, connections, money...' After two lifetimes as a human being, Fang Lin still has some methods of making connections.

After dinner, the family didn’t talk much. They fell asleep feeling tired from the journey, excited about seeing the prosperous city, and looking forward to the future.

……

The next morning, Fang Lin, You Chaodong, Fu Hong and Geng Shi put on their best clothes and met each other, planning to go to the provincial capital to look around and find work.

——Fang’s father did not go, but stayed behind to look after the house. He was always worried about not having a man at home. After the ups and downs on the way to the provincial capital, the family had become a little overly vigilant.

When I went out, I saw many beggars living nearby.

"There are all kinds of people here. Once I find a job and have some money, I'll have to move out and rent a house," Fang Lin thought to himself.

After leaving here, the four people first went to the dock, and then to various workshops, such as silk, cloth, oil pressing... etc. After asking about these hard labor jobs, they went to street shops, such as rice shops, pawnshops, bookstores, restaurants, and teahouses.

Wherever he went, Fang Lin would shamelessly find ways to find out whether they were short of staff, how much the wages were, and he would also talk to the shop assistants, asking if the shopkeeper was easy to deal with, whether the wages were paid on time, whether there was any deduction, etc.

Seeing Fang Lin like a fish in water, You Chaodong, Fu Hong and Geng Shi all felt inferior. On the one hand, Fang Lin was thoughtful; on the other hand, he was thick-skinned. In the beginning, he pretended to be a guest and asked some questions. Even if he was exposed and given a cold shoulder, he still smiled and was able to get useful information from him every time.

The three of them seemed to be led by Fang Lin. However, they also had doubts in their hearts. For example, the relatively decent jobs in the street shops were considered quite good in the eyes of the people in the prefecture. Would they hire refugees like them? Even if they were willing, would they be able to do the job?
I went back to have lunch at noon, and continued in the afternoon. After a day of running around, I came back in the evening with the message and feeling exhausted.

There is a simple tavern at the entrance of the shanty town in Xiaohe Village. Song Kai, Bai Bao and Zheng Yu are having dinner here today.

Yes, Song Kai, Bai Bao, and Zheng Yu are together again - although after the robbery incident, this small group has become divided, but because they are not well-liked by the villagers, they have recently started to gather together for warmth. However, it is difficult to mend a broken mirror, and it is still very different from before. Zheng Yu and Song Kai are still slightly closer because of their kinship, while Bai Bao's relationship is completely superficial, and they are not close in spirit.

There are only simple meals in this tavern, such as oil-splashed noodles and fried rice, and there are only two kinds of wine: Shaodaozi and Laohuangjiu. However, it is still extremely luxurious in the eyes of the villagers. No one came to eat yesterday, but today, Song Kai and his group each ordered a bowl of oil-splashed noodles, a bowl of Laohuangjiu, and even a plate of dried tofu.

It turned out that they had signed up with a clerk named Xiao and went to work at the dock today. Although they were very tired after a day's work, they still received a salary of five cents of silver! (One tael of silver = 10 cents = 100 cents, about 1000 copper coins)

This is five cents of silver, which is fifty copper coins! Imagine five cents of silver a day, one tael and five cents of silver a month, and eighteen taels of silver a year!

In Xiaohe Village, even if they are busy all year round, they can only save one or two taels of silver in a good year. In comparison, this has opened the door to a new world for them.

Money is the courage of a hero. Song Kai and his two friends became more confident when they had money. They shook off their previous dirty looks and ordered delicious food. "Hey, Linzi, you guys are back. Did you find a job today? We worked at the dock and earned a lot."

"Oh, how much? No matter how I look at it, it's not much. I can still save thirty or forty cents just by having this good meal." Bai Bao said as he slapped a handful of copper coins on the table. Although he said it was not much, the smug look on his face showed that he was obviously showing off.

To be honest, he was really frustrated. He had been looked down upon by the villagers for the past two days. Today, he finally got ahead and signed up when most people were still waiting and watching. He was the first to work and got paid. Now that he had become so popular, how could he not show off?

"Isn't it? By the way, the taste of this oil-splashed noodles..."

Song Kai took over the conversation and deliberately used chopsticks to hold the noodles high, as if to show Fang Lin and the others. Then he tilted his head and slurped them into his mouth, chewing them in big mouthfuls and swallowing them. He sipped the old rice wine, then let out a long breath and slapped the table: "Good! It's very chewy! Otherwise, how can they open a restaurant? Linzi, why don't you have a bowl too? Hey, didn't you make any money after running around all day?"

Among the group, only Zheng Yu did not speak. He was not the kind of person who would become arrogant when he succeeded, and he did not have any grudges with Fang Lin and the others.

In response to this, Fang Lin and the other three had different reactions.

You Chaodong and Fu Hong saw that Song Kai and the other two actually received their wages, especially when Bai Bao slapped the handful of copper coins on the table. It was so visually impactful that their hearts couldn't help but beat wildly.

Do you want to say I am jealous? Yes, I am jealous! But it is even more uncomfortable!
It's uncomfortable to see other people showing off, and it's doubly uncomfortable to see your "enemy" showing off. It's really unpleasant.

Geng Shi was a little surprised to see that Song Kai and his colleagues earned a lot, more than he had imagined. However, he thought that what Fang Lin was doing now was just a matter of time, so he still had firm trust in him.

Fang Lin just remained calm, as if he didn't hear anything, and just walked straight past. He always knew that only by doing good preparations can one achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Is it something to be proud of for people like Song Kai who hurriedly found such a manual labor job? A swan does not associate with a sparrow. If he looks at it more, cares about it more, and wastes more energy, it will simply lower his own level.

……

(End of this chapter)