Chapter 1: Qin Shuo

Great Li 1524, Songyang Prefecture, Blackwater County.

Huh~

He looked up at the mottled, heavy city wall ahead, Qin Shuo let out a long breath, finally making it back before dark.

This world is not like his previous life; if he camped outside the city, he would die.

The sun set behind the mountains, the sky gradually darkened.

Qin Shuo tightened his pack and hurried through the city gate toward home.

It's this late; A Lan should have finished cooking by now, right?

I don't know if that girl listened to my advice and removed the bran from the brown rice.

Sigh~

Thinking of his previous life, even if not eating fish and meat every day, he at least had white rice every meal!

How did he end up in such a godforsaken place where even birds won't poop?

In his previous life he also came from the countryside, considered himself useless at everything, and was top at enduring hardship.

But after coming to this world he discovered…

He can't even endure hardship!

At least he couldn't stomach the bran; it was terribly harsh on his throat, almost impossible to swallow.

Perhaps from hunger, thinking he might get to eat bran-free rice porridge today, Qin Shuo unconsciously quickened his pace.

He passed through the stone-paved Rongsheng Street, turned into the stinking Firewood-Fishermen's Block, then walked a few narrow muddy alleys to the northwest, and his view suddenly opened up.

An old locust tree with twisted branches came into view.

Under the tree sat a group of people, some waving palm-leaf fans, some cracking melon seeds, chatting lively.

"Yo~ Qin Xiaozi's back from hunting!"

Suddenly, the balding old man Zheng holding a palm-leaf fan saw Qin Shuo, his eyes lighting up like a hunter spotting prey, a chrysanthemum-like smile spreading across his face.

Qin Shuo didn't respond, just kept walking on his own.

He didn't think this old man Lao Bi Deng would show any genuine concern for him.

Seeing Qin Shuo ignore him, Elder Zheng's smile didn't fade; he hurried forward, grabbed Qin Shuo's pack, and craned his neck to look inside.

"What are you doing?"

Qin Shuo frowned, jerked his shoulder hard, shook off Zheng's hand, and glared at him coldly.

"Haha, I guessed right again, didn't I? This kid didn't catch anything."

Elder Zheng gloated, completely ignoring Qin Shuo's angry face, turned to the crowd under the tree, eyebrows dancing, showing off his cleverness and wisdom.

"Qin Xiaozi, it's not that Auntie says you're not cut out for mountain hunting."

"Look at your scrawny arms and legs—what big game could you possibly hunt?"

"Take Auntie's advice: while you're young, hurry and sell yourself to a wealthy family."

"Otherwise, when you're older, you won't be able to sell yourself even if you want to."

"Look at Auntie me: I entered the Lin Manor as a maid at twelve, and now in my old age the Lin Manor still gives me a monthly stipend—I live quite comfortably."

Under the locust tree, a plump woman with her legs crossed lectured Qin Shuo while cracking melon seeds.

Qin Shuo rolled his eyes inwardly.

This old woman seemed to care for him, imparting precious life experience.

In reality, she was just showing off her status as a Lin Manor maid and the monthly stipend she received from the Lin Manor.

The Lin Manor, a prominent wealthy family in Blackwater City, rich and benevolent.

It is said that all who work as maids or servants in the Lin Manor, if they haven't committed any major fault, will receive a substantial homecoming stipend in their old age.

Thus, many children from poor families in Blackwater City consider it an honor to work in the Lin Manor, and an honor to become its maids or servants.

Some even bribed the Lin family's steward to secure a position as a maid or servant in the Lin Manor.

This Aunt Sun, however, was special: she entered the Lin Manor at twelve and later became the wet nurse of the Lin family's young master.

The Lin family's young master, who grew up aiming for the imperial examinations and loved a good reputation, therefore treated her with extra courtesy.

Not only did he give her a monthly stipend, he sometimes visited her in person to show respect for the elderly and filial piety.

Thus, that Lin family young lord also earned the epithet "Great Virtuous Person" in Blackwater City.

As for whether he was truly virtuous or just pretending, Qin Shuo didn't know.

But under the Lin family's patronage, Aunt Sun's life was indeed good—she had enough to eat and wear.

Heck, she often urged people to sell themselves into slavery, spreading fame for the Lin family and the Lin eldest young master everywhere.

"Go on cracking your melon seeds; my affairs are none of your business."

Qin Shuo retorted angrily, shouldering his bamboo basket and continued toward home.

What a damned world!

People even take pride in being treated like dogs—can this be acceptable?

He is, after all, a proper twenty-first‑century college student; making him a servant, summoned at will, he might as well just kill himself.

Moreover, as one of countless transmigrants, he isn't completely without support, and hasn't yet reached the point where he must become a slave or servant just to survive.

"Hey! How can you be so ungrateful, kid? Auntie is doing this for your own good…"

The fat aunt jumped up in anger.

Qin Shuo didn't even look back, utterly ignoring this bunch of bored idiots who only seek superiority by putting others down.

Leaving the Locust Tree Square, he turned into a Yellow Mud Alley.

This alley has a dozen or so households; the tumbledown yellow‑mud cottage at its end is his home in this life.

"Brother, you're back?"

Before Qin Shuo could knock, the door opened.

A thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl poked half her body out from inside the door, looked left and right, made sure no one was there, then her expression eased a little, and she opened the door to let Qin Shuo in.

Qian Biao's gang is back again?

Seeing his little sister A Lan's timid and cautious expression, Qin Shuo frowned, his eyes dark.

He keenly noticed two shallow shoe prints on his own front door, likely left when someone kicked it hard.

"They came this afternoon; I hid inside and didn't dare make a sound. Later, the neighbor Aunt Zhang opened the door, said no one was home, and left." Qin Lan's voice was suppressed; she was obviously quite frightened.

Damn these rascals!

Qin Shuo's eyes were icy cold, anger rising in his heart.

He had been in this world for over a month.

When he first transmigrated, the original owner of this body was suffering a high fever from a serious illness.

At that time, the family had just finished the funeral for the hunter father, all savings were exhausted, and they couldn't afford to hire a doctor.

It was his little sister Qin Lan who watched over him day and night, using a wet towel to lower his fever, boiling gruel and giving him water each day, which allowed him to barely survive.

Afterwards he lay ill in bed for over half a month, surviving solely on Qin Lan's earnings from washing clothes for others.

He still felt deep affection for this little sister of his.

"Brother, eat first!"

Qin Lan brought out a bowl of steaming brown rice gruel mixed with greens from the kitchen, its aroma tempting.

"The landlord gave me a bunch of greens today; I threw them into the porridge—try it!"

Qin Shuo took the bowl; remarkably, the porridge contained no bran, only thick rice gruel and greens.

"This girl, she seems to have listened to advice."

Qin Shuo's appetite stirred; he hadn't had such pure rice porridge in a long time.

Glug—

He gulped down a big mouthful.

Qin Shuo only felt the porridge was incredibly smooth, the rice aroma filling his nose, tastier than the seafood porridge and beef porridge he'd had in his previous life.

"Delicious!"

Qin Shuo's face showed a satisfied expression.

Finally, he no longer had to eat that throat-scraping bran porridge.

"Really?"

Beside him, the expectant Qin Lan heard the praise, her eyes crinkling with a smile like a crescent moon.

"Really, it's better than any porridge I've ever eaten." Qin Shuo said firmly.

"You're lying, brother—you used to say porridge needs lard to taste good!"

Though she said that, Qin Lan's face was nonetheless lit with a happy smile.

It seemed that the day's labor and fright had all vanished in his brother's single "delicious."

"Wait a couple days till Brother bags some game, and we'll not only be able to add lard but also eat meat."

After half a bowl of rice porridge went down, his strength recovered considerably, and Qin Shuo spoke with full confidence.

Only then did he notice that Qin Lan had been watching him eat while she herself hadn't eaten.

"Why aren't you eating?" Qin Shuo raised an eyebrow.

"I already ate. I couldn't resist while cooking and had a bowl first."

Qin Lan stuck out her tongue a little embarrassedly, utterly adorable.

Qin Shuo saw she didn't look like she hadn't eaten, so he didn't press further and kept drinking his porridge.

"Brother, you drink first; today I learned embroidery with Aunt Sun, and once I master it I can earn money by stitching handkerchiefs."

Qin Lan rose, entered the main room, took out a sewing box, and began earnestly learning embroidery.

Qin Shuo drank the last of the porridge in the bowl, licked clean the residue clinging to the walls, then put the bowl back in the kitchen.

However, when he saw a bowl of porridge smeared with bran on the stove, he froze, a surge of indescribable sourness and emotion welling up in his heart.

He paused, stacked his own bowl on top of it, then turned and left the kitchen.

He did not expose Qin Lan's good intention.

Because he knew there was only one way for Qin Lan to also drink bran-free rice porridge…

That was to go hunting!

To earn money!

He returned to the courtyard.

Qin Shuo picked up the ox horn bow left to him by his hunter father and began training at the target.

At the same time, a black cauldron appeared before his eyes—three legs, two ears, a round belly, engraved with the pattern of the ferocious gluttonous beast.

And beneath the cauldron hovered a string of characters visible only to him:

【Ingredient: Ox Horn Bow】

【Refining Condition: Draw the bow ten thousand times!】

【Refining Effect: Basic archery mastery; within fifteen zhang, arrows never miss!】

【Current Refining Progress: 97%】

【Current refinement progress: 97%】