Chapter 533: Humanity's Myriad States (1600 Added)

After extinguishing the stove fire, the aroma of fish soup in the Treasure Pot overflowed.

Although only fish and salt were used, it captured the natural deliciousness.

Upon smelling it, Aaron's thin, small body felt his stomach start to rumble.

He used a broken bowl to scoop himself a bowl of fish soup, looked at the pale red broth, and slowly blew on the heat.

If it were the former youth Fang Yu, even if he caught a big fish, he would be reluctant to eat it himself and would definitely take it to the Fish Market to sell for money.

Only the small fish and shrimp that really couldn't be sold would be brought back for him to eat.

Stinking fish and rotten shrimp, the bane of a meal—that was just how it was.

It was often the brain saying—"You've learned it!"

The hands saying—"No, you haven't!"

"After fishing for so many days, the biggest one was bought... got eight copper coins, just enough to make up for the amount previously extorted... the fish from here on out won't be so easy to sell, what a loss..."

Walking into the restaurant, the tables and stools on all sides were missing arms or legs, but the people who came here to drink also mostly wore short jackets, their clothes full of patches, and they didn't care about this at all.

"A monopoly industry... oh, then never mind!"

Nowadays the world is still considered peaceful; a poor wretch like Fang Yu, who wouldn't have three taels of oil even if squeezed dry, wouldn't have anyone looking for trouble with him as long as he remained honest and kept to himself.

The side dishes for drinking included broad beans, dried tofu, and cold sliced meat.

She was about thirty years old, her appearance not particularly outstanding, yet she carried the charm of a mature woman, especially her skin which was so delicate it seemed it would break if blown upon; she deliberately lowered her neckline to reveal a patch of snow-white, smooth skin, which, combined with her expressive, watery almond eyes, was enough to make any man infatuated.

Did he really think the government and the private salt peddlers were good people?

Occasionally, when encountering a holiday or catching a lot of fish, they would stew crabs, shrimp, and whatever kind of fish together in one pot, sprinkle on some coarse salt, and treat it as a feast.

This was a habit of the body; if it were changed to flat, stable ground, he would instead be unable to sleep.

Over the next few days, Aaron gave up the fish spear and began to ponder using a fishing net to catch fish; combined with the memories in his mind, he became proficient after a few tries, or rather—restored his past level, so he wouldn't come up empty-handed every time he cast the net, though there were no times he returned with a full load either.

"Even private salt is of such poor quality and high price... why don't the salt sellers start a price war?"

Although the bench seemed a bit uneven and the tabletop had some wood splinters... the previous Fang Yu clearly wouldn't care about this.

Aaron honestly paid the money; if he didn't stop at the pier, he could dock in the surrounding water bays, but firstly it wasn't safe, and secondly, minor officials often patrolled the area and would drag away any boats parked randomly, or even burn them directly!

Aaron also followed the crowd and turned his head, seeing a woman with disheveled hair and a plump figure walking out from the back kitchen.

"Sigh... near the rivers and seas, the catch doesn't fetch a good price, and inland transport is a trouble... there is a market but no demand."

Burning Knife and Old Yellow Wine were both one copper coin a bowl, broad beans and dried tofu were one copper coin a plate, and cold sliced meat was five copper coins a plate.

"I've come late, please enjoy your meal, honored guests."

Therefore, the business firm at this pier was actually selling... private salt!

However, it was said that the owner of the firm had a strong background and was well-connected in official circles, so no one came to manage it.

Only two kinds of wine were sold here.

Sure enough, Aaron's premonition came true.

The other kind was 'Old Yellow Wine', which became more fragrant the longer it was stewed.

"Selling fish!"

"Top-quality Red Blood Carp, may you have abundance every year, what a good omen..."

Aaron untied the rope, rowed the boat on the lake, and began to search for schools of fish and cast his net according to the experience in his memory.

"Speaking of the mansion... have you seen the Flower Courtesan 'Bai Mudan'? I saw her last time, she really is a beauty like a Heavenly Immortal; if I could sleep with her once, it would be worth dying for..."

Eating it himself was fine, but wanting to take it to sell... it would stink before even reaching the Fish Market!

Boat people had no fixed residence and could be fishing on the lake for days or even over a week.

While eating the 'Red Blood Carp', more fragmented memories surfaced in his mind.

If a poor person was honest and kept to themselves, it was considered a high frequency to encounter three or four major disasters and injustices in a lifetime...

One kind was 'Burning Knife', extremely fierce upon entering the throat, best for dispelling cold and warming the body.

All the fishermen were invigorated and began to shout:

"Selling fish!"

"I'll remember this grudge; a gentleman's revenge is not too late even after ten years! If I take revenge, a hundred or a thousand years is not too late! Even if the person involved from the Cao Family is gone, aren't there still all those descendants?"

"Hu Ye!"

"For those who practice Wu, eating this can greatly supplement Essence Qi, consolidate the foundation, and progress a thousand miles in a day!"

"It used to be ten copper coins, I'll give you a discount, just eight copper coins, and I'll even help you gut and clean it, how about that?"

This gave Aaron a deeper understanding of the level of 【Fishing (Entry)】 in his Divine Attribute panel.

By the time the sun was high, Aaron had sold less than half the fish, and the Fish Market had already dispersed; the rest could only be left on his hands.

Of course, a single injustice could potentially cause a commoner with no risk resistance to lose their home...

Immediately, before the customer came, a man of about thirty with a full beard, wearing a pitch-black short jacket, revealing sturdy muscles, and accompanied by two followers, stood in front of Aaron: "Oh? Isn't this Ayu?"

'Hu Ye' squatted down with a fake smile, opened the fish basket, and his gaze swept over the fish Aaron had brought.

Although Aaron was illiterate, he remembered others calling this place 'Yuyang Restaurant'.

Aaron was all smiles, but was cursing internally.

Immediately, a minor official in a black robe came over, smelled the fishy odor on Aaron, and immediately showed an expression of disgust: "Docking fee is three copper coins a day!"

After a few days, there would be no salt left to eat.

The humidity on the lake was heavy; not to mention old age, it was common for fishermen in their thirties or forties to have stiff joints and aching backs. Drinking alcohol could dispel evil and cold, or at the very least, numb the pain.

After finishing the fish soup, he threw the fish bones and thorns into the lake.

While carrying the fish basket and the Treasure Pot and complaining to himself, Aaron passed by a fortune-telling stall.

Aaron, however, would rather invest in himself than benefit others.

Burning Knife was very strong; before long, Aaron felt a bit tipsy.

However, his gaze only swept over it once before he walked past as if nothing had happened.

Aaron dared not eat it directly; he could only add water to that "coarse salt," repeatedly boil it, and filter out the impurities to produce refined white salt for consumption.

The Burning Knife was extremely fierce upon entering the throat, like a line of fire going straight into his belly, a sensation completely different from eating the Red Blood Carp soup.

Aaron sighed, seemingly sensing the intense demands of his still-developing body, and began to rapidly polish off the fish soup.

Making money, it's nothing to be ashamed of!

"Young man, how do you sell this fish?"

Aaron sighed as he put away his fish basket, went to a merchant shop in the Fish Market, added his own savings, took out twenty large coins, and bought a jar of salt.

Before dawn.

The auntie took a fancy to the largest crucian carp, discovered it was jumping about vigorously when picked up, and only then asked with satisfaction.

It is said that this way of eating was passed down from pirates on the sea, so it is also called "Pirate Pot."

……

Furthermore, Aaron had always been a young noble master before, and later even ascended to the position of Creator; he had never done the work of fishing.

"Warm two bowls of wine, and bring a plate of spiced beans!"

He looked at that sign and secretly committed it to memory.

Si Niang was adept at socializing; it was said she had the backing of a certain military commander in the city. She greeted every customer, and even Aaron in the corner was accurately called by name and specifically spoken to.

Some simply bought wine at the counter, took their wine bowls and vegetable plates, and squatted at the entrance to drink.

After all, he wasn't even considered "missing" yet; it would take at least a month of disappearance for anyone to notice anything amiss.

This tavern only had a few kitchens and stoves in the back, with a shed built outside to block the sunlight; it looked very crude, and a paint-peeling sign stood outside the shed.

……

While Aaron picked up a piece of dried tofu and tasted it slowly, he quietly pricked up his ears:

Relying on his previous rapier techniques, his success rate was far higher than fishing.

The clouds cleared and the rain stopped, and the sun shone brightly.

This "Hu Ye" was clearly suspicious, doubting that he had caught some rare fish.

In this way, the consumption rate of salt was naturally astonishing.

"Auntie, buying fish?"

Aaron rolled his eyes in his heart, took out another five large coins, and handed them over.

After finally managing to fool "Hu Ye," Aaron looked up and found that the sky was just beginning to brighten.

After hard labor, coming over to see the beautiful proprietress, drinking, bragging, and bantering was one of the few pleasures in the lives of the common folk.

Aaron wore a straw raincoat, carried a bamboo basket full of live fish, moored his boat at a berth, and stepped onto the pier.

Although he still had some money in his lapel, this was also to maintain his persona.

"Hu Ye" was a manager for the "Golden Fish Gang"; this area of the Fish Market was tacitly controlled by the "Golden Fish Gang," and every fish seller had to pay a tribute—this was the rule!

"Hehe... you were certainly more prompt with the payment this time than in the past, weren't you?"

Moreover, when fishing nets are used too much, they easily rot due to dampness and need to be dried and mended frequently.

No choice... the salt was all gone!

Walking into the tavern and arriving at the counter, the waiter recognized Fang Yu and asked with a smile: "What will it be?"

Although he really wanted to learn to read and write, Aaron was not in a hurry at all.

The local salt here was black and yellow in color and mixed with mud and sand; there was no telling how many heavy metal substances it contained.

Even if he lowered the price, it would be hard to move the other party.

If one really wanted to eat meat but couldn't afford five large coins, one could also buy a bowl of rotten meat noodles for three large coins, just to satisfy the craving.

This time he came to the Fish Market only to scout the situation; he would do nothing else that might attract attention.

"Jumping, lively green shrimp! If you come late, they'll be gone!"

Furthermore, no one knew if he had run off because of gambling debts or if he had been fed to the Dragon King.

Not long after, Aaron walked out of the Fish Market and came to a tavern by the pier.

"The only principle now is: do not attract attention!"

With business opened, Aaron's price-cutting sales played a big role.

At this time, a few people finally came to the Fish Market to buy goods.

Anyway, life was long; fully playing the role of a fisherman was also quite interesting.

"The 'Red Blood Carp,' known as the 'Small Dragon Seed,' is rumored to have a trace of flood dragon bloodline and is a specialty of Taize Lake..."

They were all very ordinary goods, and the quantity was small.

Aaron saw an auntie wearing a wooden hairpin and a blue floral cloth skirt coming over and hurriedly greeted her.

The boat swayed constantly, but Aaron felt incomparably at ease.

For a time, the tavern was filled with the sound of voices, and both host and guests were happy.

Not long after Aaron sat down, a few more fishermen came in; they were all familiar with each other, so they greeted one another and sat down to eat and drink.

However, using a fish spear to spear fish also had a disadvantage: once the fish was pierced, it would die before long... there was simply no way to store it for a long time!

"Yo? Ayu, it's been a while since you came."

And no one mentioned the matter of Laili Liu.

"Look at these clams, fresh and tender!"

……

"Coming right up! A bowl of 'Burning Knife' and a plate of dried tofu!"

"Haha, Niu Er, you should go to the tofu shop at the West City Gate; what are you thinking about Bai Mudan for?"

Aaron sat cross-legged, feeling a slow stream of heat in his Stomach, his whole body feeling warm.

"If you want to see a beauty, there really is a chance!"

Aaron later simply abandoned the fishing net and began to use a fish spear to spear fish.

Three days later.

Borrowing this stream of heat, Aaron wrapped himself in a tattered cotton quilt and fell asleep directly in the boat cabin.

In the past, every time Fang Yu sold fish at the Fish Market, he would definitely come to this place, order a bowl of "Burning Knife," and depending on the situation, order other side dishes.

"If I brought that 'Red Blood Carp' to sell, it would be just like sending a sheep into a tiger's mouth... Hmm... but fishermen aren't without memory either; they all secretly take them to the city to sell directly to restaurants... but it's still very dangerous!"

After all, he was already immortal, so why care about this little bit of time?

"Since I have come to this world, then my alias from now on shall be Fang Yu!"

He could only come to the Fish Market to sell fish for money, and then go to nearby shops to buy salt...

As for utilizing advanced technology to refine salt or sell white sugar?

Aaron didn't even think about it.

Otherwise, why is it said that the hearts of the people are like iron, and the laws of the officials are like a furnace?

For a commoner without any power to want to drift on the lake, ignoring worldly affairs and being carefree, it is truly too difficult, too difficult!

The Fish Market was right by the wharf; at this time, the sky was not yet bright, and Aaron carried his bamboo basket, found an empty spot to squat down, and began to set up his stall.

This was about the same as Fang Yu's previous harvests, and perhaps even slightly worse.

Even if one does not know any martial arts, ordinary people eating "Red Blood Carp" can also nourish their Essence Qi, which is even more beneficial for a youth's frail body.

Aaron steered his own Black-Awning Boat, carrying all his worldly possessions, and arrived at "Sanshui Wharf."

The second reason was that he wanted to come and see the owner of "Yuyang Restaurant" — Si Niang!

Life in this world always has many dissatisfactions; having endured so much for so long, the bitter wretches also need a place to vent.

"Three years ago... a 'Red Blood Carp King' appeared in Taize Lake, and the 'Cao Family,' a wealthy household in the prefecture, forced numerous fishermen to go into the water in the dead of winter to search and capture it... My parents in this body died because of this..."

After the largest fish was bought, several more customers came, but they picked and chose and just weren't very satisfied.

"Si Niang is here!"

You really can't say otherwise.

As for intense and concentrated conflicts, those are all for the sake of plot requirements in novels and television dramas.

Taking a sip of the pale red fish soup, he immediately felt a fresh flavor strongly stimulating his taste buds; the fish meat was also rich in elasticity, and after sliding down his throat into his Stomach, it actually stirred up wisps of heat, making Aaron no longer feel the chill of the rainy night.

Aaron took out two large coins, received the wine bowl and dish from the counter, and found a corner seat to sit down and drink slowly.

Calculating the accounts, he had a total income of twenty large coins; after deducting the exploitation, twelve large coins remained.

The tide rolled, and the thunderstorm whistled.

The woman hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke: "That will do!"

As a result, after a whole day, he had nothing to show for it!

After all, Fang Yu's fishing skills were not very brilliant to begin with.

But watching his largest fish being bought, he suddenly fell silent...

"It truly is worthy of being a Small Dragon Seed!"

"This year is the sixtieth birthday of the Head of the Family of the Liu Family; they are inviting a theater troupe to perform for three days and three nights, and you can eat at the open banquet as long as you say a few auspicious words!"

Aaron almost blurted out that this was indeed something a certain literary giant had said, but he held back: "The usual!"

The next day.

Just at this moment, someone shouted, and the eyes of everyone in the restaurant lit up.

"I must survive this vulnerable period until I have the power to protect myself; I must be low-key, even more low-key!"

Before falling asleep, a thought emerged in Aaron's heart.

"All the states of human life are contained within..."

The government obviously cared even less about an unregistered person without a household registration; even if he reported a case, no one would necessarily pay attention.

Although he could not understand those ghost-like Talismans, he still recognized the brush and paper.

The salt shops of officials and merchants were only set up inside the city.

As the sun set, Aaron walked out of the restaurant, carrying his fish basket toward the wharf.

Good times are always so short, and life must go on...

(End of this chapter)