Chapter 9: Now We've Struck It Rich

Without any hesitation, Xu An sold all the original owner’s books and the four treasures of the study. Not bad— even the lowest quality items fetched one or two taels of silver. He needed money now to sustain his living. Then, he would find ways to earn even more!

Becoming an official through studying was impossible—never in this lifetime. One misstep in officialdom could lead to beheading, and the constant need to flatter the emperor and higher-ranking officials was unbearable. A single mistake could mean exile or death. As a traveler from another world, he should not flatter anyone or be bound by any constraints; that should be his pursuit. Only a fool would choose to become an official.

In this feudal society, as long as one had enough money, they could secretly build power—establish intelligence networks, assassin organizations, private armies, and more. Then, even the emperor would be no threat; why bother with flattery?

Since he was fortunate enough to traverse into an alternate history, he would take a path unlike any other traveler before him! But that was for the future.

“With this money, the immediate problem of survival is solved,” Xu An smiled. Next, he had to buy necessities and some raw materials for business.

...

Qinghe Village.

After Xu An left, Su Yan’er stood at the door for a while. Only when she could no longer see his figure did she turn and go inside. She searched around and finally found a rusty firewood knife tucked away in a corner of a side room.

“I must chop plenty of firewood today; otherwise, when my husband comes home tonight, he won’t be able to take a hot bath,” Su Yan’er muttered seriously. However, the knife was too rusty; without sharpening, it would be useless.

She looked around and spotted a whetstone nearby, used to fill water pits. She hurried over, fetched a wooden basin of water, squatted down, and skillfully began sharpening the firewood knife while splashing water on the stone.

In no time, the once rusty blade gleamed brightly and became much sharper. The little girl examined the polished blade, gently running her thumb along its edge, and nodded in satisfaction.

“Alright, good to go!”

She then found an old, slightly moldy basket, took the sharpened knife, locked the door, and headed toward the mountain. It had rained a lot these days, so many mushrooms should have sprouted in the forest; she could gather them to sell, helping to ease her husband’s burden.

At the village entrance, Su Yan’er saw Sister Wang and several other village women sitting under a large tree chatting. She hesitated about whether to greet them. Now that she was married and part of Qinghe Village, she needed to maintain good neighborly relations; otherwise, people would gossip behind her husband’s back, thinking he had married a poor wife.

But recalling how those women had been somewhat intimidating before because of her fierce eyes, she felt a bit scared. After a moment of hesitation, she resolved, “I will be a good wife to my husband!”

Just as she was about to walk over and greet them, Sister Wang and the others called out to her first.

“Madam Xu, where are you off to?”

“I... I’m going to chop some firewood in the mountains. We have none left at home,” the little girl replied nervously.

“Don’t go too deep into the mountains; there are wild beasts, and it’s dangerous,” Sister Wang warned.

“Thank you, I’ll be careful,” Su Yan’er nodded and turned toward the forest.

Watching her retreating figure, Sister Wang and the other women whispered among themselves.

“That poor Madam Xu, going into the mountains alone to chop firewood, and her husband doesn’t even accompany her. What if she encounters danger?”

“Indeed, married to such a useless husband who neither works nor understands farming—such a hard life!”

“Maybe that Xu man will really become an official someday?”

“I doubt it. I think there’s nothing good about him. Look at what they’ve done these years; they’ve squandered everything.”

...

Following the mountain path, Su Yan’er entered a forest and began collecting dry branches. When she found brittle twigs, she used the firewood knife to cut and pile them together. Occasionally, she discovered newly sprouted mushrooms under pine trees, which delighted her greatly.

The gathering dark clouds above did not dampen her spirits.

“I must collect more so I can make mushroom soup for my husband tonight,” the little girl thought to herself.

The forest was full of dry branches, and soon she had gathered two bundles, which she carefully tied with vines. Even when scratched by thorns, she paid no mind.

After finishing, she wiped the sweat from her brow, lifted the basket, and continued deeper into the woods. She needed to collect more mushrooms to cook soup for her husband tonight. However, she did not venture too far; her husband had warned her that the mountains were unsafe and she shouldn’t go too deep.

...

County Town.

Holding the money in his hand, Xu An calculated what to buy. There was no meat at home; he needed to get some, or else the plain broth would be hard to stomach. The little girl at home was content with only one meal of oil residue a month—she was so obedient and considerate. He had to take good care of her, especially ensuring she never lacked food and clothing.

Thinking of Su Yan’er, Xu An glanced at the overcast sky. “That little girl was already talking about going to chop firewood this morning. I wonder how she’s doing now.”

He quickened his pace toward a meat stall. After buying three jin of lean pork for eighty wen, he also purchased half a jin of salt. Salt was expensive—fifty wen for half a jin of coarse salt.

Passing a sugar shop, Xu An entered and inquired about the price of white sugar. Though called white sugar, it appeared yellowish and was very costly: twenty wen per liang.

Xu An smiled. He knew how to make white sugar! This world still lacked a method to produce genuine white sugar; they only processed it multiple times to make it look whiter.

He decided to use this knowledge to earn his first fortune here.

“Shopkeeper, is your sugar made here or brought in from elsewhere?” Xu An asked with a smile.

“Who’d make white sugar here? It all comes from somewhere else,” the shopkeeper, a man in his fifties with a warm demeanor, replied.

“This sugar looks too yellow. If it were whiter, it would taste better,” Xu An said casually.

“Little brother, whiter sugar does taste better, but that comes at a different price,” the shopkeeper responded.

Xu An smiled and said, “I have a distant relative who specializes in making white sugar. Their product is much better in quality and only slightly more expensive than yours. Would you be interested in learning more?”

“Is that so?” The shopkeeper’s eyes brightened. “Would you be willing to bring some samples for me to see? If the quality and price are acceptable, perhaps we could cooperate. Of course, if we work together, you’ll naturally receive your share of the benefits.”

“No problem. I’ll bring them over in a few days,” Xu An said with a broad smile.

Looking at it this way, he could make money twice over! Now he was truly going to hit it big!