Gu Jun draped Lin Yue’s clothes over his shoulder and reached out to take the “bedding roll.” The scattered grass and reed stalks dripped with water, each piece looking exceptionally tattered, clearly having suffered Lin Yue’s wrath. Old Huo would definitely curse up a storm if he saw this, as these were his treasures. Fortunately, the other party had already joined his brothers and found a better life.
Lin Yue seemed thoughtful, avoiding Gu Jun’s hand, and said, “No matter the size of the matter, I’m already fine.” He took two steps back and turned to walk towards the hillside. He had almost reached the hillside earlier when he saw Gu Jun from afar and noticed something was off, so he came over to check.
The other party said it was nothing, but he didn’t believe it. He would find out the truth sooner or later, so he didn’t press for answers.
Gu Jun followed behind him like a tail. The two of them reached the hillside together and squatted down to dry the “bedding roll.” Today’s sun was no worse than yesterday’s, and by nightfall, the “bedding roll” should be dry.
“Clothes,” Lin Yue said, standing up and addressing Gu Jun. Gu Jun handed the clothes to him. If, as the other party said, they had already been intimate, there was no need to be shy. Lin Yue swiftly took off his wet inner clothes and changed into his outer clothes. There was no way to be picky now; one layer inside, one outside, treating them as separate garments for changing and washing.
“I’m going to the county town to see if I can find some work. You stay home and don’t wander around. Be careful of kidnappers,” Lin Yue said.
Lin Yue had only slept sitting up for a while last night and got up early in the morning. First, to clean up the “bedding roll” left by Old Huo to use as a bed, as he guessed they would be living under the bridge for quite some time. Second, to understand the surrounding situation. They had arrived too late yesterday, so they hadn’t had a chance to look around. Today, he had to go out and take a look. With the bridge hole as their home, it was necessary to understand the surroundings. If there were any hidden dangers, it was good to be aware and take precautions.
Gu Jun was pondering how to subtly persuade the other party to start working, but the other party had already decided to find work on his own. Capable.
Gu Jun felt a surge of joy, but as the joy filled his chest, a bit of fear emerged. Had the other party discovered something? Was he planning to leave? He grabbed the young man’s fingers and stood up abruptly.
“I…”
His vision went black, and the world spun. In his panic, he held onto the other party tightly. The other party was clearly surprised. He couldn’t see the other party’s expression, but he could vaguely hear the other party’s voice, asking if he was okay, if he was feeling unwell. There was no urgency in the voice, but there was a hint of concern.
Gu Jun took a moment to recover, then let go and smiled apologetically. “I’m fine.”
Lin Yue seemed worried he might do it again and held onto his arm, asking, “Are you hiding something from me, not willing to be honest?”
Gu Jun had no choice but to answer, “I didn’t mean to hide it from you, just didn’t want you to worry.”
Lin Yue said, “If you don’t want me to worry, then be honest.”
Gu Jun hesitated for a moment and said, “I’ve been eating poorly lately…” He didn’t know how to express malnutrition in a way the other party would understand, so he carefully chose his words and squeezed out a sentence, “My body has weakened, and I feel a bit dizzy.”
Lin Yue sighed softly and said, “A deficiency?”
“Yes,” Gu Jun silently noted these words.
Lin Yue said, “I’ll take you back.” Gu Jun quickly said, “I’ll go to the county town with you.”
Lin Yue didn’t agree, just looked at him quietly. Gu Jun read the meaning in his eyes, not to cause trouble, and took a step back, then another step back, saying, “I won’t go. Come back early, I’ll wait for you.”
Lin Yue ruffled his hair. His hair had lost its luster. Gu Jun, feeling annoyed, pushed the hair hanging down to his collarbone back to his nape, hugged his knees, and sat in the dry part of the bridge hole, looking in the direction of the county town.
Time dragged on, just like those days hiding in the mountains. Gu Jun’s mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, but he finally comforted himself that the other party wouldn’t leave quietly. If he wanted to leave, he would have done so already. With this reassurance, Gu Jun calmed down.
He was hungry, so he picked up the remaining wild fruits, wiped them carefully, and took a bite, remembering something important. He turned to check the number of wild fruits.
One, two, three, four, five… eleven. Lin Yue hadn’t touched a single wild fruit.
The sour and numbing taste of the wild fruit spread in his mouth, but Gu Jun tasted something else from it—he used to be someone who wouldn’t eat these things either. Since Lin Yue was going out to work, he couldn’t go without food, unlike him, who could curl up somewhere for a few days.
Gu Jun slowly ate a few wild fruits, barely filling his stomach, and looked down at his indigo short coat. By afternoon, a patch of sunlight slanted into the bridge hole, shining right on the short coat. Warm.
Gu Jun pinched his coat and made a decision.
.
Zhuoyang County was only four or five kilometers from the bridge hole, according to Gu Jun’s estimation. The city walls of Zhuoyang County were made of rammed earth, not very large, and even seemed a bit small to him. A smooth road led straight into the county town.
At this time, the road was crowded with people, mostly villagers hurrying back, each wearing tattered clothes, their faces sallow, without a smile. After walking a few steps, he saw a few people with smiles on their faces. Compared to others, they seemed better off, sitting on a wobbly ox cart.
Gu Jun held a broken branch and walked step by step into the county town. Inside the county town, there were even more people, and at the same time, more people with smiles on their faces, and even some dressed decently.
The county town wasn’t big. Gu Jun had been here a few times and remembered most of the roads. Easily, he arrived at the pawnshop. Gu Jun walked to the counter, took off his short coat, and cautiously asked if they would accept it.
This short coat, along with the inner clothes, brown cross-collar shirt, pants, etc., were exchanged for his original clothes, and he also got a meal in return. Before he came here, it was summer, scorching hot everywhere. He wore trendy clothes, light sneakers, a baseball cap, and carried a phone, camera, power bank, etc., ready for an adventurous rafting trip with friends.
In the end, he ended up here, in a vast mountain, losing his hat, phone, and everything else. His friends probably weren’t as unlucky. After climbing out of the river, he searched the area but couldn’t find them. He followed the river out of the mountains and eventually encountered the first village of this era.
He finally understood he had traveled through time. The strange looks from others and his painfully hungry stomach led him to do the first thing after time traveling—find a seemingly well-off family and exchange his clothes for clothes of this era and a meal.
The other party was only willing to exchange clothes, not a meal. After much persuasion, they finally agreed. A bowl of coarse rice porridge mixed with beans, a plate of stir-fried greens with a few oil spots, and two dishes of pickles. It was the best meal he had since traveling through time. Sometimes, he dreamed of having another bite.
Gu Jun knew that ancient clothes could be pawned, but he wasn’t sure if his worn-out short coat could be pawned or how much it could fetch. Gu Jun hoped to exchange it for ten days’ worth of food. Lin Yue would probably need some time to find work, and even if he did, he wouldn’t get paid immediately. In the meantime, people still needed to eat.
The shop assistant leaned on the counter, yawning repeatedly. Hearing a voice, he was about to get angry, but when he looked up, his eyes lit up, and his anger dissipated. He pursed his lips and said, “Little lady, what do you want to do?”
Gu Jun didn’t bother correcting the address. The county town was only so big. If he corrected it now, and Lin Yue happened to run into the person and start a conversation… No matter what, he had to extinguish any possibility.
He tried to speak smoothly, without his hometown accent, “Can this be pawned?” He handed over the short coat.
The shop assistant took it, flipped it over, and said, “Outer layer is linen, inner lining is hemp wadding, a thin layer. This coat wasn’t worth much to begin with, and it’s so worn, with four patches. Look for yourself, how much do you think it’s worth?”
Gu Jun learned two new words, linen and hemp wadding. He replied softly, “I can’t afford to eat.”
The shop assistant thought, this little lady must be from out of town, speaking strangely, requiring effort to understand. He said, “Your family fell on hard times, huh? Oh, I say you’re really foolish. Look, turn left, then left again, then right, go to the end, there’s the Wang family. Master Wang loves young and pretty girls. They’re buying maids today. If you’re lucky, you could become a little lady, turn into the master. You could eat white rice and meat every day, with gold and silver on your head and hands, something many people dream of.”
A long string of words, Gu Jun repeated them in his mind and understood. His face didn’t look good, but under the circumstances, he quickly adjusted his expression, pretending not to understand the implication, and said, “Master Wang’s family is really rich. My family is indeed down on its luck. Big brother, please accept the coat.”
The shop assistant rolled his eyes. Can’t understand human language? Women really have no brains. The shop assistant said, “I mean, I can guarantee you a place in Master Wang’s house as a maid. You’re good-looking, seize the opportunity, and you could become a little lady in the Wang family. I won’t take anything from you, just don’t forget my kindness when you live a wealthy life.”
Gu Jun: “Huh?”
“Huh what? Bring your father or brother here, I’ll talk to them.”
Gu Jun said, “I have a husband.”
The shop assistant’s face fell immediately. He stopped talking about becoming a little lady, tapped his fingers, and impatiently said, “Dead pawn or live pawn? Dead pawn is worth a bit more.”
Gu Jun: “How much more?”
“This short coat, brand new, is worth no more than one tael. This one, considering depreciation, is worth at most 150 wen.” The shop assistant weighed the short coat with his index finger, took the abacus, and started calculating.
“Live pawn, I’ll give you 36 wen. Dead pawn, 56 wen. You little lady probably haven’t seen much of the world, so I have to explain it to you. Live pawn, within six months, you can redeem it with the principal and interest, six percent interest per month, three wen a month… Dead pawn, the item belongs to the pawnshop. Understand? Don’t say I’m cheating you.”
Gu Jun: “Can you repeat that?”
The shop assistant really wanted to refuse this business, but unfortunately, he wasn’t the owner or the manager of the pawnshop. He coldly repeated it and said, “Got it this time?”
There was no response from the other side. The shop assistant slapped the counter, “Where’s your husband? Bring him here. I can’t explain it to you little lady, wasting my time.”
Gu Jun didn’t move. When the other party was about to drive him away, he slowly spoke, “Five percent interest, a little over two wen, you’re overcharging me.” To be precise, it’s 2.16 wen.
The explanation of live pawn and dead pawn involved words Gu Jun hadn’t learned, so he was confused. With the context and his historical knowledge, he finally understood. He thought the interest here was really high, and calculated the interest in his mind. He concluded that the other party was taking advantage of him.
The interest was already so high, and the other party still wanted to take advantage of him. More than half a wen, one wen could buy a bun, two jin of radishes or cabbage, so 0.84 wen could let him live a few more days, you black-hearted person!
Gu Jun couldn’t stand it. Once he understood the difference in live pawn and dead pawn, he didn’t plan to dead pawn it, as it wasn’t worth it. The days would get colder, and if he didn’t want to freeze to death, he needed a thick coat. A new short coat cost one tael, and who knew if the price would go up. He couldn’t afford it even if he sold himself.
Lin Yue would definitely find work. Therefore, within six months, he would definitely be able to redeem his coat.
The shop assistant raised an eyebrow and said, “You shrew, what nonsense are you spouting! I’m someone hired by the pawnshop, earning hundreds of wen a day, able to write and calculate, knowledgeable about various goods, and destined to be promoted to manager. Would someone as capable as me covet your little money?”