“Livelihood!” Aunt Zhu lowered her voice, clearly eager to talk.
Yu Chun hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise. Just as she was about to ask Cao Rong to serve tea, he seemed to understand her thoughts and brought over a plate of freshly stir-fried ginkgo nuts.
The white shells had cracked open, revealing golden kernels still slightly warm.
Aunt Zhu cracked three nuts and began speaking.
“Chunniang, my late father managed a funeral shop for thirty years. Before he died, he passed all his skills to us. Don’t think this trade is unlucky—in Chang’an, business is business, whether for the living or the dead.”
Yu Chun watched her eyes. They reminded her of a small Pekingese dog—clearly wanting attention but pretending innocence.
“In this trade, you don’t shout to attract customers. Just hang a string of paper money outside the shop. When the wind blows, it rustles, and people will come on their own. Just this past month, Old Master Wang’s family in the south of the city ordered a full set of paper servants—Kunlun slaves—with curled hair and deep-set eyes made from colored paper. That alone brought in ten strings of cash. And the son of a Ministry official passed away—they ordered an eight-carrier paper sedan, decorated with gold foil tassels. When we delivered it, the whole street could see our dazzling craftsmanship!”
“For making a living, Auntie, you truly know your way. I’m still young. I only heard about the war today and wanted to find a skill to help support the family. In Chang’an, trades are passed down within families—how can someone like me make a living?”
“I stay at home all day; I really don’t know!”
Well then—she had provided emotional value for nothing and eaten nearly ten coins’ worth of ginkgo. This Aunt Zhu wasn’t someone to rely on!
“So, what’s this about war?” Aunt Zhu stopped cracking nuts and stared at Yu Chun like a hawk watching a chick.
Wang Xifeng: I knew it—coming so early in the morning. News travels fast.
Baochai: Be careful with your words. If rumors like the massacre of Luoyang spread from your mouth, it would be a grave crime.
“I really don’t know,” Yu Chun replied, following their hint. “Auntie, how did you hear about it? If it’s true, we should stock up on grain. I wonder which household sells it cheapest.”
“Yes, buying grain is important.” Aunt Zhu grabbed another handful of ginkgo. “I heard it by the big willow tree. I must hurry—there’s a whole family waiting for me. Without me, what would they do? None of them worry about anything!”
“They’re lucky. I just don’t know how much rice costs per dou…”
“Millet is five coins per dou, refined rice ten coins. They say Chen’s Grain Shop is fair.”
“Thank you, Auntie!” Good—at least the ginkgo wasn’t wasted.
“Auntie, what about looms?”
“You can rent one at Hongyan Workshop on Jiaoma Lane—”
“Thank you, Auntie!”
Yu Chun walked her to the door, remembering to ask. She didn’t want to visit Aunt Zhu again—especially since it would cost money, and she was poor. Even a handful of vegetables cost coins!
Still, she shouldn’t think that way. Aunt Zhu had saved her life. Even if she had her own motives, a life saved was still a life saved.
A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring.
She needed to find a way to earn money!
Once she did, she would buy a whole sack of ginkgo just for Aunt Zhu—eat as much as she wanted, even take a whole bag home.
Yu Chun cracked one herself, ground the kernel in a mortar, and fed it to Cao Fang.
Little Cao Fang smiled, revealing pink gums and four tiny rice-grain-sized teeth. The sight made Yu Chun’s chest ache.
Oh no—she bit too hard! Luckily, Yu Chun had slipped her finger in, or she might have taken a bite of flesh. Pacing anxiously, Yu Chun checked herself in the bronze mirror and made up her mind.
“So what if my eyes look like a panda’s?!”
Muttering to herself, she fed the chickens, carried the baby, and took out her hidden savings. “I need to go out and take a look. If war is coming, there’ll be curfews—every day counts. Better to buy some coarse grain.”
She strapped Cao Fang onto her back with a sling—a skill she’d learned from carrying her younger brother. One swing over her shoulder, perfect.
She didn’t realize how unusual and eye-catching this sling looked here.
“Mother, I want to go too!”
Cao Rong held his book but couldn’t focus.
“Alright, alright!” A handsome little boy—like a male version of Cecilia Cheung—looked up at her with big eyes, quietly pleading.
Her heart melted. Well-behaved children were the most lovable.
After thinking, she took the pair of copper bracelets with her. Maybe she could trade them for something. In times like this, you could never have too much food.
The spring morning in Chang’an was still cool. Trees were not yet lush. Yu Chun activated the neural system, and together they eagerly observed the street scene.
The West Market was a place of wealth. The main streets were paved with stone. Around the funeral shops lingered the scent of incense and wood shavings—a peculiar liveliness, subdued yet filled with the noise of life and death intertwined.
The knocking sounds of craftsmen carving tombstones and coffins faded as they turned onto larger streets. Soon, calls in various accents filled the air.
To Yu Chun, the Persians looked like people from Xinjiang, speaking slightly awkward but clear local dialects while selling spices. “Fine asafoetida!”
For once, no one in the neural system mocked her. Compared to her, those raised in secluded mansions greedily absorbed the lively scene.
The aroma of baked flatbread, the strong smell of mutton soup, the heavy fragrance of spices—and all kinds of human scents!
Though news of Luoyang’s fall had spread, the market remained bustling, crowded shoulder to shoulder.
Yu Chun chose noon, like a modern wholesale market—after the busiest hours.
She had trained as a maternity nanny and knew carrying a child, even with a sling, was exhausting. After leaving the pawnshop with Cao Rong, she hurried toward her destination—a carriage and horse lane about half a li away.
“Cherries from Weinan! Not sweet, don’t pay!”
“Freshly steamed buns!”
“Cold noodle soup—refreshing and cooling!”
“Stone-baked cakes—crispy and long-lasting!”
“Sweet rice dumplings—three for three coins, five for five!”
“Layered pastries—look at the golden and white layers!”
Cao Rong stared at one of the pastries. Yu Chun thought he was craving it, but at ten coins each, she hesitated. Her bracelets had only sold for three hundred coins.
With war approaching, nothing was more valuable than grain. She planned to buy sweet potatoes, salt, and medicine.
With children to care for, she had to prepare more.
“Mother, what are you thinking? I’m not a little kid anymore. I saw Aunt and Cousin—they bought lots of food. Maybe they’re coming to our house, so we won’t need to spend money!”
“Hehe, yes, you’re a big boy now.” Yu Chun tapped his nose. “Maybe so. Let’s finish our business first.”
Perhaps her in-laws were visiting—basic courtesy.
After another five minutes, she finally saw a grand building in the center of the lane.
Three stories tall, glazed tiles, carved doors, shelves filled with Persian glass bottles, and paintings made with pearl powder—it felt like stepping into old Shanghai.
Most striking was the display window—fine clothing like high-end custom Hanfu.
The women’s outfits, adapted from foreign styles, even resembled Ming-style skirts.
“Pagoda suppresses the river demon… what comes next…”
Yu Chun almost wanted to shout—was there someone from her world?
But she held back. Everyone read web novels these days—she didn’t want trouble.
Carrying the child, she stepped forward. “I heard I can find work here. May I try?”
She expected disdain, but the staff politely led her to a room behind the main hall.
“Try sewing this pouch.”
“Oh no—I don’t know how to sew!”
“Alright,” she said anyway.
Maybe she could manage.
She regretted disabling the system’s shared abilities.
“My child?”
“It’s fine. Let them stay in the courtyard.”
The guard was kind—not harsh at all.
“Okay, got it!” Yu Chun sighed in relief. Seeing the courtyard full of working women like a classroom, she felt hopeful.
She would make a good life.
“Rongrong, watch your sister. Once I earn money, I’ll buy you something tasty!”
“Okay,” Cao Rong replied softly, reserved but obedient.