Chapter 14 - 14 14 The Way Out and Doctor Bai

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: The Way Out and Doctor Bai Chapter 14: Chapter 14: The Way Out and Doctor Bai The court oppressed the Han people, and the guilds ruled locally.

This was the current political situation in Mianshui County. Every method Chen Jie had for making a fortune could bring in substantial wealth, but he didn’t dare to proceed. *If he did, he was certain that the guilds would target him.*

*After that, his life and death would no longer be in his control.*

*The principle of “a man is guilty for his wealth” was something Chen Jie understood well. To do business and prosper, the prerequisite was a peaceful era. This era was far from peaceful. Being a businessman meant being a lamb in the hands of those in power.*

So, he ruled out doing business.

For long-term development, he figured he should try to enter a guild.

Firstly, guilds had systematic martial arts teachings, and secondly, the upward path in this world was completely blocked. Only by entering a guild could one find a feasible path.

As for becoming an official, “Are you a Mulan person? If not, what qualifications do you have to be an official?”

However, it wasn’t easy to enter a guild. To get in, one needed someone to recommend them; otherwise, a guild wouldn’t easily accept a person.

For example, Lu San.

Lu San always wanted to join the fishery, which was a branch of the Fishing Guild in Xiantao Village. But even after doing so much work for them, they still didn’t agree to introduce him into the guild.

This showed how difficult it was to join a guild.

*He didn’t even have personal connections; who could introduce him to the Fishing Guild?*

If the Fishing Guild wouldn’t work, then Guild Cao?

That wouldn’t work either. Guild Cao’s disciples typically only recruited laborers carrying large bags on the docks, and there were no shipping docks in Xiantao Village. He would have to go near the county town, to Lin Fengdu, to work as a laborer.

*But he had these two sisters at home; if he left, how would they survive?*

*Wouldn’t the villagers devour them, especially Lu San’s family? They might behave while he was around, but he could easily guess with his toes that if he left, Lu Qinsi would definitely take revenge.*

*So joining a guild was unrealistic at this time; it needed to be a gradual process.*

*Aside from this path, what other options were there?*

Chen Jie rubbed his temples, *resigning himself to the fact that he could only go to work, becoming a long-term laborer for a wealthy family, a bouncer for a casino, or a waiter in a restaurant.*

*None of these offered much in the way of development!*

“Sigh, just take one step at a time.”

Chen Jie thought for a moment and decided to stop thinking about it. When the carriage reached the mountain, a path would naturally appear.

“Gurgle, gurgle...”

As Chen Jie was lost in thought, he saw a small figure leaning on the stove, staring at the white fish soup that was bubbling like milk, swallowing hard.

Chen Jie chuckled, looked at the boiling fish soup, took a bowl, scooped out half a ladle, blew on it, and handed it to Ruirui, saying, “Taste it and see if it’s salty enough!”

“Hmm, hmm.”

Ruirui nodded enthusiastically, then took the bowl and gulped it all down despite the heat.

Her face immediately lit up with an expression of delicious satisfaction.

“How was it, salty or bland?”

Chen Jie asked.

Ruirui smacked her lips and said, “I drank it too fast, didn’t taste it. Brother-in-law, give me some more.”

Chen Jie helplessly scooped out a bit more, and she finished it again.

“How was it, salty or bland?”

Ruirui replied, “Why don’t I try a bit more?”

Chen Jie laughed, “Forget it, you’re no good. Even if you drank the whole pot, you wouldn’t be able to tell.”

Ruirui’s face fell, having been seen through.

Chen Jie scooped a bit for himself, took a sip, and found the saltiness just right, but it lacked the seasoning of ginger strips and pepper, making the flavor a bit off.

However, for people of this era, it should still taste good.

Chen Jie found a big bowl, scooped up half a fish and a bowl of soup, then called out to Su Yunjin, “Yunjin.”

Su Yunjin was sweeping the house with a broom and looked up when she heard him. Chen Jie said, “I’m going to Uncle Erba’s house; you heat up the leftover wild vegetable buns from lunch. We’ll have dinner when I get back.”

Su Yunjin nodded, “Alright.”

Although Chen Jie had changed a lot, Su Yunjin was still wary, or perhaps it couldn’t be called wariness, but rather an inability to adapt to how to interact.

This required a process.

Cherishing the emotional burden of reciprocation, Chen Jie carried the fish soup to Uncle Erba’s house. Along the way, he encountered several villagers, who looked at him with curious eyes but greeted him warmly.

As soon as Chen Jie passed by, these people began to discuss.

“Hey, did you know that Chen Jiu just broke Lu San’s leg?”

“How could I not know? I saw Lu San’s wife going to fetch Doctor Bai.”

“Oh, then it must be true. But wasn’t Doctor Bai from Upper Peach Village?”

“Ah, you don’t know? Doctor Bai, along with the former Old Doctor Chen, was from our village. They competed fiercely, but during a difficult medical case, they gambled, and Old Doctor Chen won. Doctor Bai then left our village to practice in Upper Peach Village.”

“Hasn’t Old Doctor Chen been dead for eight or nine years now? All these years, we’ve been seeing Doctor Bai for illnesses, coupled with the fact that his son-in-law is the Fishery Manager in our Xiantao Village; he brought Doctor Bai back to the village. He now lives in that big tile house on the east side of the village.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is!”

Villagers chatted in various clusters, and although Chen Jie didn’t pause his steps, ever since swallowing that Primordial Qi with the Yang Chun Skill, his hearing had significantly improved.

He caught bits and pieces of their conversation.

“Doctor Bai~”

Chen Jie murmured as he recalled the name, Bai Wenjing. He was rivaled with his grandfather as an Earth Doctor back in the day. It was said that Doctor Bai was previously a resident doctor supported by the Fishing Guild, but for some reason, he returned to his hometown.

For a time, he competed with his grandfather for business in the area, but eventually lost the medical gamble to his grandfather and left Xiantao Village in dim spirits.

These past years, he continued to practice medicine, having only one daughter, who married a former apprentice from his clinic. This apprentice didn’t have much aptitude for medicine, so Bai Wenjing used his connections to get him into the Fishing Guild, where he tenaciously climbed his way to the position of Fishery Manager in Xiantao Village.

“Bai Wenjing, Fishery Manager.”

Chen Jie muttered again and kept walking, heading to Uncle Erba’s house to deliver the fish soup.

Soon he reached Chen Erba’s house.

Uncle Erba was still weaving baskets. In this world, rural areas typically ate only two meals a day, with three meals being a luxury only the wealthy could afford.

Hence, they didn’t eat dinner.

Chen Jie stood at the doorway and called out, “Uncle Erba.”

Chen Xiaohu, who was helping his father weave the basket, immediately stood up upon hearing the voice and said, “Dad, it’s Jiu Si.”

Uncle Erba put down the basket, grabbed his cane, and stood up.

Seeing Chen Jie pushing open the courtyard gate and entering.

“Jiu Si.”

Xiao Hu called out happily. He thought that today’s Jiu Si was quite impressive.

Chen Jie smiled and said, “Hey, Hu Zi, Uncle Erba.”

Just then, Uncle Erba came out. Chen Jie nodded and handed over the fish soup, saying, “Lu San brought two fish today, which I made into soup. Thank you for speaking on my behalf today; please try this soup.”

Although Uncle Erba’s attempt to resolve matters with money hadn’t succeeded today, Chen Jie acknowledged the goodwill, which is why he came to deliver fish soup.