Chapter 5 Work

In the past, the only way he had ever made money was by acting.

Acting means being an actor.

When Jun Qiulan realized this fact, he felt uncomfortable for a moment. Among all the people, actors belong to the lowest class.

But the next moment, he thought, what's the big deal?

You have to make money to keep your family well fed and clothed, that's the most important thing.

Moreover, he also observed that the world over there did not seem to have such clear class divisions. Most of the supermarket employees were even women, and the communication between people was very equal. He had never seen anyone being servile.

Even the street vendors were smiling when soliciting customers, unlike the cautious look he had seen before.

Which industry is not profitable?

Jun Qiulan had a plan in mind. No matter what, he had to settle down here first. If he wanted to go there later, he would probably have to find a way to resolve the identity issue.

After a while, Song Xirong, whose fever had subsided, slowly woke up. She hadn't felt so relaxed in a long time.

"This? What on earth happened?" Song Xirong even suspected that she was having a last moment of clarity.

Jun Yu held his wife's hand, his eyes red. He was really afraid that his wife could not hold on any longer.

Now that his wife had woken up and was in much better spirits, he felt at ease. He held his wife's hand tenderly for a while, then explained his son's adventure in a few words.

Song Xirong was surprised for a moment, but her first reaction was to worry about her son's safety.

Jun Qiulan also repeatedly assured him that he had no discomfort after the two trips, and only then did Song Xirong feel relieved.

"I'm sorry to have worried you."

"Mom, we're a family, don't talk about this." Jun Qiulan helped Song Xirong lie down again, "It's still early, I'll go heat up the food, Mom hasn't eaten for a long time."

Jun Yu and Jun Shuwan originally planned to eat less of the three boxed lunches they brought back and save them for the next day, but Jun Qiulan asked them to eat their fill first, as it was hot and the food would not last long.

Of the remaining box, only Song Xirong didn't eat it.

"Brother, Dad, let me cook some porridge with rice." Jun Shuwan said, "Mom's body is not well yet, so she'd better eat something light."

"My little sister is really considerate." Jun Qiulan said with a smile: "I'll go and help you light the fire. Please ask Dad to take care of Mom."

Fortunately, there were still a few broken pottery bowls and a small pottery jar, so they could still have a bite of hot food.

When the mother woke up, her pain was much relieved. Now that her exile was over, the family was huddled in the cowshed, discussing their future life together. The scene was very heartwarming.

But this warmth only lasted until the next morning.

The manager of the cowshed arrived and told them to leave immediately. "This is where the cows live. I don't care what your status was before. You are exiled here as prisoners. All of you combined are not worth as much as these cows. If I let you live here and something happens to the cows, I can't bear the responsibility."

He also looked at Jun Shuwan with lustful eyes.

On the way to exile three thousand miles away, Jun Shuwan was too familiar with such eyes, and quickly hid behind her father and brother.

Seeing this, the bullpen manager only snorted and said, "Get out of here!"

Jun Qiulan: "Let's go find the clerk who took over our duties yesterday. The official who brought us here also said that he would arrange a place for us to stay."

But this was doomed to be a failure. Although the clerk who took over greeted them with a smile, he also said that there was no place to arrange them at the moment and asked them to figure it out themselves. Then they saw the manager arranging accommodation for another exiled prisoner.

Jun Qiulan instinctively wanted to go up and argue, but was stopped by Song Xirong.

After all, he came from a merchant family and had seen much more of the ways of the world than a royal family member.

"Just now, that man gave the steward a small purse, which I think was a gift. I'm afraid it won't work if we just go over and argue with him."

They are not royal aristocrats now. What the manager of the cowshed said is right. They are exiled here and are prisoners. Ordinary people can step on them.

It is easy to see the King of Hell, but it is difficult to deal with the little devils. This kind of petty official does not have much power, but he has plenty of ways to deal with criminals like them.

It is better to have less trouble than more.

Jun Qiulan was in a depressed mood. They were exiled all the way. When they first set out, their old friends secretly arranged to send them some meals, but those meals had long been used up on the way. If they hadn't had those meals to bribe the escorts who were escorting them here, they probably wouldn't have survived to reach the border town.

Their only possessions now were a tattered quilt, a few earthenware bowls, and a few sets of clothes that were completely out of shape.

As for the two kilograms of rice, even if it is refined rice, it should not be enough for a bribe, and it is unclear where it came from. It can't be brought all the way from the capital, right?

As for salt, there is no need to mention it. Last night when they were making porridge, they wanted to add some salt to their mother, so they opened the salt box. Unexpectedly, the salt they bought for two dollars and fifty cents was of better quality than any salt they had seen before.

If this gets out, they will be in big trouble again and will not be able to explain the origin of the salt at all.

The man who had just given the filial piety gift glanced at Jun Qiulan and the others after he went out, hesitated for a moment, and then walked over.

"If you don't have a place to stay for the time being, there's a dilapidated temple three miles east. We used to live there too. If you don't pay some tribute to a clerk in the government office, you might not even get a house next year. If you don't mind, you can settle down in the dilapidated temple first and find some work in the city to save some money. It's not much, just two taels of silver a year."

This is a government house, originally used to house these exiled prisoners. Some of the prisoners were sent to do forced labor to build the city walls. These prisoners were given accommodation as soon as they arrived, but they were all collective houses, no different from prison cells.

For people like them who were only exiled and did not have to serve their sentences, if they wanted a place to live, they had to spend money, which was also considered as a benefit for the government.

If you want to report this to the higher authorities, don't joke with me. This place may not even have an official transferred in ten years. It's already poor, and the officials are all in collusion with this kind of tacit benefit.

Of course, if you don’t want to live in an official residence, you need to have money to buy land and build a house yourself, or you can buy a house directly from a brokerage firm.

But these two situations obviously do not apply to Jun Qiulan and the others' current situation.

Jun Yu pondered for a moment, "Then let's do as that little brother said. Get ready, I'm going to look for a job today."

Although the dilapidated temple was small, it could at least shelter people from the wind and rain. There was another family in the temple, consisting of women and children. When they saw them, they were a little wary. There was no greeting between the two sides. They each occupied a small area and settled down.

Finding a job is also an urgent matter. Song Xirong has not fully recovered from her illness, so she can only stay and rest. Jun Shuwan also has to stay to take care of her mother, so that the two of them can take care of each other.

Jun Qiulan thought for a moment, took out a candy, went to the opposite side, and found the oldest old woman: "Auntie, my son and father are going out to find work, so my mother and little sister will stay here. I hope you can take care of them."

The old woman didn't respond, but the little boy next to her took it and put it in his mouth.

The old woman sighed, "We are all miserable people. We can't really look after each other."

"Thank you." Jun Qiulan thanked sincerely. These women and children all looked kind, and most of them were implicated by their families.

After leaving the dilapidated temple, Jun Qiulan looked at his father's limping foot and felt sorry for him. "Dad, why don't you rest for two more days?"

Jun Yu waved his hand. "The ibuprofen pill you brought back not only has a fever-reducing effect, but also reduces pain and swelling. I took one this morning and I'm feeling much better now. It's not a good idea for them to stay in the dilapidated temple for a long time."

Not to mention Jun Shuwan, a young girl in her prime, Song Xirong is also a beautiful woman. If she were really entangled by some villains, the father and son might not be able to deal with them.

You still have to have a place to settle down.

Jun Qiulan was silent.

But their job search was not smooth, and they did not find a suitable job for several days.

They first went to the academy in the border town to see if they could find a decent job, such as a teacher, or even an assistant teacher or a private tutor.

Jun Yu is well-read, and Jun Qiulan's knowledge may not be as thorough as his father's, but it is definitely not bad. Not to mention passing the imperial examination, he should have no problem passing the juren examination.

As a result, when people asked about their previous identities, no one dared to accept them.

No one wants to get involved in the royal family's troubles.

Later, he looked for a job similar to that of an accountant, but accountants were responsible for keeping accounts for their employers and were usually relatives of the bosses. They would never dare to hire ordinary people, let alone exiled criminals.

Going down a level, there are waiters in shops, or doing various odd jobs, but they have to be paid monthly, two hundred coins a month, and they only want a young man like Jun Qiulan.

But they had to save up two taels of silver and also consider the family expenses, so it would take a long time to get a house.

After searching for a long time, they found a small brothel that took a fancy to Jun Qiulan.

"You guys, you look like you've been exiled from wealthy families. You've read a few books and refused to accept your fate, but as time goes by, you'll realize that the winds in this border town are made of knives. My little brothel may look shabby and your bottom may suffer a little, but the money I make is quite a lot, enough for you to live a life of ease and comfort in this border town."

The madam's words were very honest.

But these words were undoubtedly a great humiliation to Jun Qiulan.

In the end, he could only do hard labor for others, carrying sacks and moving bricks, for thirty cents a day.

Jun Yu's legs and feet were not flexible, and the person in charge didn't want him. Only Jun Qiulan worked for two days. Every day when he returned home, he couldn't even lift his arms, and his shoulders were rubbed raw.

On that day, the two kilograms of rice they had saved again and again were finally used up.

Jun Qiulan asked her mother to take out the hundred-dollar bill and said, "Mom and Dad, I must go there again."

This can't go on any longer.

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