Song Chen lay on the rocking chair, staring blankly at the herb garden.
In the morning, he learned from the housekeeper that he had been betrothed since childhood.
It's truly like a man sitting at home, and his fiancée falls from the sky.
He didn't find out about this until he was eighteen, and the woman he was going to marry was a young man.
Is it really appropriate for him, the person involved, to find out about something as important as getting married so late?
"Young Master Chen, Young Master Chen, it's time to take your medicine."
A servant boy approached from afar and called out.
Song Chen sighed, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, and said helplessly:
"Tell the housekeeper to stop sending medicine. My body is beyond saving. I might as well sell it to a pharmacy."
In Rongcheng, even a three-year-old knows that Song Chen, the current head of the Song family, is a good-for-nothing who cannot cultivate.
Little S was a little embarrassed, but still firmly said:
"Sir, please don't give up."
Of the four major families in Rongcheng, only the Song family is benevolent.
These servants had never been insulted in the Song family.
Song Chen was also a legendary figure in Rongcheng. He taught people how to cultivate the miraculous herb, which indirectly supported the entire city.
From the servant's perspective, he felt that it didn't matter if Song Chen couldn't cultivate.
Song Chen shook his fan helplessly.
He was just saying it casually. A person needs to have something to look forward to in life, and he will not give up on cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao.
He pointed to the medicinal herb garden.
"The grass on Yuelu Mountain is ripe. Dig it up and send it to Shancaotang on West Street."
Song Chen made a hand seal, and several herbs in the herb garden trembled.
Song Chen frowned. This one spell had wasted all the spiritual energy he had accumulated over the past day.
Xiao Si quickly waved his hand and said:
"The steward said to let the grass grow longer and save it for the betrothal gifts tomorrow."
bride price?
Yes, his fiancée will be coming to his house tomorrow for a face reading. If they hit it off, they will get engaged immediately.
Song Chen suddenly sat up from the recliner. He still harbored fantasies about his fiancée. Perhaps he should go out and personally pick out a gift for her.
but……
Song Chen frowned. He knew that rushing into things wasn't going to work, so he decided to stop wasting his time.
His fiancée is coming tomorrow; he'll just give her 10 gold coins and send her away.
Song Chen only wanted to pursue immortality and had no interest in boys.
He propped his head up and thought for a moment. It seemed like he hadn't been to Qizhen Street to pick up goods recently. It would be good to go and take a look at Qizhen Street.
Thinking of this, Song Chen stood up from the recliner, strode out of the courtyard, and came to the door.
He weighed his purse in his hand; it contained all the money he had saved from farming over the past 18 years—a considerable sum.
In the Tianyan Continent, 100 copper coins equal 1 silver coin. 100 silver coins equal 1 gold coin.
Although the residents of Rongcheng are not wealthy, they are not poor either.
The residents live in the city, but there is farmland all around the city.
Many residents grow crops such as gladiolus, sclerotium folium, and thistle, and then trade them with local merchants to make money.
A family with a decent income can earn 10 gold coins a year through farming, which is enough to cover the expenses of the whole family.
If someone in the family is practicing cultivation, this money won't be enough.
They often need to do other jobs to make a living.
Although the Song family is known as one of the four major families in Rongcheng, only Song Chen remains in this generation.
His family members had passed away long ago.
Because his parents had passed away and he was unable to cultivate, Song Chen once found himself in dire financial straits, unable to spend any money.
Fortunately, Song Chen has excellent planting skills. He started growing crops in the vegetable garden at the age of 5 and has continued to do so until he was 18. He has even managed to grow the difficult-to-survive Yuelu grass.
Because this Yuelu grass is difficult to cultivate, it can only be found in the wild, and its price remains high, consistently at 1 gold per plant.
Nowadays, Song Chen stays in his small courtyard, tending to the garden of Yue Lu grass. He harvests three times a year, earning about 600 gold coins annually.
Besides the rewards for his servants and daily expenses, Song Chen also saved up a small treasury of his own, which was quite a lot.
He went out the gate and walked towards Qizhen Street.
Qizhen Street is the longest street in Fuzhou.
With over a thousand shops on both sides and even more stalls along the roadside, it is the largest trading place in the surrounding towns and a must-visit attraction for tourists.
As soon as Song Chen entered Qizhen Street, he noticed several pairs of eyes scanning him.
"Mr. Song, you've arrived. Would you like to come and take a look at our new gadgets?"
“Master Song, I went to the mountains again recently and caught a big tiger. Its fur is glossy and it’s a good material for making a cloak.”
If someone calls you "Master," you have to give them face and buy them something.
Otherwise, no matter how much money you have, it has nothing to do with them. Who cares whether you're a big shot or a piece of shit?
With a slight smile, Song Chen walked into the shops and picked out some trinkets.
He wandered around aimlessly, and when he came across a shop selling herb seeds, he would specifically go in and buy a few extra.
"Song Chen, it's been a long time."
Hearing the voice behind him, Song Chen looked away from the stall and turned to look at the person who had come.
He nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
"So it's Young Master Han. It's been a long time."
The visitor was Han Lei, a member of the Han family, one of the four major families in Rongcheng.
Compared to the Song family, the Han family is much more prosperous, with as many as eight younger members like Song Chen.
However, such large families have huge expenses, so they are genuinely poor.
Even Song Chen suspected that they were eating coarse food at home every day.
Suddenly, a clear, youthful voice came from behind Han Lei.
"Hello, Mr. Song."
Song Chen shifted his gaze to the right and saw a handsome young man dressed in a white flowing robe standing there charmingly.
The young man had a shimmering silk sash around his waist, his eyebrows were curved, and a striking red dot between his brows.
A few strands of hair were combed into a bun, while the rest were loosely draped behind her head, revealing a lively and spirited look.
Song Chen casually waved a palm-leaf fan, "And who is this?"
Han Lei, with a fawning air, proudly introduced:
"This is Mu Feng, a young master from the Mu family of Jinyuan City."
Song Chen smiled and said, "So it's Young Master Mu. My apologies for not recognizing you."
Mu Feng's eyes were full of affection, and he smiled shyly.
"Recently, Feng'er came to Fuzhou on behalf of the academy to recruit talents."
"I wonder if Young Master Song is interested in Langya Academy? Would you be willing to come with me..."
Han Lei felt like he was being cuckolded, and he immediately stopped him, saying:
"Song Chen has had no talent for cultivation since childhood, which is considered a scandal in the Song family and is known to everyone in Rongcheng."
It was my oversight; I forgot to tell Young Master Mu.
Mu Feng's face darkened, and she abandoned her charming demeanor.
"No talent for cultivation? Then there's no need to invite him. What a waste of such a handsome appearance."
Upon hearing this, Song Chen calmly fanned himself with a palm leaf fan, his expression unchanged.
There are many people of his age in the four major families of Rongcheng. From childhood to adulthood, he has been subjected to more and more ridicule. If he didn't even have this much tolerance, he would have been angered to death when he was a child.
Fortunately, he was wealthy and wouldn't care about such trivial matters.
He put down the goods he was carrying, too lazy to deal with the two men, and turned to leave.
Mu Feng rolled his eyes, but his gaze suddenly fixed on the stall next to him.
Mu Feng saw a stone on the street stall and suddenly felt a tremor in his heart.
He thought the stone must be something good, and couldn't help but whine:
"This stone is quite nice; I'd like to buy it."
Han Lei looked down and saw that it was just an ordinary stone. He smiled and said:
"Since Young Master Mu likes it, I, Han, will buy it and give it to him."
"Boss, how much is this stone?"
The stall owner was a middle-aged man with a single eyebrow and a burly build. He spoke in a deep, booming voice:
"I found this stone in a very remote mountain. I traveled a long way to find it. It's priced at 2 gold."
2 gold?
Han Lei thought to himself that it was too expensive; the stall owner must have come specifically to make a fool of himself! Before leaving, he only brought 5 silver coins to treat Mu Feng to a meal.
"Why is this worthless rock worth two gold coins? I just picked it up off the ground..."
Song Chen, who had just turned to leave, stopped upon hearing this and chuckled softly:
"This treasure is so precious, the stall owner went through all sorts of trouble to bring it to the market. 2 gold is too cheap, I'll offer 10 gold!"
Upon seeing Song Chen, the middle-aged man with the broken eyebrow immediately greeted him with a smile and quickly stuffed the stone into Song Chen's hand.
"Then this stone will be sold to you, Master Song."
"Song Chen!" Han Lei called out Song Chen's name through gritted teeth.
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