Chapter 1: Initial Acquisition of Wealth and Encounter with a Benefactor
In the sixth year of Chengtai, in the twelfth month, in Lütian County.
The north wind howled and swept into the dilapidated house. Zhang Ting lay on a straw mat, too sick to even open his mouth. In his dazed state, he suddenly saw a flash of white light. Had he arrived in heaven?
I hope I can be reborn into a better family this time.
Uncle Wang, an old widower from the village, came to collect a debt, but no one answered after he knocked on the door for a long time. Seeing that the door was dilapidated, he rolled his eyes and pushed the door open halfway, intending to plunder something of value.
The house was as bare as a hanging bell, so poor that even beggars would be ashamed to throw a few coins at it. Uncle Wang could dig three feet into the ground but would not find any gold.
Uncle Wang was extremely disappointed.
But it wasn't all for nothing—the guy who owed them money is about to kick the bucket!
This terrified Uncle Wang. This poor scholar had no relatives or friends and was living in the village chief's house. If he lost his house, he would really have to go to the underworld to collect his debts!
Uncle Wang hurried home and called his daughter, then had her carry the soon-to-be-reincarnated Zhang Ting straight to the county clinic.
Thus, Zhang Ting's dream was shattered.
The clinic refused to extend credit, and Uncle Wang's attempts to negotiate were ineffective. Considering that Zhang Ting was at least a scholar, and that he might be able to get some money out of him, he tearfully paid the consultation fee and medicine cost.
Two whole taels of silver, enough for my family to live on for a year!
They had their daughter carry Zhang Ting back home, give her water and medicine, and take meticulous care of her. Zhang Ting slowly woke up on the third day.
As soon as Zhang Ting opened her eyes, she saw a face full of smiles in front of her. It was a middle-aged man dressed in shabby clothes. He was extremely enthusiastic and asked her in a soft voice if she was feeling unwell.
Zhang Ting remarked that there are still more good people in the world.
During the days she was in a coma, she absorbed the original owner's memories and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, Uncle Wang, for saving my life. I have no way to repay you."
Uncle Wang was very happy to see that she had recovered. "We're from the same village, so it's only right that we help each other."
"But the cost of treatment was really expensive, a full twenty taels, which my family simply couldn't afford."
He thought to himself with glee that with this money he had swindled from Zhang Ting, his daughter would have enough to get married and have children.
Zhang Ting was about to get up when she heard this and paused.
It felt strangely novel; was she being blackmailed?
But when she looked back at the other person, instead of questioning them, she promised to repay the debt.
"The medical treatment is very expensive, and I can only repay it slowly in the future."
Uncle Wang was overjoyed to see that she had agreed to the debt. He quickly took out the IOU he had prepared beforehand and asked her to sign it. "A verbal agreement is not enough. I know you are an educated person, but my family is really in dire straits. I need a written agreement to feel at ease."
Without saying a word, Zhang Ting signed it. Uncle Wang held the IOU and smiled from ear to ear. When Zhang Ting got up to leave, he said politely, "Have a meal before you go. Everything has been arranged. Please don't mind our simple home-cooked food."
Uncle Wang was so enthusiastic that Zhang Ting couldn't bear to disappoint him, so she ate heartily to prove it.
However, Uncle Wang was just saying it casually, but he didn't expect Zhang Tingzhen to invite him to stay for dinner. He was so angry that he wanted to slap himself and was filled with regret.
While cleaning up the wreckage, he vigorously wiped the tables and chairs, muttering to himself: "How come you didn't choke to death, you starving ghost who hasn't eaten in hundreds of years!"
Zhang Ting didn't know what Uncle Wang was thinking, but she was satisfied with her meal.
When she left, Uncle Wang's daughter, Wang Daniu, saw her off.
The countryside woods and meadows were covered with a thick layer of snow, with only a faint hint of green showing through. The air was thin and cold. Zhang Ting's feet sank into the thick snow as she struggled to move forward, her shoes and socks soaked. She shivered and looked at Wang Daniu with a troubled expression, hesitant to speak.
Wang Daniu is twenty-five years old this year. She has a rough and straightforward personality and can't stand women who are coy and timid.
He stopped and grabbed Zhang Ting's shoulder. "Hey Zhang Xiucai, you only eat like a woman. Why are you acting like a man now? It's so petty. Just say what you have to say."
This was like a modern insult calling a man effeminate. Zhang Ting found it quite novel. She smiled sheepishly and said to Wang Daniu, "My family is so poor that we don't even have a quilt. That's why I caught a cold."
"I was thinking that if it's convenient for you at your home, could you lend me the winter quilt I used for a few days? I'll consider it a token of my gratitude if I have ten coins at home."
Actually, there were bedding available, but the original owner had pawned his winter quilt and winter clothes to raise money for the exam. Zhang Ting didn't want to suffer again, so he borrowed some bedding to get through the night.
The Wang family didn't need that quilt, and Zhang Ting promised another ten coins, so Wang Daniu naturally agreed.
She patted Zhang Ting on the shoulder with a smile, "Oh, I thought it was something serious, but it's nothing."
He handed the remaining medicine packet to Zhang Ting and went home to get her a blanket.
By the time Zhang Ting reached the dilapidated hut, it was already dark, and the biting wind made the doors and windows rattle.
She took out the only copper coin she had left and handed it to Wang Daniu. Then she went to the kitchen to light a fire and boil water to brew her own medicine. She also took off her shoes and socks to dry them. By the time she finished everything, it was around 9 PM.
Zhang Ting lay on the bed wrapped in a thick quilt, staring at her home where it was still snowing lightly. She missed the savings she had accumulated in her previous life, and her heart ached terribly. She even thought she must be crying, but when she raised her hand to wipe it, her hand was unusually dry.
The wind chilled her forehead, and she sneezed loudly. The room was just as cold as the outside. To avoid suffering, she had to find some cloth or paper to block the wind.
They were so poor that the windproof cloth was the same bed sheet that Zhang Ting had just used as a mat. When they lifted the sheet, they found straw underneath. Afraid that there were fleas in it, Zhang Ting took the straw to the kitchen to burn it the next day.
Exhausted from all the work, she lay down on the cold wooden board, curled up like a silkworm, and fell asleep. In her drowsy state, she was still thinking about selling the original owner's exam books tomorrow to get some rice...
The next day, Zhang Ting wrapped herself in several layers of light clothing, and then put on the outer garment that Pudding had the least amount of, but she was still shivering from the cold.
There was no other way. The original owner had devoted everything to the imperial examination, and although she still failed, she was only twenty-one years old and in the prime of her youth. If she studied hard for a few more years, she would still have a chance.
However, the Zhang family was dirt poor and owed a lot of money to the villagers. They had no money left. The original owner of the body was deeply affected and caught a cold, and that's how he died.
Zhang Ting went to the kitchen to cook. The huge rice jar seemed big enough to fit two people, but she only managed to pull out a small handful of rice.
Zhang Ting: "......" Not even enough to fill a tooth gap.
Zhang Ting had no choice but to cook a bowl of thin porridge to appease her hunger.
Even though her body was still weak and powerless, Zhang Ting still mustered her spirits and looked through the original owner's set of Four Books and Five Classics to see if there were any business opportunities.
Suddenly, she noticed that one of the books had annotations and interpretations, and then she remembered that the original owner of this body had bought it through connections from a scholar, spending a lot of money.
As Zhang Ting carefully read the contents, she frowned slightly and stroked her chin in deep thought.
She seems... to be able to write something similar?
With the economy in dire straits, making money is an urgent matter.
Zhang Ting rolled up her sleeves and got to work, opening a clean white book next to her and starting to write. By the time she finished, it was already noon. After a quick comparison, the handwriting was almost identical, and she was very satisfied. She then tore off the only bed sheet in the house and carefully wrapped the books.
She went straight to the county school. The original owner of this body was determined to take the imperial examination, and this set of the Four Books and Five Classics was something she had painstakingly collected. She figured the students at the county school would need it too.
The county school, as expected of an official school, boasts a serene and elegant environment, dignified and solemn buildings, and two guards at the main gate, giving it a majestic feel.
So Zhang Ting took a detour to the back gate. Her body was really weak, and she leaned weakly against a camphor tree. She had only eaten a bowl of thin porridge that day and was so hungry that her eyes were sparkling.
Fortunately, fate was on her side. At 11 PM, Zhang Ting encountered two students who were about to go out. The two were dressed in emerald green or azure blue silk robes and looked very wealthy.
The God of Wealth has arrived!
Zhang Ting instantly perked up and straightened her back.
She quickly ran over and called out to the two women, "Please wait a moment, ladies."
Seeing that Zhang Ting looked haggard and dressed in shabby clothes, but had surprisingly bright and intelligent eyes that gave her the air of a scholar, the two men stopped to ask her, "What do you need?"
The woman in green asked the question. Zhang Ting scratched his head and looked at her. "Sisters, I would like to ask you about someone. Her name is Liu Ergou."
"To be honest, my family is in dire straits and I am unable to continue taking the imperial examinations. However, I still have a complete set of the Four Books and Five Classics at home. This Liu Ergou asked someone to have me deliver the books to the back gate of the county school before noon today so that she can pick them up."
"But... it's past 11:30 am now, and the person still hasn't arrived."
Upon hearing Zhang Ting's words, the woman in green scoffed and scolded her, "You call yourself a scholar? How can you be so foolish, waiting here until 9 AM to be tricked?"
"Don't they realize that a scholar would have such a vulgar and unsophisticated name as Liu Ergou?"
“I’ve studied at the county school for many years and have never heard of anyone named Liu Ergou.” After saying that, he pulled the man in blue aside and walked forward.
Zhang Ting remained where he was, muttering to himself, "They don't even want the interpretations written by the scholar..."
The woman in blue walked behind the woman in green. Zhang Ting spoke very softly, but she still heard him. She was extremely surprised and immediately turned around to ask, "What did you say? The interpretation written by the scholar?"
If passing the imperial examination to become a scholar is like climbing a steep cliff, then passing the provincial examination is like finding a needle in a haystack.
Below the autumn examination results, there are countless students who have repeatedly failed the exams. How many people have wasted their youth and were still blocked from the preliminary examinations? How much more so for those who want to pursue the imperial examinations?
In the vast county of Lütian, only about 50 or 60% of the successful candidates in the imperial examinations were still alive. Moreover, only one person, the county school instructor, was out teaching. The other successful candidates were studying behind closed doors, preparing for the metropolitan examinations, and would not pay attention to these students who were still struggling to become successful candidates.
The woman in green was also surprised that this poor, shabby woman actually possessed the knowledge of a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations.
Zhang Ting unwrapped the bed sheet, took out a book from the top, and opened it. It was fine; the ink wasn't very fresh, but when paired with the old paper, it looked quite convincing at first glance.
"I have known Sister Li for a long time. Her name is Li Shucui. She was a Juren in the third year of Chengtai. To be honest, I also passed the Xiucai exam last year by relying on these interpretations."
When Li Shucui passed the imperial examination, the original owner of this body originally wanted to pay her a visit, but there were too many people and she couldn't squeeze in. But who can say that a one-sided acquaintance is not an acquaintance?
Besides, even though she wrote the annotations herself, wouldn't she become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) once she passed the exam?
Upon hearing that Zhang Ting was also a scholar and had some connection with Li Shucui, the woman in green held Zhang Ting in higher regard and quickly said, "Sister, we are both scholars. I am a straightforward person and misspoke just now. Please don't hold it against me."
"I am a scholar from the second year of the Chengtai era, named Zou Yueru. The lady next to me is a scholar from the third year of the Chengtai era. She is my cousin. In fact, she is related to Li Juren. Her given name is An."
"By the way, my sister and I are both twenty-four years old this year. May I ask your name, younger sister?"
As his cousin introduced himself, Ang Lee nodded to Zhang Ting.
Since they were of equal status, the other party spoke much more politely. Zhang Ting bowed and said, "My name is Zhang Ting, and I am twenty-one years old. I am honored to meet you two sisters today."
Zou Yueru and Li An returned the greeting, and Li An asked Zhang Ting what to do with the books.
"Well... Liu Ergou might be his nickname. He might have been delayed by something today. I'll wait a bit longer, and he should be here soon." Zhang Ting said with a wry smile, "My sister's family is in dire straits. If anyone is willing to help, we will naturally offer it to them with open arms."
That makes sense. If the two girls truly had no way of knowing the name, and it was difficult to find a scholar who could interpret the text, Liu Ergou must have been delayed by important matters and thus broke his promise. Moreover, if they could be introduced and receive some guidance from a scholar, their learning would surely improve significantly, and they might even be able to pass the imperial examination in three years...
Ang Lee was still pondering the matter when he asked Liu Ergou how much money he would spend to buy Zhang Ting's interpretation.
"Thirty taels." These books cost the original owner twenty taels. She worked hard all morning and wasted so much breath, so it's not unreasonable to ask for ten more taels of silver, right?
Thirty taels is a bit expensive for a complete set of commentaries on the Four Books and Five Classics, but Li An and Zou Yueru are well-off and can afford it.
While Li An and Zhang Ting were talking, Zou Yueru was also busy. She spent a long time flipping through the book. The annotations in the book made her suddenly understand some of the obscure parts. There were also extensions, which were often brilliant and insightful, even more so than the county school's instructors. She loved these books very much and naturally trusted Zhang Ting's words.
He took Zhang Ting's cold hand and said considerately, "Sister Zhang, Liu Ergou broke his promise to you, why are you waiting here in vain?"
"My sister and I are in dire need of this set of commentaries, and we are also devoted scholars. How about we sell these to you for forty taels?"
A note from the author:
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