Chapter 4, The Butcher

"But are you here because of that Sun family's boy?" The butcher's expression darkened as he waved the knife in his hand. "Don't ask me how I know this. You hardly return to your family even once a year, yet this time you actually came to my meat shop. Are you hoping to borrow some silver from me to help that boy out of trouble?"

"Alright... I will take care of it right away..." The young woman was taken aback, rubbing her hands and hesitating to stand up, yet she remained still for a long time. Her eyes were slightly red from staying up late, and her expression bore a hint of sadness.

Sun Danmian tidied up his mood, feeling a sense of relief in his chest, and couldn't help but tease his fiancée, who was a year younger than him: "The day has already broken, besides, your spinning wheel has been creaking all night, I couldn't sleep either." In his eyes, Zhi Niang was merely his little sister; although he was only sixteen this year, he possessed the soul of a seasoned thirty-seven-year-old.

Only when the enormous and coarse butcher shouted did he awaken from his stupor

Indeed, I kindly ask you, Father, to lend me two taels of silver

Upon thinking of this, the refreshing feeling that had just been mentioned vanished without a trace in an instant. Sun Dan forced a smile and said, "Mother, I feel quite dizzy from reading the book and suddenly have no appetite. You were right; we should hurry and go out." The matter of eating is trivial; if he were truly conscripted to be a laborer for distant grain transport, that would be a great tragedy. As a modern person, he does not see anything wrong in borrowing money from others when faced with difficulties. In modern times, he still has over 2,000 yuan in overdraft on his credit card that he has not repaid, hoping not to leave any future troubles for his parents. If he were truly conscripted to be a laborer for distant grain transport, that would be a great tragedy. As a modern person, he does not see anything wrong in borrowing money from others when faced with difficulties. In modern times, he still has over 2,000 yuan in overdraft on his credit card that he has not repaid, hoping not to leave any future troubles for his parents.

Zhi Niang nodded and hurriedly led Sun Dan out the door

In the Ming Dynasty, Zouping was not large, consisting of only three to five streets, and by the time one finished speaking, they would have arrived at Wan Tufu's shop.

Having come to this realization, Sun Dan regained his spirits. He pushed aside the tattered quilt covering him, got dressed, and stood up.

Although the butcher Wan obtained the shop from the Sun family, he only possessed the skill of slaughtering pigs and selling meat. Therefore, after renting the shop to a rice business, he returned to the meat stall at Shuixi Gate to resume his employment.

Sun Dan then remembered that there was no food left at home. The family had started eating porridge a few days ago. By now, the rice jar was nearly empty; if it weren't for Zhi Niang having woven a new piece of cotton cloth, they would have gone hungry today. Normally, Zhi Niang and he would only eat two meals a day, which were supplemented with a large amount of wild vegetables and bran.

One may have a wealth of knowledge stored in their mind, yet the books do not contain a house of gold, nor can they conjure up gleaming coins.

Sun Dan looked at him in surprise: "Outside? It's so cold out there. You spent the whole night weaving cloth outside and didn't freeze to death? If you really got frozen, I wouldn't have the money to bury you. Are you suggesting I sell this shabby wooden house for firewood?"

Sun Dan was originally a person with a good temper. Having just crossed over to the Ming Dynasty, he was somewhat confused. However, the unfriendly tone of the butcher made him extremely angry, and his expression darkened as he was about to speak.

To become wealthy, one must engage in business. However, I was merely an ordinary civil servant in my past life. After graduating from university, I entered the government agency and have no experience in commerce whatsoever. Writing a few official documents and entertaining a few guests may come easily to me, but setting up a stall, shouting to sell on the street, is something I should not rush into.

Zhi Niang did not realize that Sun Dan was joking with her. She lowered her head and replied, "Then I will be a bit lighter with my hands and feet in the future. By the way, I mentioned last night that I would go to my family to borrow some money. Now that it is already bright outside, my father's shop should be open. How about we go together?"

Sun Dan looked up and down at this future father-in-law with a curious gaze: "I have seen Old Taishan."

Feeling a headache, Sun Dan naturally overlooked Wan Tufu.

Although Sun Dan has mustered the courage to face life, her mood remains somewhat bleak. Not only is she confronted with a significant crisis regarding her new identity, but her family is also in dire financial straits. With barely enough to eat, there is naturally no joy to be found in this new life. The primary issue at hand is to escape poverty

The butcher shot a sidelong glance at Sun Dan and said: "Who do you think you are? In the past, you would show me a deadpan face whenever you saw me, not even letting out a grunt. Why the change of heart today? Ah, a night owl enters the house, and there's no reason for it. To see you, a debt collector, so early in the morning is my bad luck. Come on, get lost, don't bring bad luck to my business"

Sitting idly is not a solution. Since I am here, I must make peace with it. As a modern individual from a poor background, it is impossible to remain in despair. I must do something constructive.

Furthermore, engaging in business requires capital. If there are even issues with having enough to eat at home, how can one possibly have any money to invest?

Let everything modern pass him by; from now on, he should live well in the Ming Dynasty. It is impossible to behave like the previous owner of this body, who would headbutt a wall at the first sign of difficulty. That is certainly not my life philosophy

"Bastard, a married daughter is like spilled water. You've made something of yourself, but now you're plotting against your maternal family." The butcher heavily slammed the knife onto the table and began to scold loudly: "I too have been unfortunate, listening to the matchmaker's words, marrying you off to the Sun family. Little did I expect that before you even entered the door, the Sun family's tuberculosis patient would meet the King of Hell, and the Sun family's son is nothing but a useless waste. Not only that, your family is as poor as can be. Tell me, how much have I supported you over these three years? I never imagined that before you even entered the door, the Sun family's tuberculosis patient would meet the King of Hell, and the Sun family's son is nothing but a useless waste. Not only that, your family is as poor as can be. Tell me, how much have I supported you over these three years? Raising a daughter like you is truly a blessing I must have earned in a past life, yet it has only brought ridicule from the neighbors. Hurry up and leave, even looking at you is dirtying my eyes."

It was likely a concussion; he felt extremely dizzy. As Sun Dan landed, he sensed his body sway and nearly fell to the ground. He hurriedly reached out to steady himself on the edge of the bed, breathing heavily for a moment before finally regaining his balance

"Don't rush, we haven't had breakfast yet. How about we get something to eat first?" After joking a bit with the little girl, Sun Dan felt in high spirits and also realized she was somewhat hungry. Just thinking about the youtiao, baozi, douzhi, and dumplings from the future made her mouth water profusely.

Modern life has become a thing of the past for me. If parents from another world knew of my current despair, they would surely feel saddened. As my father used to say: everything will pass; as long as one grits their teeth and perseveres, they can endure one difficulty after another

Seeing the situation was not good, the branch daughter quietly tugged at Sun Dan's clothing corner and said: "I have come to see Father this time because there is an important matter I wish to ask my maternal family for assistance with"

Zhi Zhi, how did you come over so early? Oh, why has that kid from the Sun family come along as well

The butcher got up early today, and before there were many pedestrians on the street, he, along with two apprentices, slaughtered a fat pig, which was then prominently displayed on the counter.

A thunderous sound echoed in his ears, and Sun Dan hurriedly looked up, only to see a burly middle-aged man holding a filleting knife standing greasy behind the counter, which startled him. Beside the burly man were two busy assistants.

The girl smiled apologetically and said softly, "I’m sorry for disturbing you. Had I known earlier, I would have gone outside to weave."

Hearing Sun Dan's gasping breath, the spinning wheel came to a halt. Zhi Niang looked at Sun Dan with concern and asked, "Not going to sleep?"