Chapter 8, Livelihood

Yu Zi wiped the sweat from her brow, gazing at the sun gradually setting in the west, feeling a bit anxious as she thought: No, I absolutely cannot allow my father to bear this hardship alone; I must find a way.

What is at the market, Yu Zi already has some idea in her heart, and she now wants to take a look in the mountains and fields

She came to a halt and slowly raised her head

Standing in front of her was a man in his late twenties, dressed in a linen robe, the cuffs of which were worn down significantly. This man had a square face, but due to his emaciation, his cheeks were deeply sunken. His complexion was dark, and his unkempt beard framed a wide mouth that revealed a mouthful of blackened teeth when he smiled

The carriage came rushing towards us

As he spoke to this point, he noticed Yu Zi's eyes widening with great interest, listening intently with a serious expression. His spirits were greatly lifted, and he smacked his lips, then patted the sword at his waist with force, declaring loudly: "In those days..."

This person, with a sword at their waist, appears to have a respectable background

The man is still laughing wildly

A slender man ran behind the stone platform and shouted, "Sir, Young Master Pei has already left. Should we teach the son of the palace a lesson again?"

He stopped laughing, lowered his head to glare at Yu Zi, slapped his right hand on the sword at his waist, and shouted: "What are you looking at, chicken?"

She turned her head and saw that the imposing man who had just been blocking her way was now trembling uncontrollably, his tall figure quaking like a pile of chaff behind the stone platform

She is currently exploring the mountains and fields, contemplating whether she can find something that requires no capital and can be processed in the simplest way to bring her profit

This man loves to hear such words, he straightened his waist, proudly swaying the sword at his side, and said with a nod and a shake of his head: "My great-grandfather was a prince of the State of Kang. My father served in the palace of my great-uncle."

Sitting in the first carriage was a young man, around twenty-two or twenty-three years old, with a long face, small eyes, a large nose, and a wide mouth. This young man wore a tall hat, squinting his beady eyes with excitement, his nostrils flaring as he frequently shouted, "Whoever stands in the way, kill him! Just kill him!"

Upon hearing the words "Young Master Pei," the man blocking Yu Zi was taken aback. He no longer cared to show off to Yu Zi and quickly retreated, squatting down behind a stone platform where burlap clothes were displayed.

Gritting her teeth, Yu Zi thought to herself: If it really comes to that, I will go to those restaurants and try working as a chef.

Since the elderly person firmly rejected the proposal of the buyer, Yu Zi has completely regarded the elderly as her own family. Her greatest desire now is to solve the problem of basic needs and to bring a satisfied smile to the elderly's face

No!

As soon as he uttered these three words, his voice faltered

Sitting in the last three carriages, there were two carriages each occupied by three young ladies. These women had well-defined features and relatively fair skin. They sat in the carriages with their chins held high, looking down disdainfully at the people on the road

Upon witnessing this scene, Yu Zi also turned around and walked back.

As soon as the sound faded, the sounds of hooves, the rolling of a carriage, and shouts could be heard

At this moment, a sudden commotion arose ahead. Amidst the turmoil and unease, several panicked voices came through in a chaotic manner, "The young master is coming, retreat quickly, retreat quickly!"

She did not return home, but instead walked up the mountain

That youth with mouse-like eyes appears to be Young Master Pei

He was laughing when suddenly he felt something was amiss

Amidst the resounding replies, there was a flurry of hurried hoofbeats and the sound of rolling wheels. In no time, four horse-drawn carriages left behind a cloud of dust and sped away

She knows that being a chef in this era is not a good idea. For someone like Yu Zi, who is powerless and insignificant, if she were to display culinary skills that differ from those of this time, her greatest likelihood would be to become a gift for the host, serving as a token of flattery to the powerful. While being a gift is secondary, the more concerning issue is that she is, after all, a woman, and moreover, a beauty who is considered one in a thousand by contemporary standards. In such circumstances, if her identity were to be exposed, her fate would truly be beyond her control. While being a gift is secondary, the more concerning issue is that she is, after all, a woman, and moreover, a beauty who is considered one in a thousand by contemporary standards. In such circumstances, if her identity were to be exposed, her fate would truly be beyond her control

Since the Ping Wang of the Jin State ordered local lords to open mountains, forests, and rivers for the use of the common people, in recent years, an increasing number of states have also opened their mountains and forests to the populace

He paused in his steps, his face turning pale. After his legs trembled a few times, he could no longer afford to say anything. With a strange cry, he turned and dashed back down the path.

One of the young girls, around eighteen or nineteen years old, saw Young Master Pei shouting and making a scene. She even ordered a warrior holding a spear to go to the side of the road and play with a "lowly commoner." Unable to suppress her frown, she impatiently admonished, "Pei, if you intend to kill someone, do it later; do not delay the time."

In fact, over the past few hours, Yu Zi has thought of several ways to become wealthy. However, the problem is that she has no capital. The money her father earned is barely enough to provide for their basic needs, let alone have any surplus.

Each carriage had its curtains drawn back, revealing several heads peering out

Just as he swaggered towards Yu Zi, a voice came from the side, "Uncle, leave quickly! Young Master Bei is preparing to return and kill."

Bo got up and turned his head to search for Yu Zi

In the depths of the mountains and dense forests, Yu Zi recalled the tiger she had encountered before. Along this journey, she cautiously followed the main path, not daring to venture deeper in search.

Yu Zi was unaware that it was precisely because King Ping of Jin opened the mountains and forests to the people that, from then on, the forests of China were extensively cut down by the populace, leading to the disappearance of more and more primeval forests and significant soil and water loss. Originally, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Yellow River basin was the central area where the Chinese nation preferred to gather. However, due to severe soil erosion, the people gradually migrated southward, and eventually, the Yangtze River basin became the center of Chinese civilization.

As soon as these individuals left, the market immediately became lively again

On these several horses, the passengers are a few swordsmen wielding long spears, sweeping across the passersby with their swords. Behind these six swordsmen, there are four horse-drawn carriages.

It is not only he who is evading; in this moment, the entire street is in chaos, with all the pedestrians retreating to the sides, and even the items placed slightly more towards the center are being moved one by one to the back

This is not easy; although Yu Zi comes from a rural background, she has been well-provided for since childhood and has never seen what many things originally look like

Before long, several tall, blue horses appeared in Yu Zi's line of sight

Amidst the rising and falling laughter, the man blocking the intersection quickened his pace, advancing another step closer to Yu Zi.

The frail boy before me, quietly observing himself in this manner, truly makes it difficult to find any amusement or joy

With a wave of his hand, he commanded: "Advance at full speed!"

The girl's words were evidently weighty. Upon hearing this, Bo immediately turned around and smiled at her, saying in an extremely flattering manner: "Indeed, indeed."

Although the forest is lush and green, what appears before Yu Zi are still large areas of felled trees. These trees were all cut down last year, and small tender shoots are still growing on the tree stumps

After three hours had passed, it was already afternoon, and her stomach had long been growling with hunger

Yu Zi slightly lowered her head, imitating the posture of others in greeting. She crossed her hands in front of her and, with wide-open eyes, spoke loudly: "I have heard that your esteemed ancestor was a person of high status, is that correct?"

At this moment, Yu Zi understood from the laughter of the crowd that one must not retreat in the face of provocation

As soon as the young man's words were spoken, Yu Zi heard a violent trembling sound coming from beside her

Not only he, but several others are also packing their belongings and hurrying back

Bo, the man who blocked Yu Zi, stuck his head out, drenched in sweat, and nervously glanced outside a few times. Upon seeing that Young Master Pei was indeed gone, he immediately broke into a hearty laugh

Amidst the chaos and incessant shouting, Yu Zi quietly retreated to one side