Chapter 1: The Savage

One of the reasons for Li Jie’s "great fame" is that he created surnames for "Baisha Li." This is something that the "wild people" had never even considered before, primarily because it was not deemed important, as their main concern in daily life was figuring out how to obtain more food and necessities

Then, when he ran to Suzhou to sell aquatic products and mountain goods, he suddenly realized that he was indeed a "wild man"; he was just a younger brother, and still the younger brother of Shadan... a sand sculpture

... ...

Ultimately, the term "savage" is impolite

Li Jie was just about to ask a question when suddenly the high-frequency tinnitus, resembling the sound of cicadas, intensified. His vision went dark, and he became as motionless as a dead dog.

Those who engage in "Wugeng" are all elderly men over the age of fifty from local towns and villages

Li Jie considered himself to be somewhat cultured, as he graduated from the College of Textiles. Although he later became a foreman, this did not prevent him from thinking of himself as an intellectual

Once there was a younger brother, who was named "Diao" because a hawk had taken one of the chickens raised by his family at the time of his birth. ... Therefore, it is not difficult to see that Shadan's younger brother is called Shadiao

The Bai surname, Sha clan, is the recently established surname of "Bai Sha Li".

Apart from this, only towns and smaller noble estates can generate revenue

Only by trading with the "city people" of Suzhou can one obtain a currency known as "Dī". ... In addition to being used as money, "Dī" is also an arrowhead ...

After all, the "wild man" is rude

The term "wild man" generally refers to individuals who work for private enterprises

However, Mei Can Niang is an orphan, and she has to take care of her foolish younger brother while trying to make a living. Generally, even if someone wants to live with Dan, they must consider the issue of having one more mouth to feed

Coincidentally, Li Jie is very strong, after all, he is a foreman

The "washerwoman" of the sandy wilderness "picks up" strange men to take back, primarily for the purpose of procreation. The stronger they are, the better; good looks are secondary.

Money is the most stable form of value, and it often appreciates in worth. Therefore, unless one has a particular desire for a certain item, very few people are willing to use metallic currency for payment

Traveling to Suzhou is indeed quite far, with only one round trip possible in a day, and that is only if the rowing skills are proficient. However, if one wishes to earn substantial money, Suzhou is the best destination.

The only wealthy family near "Baisha Li" that is willing to pay with "Di" is currently "Wugeng" in the place called "Yunting"

I asked, Brother Kun need not catch too many, just twenty large loaches at 'Yunting' during the fifth watch

In a state of drowsiness, a woman's voice suddenly sounded. He could hear her speaking, but he could not fully understand. It was somewhat like the Wu dialect, yet not entirely so.

The one who brought Li back home was a washerwoman. Outside the city of Suzhou, the "wild people" primarily provide services to the "city dwellers" in exchange for compensation, in addition to their income from gathering, farming, and other activities

Is it not a printing and dyeing factory construction site

Where am I

If the villages near Suzhou City were to do this, the "Urban Management" would have long since come to impose fines, and officials would have come to reprimand them. However, the "wild people" of "Shaye" can act recklessly there, and it is of no concern.

In a state of helplessness, adhering to the principle of relying on the mountains for sustenance and the waters for nourishment, I took my younger brother, Sha Diao, during the probationary period, with our main task being to catch fish and gather shrimp.

Who am I

Not everyone can perform the "Wugeng". To be able to do "Wugeng", age is a threshold; if you are not yet fifty years old, do not even think about it

Moreover, Li Jie has a tall and robust physique, clearly a capable man who could cultivate one hundred acres of land, making him more cost-effective than raising a cow

In addition to washing silk, she also helps people raise silkworms, and is known as the most beautiful silkworm mother in the nearby "Shaye". The name of the beautiful silkworm mother is occasionally heard even by the people of Suzhou.

However, for Li Jie, there is not even a piece of toilet paper now, so what is there to talk about in terms of etiquette? It is best to discuss money!

What is there to hesitate about in doing something enjoyable

Therefore, when large fish such as grass carp are generally caught, Li Jie often makes them into salted fish himself. The salt is obtained through trade, by rowing a boat from "Baisha Li" to "Dongsha". The main source of income there in the "Shaye" area is supplying salt to Suzhou.

There are all sorts of peculiar names, and the one who "picked up" Li Jie’s washerwoman is called "Dan," because she was born in the morning

If one obtains the loach, the ramie will be exchanged above.

Did you ask Yun Ting how many loaches are needed for the fifth watch?

If the foreman is not strong, how can he withhold the workers' wages and subdue each worker demanding payment? If bodyguards are hired to beat up the workers seeking their wages, that is not a foreman; that is an entrepreneur

The land in "Dongsha" is even less fertile than that in "Baishali," making it difficult to produce rice. Therefore, if one wants to eat rice, they must rely on purchasing it, just like the "city dwellers".

Before long, a large number of young women, all carrying bamboo baskets, came running over. Without exception, the baskets contained fabrics and clothing.

Even in Suzhou, there are very few literate people

Supporting a young man is not an easy task

In this "Cloud Pavilion," "Wugeng" is fifty-five years old this year, has poor dental health, and wishes to eat some soft loach, which is quite normal

Yes

There are two types of laundry women. One type is the officially employed laundry women in Suzhou, who primarily wash clothes for the nobility. The other type is from private enterprises, usually run by "city people," who take advantage of the labor cost differences between urban and rural areas to generate profits

The "wild man" is rude

Help! Help! Brother Li is still down there

Regardless of whether they are sand sculptures or other youths in "White Sand", they all have a strong liking for money

If an ordinary farmer, as a "Yunting" at dawn, eats a few loaches, what does it matter? However, "Baisha Li" is certainly not an ordinary farmer

The large seal script... he recognizes it, but he does not recognize the characters

Noisy, restless, chaotic ... Everything quickly returns to calm, a calm in the darkness

However, where is it so easy to catch loaches

If there is no money, then one can only resort to barter. Salt, to be precise, coarse salt, is a hard currency in any "deserted area".

Savages, lacking in propriety, can only be utilized for profit

After a month of the trial period of time travel, Li Jie no longer has to worry about his inability to integrate into this world reminiscent of ancient times

One of the reasons it is said to be "widely known" is that Li Jie truly became famous because of his wife, who is the one that "picked" him up.

If it were not for the reliance on borrowed farming tools, Li almost overestimated himself

Neither the Dan nor the Diao can read

There, there are big crucian carp, and we can catch some

Cough cough ... ... Ugh

Alarm! Hurry and call the police

"Wugeng" is an official position, and not only does it receive a salary issued by the King of Wu, but it also holds considerable power at the local level. The use of "di" for payment further illustrates this point

Bang

It sounds very familiar at first hearing

Is A Jie going to Nansha

Call the fire department

However, the officials and minor nobles in the town do not actually possess much wealth; they primarily rely on textiles for their remuneration

Therefore, "picking up" a husband is an investment behavior that has low initial costs but high long-term returns

There are matters that cannot be helped, for money is capable of anything

Light returned before his eyes, his body was wet and cold, and the smell mixed with the silt from the riverbed made Li Jie feel nauseous. His head buzzed incessantly, with a high-pitched ringing in his ears like cicadas, which made him feel extremely irritable

The "wild men" are creating their own surnames, which has intrigued the people of Suzhou, but they did not pay much attention to it.

However, the husband that "Bai Sha Li" Mei Can Niang "picked up" can guarantee a supply of fresh and lively loaches, and they are quite large in size

Because it is normal for a "wild man" to run around naked

In a chaotic mind, images of explosions, collapses, and rising dust continuously flash before me

Washing clothes, specifically for the "city dwellers".

The one who picked up the laundry woman named Li is from "Baisha." "Baisha" is not large; it has merely formed a settlement and cannot yet be considered a "village." The nearby "Shaye" is often referred to as "Baisha Li."

However, the matter of Li Jie giving Dan and Diao their surnames still caused a bit of a stir in the vicinity of Baisha Li, particularly in "Shaye".

The woman exclaimed, dropped the bamboo basket in her hands, and then stood up, shouting something loudly

Brother Li

To the east along the river and coast from the northern part of Suzhou City, there are hundreds and thousands of "sands" of various sizes, and the people living here are all "wild men"

Moreover, those with a formal position would not "pick up" Li Jie again

The residents of Baisha Li do not have surnames, only given names

Li nodded, indicating his agreement. The land along the river is often referred to as "sand"; since it is not located in cities or towns, it is also called "sandy wilderness"

Because this sounds a bit pretentious, Li Jie thought that this sand sculpture and sand carving should not be called that. Others might think it is nothing, but he found it quite annoying and mentally distorted

Li Jie was pondering, if the surname were Sha, wouldn't it be called Sha Dan

There is nothing else around Suzhou, and the aquatic products are extremely abundant. However, most of the common fish and shrimp have already been consumed by the "city dwellers" of Suzhou, making them unsellable at a price.