Tan Dong: "...."
Then he suddenly gritted his teeth, his face full of grief and indignation, and said.
"I won't go anymore. I want to practice martial arts well and strive to become a porter as soon as possible."
Zhao Ya neither agreed nor disagreed.
By this time, all the porters had already received their monthly wages, and Meng Lei did not linger.
He just waved to Zhao Ya and these other workers, "Thank you for your hard work."
Then he turned and left.
"Tan Dong, one liang of monthly wages."
"Shi Sen, one liang and one qian."
"Zhao Ya, one liang and two qian."
...
Along with the crackling sound of the accountant's abacus, Zhao Ya received his salary for the month.
One liang and two qian of silver.
This figure seemed insignificant, but Zhao Ya knew that this income was indeed quite a high salary in the Outer City of Wuxiang City.
One should know that a strong laboring man working non-stop every day would earn only about one liang of silver a month.
And a frugal family of three would spend only about eight to nine qian of silver a month.
Nowadays, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old maiden could be bought for just ten or so liang of silver, and it's said the price was still dropping.
One could imagine how difficult these times were.
Zhao Ya carefully tucked away the silver and was thinking about what to buy later when Tan Dong's large face leaned over.
"Hehehe, we just got paid, how about we brothers go have a drink? My treat."
"No," Zhao Ya refused decisively.
"Ah, why are you being so unsociable? Let me tell you, not only are we going to drink, but after drinking, we'll take a bath, then head to the brothel to listen to some tunes, and maybe find a girl who catches our eye... Just thinking about it is delightful!"
"And judging by your looks, those girls might not even charge you; they might just pay you instead," Tan Dong whispered excitedly, eyes gleaming.
Zhao Ya couldn't help but smile wryly, "Didn't you just say you wouldn't go there anymore and wanted to practice martial arts well?"
Tan Dong rubbed his hands, chuckling nervously, "Isn't this to celebrate the payday? Don't worry, just this once, I won't go again."
Zhao Ya, of course, didn't believe these fibs, and he resolutely declined Tan Dong's enthusiastic invitation and headed out the door.
After leaving the Escort Agency, Zhao Ya first went to the grain market to buy rice, flour, oil, and other necessities.
Lately, grain prices had been rising steadily, supposedly due to floods in the southern Commandery, and there was an upward trend, so Zhao Ya wanted to prepare early.
He bought half fine rice and half coarse rice, and other supplies were similarly balanced.
Even so, he spent six qian of silver after buying enough for a month's needs.
With the remaining silver, aside from keeping some for contingencies, he bought cured bacon.
This was more expensive than fresh meat but valued for its lack of moisture and solid weight.
Importantly, it was also more durable for storage.
In this world, without refrigerators, food would spoil easily if not stored properly.
Zhao Ya didn't want to fall ill from consuming anything unsanitary.
Carrying a bag full of supplies, Zhao Ya headed home.
Throughout the journey, Zhao Ya was very vigilant.
After all, the world was becoming increasingly chaotic, with many resorting to desperate measures for survival, unafraid even of killing in broad daylight.
This was within the city; it's said to be even more chaotic outside the city walls.
Because of this, Zhao Ya had to be cautious.
Possibly due to Zhao Ya's large stature or the Changlong Escort Agency uniform he wore, his journey was uneventful.
Soon, Zhao Ya returned home.
It was a dilapidated courtyard but considered quite decent compared to the surrounding rickety shanties threatening to collapse at any time.
Zhao Ya first checked the marks he had left before leaving and, seeing no changes, opened the door.
The small courtyard had only two rooms: one was Zhao Ya's bedroom, and the other served as both the kitchen and living room.
Zhao Ya put down his things, stored the supplies properly, and then picked up a half-bag of coarse rice he had prepared earlier and headed out.
A short walk from the courtyard gate, around a corner, was an even more rundown yard, its walls leaning as if about to collapse at any moment.
Zhao Ya knocked on the door, and after a moment, a timid voice came from inside.
"Who... who is it?"
"It's me," Zhao Ya replied softly.
Then came the sound of a bolt being drawn, and a small face peeked through the crack of the door.
It turned out to be a young girl.
The girl looked about thirteen or fourteen, appearing frail due to malnutrition, but her natural grace was still visible in her features.
Upon seeing Zhao Ya at the door, the girl's face lit up with surprise and delight.
"Ya, you're back."
Zhao Ya nodded, "Mm, have you finished washing my clothes?"
"Yes, yes, they're done. Come in and get them."
"No need, I have other things to do. This is your payment."
Zhao Ya handed over the half-bag of coarse rice.
Tang Zui'Er took the bag of rice, her large eyes welling up with mist.
"Thank you, Ya...."
Zhao Ya smiled gently, "You wash clothes for me, I pay you; it's only fair, there's no need to thank me."
Tang Zui'Er nodded vigorously, "Then Ya, wait here a moment, I'll get your clothes."
With that, Tang Zui'Er, clutching the bag of rice, turned and dashed into the house, soon returning with a thick stack of clothes.
"Here you go, Ya."
Zhao Ya took the clothes, turned to leave, then suddenly remembered something, and said.
"By the way, I should have more clothes to bring in a few days, so I'll have to trouble you again, Zui'Er."
"It's no trouble at all; I can handle however many there are," Tang Zui'Er replied joyfully.