Chen Sanshi ran over excitedly, picked up the rabbit, and weighed it in his hand. It had to be around seven or eight jin—a solid catch.
"At the current market rate, that should fetch at least sixty bronze coins!"
He didn't rush down the mountain. Instead, he tied the rabbit securely with rope, slung it over his shoulder, and kept searching for more prey.
"Coo—coo—"
Bird calls echoed nearby.
With the help of [Tracking and Hiding], Chen Sanshi quickly located two pigeons perched on a distant tree branch.
He raised his bow, nocked an arrow, drew, and loosed it in one smooth motion.
A shadow flashed through the air—both pigeons were pierced clean through and dropped to the ground with a soft thud.
Chen Sanshi retrieved them with a grin.
Pigeon meat was considered a delicacy, often selling for a slightly higher price than rabbit. The two birds together were worth about thirty bronze coins.
He wanted to keep hunting, but the sky was already dimming. With no time to spare, he gathered his catch and began heading down the mountain.
To sell wild game, he had to go to a restaurant in the county seat.
The road passed through several villages poorer than Swallow-Edge Village. The people there were gaunt and pale, some lying motionless by the roadside—he couldn't even tell if they were alive.
When they saw the prey in his hands, their eyes flickered with envy and hunger, but when they noticed the bow on his back, any ill intent quickly vanished.
"Eight Treasures Restaurant."
Half an hour later.
Chen Sanshi stopped in front of the building, looking up at the large gold-plated sign.
This was one of the biggest restaurants in Poyang County—the same one his father used to sell meat to. Rumor had it that even a simple meal here cost three to five taels of silver.
Just moments ago, he had passed starving villagers on the road. Yet here, he saw a wealthy man dumping a whole platter of meat onto the ground—to feed his dog.
"Truly, 'the rich feast behind red doors while the bones of the poor freeze on the streets,'" Chen Sanshi muttered.
A poor harvest, they claimed.
But if they opened the granaries, he doubted anyone in the entire city would starve this winter.
He sighed inwardly.
The restaurant's manager, a plump middle-aged man, came out to greet him—it turned out he was one of his father's old acquaintances.
"Eight jin and two taels of rabbit meat, plus one pigeon weighing half a jin. I'll give you eighty-five bronze coins in total."
The man, Liu Hongda, tapped his abacus with practiced fingers. "How's that sound?"
"Fair price, thank you, Uncle Liu."
Chen Sanshi knew the market well enough.
Liu Hongda chuckled. "If you bring me good meat again, I'll make sure you always get a fair cut. You have my word."
Chen Sanshi accepted the coins.
'Earning nearly one qian of silver in a single day—under normal circumstances, that'd be plenty to live on.'
'But with the tax due soon, and debts still unpaid, this barely makes a dent.'
'I'll need to hunt bigger prey next time.'
As he was counting his coins, a thin, dark-skinned youth walked in, carrying a basket of fish to sell.
"Shi ge'er?!"
The boy recognized him instantly.
Chen Sanshi also quickly recalled his name—Zhang Shun, the son of Aunt Li, and an old playmate from childhood when they'd roll in the mud bare-bottomed together.
If not for Aunt Li and Lan jie'er working odd jobs and occasionally helping him with food these past months, he and Gu Xinlan might've starved long ago.
"Shunzi, perfect timing."
Chen Sanshi pulled out the still-warm copper coins. "I've been meaning to pay back what I owe your family—"
Before he could finish, Zhang Shun waved his hand.
"No rush, Shi ge'er. I'm not short on money right now."
He lifted his fish basket proudly, showing off several large fish—some weighing seven or eight jin. "You've just recovered from illness, and you'll need cash for plenty of things. Pay me back when things ease up!"
"Alright. Thanks, Shunzi."
Chen Sanshi didn't insist. He owed two qian of silver—one wouldn't be enough to settle it anyway. He might as well wait until he could repay it all with interest.
"Come on, Shi ge'er, don't be so polite! You were the one who taught me how to read back when we were kids!"
Both lived in Poyang County, so they decided to walk home together.
As they chatted along the way, Chen Sanshi learned that Zhang Shun's family had managed to save over ten taels of silver and planned to send him to a martial arts school soon.
"Training in martial arts, huh."
Chen Sanshi knew well that in this world, those who practiced martial arts were held in high regard.
For a commoner's child to enter a martial school was already a path to honor. Even modest success would bring glory to their family name.
He had the Grinding System panel—he too dreamed of learning martial arts.
But that required a hefty amount of tuition.
'For now, I'll just have to survive this tax season first,' he thought. 'Then I'll start saving up for that.'
When Chen Sanshi entered the town, he parted ways with Zhang Shun.
Before he even reached home, he saw a familiar figure standing anxiously at the doorway from afar.
It was, of course, Gu Xinlan.
She had come home early that day to cook, but as the sky grew dark and he still hadn't returned, she had almost gone up the mountain to look for him.
"Shi ge'er!"
Gu Xinlan hurried over, her tone a mix of worry and scolding. "The sky's already dark! Were you trying to scare me to death? Didn't I tell you it doesn't matter whether you catch anything or not?"
Chen Sanshi didn't speak right away. Instead, he smiled and pulled a gray pigeon from behind his back.
"Ah! Shi ge'er, you caught something?"
Before she could recover from her surprise, he placed a small pouch of bronze coins into her hands and said softly, "We're eating meat tonight."
Half an hour later.
On the table, along with white rice and salted duck eggs, sat a steaming bowl of fragrant pigeon soup.
Ever since his father's death, it had been half a year since meat had last appeared in their home.
"Shi ge'er, you're amazing."
Gu Xinlan still couldn't quite believe it. "Even Uncle Zhao from the village came back empty-handed today, I heard."
"I just got lucky," Chen Sanshi said with a grin. "Uncle Zhao and the others are seasoned hunters who go deep into the second mountain. When they catch something, it's usually the big kind."
He gnawed on a pigeon leg and mixed rice with salted duck egg, feeling his empty stomach finally fill.
He'd purposely kept some of the game instead of selling it all—so that both he and Lan jie'er could have a decent meal for once.
But as always, Gu Xinlan couldn't bear to eat much.
Only after his repeated persuasion did she finally nibble on a pigeon wing.
After the meal, Chen Sanshi pulled her to sit beside him on the edge of the bed.
Her head was lowered, her cheeks flushed red, and her fingers twisted nervously together.
By all accounts, today was their first full day as husband and wife.
In the flickering candlelight, Chen Sanshi finally took a good look at her face.
Her thin willow brows curved gently, her almond eyes shimmered like autumn water under the light, and her pink cheeks bloomed like peach petals. Every movement carried a quiet, irresistible charm.
If not for the coarse homespun clothes she wore, she could easily have passed for a noble lady.
"Lan jie'er."
Without realizing it, Chen Sanshi leaned closer.
"What is it, Shi ge'er?"
"You smell… really nice."
"Shi ge'er, I… I still hurt…"
…
Later that night.
Chen Sanshi leaned back against the bedpost, one arm trapped tightly in Gu Xinlan's embrace.
"Shi ge'er~"
Her tone was soft but worried. "Did we offend that Qin Xiong?"
"Qin Xiong?"
"Mm."
Gu Xinlan nodded slightly. "I heard from the neighbors that he was wandering near our house for half the day."
"…."
Chen Sanshi frowned.
So that bastard really didn't plan to let it go. He'd have to stay alert from now on.
"Don't worry, Lan jie'er. Sleep. I'm here."
"Mm."
She was already half-asleep, exhaustion overtaking her.
For the first time in months, she felt safe.
Chen Sanshi sat quietly, noticing a worn book still sitting by the bedside—it must've been missed when he sold the rest.
He picked it up and flipped through a few pages.
[Skill: Reading (Beginner)]
[Progress: (15/300)]
[Effect: Clear Mind; Perfect Memory]
"Well, I'll be damned," he muttered with a smile.
When he'd gained [Tracking and Hiding] during hunting, he had wondered if reading could count too—and it turned out he was right.
Not only did it register, but it started directly at Beginner level.
'Looks like the original guy really did read a lot. How did he still fail the exam?'
With a panel like this, Chen Sanshi figured that if he took the imperial exam again, he'd surely pass.
Unfortunately, the next round of exams wouldn't happen for another two years—too long to wait.
'I need to survive first before I can think about that.'
He kept reading for a while longer before drifting off to sleep.
"Dong dong dong—"
"Open up!"
"Quickly, open the door!"
The next morning, Chen Sanshi was jolted awake by frantic pounding on the door.
He told Lan jie'er to dress and stay inside, then got up to answer it himself.