Chapter Two: Transformation

Seeing the change in his daughter, Butcher Wu’s smile froze instantly. Something seemed to flash in his mind, and the slight curve of his lips became stiff and rigid.

“You… you went to see that bookworm next door again?”

Wu Yue said nothing, only slowly bowed her head.

Butcher Wu, seeing this, was so angry he couldn’t speak, his face turning crimson.

“You… How am I supposed to talk sense into you?”

“I’ve told you time and again, following that boy will get you nowhere! I work from dawn till dusk, laboring so you and your brother can have a good life. Not so you can become somebody great, but so you can live in peace and happiness!”

“That Jiang Chen is a failure from the start. He can’t make anything of his studies, nor can he work. What can he possibly give you? Love? Can you eat love?”

Butcher Wu sighed deeply, the wrinkles on his face folding over like layers of pastry.

Wu Yue still kept her head down, biting her lips in silence.

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

“Father… I believe Brother Chen will earn his honors. He promised he’ll take good care of me.”

“His promises? Ha…”

Butcher Wu couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

“Promises are worthless! If you trust those scholars and get deceived, you’ll be the one to suffer! Come on, go with me to meet the scholar from the neighboring village!”

“No!”

Wu Yue gathered her courage and stepped back.

“I don’t want to be a scholar’s wife. I want Brother Chen! Even if I have to eat chaff and drink bitter water with him, I accept it.”

The Wu and Jiang families were separated by a single wall. Hearing these words, Jiang Chen was moved beyond expression.

In his previous life, he was a renowned hero, accomplished and respected, but he had never tasted the sweetness of love.

Now, though penniless, he had a woman who loved him dearly and could not bear to part from him.

With such a gentle wife, what more could a husband desire?

“You… you!”

Butcher Wu was so infuriated by his daughter’s words that he was at a loss for words. He hadn’t expected that after all his reasoning and persuasion, this stubborn girl would remain so set in her ways.

“Fine! Fine!”

He deliberately raised his voice, as if speaking to Jiang Chen on the other side of the wall.

“If you’re so devoted, I’ll give you a chance. Bring ten taels of silver for a dowry within three days, and I’ll let you be together with that boy.”

---

Butcher Wu’s voice was loud enough for Jiang Chen to hear at once. He realized that Wu was giving him a chance, but also testing whether he dared take up the challenge.

Without hesitation, Jiang Chen vaulted over the wall and bowed slightly to Butcher Wu.

“Uncle Wu, as long as you do not object, not just ten taels of silver—if I can marry Yue’er, I would brave mountains and fire for her, nothing would hold me back!”

“Hmph…”

Butcher Wu’s lips curled with a trace of disdain, but when he saw his daughter blushing and rushing back into the house, a faint smile flickered across his face.

He sighed silently to himself, perhaps because of his daughter’s stubbornness, or perhaps feeling he had made a mistake.

“Ah! Girls truly cannot be kept at home once grown!”

He shook his head helplessly, but quickly wiped away his smile and faced Jiang Chen sternly.

“Go on! Hurry up and get the money!”

Jiang Chen nodded and left the Wu household. As he departed, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, shouting silently in his heart:

“Yue’er! Wait for me!!”

Then he headed straight for the market in the town below the mountain.

Jiang Chen knew well, in these chaotic times,

Survival was paramount!

To make money quickly, the best way was to monopolize.

In his previous life, he was hailed as the king of mercenaries, not only skilled in combat but also versed in many survival techniques.

Soon, he arrived at the town market.

The town was small and its residents familiar. As Jiang Chen wandered through the market, the townsfolk all cast disdainful looks at him.

When his father first passed away, people pitied him and occasionally offered help.

But as he continued to borrow, only reading books and refusing to work, their feelings turned to annoyance.

Amidst the whispers and gossip, Jiang Chen toured the market with a bitter expression.

It wasn’t the cold looks that bothered him; it was the lack of any business opportunity.

What now?

Would he have to watch helplessly as Yue’er married the scholar from the neighboring village?

Just then, a gentle voice sounded in his ear.

“Brother Jiang? What are you doing here?”

Jiang Chen looked up to see a frail-looking youth standing before him, holding a burlap sack.

---

Jiang Chen paused for a moment. This youth was Li Yuanpei, whose family had established themselves in the town by raising ducks.

Years ago, when Li Yuanpei fell into the water while tending ducks, Jiang Chen’s father had saved him, and since then the two families had kept good relations, often visiting each other during festivals and holidays.

Just as Jiang Chen stood up, he caught sight of some unusually shaped duck eggs in Li Yuanpei’s sack, and his heart leapt.

“Yuanpei… are those…”

“I’m on my way to the county to help my father sell duck eggs. These eggs fell into the horse trough and went bad, so my father told me to throw them away…”

Jiang Chen was instantly delighted. The horse trough was filled with straw and ash—if duck eggs were buried there, wouldn’t they become preserved eggs?

He suppressed his excitement and pulled a few copper coins from his pocket, pressing them into Li Yuanpei’s hand.

“Yuanpei, don’t throw them away. Sell them all to me!”

Li Yuanpei’s smile froze on his face.

“Brother Chen! If you’re short of food, I can help you out, but there’s no need… to eat these…”

“No worries!”

Jiang Chen pushed the copper coins into his hand. “I just want to try the taste of these duck eggs…”

The people behind Li Yuanpei felt disgusted hearing this.

“Yuanpei! Stay away from this lunatic!”

“He’s fallen so low, there’s no hope for him…”

Li Yuanpei sighed deeply, handed Jiang Chen the sack, and pulled out a small bag of rice and a piece of cured meat from his belt.

“Brother Jiang, keep these provisions. If you need more, come find me.”

Jiang Chen accepted the items without further words.

He would remember this favor!

“When I make my fortune, I will not forget you, Li Yuanpei!”

With that, he turned and left.

Watching Jiang Chen’s retreating figure, Li Yuanpei forced a smile.

Repay me?

Just worry about living your own life.

With that, he and his companions continued on their way, heading out of town in the opposite direction.