Swords emerge from the human world

Chapter 20, Section 20: Rural Disputes, Running Around in the City
Chen Jin spoke these words with a serious and earnest attitude.

Chen Yuan and his son looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

After suffering this blow, it felt as if Chen Yuan's kneecap and spine had been broken, not his leg bones, and he immediately became dejected.

It was a feeling of powerlessness in the face of the powerful and domineering, regret for trusting others too easily, and a sense of guilt for letting down the younger generation...

At this moment, the so-called head of the family lost all face and could not even lift his head.

Besides worry, Chen Zhi also harbored some inexplicable expectations, genuinely hoping that Chen Jin could get an explanation and justice from the Zhao family.

Although this is very difficult, almost impossible.

All he could say to Chen Jin was "Be careful".

Chen Jin bowed, carried his books on his back, and walked out of the room, leaving the house under the worried gazes of Chen Yangshi and Su Su.

His cousin Chen Min chased after him, tugging at his clothes, and asked in a clear voice, "Uncle Xiao Lang, where are you going?"

"Enter the city."

"Will you come back?"

"Of course. I'll buy you sugar figurines when I get back."

Chen Jin smiled, patted her head, and strode away.

"Isn't that Chen Tongsheng? Why is he back?"

"I'm afraid they can't stay on the mountain any longer; moreover, something terrible has happened to their family, this is really bad."

The news of Chen Yuan's broken leg had spread far and wide, with many different versions of the story. One version said that Chen Yuan had offended a high-ranking official in the county town and was broken by the official's attendants.

Such an event would be considered a major incident in the countryside.

However, in public, Chen Zhi denied it outright, saying that his father had accidentally fallen while entering the city.

"So Chen Tongsheng still needs to study and take exams?"

"What can we do? We don't know anything else... But he seems to have changed a lot."

"What's changed? It's still just a faded set of clothes, patched up in several places..."

A group of women who were cooling off under the tree saw Chen Jin pass by and immediately started talking all at once.

In Datang Township, Chen Jin is considered a minor "celebrity".

Back then, he passed the imperial examination at the age of sixteen and was also good at composing poetry. His fame spread and he was called a "child prodigy" by many people. He was favored by many local gentry and families, who took the initiative to curry favor with him.

Unexpectedly, he failed the provincial examination repeatedly and is still a novice at the age of thirty.

Initially, people addressed Chen Tongsheng as a respectful title, but over the years, the meaning has gradually changed, and it has become somewhat sarcastic.

When the spotlight fades and one feels disheartened, it's easy to attract all sorts of criticism and gossip.

Now Chen Jin simply ignores it as if it were a gentle breeze and walks past.

Upon arriving at the village entrance, they saw a mule cart coming out, driven by the hunter Liu.

"Uncle Liu, are you going into town? Could you give me a ride?"

"Okay, get in the car."

After a slight hesitation, Liu the hunter agreed. As he parked the car, he couldn't help but glance at the car, secretly marveling at its appearance.

It has been some time since we last met at the mountain temple at night.

Now, Chen Jin appears noticeably taller and stronger. Although his clothes are worn, he is clean from head to toe.

Especially those eyes, bright and piercing, without a trace of dullness.

Most scholars are accustomed to reading by lamplight at night, and their eyesight is usually not very good, but Chen Jin did not have these problems.

"Why does Chen Tongsheng seem younger?"

A thought popped into his mind, startling even Liu the hunter, who quickly shook his head and dismissed it:
How can a person possibly get younger?

We're not gods!
It must be because Chen Jin used to be unkempt and clumsy, making him look like he was in his forties or fifties when he was only thirty. Now that he pays attention to his appearance and his diet has improved, his cheeks have filled out, and his complexion is better, so he naturally looks younger. "Sit still, let's go!"

Liu the hunter shouted and drove off.

He went into town today to sell some dried mountain produce and buy some daily necessities. He should have left early to do these things, but something came up and he was delayed.

It was a bright, sunny day with blazing sun.

Since the mule cart had no tarpaulin, Chen Jin sat on the cart and used the cloth tarpaulin from his books as a hat, which barely provided some sun protection.

This book is quite old and looks worn, patched up and made do with.

My family is poor and short of money, so I can't afford to buy new clothes.

Although I have money now, I have no plans to buy a new one, since that money is intended for forging a heavy sword.

With my uncle's accident causing considerable expenses, we need to be even more careful with our money.

"Chen Tongsheng, are you in town on business?"

Hunter Liu took the initiative to strike up a conversation, after all, the other party was a potential son-in-law candidate.

When he returned home last time, he mentioned the Chen family's marriage proposal to his daughter, Shanhua. Surprisingly, his burly daughter showed a hint of shyness.

That's understandable; which young girl doesn't dream of love?
Chen Jin was, after all, a proper scholar. Even though he was not young, he had once been known as a child prodigy and enjoyed a period of glory.

Moreover, there will be opportunities to pass the imperial examinations in the future. Didn't Chen's father manage to stay at the age of forty?

Chen Jin simply replied, "Yes."

Hunter Liu then asked with concern, "How is your uncle?"

"I had Doctor Zheng from Zhengyuantang in the city treat me. He set the bone back in place, and now I just need to rest."

"That's good."

Hunter Liu was slightly startled, thinking to himself that the Chen family still had some savings.

Getting a doctor from the city is no easy task. When people in the countryside get sick or injured, they usually rely on traditional remedies, enduring the illness themselves, and at most, they might see a local barefoot doctor who will prescribe some medicine.

It seems that the rumors circulating in the village that the Chen family was starving and borrowing money everywhere were not true.

The money we borrowed wasn't even enough for the travel expenses, so how could we possibly invite Doctor Zheng?

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he focused on his journey. It was getting late, and he needed to hurry back.

About half an hour later, we arrived at Maoxian County.

Chen Jin was no stranger to the county town; he had lived there for a period of time when he went to the town to study.

He got out of the car, thanked Liu the hunter, and then they parted ways, first going to a money exchange.

The money obtained from "Meiniang" consists of large pieces of gold and silver, which are difficult to use daily and need to be exchanged for copper coins.

The gold ingot was too conspicuous to be displayed openly, so it was exchanged for silver instead.

Aside from the initial gift to my uncle, and the gifts I gave to my aunt and Chen Zhi today, I only have two pieces left.

They exchanged a total of 8,500 copper coins, which is more than 8 strings of cash.

Copper coins were heavy, but fortunately the dynasty reformed its monetary system, producing small coins with a face value of one coin, medium coins with a face value of ten, and even large coins with a face value of one hundred.

As for paper money and banknotes, they were not available.

The minting and introduction of large-denomination coins served two purposes: firstly, it facilitated their circulation; secondly, it undoubtedly helped to make up for the deficit in the imperial treasury.

Therefore, it can be seen that when the Great Qian Dynasty was nearly a hundred years old, it was not as prosperous and glamorous as it appeared on the surface.

Considering the recent conscription and military service, aimed at the southern barbarians, it was certainly not just a plan to suppress the frontier warlords and expand the territory. There may be other undercurrents, and wars may have been triggered in order to divert attention from certain conflicts.

After exchanging the money, Chen Jin walked along the street, passing by Zhao Zhubu's tall and wealthy mansion. He stopped to take a look, then quickly left and went to the south side of the street to find Wang Fu at the Wang family's house.

(End of this chapter)