From Beggar to Emperor: My Profession Has Its Own Characteristics

Chapter 62 Path Dependency

The thin man in the blue official robes then looked up at him, his gaze lingering briefly on the young man's face before he lowered his eyelids again.

"What about the guarantee?"

"Here."

As Zhu Yuan spoke, he quickly took out the guarantee that Zhao Dazhu had written for him from his pocket and handed it over with both hands.

The thin man in official robes reached out and took the guarantee, unfolding it and scanning it line by line with his eyes.

Then, he reached out his hand to Zhu Yuan.

Zhu Yuan understood and immediately took out his pale yellow household registration document from his bosom, presenting it with both hands as well.

The thin official in his official robes placed the household registration documents and the guarantee certificate side by side on the table, compared them, and after confirming that they were correct, he picked up his pen and began to record in the thick booklet.

After writing a few strokes, he asked without looking up, "What's your name? What kind of work do you do? Where do you live?"

"Zhu Yuan, a peddler, in Sweet Alley of Hualin Street."

The thin man in official robes finished writing, put down his pen, opened a wooden drawer on his right, and took out a piece of slightly stiff paper.

He picked up a small official seal from the table, dipped it in ink, and with a snap, stamped a bright red square seal onto the paper.

Then, he handed the paper over the counter, saying, "The processing fee is thirty cash, and the stall tax is two hundred cash per quarter. Pay first, then collect."

"Yes, sir."

Zhu Yuan responded and quickly took out the money bag he had prepared beforehand from his pocket.

He deftly counted out thirty copper coins, then took out two strings of coins, neatly stacked them on the counter, and pushed them toward the thin man in official robes.

The thin man in official robes stretched out two long, thin fingers, counted the number of copper coins, then opened another drawer, put all the money inside, and then formally handed the stamped paper to Zhu Yuan.

Zhu Yuan accepted the city registration certificate with both hands and looked down at it.

The ink and red marks on the paper were still fresh, clearly showing the words "Zhu Yuan, Sweet Alley in Hualin Street, Peddler".

He felt relieved and a faint smile appeared on his face as he packed up all his things.

As I walked out of the tax office, the afternoon sun was a bit dazzling.

Zhu Yuan stood at the door, squinting to adjust his eyes to the light, in a good mood.

Because he encountered no difficulties or extra trouble, the process went so smoothly that there was no waiting in line, which was much better than he had expected.

Thanks to Zhou Ping's guidance, he had low expectations for this trip.

In his expectation, the thin man in the blue official robe would probably sized him up, ask if he practiced martial arts, and then ask which martial arts school he attended.

When leaving.

He subconsciously raised his hand and gently touched the cardboard that had just been placed in his chest through his clothes; it felt thinner than the household registration certificate.

With this city registration, he could openly carry his goods through the streets and alleys.

As for how long it will take to unlock the professional peddler role, that depends on him.

Now, Zhu Yuan is thinking more about what good career traits a peddler can unlock.

Zhu Yuan plans to spend this afternoon learning to observe.

Learn to observe how other peddlers sell their goods and what they generally sell.

At dusk.

Zhu Yuan concluded his study and observation.

According to his observation, the peddler's load of goods was a wide variety, containing all sorts of things.

There are three main categories.

The first major category is general merchandise: combs, hairpins, hemp thread, shoe uppers, anklets, rouge and face powder, etc.

The second category is toys: rattles, clay figurines, masks, small lanterns, etc.

The third category is food: candy, pastries, fruits, vegetables, etc.

Zhu Yuan currently has none of these things on him, so he needs start-up capital to become a peddler.

Ideally, the initial investment should be around one or two taels of silver, with five hundred coins being the bare minimum.

According to Zhu Yuan's rudimentary understanding, a peddler is simply a mobile convenience store.

First, you need to have a supply channel, then negotiate prices with the distributors, buy in wholesale, and then retail out.

When he was a beggar, he had an old beggar to help him; when he was a porter, he had an old horse; and when he was a butcher, he had his father, Tiezhu.

For now, as a peddler, I can only rely on myself.

He has had brief conversations with all the peddlers he has met so far.

This brief conversation was an attempt to find someone compassionate who might be able to help him in this regard.

"This is a case of path dependence in my case —"

Zhu Yuan couldn't help but mutter a complaint to himself, then shook his head, trying to shake the thought off his mind.

It's time for him to eat now, but he still needs to practice martial arts after dinner.

This is the fixed time for martial arts practice.

The night is deep.

After finishing his martial arts practice, Zhu Yuan quickly wiped himself down and lay on the bed. Looking at the roof tiles above him, he began to think about his afternoon as a peddler.

"No rush, we need to take more time to observe."

December 1st.

It's even colder today; the morning wind carries a biting dampness.

Zhu Yuan arrived early at the intersection of a road near the dock, found a sheltered corner to stand in, and kept an eye on the direction from which he was coming.

He was waiting here for Steward Han, and also for Situ Susu's monthly allowance of three hundred coins.

Not long after, he saw the familiar figure of Butler Han walking towards him from a distance, his steps hurried, clearly timed perfectly.

"Butler Han, over here."

Upon seeing this, Zhu Yuan immediately stepped out from the sheltered spot and went to greet him with a polite smile.

-

"Zhu Yuan, here, this is the Second Miss's donation for this month." Butler Han stopped and smiled. Without saying much, he took out a small money bag wrapped in blue cloth from his pocket and handed it to Zhu Yuan.

He solemnly put the money pouch into his pocket, then clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute to Butler Han: "Thank you for making this trip in person, Butler Han."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries and asked about each other's recent situations.

Then, Butler Han changed the subject, asking with concern, "By the way, Zhu Yuan, how's your martial arts training going lately?"

This is the issue that Butler Han is most concerned about.

The sooner Zhu Yuan becomes a martial artist and a bodyguard for the Situ family, the more it will prove that his initial judgment was correct, and it will also benefit his position in the mansion.

"We're basically guaranteed to achieve the goal set by the Second Miss," Zhu Yuan replied confidently, straightening his back.

"That's good!" Butler Han's face immediately lit up with a smile upon hearing this, and he nodded repeatedly. "If you encounter any difficulties in the future, especially financial problems, you can come to me."

"Remember, right now, your primary focus should be on martial arts training; that's the foundation."

"Then I'll thank Butler Han in advance." Zhu Yuan clasped his hands in thanks again.

"Hmm." Butler Han nodded in satisfaction, then added, "Practice hard, and don't let the Second Miss down."

Having said that, he didn't linger any longer. He waved to Zhu Yuan, turned around, and quickly left in the direction he had come from, his figure soon disappearing into the crowds of the morning streets.