23, Depending on each other for survival

Early in the morning, before the cocks crowed, Chen Ji opened his eyes and was startled to see five small silver ingots placed beside his pillow.

It was the payment promised by Yun Yang, but he had no idea how the other party had sneaked into the Medical Hall, nor when it had happened, as if the five silver ingots had appeared out of thin air.

This was not only Yun Yang's payment but also a warning from the other party.

Chen Ji silently got up and changed into the new clothes sent by Xibing, and when he unfolded them, he saw they were a dark cyan long robe with a standing collar and two silver-decorated buttons at the collar, a significant upgrade from the clothes he'd worn before.

This set of clothes must have cost several taels of silver, right?

Regrettably, Xibing had only sent clothes and an inner garment, not boots or a belt, so Chen Ji still wore his old ragged shoes and tied a wide hemp belt around his waist after donning the robe...

Chen Ji chuckled to himself, feeling somewhat out of place.

But what does it matter? As a mere apprentice, why bother with extravagance? He'd make up for it once he earned some money.

When the cocks finally crowed, Chen Ji left the house, just as the grocer across the way was taking down the door plank.

"Good morning, Madam," Chen Ji said with a smile as he entered the grocery store.

"Oh, Doctor Chen, what would you like to buy?" The owner, busy preparing to open for the day, immediately paused her tasks at his early arrival.

"How much for one pound of millet?" Chen Ji asked.

"For others, it's eight cents, but for you, Doctor Chen, six cents," the owner replied with a smile.

"And how much for one pound of rice?"

"Nine cents; I'm afraid I can't lower that price. Please understand."

These days, doctors were scarce, and their profession relatively esteemed. Chen Ji's master was an officially appointed Seventh Rank Imperial Physician, so the neighbors were generally respectful towards Chen Ji.

"Then I'll take five pounds of millet, five pounds of rice...and a jug of sesame oil. Oh, and a side of bacon!" said Chen Ji.

The owner beamed, "Alright, that'll be one hundred ninety-five cents, but I'll charge you one hundred ninety."

Chen Ji broke a tael of the silver ingot, exchanged it for strands of Copper Coins to be picked up from the grocery store later, and carried the various sizes of packages and left.

The straw cords of the packages made his hands ache a bit, but he was still in a good mood.

Buying these items was for his return home during his days off; Chen Ji pondered that his family's circumstances might not be very good given his own situation.

According to information previously mentioned by his master, his father should be working on the riverbank, right?

Under such circumstances, his family still managed to send a master-apprentice gift to procure a good future for him, which must have been a considerable effort.

This touched Chen Ji and even made him curious about his family in this world.

Chen's family lived in Cuiyun Lane, so he asked a shopkeeper on the street for directions and headed towards the north side of Luocheng City.

Luocheng was livelier in the morning, with people passing by pulling ox carts filled with several sacks, heading to the marketplace, though he couldn't tell what was inside.

Merchants also entered the city from the north, their wagons stacked with stretched pelts, highly prized commodities among the elite as winter approached.

It was said that the most famous brothel in the East Market, located in Hongyi Lane, had a top courtesan who typically did not entertain clients; however, a gift of a white mink fur could earn her favor.

Children chased and played along the roadside, chanting nursery rhymes and holding homemade pinwheels.

Women by the river running through the city laughed and chatted as they washed clothes, occasionally bursting into raucous laughter.

Arriving at Cuiyun Lane, Chen Ji asked a stall owner, "Sir, could you please tell me which house the Chen family in Guandong lives in?"

The man glanced at him, "Aren't you Chen Ji? Why do you need to ask where your own home is?"

Chen Ji: "..."

It turned out to be an acquaintance.

He hesitated for a long time before daring to ask any further, simply carrying his things and walking deeper into the lane.

Just then, a noisy voice came from ahead: "Butler, butler, where should this lantern hang?"

An impatient, harsh male voice replied, "Do I have to teach you everything? Hang it on the eaves above the stone lion's head, where there's a hook! Hurry up, the two young masters will be back soon, dawdle any more and watch your hides!"

Chen Ji looked at the festively adorned house, unsure of why there was a celebration, but he felt something was off as he saw that the sign above the doorway read... Chen Mansion.

Could there be two Chen Mansions in Cuiyun Lane?

This household's doorframe shone brightly, the vermillion gate and stone lions, though not incredibly imposing, certainly did not belong to an average family.

"...This can't be my home, right?" Chen Ji muttered.

"Chen Ji?" The mustached butler looked over, puzzled, "Why are you back?"

Chen Ji hesitated for a second, "I have a day off today."

The butler replied, "Perfect, you're tall, come here and climb the ladder to hang the lantern."

"Oh."

Chen Ji placed his packages on the ground and climbed the ladder to hang the lantern.

The butler directed the other servants, "Come, bring a basin of water, sprinkle it in front of the gate to keep the dust down when the young masters return. You're all such klutzes, belonging to the household of the Luocheng Magistrate, and it would be embarrassing if people saw you didn't know the rules!"

Speaking, the butler saw the packages on the ground, "Who left these here, quickly move them aside and don't be in the way."

Chen Ji calmly came down from the ladder, "Butler, I..."

The butler realized, "Are you here for tuition fee? The master mentioned it before, but see, I got so busy I completely forgot, and thus didn't send it to you."