Too Expensive! Far Too Expensive!

"Th-this medicine... it really is expensive!"

Having figured out the prices, Chu Mu lowered his head and looked at the medicine in his hand again, clicking his tongue despite himself.

Just one trip to the Medicine Hall had cost him nearly ten silver.

Converted according to these prices, that was nearly fifteen dan—one thousand five hundred jin—of grain! Chu Mu remembered that when he had first crossed over, Old Li had treated him for several days in a row, and he had paid nearly ten silver then as well.

In just a few short days, several thousand jin of grain had gone down the drain. Compared to the era he was in now, it felt almost like a fairy tale.

Chu Mu did not know whether to marvel at how cheap grain was or at how expensive medical treatment was.

As for his monthly salary, eight silver might seem like quite a lot, but clearly, it was only enough to put him above those below him.

"Money flows away like water..."

Chu Mu shook his head. He still had to return to the Patrol Bureau and take up his post as soon as possible.

Although it was merely a Soldier position in a small town, he was at least a member of Qinghe County's official establishment—a man with an Iron Rice Bowl paid for by the imperial treasury.

From the Original Owner's memories, the Patrol Inspector's Iron Rice Bowl was highly sought after. Countless people watched it hungrily. If the Original Owner's father had not Died in the Line of Duty—dying tragically, with even his body never recovered—that Iron Rice Bowl probably would never have fallen to the Original Owner.

Influenced by the several decades he had lived in his previous life, Chu Mu still had considerable expectations for holding an official position.

Having just arrived in this world, he also needed this post to help him quickly and thoroughly blend into the era.

Various plans for the future flashed through his mind. As he pondered them, it was not long before Chu Mu returned to his own residence.

When the Courtyard Gate closed, the clamor outside remained, but an inexplicable sense of peace instantly welled up in Chu Mu's heart.

At that moment, Chu Mu was inexplicably in high spirits as well. Humming a tune, he casually picked up the long saber lying on the ground. Morning Dew still clung to its blade, and the originally bright edge had visibly developed several spots of rust.

Chu Mu did not mind. It was a trivial matter; he could simply polish it again later.

Using the firewood that had not yet gone out in the stove, Chu Mu placed one dose of Medicinal Material into an Earthen Pot, added water, and leisurely began boiling it. In the meantime, he even took the opportunity to polish the rust that had formed on his Service Saber, and rubbed a little lard onto it for maintenance.

After roughly half an hour, the steaming Medicinal Liquid, accompanied by an increasingly rich Medicinal Fragrance, was placed on the table.

However, Chu Mu's attention was not on the Medicinal Liquid at all. Instead, he stared at the boiled Medicinal Material in the Earthen Pot and muttered to himself.

"Is this Polygonatum? This looks like Ginseng..."

Using his Chopsticks to rummage around, Chu Mu relied on his limited knowledge of medicinal materials and actually recognized several of them. He simply did not know whether they were still called by those names in this world.

Old Li's Medicinal Formula had clearly listed the names, but unfortunately, Chu Mu was still illiterate. He did not even know how to write his own name.

"I have to learn to read and write."

In that instant, Chu Mu made up his mind.

Regardless of the future, for someone who had experienced Nine Years of Compulsory Education to be unable to look at even a Shop Sign without feeling as though he were reading a heavenly scripture was something Chu Mu absolutely could not endure.

Once he decided to act, Chu Mu was not a man who dragged his feet. He downed several mouthfuls of the slightly cooled Medicinal Liquid, tidied up the stove, and once again hurried out the door.

According to the Original Owner's memories, Nanshan Town naturally had schools, and not just one. The school south of town was the county's Official School, and most of the wealthy families in town sent their Children there to study.

In the north of town stood a Private School, supposedly established by a Scholar who had earned academic honors. Its Tuition Fee was considerably cheaper than that of the Official School.

Since he was only trying to overcome illiteracy, Chu Mu naturally had no reason to be picky. Without even thinking about it, he headed straight for the Private School in North Town.

The Private School was not far from Chu Mu's residence, only a few hundred meters away. However, it was quiet and secluded, and Chu Mu wandered through the alleys, turning this way and that for quite a while before finally reaching the school's entrance.

Although it was a Private School, it was clearly just an ordinary family residence being used for educational purposes. That said, the residence was obviously much larger than Chu Mu's own.

For nothing else, just the tall Courtyard Gate alone was far grander than the cramped little entrance to Chu Mu's home.

Chu Mu stopped outside the gate and glanced at the tall entrance before subconsciously looking toward the plaque hanging high above it. At a single glance, he immediately looked away.

A person's greatest virtue was self-awareness. He was already illiterate, so why torture himself by staring at it...

He knocked on the door and entered the courtyard.

In less than A Quarter of an Hour, Chu Mu appeared outside the gate once more.

Turning around, Chu Mu looked at the plaque hanging high above the gate again. He now understood why, despite his father having held Public Office for years and the family's circumstances being fairly decent, the Original Owner was still illiterate.

Studying... was truly far too expensive! According to what Scholar Chang had said, the Tuition Fee was paid every six months, with half a year costing twenty silver. That was merely the Tuition Fee. The Writing Supplies needed for study, not to mention food, all had to be purchased separately.

Chu Mu made a rough calculation. If someone wished to pursue the Path to Fame through study, they would need to study for several years at the very least before building a solid foundation.

Forty silver a year, plus the consumption of Writing Supplies, meant at least fifty silver would be needed.

After several years, that would amount to several hundred, or even many hundreds, of silver! Even a family as well-off as the Original Owner's would find it difficult to bear, let alone ordinary commoners. For them, it was not even worth considering; they simply could not afford it! "I should be able to learn all the characters in half a year, right..."

Chu Mu touched the Banknotes in his robe. He had only paid the Tuition Fee for half a year, and he estimated that he could only come to study in his spare time. After all, he still had a post at the Patrol Inspectorate waiting for him.

If he could not learn in half a year, that would mean another twenty silver...

Although he grumbled inwardly, Chu Mu's swift and decisive movements did not stop. After winding his way through the alleys, he headed straight for the Bookstore on the main street.

But reality... dealt Chu Mu another blow straight to the head.

The cheapest Inkstone cost three silver. One stick of the lowest-grade Ink and one Writing Brush cost two silver. Two stacks of White Paper, sixty sheets in total, cost one silver.

The most outrageous of all were the four Children's Books the teacher had mentioned... Four books cost twelve silver!

"The Sages have said that knowledge is beyond price, and even a thousand gold cannot buy it. Young Master, you clearly look like a Fortunate Person blessed with virtue..."

Perhaps he thought he had encountered a big customer, for the Bookstore Owner praised him lavishly. Chu Mu did not take in a single word. At that moment, he was considering only one question...

Had he been fleeced? He had not even begun studying, yet several dozen silver had already vanished.

Knowledge was priceless, but this was far too expensive, wasn't it?

As he watched the Bookstore Owner hold forth and praise him without restraint, Chu Mu quietly placed a token on the counter.

The token was made of bronze, with the three characters "Patrol Bureau" engraved upon it.

The Patrol Bureau's functions were broad. As Qinghe County's only Armed Force, there was almost nothing in Qinghe County that it could not oversee, aside from matters involving those Nobles.

For a Bookstore to stand here, there had to be power behind it.

But... King Yama might be easy to meet, while the Minor Demons were troublesome to deal with...

Chu Mu felt that anyone in business ought to understand this principle...