A true gambling buddy

Chen Shi'an looked at the beautiful, kindhearted woman before him, so burdened by hardship, and felt a tightness in his chest.

After a brief silence, he said quietly, "Sister-in-law, my engagement to the Fang family has been called off."

"What? You called off the engagement!"

Su Qingrou looked utterly stunned. "When did this happen?"

"A few days ago," Chen Shi'an said.

"Why?"

Su Qingrou was baffled. "The Fang family runs a large cloth shop in the Stronghold. They're well-off.

"If you married their daughter, they would surely lend you a hand, and life would be a little easier for you both..."

"Sister-in-law."

Chen Shi'an shook his head gently. "You must know that the Fang family only agreed to a marriage with our Chen Family because my elder brother could look after their business.

"Now that he's gone, why would they still honor the engagement?

"The way they kept postponing the wedding was proof enough."

Su Qingrou fell silent. After a long while, she asked quietly, "Was your silver refunded by the Fang family?"

Chen Shi'an nodded without speaking.

Su Qingrou let out a long sigh and pushed the four taels of silver toward him. "Without the Fang family's support, you need money all the more to make a living for yourself. Keep this silver safe, and don't spend it recklessly..."

"Sister-in-law, please stop refusing."

Chen Shi'an caught Su Qingrou's hand and pressed the silver into it. "I told you, you don't need to worry about our livelihood. As long as I'm here, neither of you will go hungry."

Caught by the hand so unexpectedly, Su Qingrou froze, then blushed and hastily pulled away.

That was too forward!

Realizing he had overstepped, Chen Shi'an coughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject.

"Sister-in-law, Tiantian is already ten. She can't stay at home forever. We need to send her to the Private School to learn to read and write."

Su Qingrou quickly regained her composure. "Here in the Desolate Ruins, studying offers children no path to getting ahead, especially girls.

"I teach her a few characters when I have time. That's enough. There's no need to waste money on the Private School."

Chen Shi'an shook his head. "Wherever we live, being able to read and write can never be a bad thing.

"What if we manage to leave the Desolate Ruins someday?"

Su Qingrou paused. "Brother-in-law, don't joke about that. Here in the Desolate Ruins, we're criminals. That status will follow us for life. Where else could we go?"

"Where there's a will, there's a way. What if we succeed?" Chen Shi'an smiled faintly.

Su Qingrou still shook her head. "Your elder brother once considered sending Tiantian to the Private School too.

"But a year there costs one tael of silver, not counting paper, brushes, books, and all the rest.

"It was too great an expense, and schooling wouldn't do much for her, so we put it aside."

Hearing this, Chen Shi'an felt a pang of guilt.

If the body's original owner hadn't been such an idler, still asking his elder brother for money at eighteen and leaving him to repay his gambling debts, Chen Tiantian might already have been attending the Private School.

"Sister-in-law, it's settled. Send Tiantian to the Private School in the next few days. I'll find a way to cover the money."

Chen Shi'an raised his voice slightly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Only then did Su Qingrou stop objecting and nod.

She had been the daughter of an official in the Sacred Martial Dynasty and understood the benefits of education. She had always wanted her daughter to attend the Private School; she simply hadn't wanted to burden the family.

With Chen Shi'an so adamant, she naturally had nothing more to say.

"Oh, and sister-in-law, make sure you remind Tiantian to stay away from East Street as much as possible. Ideally, she shouldn't go there at all."

Chen Shi'an's warning was solemn.

Confusion appeared on Su Qingrou's face.

"The people living on East Street are all prominent figures in the Stronghold, either wealthy or powerful. Tiantian is still young. If she gets into a dispute with someone there, it could mean serious trouble," Chen Shi'an explained gently.

In truth, he was worried about Wang Tianye. The city guard's Commander-in-Chief's Residence was on East Street.

"Understood." Su Qingrou nodded.

Chen Shi'an returned beneath the old willow tree and continued practicing drawing and sheathing his blade.

Su Qingrou quietly watched his back. Everything felt so unreal. In her heart, she murmured, Husband, your younger brother has changed so much. Is this your spirit watching over us from beyond the grave?

Just then, Chen Tiantian got up and left her room. Seeing Chen Shi'an beneath the tree, she rolled her eyes. "Putting on an act! Slacking off and cutting corners!"

After lunch, Chen Shi'an left home and first headed to a teahouse not far from the Stronghold's gate.

He ordered a pot of tea and poured himself a cup.

Unless something unexpected had happened, news of Zhao Desheng's death should already have reached the Stronghold.

Here in this teahouse, he could hear the latest news firsthand.

Sure enough, he had barely sat down before he heard people discussing Zhao Desheng.

Zhao Desheng's body had been brought back to the Stronghold early that morning.

There were many versions of how he had died. Some said he had run up gambling debts in the Outer City and been killed by his creditor; others said he had flaunted his wealth...

In short, everyone's attention was on the Outer City. No one suspected the Chen Family.

At last, the heart that had been hanging in Chen Shi'an's throat settled back into place.

He was about to leave the teahouse when he spotted a grand procession of fifty or sixty ox carts approaching along the distant Official Road.

Each cart carried a mountain of dry rice straw lashed securely in place.

Beside the driver on the first cart sat a plump man with a ruddy face. It was Han Shan.

Only yesterday, Han Shan had been draping an arm around Chen Shi'an's shoulders, talking about making a fortune together.

Today, he had kicked Chen Shi'an aside and decided to go it alone.

"What a fine gambling buddy."

Chen Shi'an smiled faintly, unbothered.

He had expected this all along.

Besides, however much money selling straw brought in, the business wouldn't last. If Han Shan wanted the whole meal to himself, let him have it.

Once the carts had passed, Chen Shi'an left the teahouse and wandered around the Stronghold.

To establish himself here, he needed a steady income.

Working like a beast of burden would only keep food on the table. Having transmigrated, he absolutely refused to take that road. He intended to start a business.

Before starting a business, of course, he needed to survey the market and decide on a trade.

After roaming from noon until dusk, Chen Shi'an returned home with a large burlap sack over his shoulder.

Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian immediately gathered around him, both brimming with curiosity.

Chen Shi'an untied the sack and first took out a complete set of the Four Treasures of the Study, along with a stack of books.

He selected some of them and placed them in Chen Tiantian's arms. "You'll be attending the Private School soon. You'll need these."

Chen Tiantian froze for a moment, then delight spread across her face.

Ever since she was little, she had loved writing and drawing, and she deeply envied the children who attended the Private School.

When her mother had told her that day that she would be going too, she had been overjoyed.

Yet she had also harbored doubts.

Young as she was, she understood that the family was short of money and couldn't afford to send her to school.

Now, with paper and brushes in her hands, she finally believed she really would be attending the Private School.

Her little face flushed with excitement, her smile blossoming like a flower.

"Girl, what are you standing there in a daze for? Hurry and thank your uncle," Su Qingrou reminded her softly.

Chen Tiantian opened her mouth, but in the end, no words came out.

She had always treated Chen Shi'an with sneers and cutting remarks. Now that she needed to thank him, she couldn't make the change so quickly or bring herself to speak.

Chen Shi'an smiled. "Buying things for my niece is what an uncle should do. There's no need for thanks. That would make us sound like strangers."

With that, he reached out to pat Chen Tiantian's head.

But Chen Tiantian instinctively sprang back a step and glared at him, then ran off clutching her things.

"That child has no manners."

Su Qingrou hurriedly said, "Brother-in-law, please don't be angry. I'll give her a proper scolding later."

Chen Shi'an awkwardly withdrew his hand and smiled. "It's fine, sister-in-law. I don't blame her.

"Have you asked about the Private School?"

Su Qingrou nodded. "I've already paid the tuition. Tiantian can start attending tomorrow."

At this, worry crossed her face. "Brother-in-law, you still haven't secured a livelihood. You mustn't spend money recklessly."

Chen Shi'an smiled and pointed at the sack. "My livelihood is right in here."

Puzzled, Su Qingrou opened it. Inside, she found half a sack of soybeans, a small quantity of peanuts, rapeseed oil, dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, garlic, and other seasonings.

"Brother-in-law, what are you planning to do?" Su Qingrou was utterly bewildered.

Chen Shi'an smiled faintly. "I won't tell you just yet. You're about to cook, aren't you?

"Before you start, go and buy some fermented black beans.

"You know better than I do which shop sells the best ones."

Su Qingrou was about to ask more, but the corners of Chen Shi'an's mouth lifted. "Sister-in-law, go and buy the fermented black beans. You'll find out tonight."

After a simple dinner, Chen Shi'an went into the kitchen and took out the things he had bought that day, one by one.

"Sister-in-law, I had a sudden idea. I'm going to make something that should sell very well."

Chen Shi'an washed the fermented black beans Su Qingrou had bought, then put them in the pot to steam. "It's called chili sauce. It's a condiment to eat with meals."

During his half-day wandering through the Stronghold, he had discovered that the restaurants and eateries, large and small, offered very few condiments to accompany a meal.

Chilies existed, but they were only used as ornamental plants and medicine.

For pungent seasonings, people used evodia, Sichuan peppercorns, mustard greens, and the like.

Chen Shi'an had even bought his dried chilies from an apothecary.

An idea had flashed through his mind. Mom's Brand chili sauce had been hugely popular in his previous life. In this world of bland flavors, there was no reason it wouldn't sell like hotcakes.

Moreover, chili sauce was cheap to make, ideal for starting a business on a shoestring.

In his previous life, most people from the southwest, men and women alike, were skilled cooks. Chen Shi'an was no exception.

He couldn't guarantee a perfect reproduction of Mom's Brand chili sauce, but making a jar of authentic chili sauce wouldn't be much trouble.

Still, he needed to devote most of his energy to the Blade-Drawing Technique. That was the true foundation of his survival, so he would leave the chili sauce business to Su Qingrou.

That was why he needed to teach her how to make it.

"Chili sauce?" Su Qingrou looked doubtful.

She had heard that the chilies used for decoration and medicine could also be eaten.

But few people actually ate them, let alone made some sort of chili sauce.

Chen Shi'an offered no further explanation. "Sister-in-law, remember each step I take. If anything is unclear, make sure you ask.

"Our Chen Family's future wealth and prosperity may well rest on this chili sauce."

Su Qingrou didn't believe that for a moment, but seeing how seriously Chen Shi'an took it, she immediately composed herself and watched his preparation carefully.

After he fried the crushed chilies, fermented black beans, and crushed peanuts in hot oil in sequence, their spicy fragrance mingled and filled the entire kitchen.

Even Chen Tiantian, who had been playing with her paper and brushes in the bedroom, was drawn over. When she saw that Chen Shi'an was the one cooking, her face filled with shock.

"Perfect timing. Our little greedy kitten is here. Come and have a taste." Chen Shi'an picked up a small clump of chili sauce with his chopsticks and held it out to Chen Tiantian.

After a moment's hesitation, Chen Tiantian took the chopsticks and tentatively touched her little tongue to the sauce.

Then she sucked in several breaths. "So spicy! So spicy!"

Yet as soon as she said that, she couldn't resist another lick.

Finally, she ate all the sauce on the chopsticks. Sucking in air, she said with shining eyes, "Mother, what is this? It's spicy and delicious! It's a hundred times better than pickled radish."

Hearing this, Su Qingrou also picked up a little chili sauce from the pot with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

Her eyes lit up. "Brother-in-law, where did you learn this?"

Chen Shi'an puffed out his chest. "There's no chili sauce anywhere in the Stronghold, or even in the whole world. Naturally, I invented it myself."

Though Su Qingrou found that hard to accept, it was the truth.

Chen Tiantian tilted her head and studied her uncle, feeling an overwhelming sense that he was a stranger.

"The chili sauce will taste even better after being stored in sealed jars for a while."

Chen Shi'an brought over several earthenware jars and filled them with the sauce from the pot.

After sealing them, he handed the spatula to Su Qingrou. "Sister-in-law, do you remember the steps? From now on, you'll be making the chili sauce."

Su Qingrou nodded. "I'll give it a try."

To Chen Shi'an's mild surprise, Su Qingrou was an exceptionally quick learner. After watching just once, she had memorized the entire process and carried it out correctly, with the proportions of every seasoning precisely right.

Once the chili sauce was finished, Chen Shi'an tasted it. It was quite good. He nodded and said,

"Sister-in-law, making chili sauce isn't difficult, but to get the flavor right, you need to pay attention to a few things:

"First, control the heat. High heat to bring it up to temperature, medium heat to draw out the fragrance, and low heat to finish developing the flavor.

"Second, the proportions of the ingredients. The dried chilies should be fragrant but not scorched, and the fermented black beans need to be steamed soft while still retaining their texture...

"Third, all the moisture in the chilies must be removed...

"Master these key points, and your chili sauce is sure to taste good."

After hearing this confident explanation, Su Qingrou and Chen Tiantian both wore peculiar expressions.

As far as they remembered, Chen Shi'an rarely even entered the kitchen. How could he make such delicious chili sauce?

Noticing their odd looks, Chen Shi'an cleared his throat. "Don't look at me with such admiration. I learned this skill from a book.

"Books contain all kinds of knowledge and wisdom. That's why Tiantian must attend the Private School."

Chen Tiantian tilted her head. "You've read books? You could understand them?"