Lost and in Need of a Pillar

"Apart from these few boxes of half-ounce coins, nothing else in our house has changed!"

"This money really wasn't spent?"

I only used a little bit myself!

Taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the King of Jiangdu's visit to Chang'an City to pay tribute, Lady Yourong and Zhang Changgong successfully delivered the money to the residence.

However, due to their lack of proper etiquette, the two found it difficult to move in and out of Chang'an City; once they left the city, they could not return.

Xu Yuan hasn't returned to his residence in Chang'an City for several months. He's likely been cultivating land in the desolate outskirts of the city, and even when he does return to Chang'an City, he only goes to the West Market.

"It's so hard to find someone in this vast sea of people," said neighbor Di Rang, his head throbbing. "I've gone out of town several times and still haven't seen this young man, Xu Yuan!"

Di Rang hadn't visited Zhang Xuezhou's house many times. He knew Zhang Xuezhou and had met Rong Tianding, but his familiarity with Xu Yuan was only so-so. He couldn't find Xu Yuan at all based on just a few brief encounters.

"Old Zheng said he was seriously ill and wouldn't live much longer, so he rushed back here to find you, but left again when he couldn't find you!"

In Chang'an City, the only people who could help were the neighbors on the left and right. Di Rang, the neighbor on the left, couldn't get things done, and Zheng Wukong, the neighbor on the right, wasn't home.

"Yi Shuo became the Empress Dowager's physician, but this job isn't as free as it used to be, so she hasn't come over for a long time," Rong Tianding, who had returned home earlier than Zhang Xuezhou, continued.

"I need to go out of the city to find someone to check the situation," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Are we going outside the city?" Rong Li asked, Lady Yourong's hand.

"Leave this to us young people. You all stay here and rest to recover. We'll make arrangements later!"

A wealthy family's house can comfortably house eight or ten people without feeling crowded, and with a little tidying up, it can easily accommodate two families.

However, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel that he needed to expand his businesses in Chang'an City a little so that everyone could have a place to stay.

The most urgent task is to assess the situation outside the city and ensure that the people of Zhang Household Village are well-fed and clothed so that they can get through the most difficult period. This also involves the people of Zhang Household Village who have not yet been rescued.

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel a headache thinking about all the miscellaneous matters, so he had no choice but to quickly and decisively resolve them.

"Chang Gong, go with your cousin to our grain market. Don't worry about the price, we'll buy as much grain as we can, and fill the market to the brim!"

My cousin saw the pigs at the West Market and bought two. I'm afraid they'll all starve!

Zhang Xuezhou made some quick arrangements, then pulled up his pants and ran out.

Laoshu Hutong is not far from Xishi, making it convenient to leave the city.

If it were easy to make a living Chang'an City and to get by, there wouldn't be so many graves of people who froze or starved to death in winter.

Zhang Xuezhou's only consolation at the moment was that the weather was warm, and it wasn't yet the time when he was both cold and hungry.

But Zhang Xuezhou wasn't sure if the people of Zhang Household Village could survive, as it had been at least three months, not just a day or two.

He was so anxious that he almost wanted to fly while running.

"It's very expensive in Chang'an City. A little food costs several taels of silver. There are over a hundred people who escaped from our village. How can we afford to eat like this?"

Lady Yourong spoke softly to Rong Li, her aged face filled with worry.

Even though Zhang Xuezhou earned more money than she could ever imagine in her entire life, Lady Yourong felt that the need to continue living was a bottomless pit, which could not be filled by the rewards from the King of Jiangdu.

Rong Li's expression was unpredictable, which was completely different from Rong Tianding's previous promise to the elderly couple to come to Chang'an City to enjoy their retirement.

When Rong Li inquired about the housing prices in Chang'an City, the exorbitant prices made Rong Li shudder, realizing that this was not a place for ordinary people.

The numerous rules and regulations surrounding buying a house deter people from doing so.

In a place like this, let alone enjoying a life of luxury, simply making a living is a remarkable feat.

"Ruoruo n't worry, Ruoruo. We'll grab a pig slaughtering stall then. I heard they slaughter 20,000 pigs here every day. If we only slaughter a few hundred a day, we'll have enough to eat and drink!"

Rong Li felt she still needed to use the pig-slaughtering knife Hibiscus City had brought. She thought she would find the weak pig-slaughtering stall owner and ask him to give up his territory.

"To do business here, you need to get a license first. You have to buy a stall in the county government office before you can open a shop," said Lady Yourong. "Once you pay the money, these stalls are protected by the government. If we force others to give up their stalls, we'll go to jail!"

"What kind of lousy place is this? We can't even grab a stall here?"

"Stop thinking about robbing. The rules here are different from those in Hibiscus City. You'll get into trouble if you mess around!"

"Jia Zhiyuan, you'd better get back to your old ways! Didn't you say you're a scholar who can teach people to read and write, and also paint for money? You better get on with recruiting students and selling your paintings!"

"I..."

After being rebuked by his own wife, Jia Zhiyuan dared not utter a word.

He was considered a learned man in Hibiscus City, and teaching others to write would not have been a problem for him.

But as the carriage entered Chang'an City, Jia Zhiyuan discovered that the calligraphy on the banners and signs of those small shops was far more skillful than his own.

You can tell the quality of your peers just by looking at their calligraphy. These peers who are better than you are all reduced to writing calligraphy for small shops to make a living. Jia Zhiyuan felt that the chances of him picking up scraps were very slim, let alone selling paintings.

When others embellish their work, it's out of modesty. But if he were to embellish his work to sell it, it would truly be ugly, making it extremely difficult for him to make a living.

An even bigger problem is language; their accents are unfamiliar and from other places.

For those accustomed to the accent of Chang'an City, it takes straining their ears to hear them clearly, and even then, they can barely understand what they're saying.

For example, Di Rang stayed in the house for a long time. When Zhang Xuezhou and others were present, he could talk fluently. But after Zhang Xuezhou, Rong Tianding and others left, Di Rang couldn't keep up with their conversation at all and looked completely bewildered.

In this situation, teaching someone to read is almost impossible.

Not only were Rong Li's livelihood skills useless in Chang'an City, but Jia Zhiyuan's abilities were also rendered useless.

For outsiders, the difficulty of making a living and settling down in Chang'an City was undoubtedly off the charts. Only by doing manual labor could they earn some money and make ends meet.

"The three of you need not worry. Lord Dongfang is highly regarded by His Majesty, and he will certainly make the arrangements properly!"

Rong Li spoke quickly and urgently, and Di Rang couldn't fully understand her even after listening for a long time. However, he had been in contact with Lady Yourong and others for a while and had learned some general information. He knew that Zhang Xuezhou and others had many relatives who came to seek refuge. Seeing that everyone looked somewhat anxious, Di Rang couldn't help but speak up to persuade them.

In Chang'an City, Zhang Xuezhou was the backbone of these people.

Only if Zhang Xuezhou makes proper arrangements can those who follow him live a good life.

Di Rang had met many outstanding young people, but he rarely encountered someone like Zhang Xuezhou who was able to take charge of things at such a young age.

Most people still rely on their families for a living, but Zhang Xuezhou has already become an official in the imperial court through his own efforts. He has also bought this house and partnered with others to open a shop.

When the carriage from the Prince of Jiangdu's mansion delivered Zhang Xuezhou's reward money, Di Rang almost questioned his existence after reading it.

He had worked his way up for most of his life, yet his earnings were less than what Zhang Xuezhou had received in a single reward.

With Zhang Xuezhou's abilities, as long as the other party receives imperial favor, supporting as many people as he wants wouldn't be a problem.