Chang'an at Night

Talk is cheap, actions are another matter.

After leaving the restaurant, Zhang Xuezhou investigated the unusual aspect of Rong Tianding's recitation of the "Grave Sutra".

This place would be useful for Rong Tianding, but Zhang Xuezhou investigated for a long time without finding anything special. Even using feng shui geomancy techniques, he couldn't find anything.

He ultimately had to temporarily abandon this special location and instead focus on their most pressing matter.

Settle down.

The resettlement housing is a temporary residence for people recovering from injuries after a rainstorm; they can no longer move in once they have fully recovered.

Since the Dong residence had collapsed and was no longer habitable, Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding were unable to locate Dong Zhongshu at that time.

The two of them were planning to find a place to stay, even if it was just a doghouse, it would still be their own place.

But Zhang Xuezhou never expected that he couldn't even afford a doghouse in Chang'an City. He went to the Inner Office, which deals with real estate, and learned from there that a proper house in Chang'an City would cost at least 10,000 and a half taels of silver.

Ten thousand half-ounce coins equal ten strings of cash.

This was just a drop in the ocean for wealthy families like Master Zhao, but for Zhang Xuezhou, who only had a few hundred and a half taels of silver, it was a considerable sum.

Moreover, real estate in Chang'an City is not something you can just buy whenever you want. Besides needing to find a property you like, you also need to find a neighbor who is willing to accept you as a new neighbor.

In this process, bribing or smoothing things over with personal connections is essential.

The biggest problem is household registration. Taking Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding as examples, the former is in Fuping County and the latter is in Hibiscus City. Accordingly, the two are only qualified to buy houses in Fuping County and Hibiscus City.

To remove the household registration restrictions, one would have to become a government official and be eligible to purchase a house through a political transfer.

For example, Dong Zhongshu's purchase of a house was an example of this kind of operation.

Not only are houses expensive, but ordinary people can't even buy them, so it's normal that places like the Chang'an City Inn charge high fees.

"Cousin, does this mean we'll never be able to buy a house in Chang'an City in our lifetime?"

The matter of ten thousand and a half taels of silver can be resolved. If they cannot support themselves, Rong Tianding can scrape together the money at home; raising this amount should not be a problem.

The real problem lies in eligibility to purchase a home.

Rong Tianding felt a great headache coming on.

He never expected to stumble over the issue of food and lodging when he ventured out into the world.

This was a problem he had never considered in Hibiscus City, but it was also the most serious problem at present.

Food, drink, and lodging are daily necessities. Not only could they not find Dong Zhongshu, but they also couldn't keep freeloading at Dong's residence.

"Don't rush, cousin," Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand and said, "Let's make some money first, then get a government position, and then we can buy a house!"

The Inner Office has a lot of responsibilities, and managing real estate is only one part of it. Since Zhang Xuezhou was already here, he figured he might as well apply for the side job as well.

He registered as a 'city resident' and paid one hundred and a half taels of silver as city rent.

"Treatment of sprains and bruises involves selling medicine!"

City registration is extremely simple; as long as it falls within the scope of normal commercial use, registration can be carried out.

Zhang Xuezhou's registered city residency was not mixed with anything strange, and this type of medical qualification does not require on-site verification.

If you don't have the ability to cure diseases, then this city registration is essentially useless.

If someone dies while being treated, then it involves lawsuits and court proceedings.

Correspondingly, the threshold for him to obtain city residency is not high, but it is a difficult task to buy, sell, and run his own business well.

Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to return to his old profession, which he had done in Shu County.

Rong Tianding also registered a city-level account, which involved the sale of talismans, talismanic water, and talismanic writings.

"Your line of work is prone to fatalities, so be careful when you're setting up your stall!"

He excitedly handed over the money, and when the clerk from the Inner Court gave him a smiling reminder, Rong Tianding couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Please explain a little more clearly," Rong Tianding asked, handing over a tael and a half tael of coins.

"You need real skills," the clerk replied, quickly taking the money. "I've seen at least eighty or a hundred Daoist priests come to do this job, but none of them can last half a year!"

The clerk practically had the words "swindler" written all over his face.

It's one thing to fool unsuspecting villagers in small towns, but in a place like Chang'an City, where all sorts of people mingle, the difficulty of swindling money increases dramatically. Some Daoist priests have their stalls overturned and beatings done, then handed over to the government and fined. It wouldn't be surprising if they were beaten to death.

"Thank you!"

Rong Tianding was also glad that he had listened to Zhang Xuezhou and hadn't directly mentioned that he wanted to sell pig blood paintings.

Given the current situation, it's basically impossible for him to make a living by selling paintings.

If Rong Tianding is to slaughter pigs, then the pig slaughtering stalls in Chang'an City are not something he can interfere with.

In the end, Rong Tianding had no choice but to pack up the city residency permit and then follow Zhang Xuezhou out the door.

Both cousins were running businesses with no initial investment, but unlike Rong Tianding, Zhang Xuezhou possessed genuine skills.

No matter what kind of sprain or bruise it is, his treatment is very effective.

Having done this kind of business in Shu County, Zhang Xuezhou clearly wanted to make a lot of money again in a short period of time, and then stay in hotels and eat and drink as he pleased.

"I have a sprain or bruise; I need treatment for my sprain or bruise!"

The two found a small open space in the West Market. Zhang Xuezhou shouted a few times, and Rong Tianding joined in the shouting.

"Cousin, we might be able to treat other illnesses, but where in Chang'an City do we find people who suffer from sprains and bruises!"

He shouted until almost dark, but no one came to Zhang Xuezhou's stall, and hardly anyone even inquired about it. Rong Tianding felt that Zhang Xuezhou's business was not easy to do.

Even if Zhang Xuezhou is truly talented, he can't help but develop this kind of illness, which is something normal people don't usually do.

Most people's illnesses are concentrated in symptoms such as headache, fever, vomiting, and profuse sweating. Few people lose limbs or bleed heavily. Of course, if such a situation occurs, the person usually dies on the spot and cannot be carried over for medical treatment.

"No rush," Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand and said, "We're new here and don't have a reputation yet. Not many people know our skills. But once our business gets off the ground, we'll definitely be running it for a long time!"

Zhang Xuezhou appeared calm, but he was also a little flustered inside.

It's rare to find someone unlucky enough to have their house collapse and break a bone in Chang'an City, so it's very difficult to find someone with a sprain or bruise.

All he could do now was look around to see if any Daoist priests had been beaten up and their stalls overturned, and then sought their help.

But Zhang Wang's results disappointed him greatly.

Ordinary people's lives are so simple and unpretentious. Everyone does business very amicably, and even minor quarrels never escalate to the point of violence.

After setting up his stall for half a day, Zhang Xuezhou earned nothing.

And his stomach began to rumble with hunger again.

Grain Avoidance is not something you can immediately continue after completing one cycle.

For example, Zhang Xuezhou was able to Grain Avoidance for seven days before, but he could only continue Grain Avoidance after his body recovered.

This kind of Grain Avoidance doesn't involve Grain Avoidance for seven days, resting for half an hour, and then Grain Avoidance for another seven days. Instead, there is a recovery period for the body, and the body needs to be adjusted to a state where it can perform Grain Avoidance before this technique can be released.

His nearly month-long Grain Avoidance has ended, which far exceeds any of his previous Grain Avoidance. His body is undoubtedly in great need of food, and his nutritional requirements are much higher than those of ordinary people.

Let's go get something to eat first!

Zhang Xuezhou touched his pouch and checked his half-ounce coin balance. He figured he'd have no choice but to lie down on the street next to the Dong residence tonight.

He and Rong Tianding mingled among the delisted crowd, chatting idly about their get-rich-quick schemes.

But the two of them didn't earn any money; instead, a lot of their money went out of their pockets.

As they walked and observed, they never encountered a patient with a bloodied head.

After spending nearly a hundred and a half taels of silver on a good meal, the two returned to the Dong residence dejectedly.

Although the Dong residence was dilapidated and old, it covered an area of over 600 square meters, and its reconstruction was not something that could be done in a day or two.

As usual, Dong Zhongshu was nowhere to be seen at the Dong residence, and construction seals were hanging on the gate, preventing the two from entering or leaving. They could only pick up some scattered bamboo slips to use as pillows and find a corner to lie down.

"It's quite lively in the middle of the night!"

As usual, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't fall asleep.

He squatted in a corner of the Dong family mansion's wall as night fell, until the deepest, most silent hour.

Zhang Xuezhou thought the night in Chang'an City was quiet, but around the second watch of the night, the Chang'an City became lively. Many men and women dressed in tight-fitting clothes ran through the streets, while others rode the wind and waves, all heading towards the imperial palace.