Over half an hour later, the boat reached the county town.
From a distance, the county town’s city wall came into view. The wall wasn’t very tall, and based on Yu Li’s estimation, she figured she could climb over it.
Of course, there was no need for her to climb the wall now; she would obediently enter through the city gate.
The county town was called Shanping County, located in the southeastern part of the Great Qing Dynasty. In the eyes of the world, this was already the borderland near the Nanman region.
Shanping County held a unique position, separated from the Nanzhao region by a single mountain.
Because the imperial court placed great importance on the Nanman area, troops were stationed nearby, ensuring relative stability. As a result, many people came here to do business, making Shanping County more prosperous and lively than the average border town.
After arriving at the county town, Yu Li paid four coins for the boat fare.
Boatman Wang wanted to waive her fare, but Yu Li didn’t accept his goodwill. He was a relative of her third aunt, Wang Shi, but he wasn’t related to her, so she wouldn’t take advantage of others.
Moreover, Boatman Wang’s actions were merely an attempt to curry favor with the Yu family.
—
Upon entering the city, Yu Li couldn’t help but look around.
She had seen cities in the post-apocalyptic world—cities forged from steel, filled with a cold high-tech atmosphere. Towering steel walls caged humanity within safe urban bases, protecting them from external pollutants and alien species, but also trapping them.
In this world, the city walls were low, and the houses inside were also low, predominantly wooden structures. The streets were not wide and were paved with stone slabs. On both sides, bustling shops lined the streets.
The county town was built along the river, with several waterways running through it. Many small boats busily traveled up and down the rivers, some conducting business, others carrying passengers or transporting goods. A myriad of sounds merged into a lively cacophony.
Liveliness, clamor, stability, peace, busyness…
These were the rhythms of a city. From morning to night, from day to night, people gathered here, settled here, lived here, and spent their entire lives here.
Yu Li couldn’t help but smile faintly.
Perhaps this world had its shortcomings—clothing, food, housing, and transportation were all underdeveloped. Most people couldn’t achieve worry-free living, and there might be hunger, natural disasters, human suffering… countless problems and hardships.
But people didn’t have to face a world that had lost its shape, didn’t have to endure a completely collapsed natural environment. They didn’t need to fear man-eating monsters outside the city, nor worry about the day when such creatures would break through the city walls. They weren’t trapped in cold cities, surrounded by constant fear and despair…
Yu Li walked and looked around, completely forgetting everything else.
It wasn’t until she saw a group of women washing clothes on the stone steps by the river that she remembered her purpose in coming to town today—to find work.
She approached one of the women who was doing laundry.
The woman had several basins of clothes piled next to her, filled to the brim. The clothes were both for adults and children, clearly far more than what a single household would need to wash.
“Auntie, sorry to disturb you,” Yu Li said politely.
The woman looked up from her washing. Her face was aged, her hair streaked with gray, and her features bore the weariness unique to the poor.
The woman asked curiously, “Miss, what’s the matter?”
Here, older people often addressed unfamiliar young women as “miss” or “sister” as a form of friendly address.
Yu Li lowered her eyes, a bit embarrassed. “Auntie, I’ve come to the county town to look for work. I was wondering if there’s any need for help with washing clothes…”
Upon hearing this, the woman understood immediately, her expression turning knowing.
There was no need to ask further—anyone with eyes could see the poverty radiating from Yu Li. She was thin, her clothes worn and tattered, though clean from careful washing. It was evident she was from a struggling, impoverished family.
Perhaps Yu Li’s poverty struck a chord with the woman, who kindly said, “If you want to wash clothes, you can go to the eastern part of the city and find an old woman named Cui. Just tell her, and she’ll arrange some work for you. But… are you living in the county town? If not, Madam Cui won’t be willing to introduce work to you. Besides, washing clothes is paid by the basin, and even if you wash all day, you won’t earn much…”
She wasn’t deliberately trying to discourage Yu Li by making it sound unattractive.
Washing clothes wasn’t exactly a good job. Squatting by the river all day, with hands soaking in water, made the skin shriveled and wrinkled. In summer it was tolerable, but in winter, it was pure suffering. Unless they were truly destitute, no one would willingly take on such work.
This kind of work was typically done by impoverished women. Seeing that Yu Li was still young, the woman feared that too much of it would ruin her back, which wasn’t worth the effort.
After learning from the kind-hearted woman that the pay for washing clothes was pitifully low, Yu Li gave up on the idea.
The wages earned in a single day wouldn’t even cover the cost of a meal, let alone provide for a family.
After bidding farewell to the kind woman, Yu Li continued walking.
It was her first time in the county town, and everything was both unfamiliar and novel to her. She decided to walk around, exploring the streets and familiarizing herself with the area.
Turning onto another street, she saw a shop by the roadside.
She glanced up to confirm the signboard read “Jinhua Embroidery Shop” and then stepped inside.
Jinhua Embroidery Shop wasn’t the largest in the county town, but it had a reputable background. It was said that the owner hailed from the prefectural city, and the shop offered fair prices for embroidery work, making it a favored destination for many who brought their pieces here.
The shop wasn’t crowded, with only two customers browsing clothes while a shop assistant attended to them.
As Yu Li entered, a shop assistant greeted her warmly, showing no disdain for her shabby attire.
Upon learning that Yu Li was there to sell embroidery, the assistant led her to the counter.
The shopkeeper was busy sorting through some embroidery pieces and asked Yu Li to present the items she wanted to sell.
Yu Li took out two bundles from her back basket and opened them.
The shopkeeper only needed one glance to recognize that the embroidery pieces in the bundles were ones their shop often purchased, typically brought in monthly by people from the countryside.
A shop like theirs didn’t accept just any embroidery; their standards were strict.
The embroidery made by Zhou Shi was exceptional, with a strong foundation and highly popular. Any embroidery shop would take her work without hesitation. The pieces made by Yu Yin lacked intricate patterns but had a skillful use of color combinations and creative touches, meeting the shop’s standards, though the price offered was lower than Zhou Shi’s work.
The shopkeeper was familiar with the situation. As he examined the embroidery, he asked, “I recall that others usually deliver these pieces. Why is it you this time, miss?”
Yu Yin’s embroidery was usually delivered by Yu family members, while Zhou Shi’s pieces were brought by Da Zhuang. The shopkeeper was acquainted with them.
Yu Li replied, “These were made by my mother-in-law and sister. From now on, I’ll be the one delivering them.”
Hearing this, the shopkeeper said no more but took a few extra moments to look at her, making a mental note of her appearance to recognize her in the future when she came back.
The shopkeeper quickly counted the embroidery pieces and began calculating the payment.
He worked the abacus with crisp, clicking sounds and remarked, “Your mother-in-law’s embroidery is always excellent, and it’s quite favored by the county magistrate’s wife. It’s a pity there’s not much of it. If she has time, she might try making other items, like table screens. A well-made one can fetch three to five taels apiece.”
Yu Li blinked, genuinely amazed. So embroidery could be this profitable? Her mother-in-law’s embroidery was even targeting the high-end market favored by noble ladies.
She glanced at Zhou Shi’s embroidery again and confirmed it was far beyond her ability. Regrettably, she had to give up on even trying.
A fine embroidery needle, thin and delicate, was useful for killing monsters in her hands, but for actual embroidery? That was out of the question.
Yu Yin’s embroidery, on the other hand, was valued for its novel designs and good color combinations but lacked any actual patterns, so the price wasn’t high—it catered to the commoner market.
It wasn’t that Yu Yin didn’t want to embroider patterns; she simply didn’t know how, as no one had ever taught her.
Yu Li thought it over. Yu Yin was good with her hands, gentle and quiet by nature, and exceptionally meticulous. From the look of things, she also enjoyed sewing. Should she find Zhou Shi to teach her?
Of course, not for free—she could offer some payment in return.
After calculating the total, the shopkeeper quickly handed the money to Yu Li.
Zhou Shi’s embroidery sold for one tael and three hundred coins. It was the result of two months’ work. Last month, when Fu Wenxiao was unconscious and gravely ill, Zhou Shi had been too distraught to focus on embroidery.
As for Yu Yin’s embroidery, the total came to five hundred and fifty coins.
After selling the embroidery, Yu Li followed Zhou Shi and Yu Yin’s instructions and bought some fabric and embroidery threads.
Yu Li mentally calculated: buying fabric and threads for Yu Yin cost one hundred and fifty coins, so Yu Yin earned about four hundred coins a month from her hard work.
For many rural people, four hundred coins was already a decent income and showed how capable she was.
Next, Yu Li bought some extra fabric for making clothes.
The shopkeeper, seeing her as a familiar customer, gave her a discount of ten coins.
Ten coins could buy two bowls of shredded pork noodles or three bowls of plain noodles.
Yu Li thought about this seriously and felt pleased. Her eyes curved into a smile, clearly showing her happiness.