Seeing how polite the shopkeeper was, Yu Li seized the opportunity to ask, “Shopkeeper, do you know where in the county town people are hiring? I’m looking for work.”
Hearing this, the shopkeeper couldn’t help but glance at her, his expression a little peculiar.
This was the first time someone selling embroidery had asked him about job opportunities in the county town. He almost thought she was trying to fish for a position at the embroidery shop itself.
However, their embroidery shop already had enough workers and wasn’t hiring. Even if they were, they’d only hire acquaintances—a common practice among many shops. Hiring strangers wasn’t customary; they trusted only people they knew.
Still, the shopkeeper wasn’t annoyed by her abrupt question. He asked kindly, “What kind of work are you looking for, miss?”
He remained calm. It wasn’t unusual for rural girls to come to town seeking work. Judging by her attire, it was clear she came from a poor family, and trying to find a job to support her household was perfectly understandable.
Shanping County, as a southeastern border town, had an open atmosphere. Many women worked to support their families, and it was common for women to go out and seek employment.
“Anything,” Yu Li replied, adding her requirements, “I’m strong and would like to do labor-intensive work, but the pay shouldn’t be too low.”
She was absolutely incapable of doing skilled work like embroidery.
Her goal was clear: she’d look for physical labor. As long as it was manual work, she could do it.
The shopkeeper: “…”
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
The shop assistant nearby couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, quickly turning his head to feign busyness, though he found the girl quite amusing.
Typically, young women looking for work sought tasks that didn’t require much physical strength, but she was the opposite—actively seeking labor-intensive jobs.
The shopkeeper was skeptical about her claim of being strong. Yu Li’s appearance was simply too deceptive; it was hard to believe she had much physical strength. He assumed she was just eager to find a job to support herself and her family, perhaps overstating her capabilities.
The shopkeeper was understanding but genuinely couldn’t think of anything at the moment. As always, most jobs in the county town preferred to hire people they knew. As a respectable person, the shopkeeper could only think of suitable, decent jobs, but such positions rarely hired strangers. Having just met Yu Li, he wasn’t inclined to go out of his way to help her find a proper job.
Yu Li didn’t feel disappointed. When she saw new customers entering, she decided not to disturb him further. She packed her purchased goods into her basket, left the embroidery shop, and continued wandering around the town.
The county town offered a wide variety of goods, most of which Yu Li didn’t recognize—or rather, the original owner of this body didn’t recognize. Without the original memories, everything was unfamiliar to her, and the sheer variety dazzled her.
Passing by a pastry shop, she caught a whiff of the sweet aroma and paused momentarily, swallowing her saliva before moving on.
She wanted to eat some, but without a job, she needed to save her money.
After walking around for an hour, Yu Li’s impression of the county town was: so much delicious food. The people who lived here were truly fortunate.
Of course, that was only true if they had the money to buy the food.
Along the way, she noticed that the county town had its fair share of poor people. Not everyone could buy food as they pleased.
Although Yu Li had brought some silver with her today, it was meant for purchasing grain, so she couldn’t spend it recklessly.
At that moment, a strong desire to earn money arose in her heart—a desire to earn a lot of money, so much that she could live a life where she could buy whatever she wanted without hesitation.
As noon approached, Yu Li arrived at the county town’s dock.
The dock was quite large, bustling with cargo ships. A group of laborers was busy unloading goods, their sweat glistening under the scorching sun as they worked hard at the physically demanding job. Nearby, street vendors called out to passersby, creating a lively and chaotic scene.
Feeling hungry, Yu Li noticed several food stalls near the dock and headed to a small roadside stall selling noodles.
The stall was modest, and there weren’t many customers eating at the moment.
Yu Li sat down and ordered two bowls of plain noodles.
One bowl of plain noodles cost three coins, while shredded pork noodles were five coins—two coins more expensive.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to eat meat, but as always, without a job or income, she needed to spend her money carefully.
The noodle stall was run by a middle-aged couple. Seeing her order two bowls of plain noodles, the slightly plump woman smiled and asked, “Miss, are you waiting for someone to join you?”
“No,” Yu Li replied calmly. “They’re both for me.”
The woman: “…”
When the plain noodles were served, Yu Li blew on the steaming broth and quickly started eating.
The noodles weren’t made from fine white flour but mixed with bean flour, giving them a dark brown color. They were rough and slightly grainy in texture. However, the broth was excellent, made with bone stock and likely simmered with other ingredients, resulting in an exceptionally rich and savory flavor.
Delicious!
Yu Li’s eyes curved with joy as she ate, her mood instantly brightened by the tasty meal.
If there was anything she particularly liked about this world, it was the abundance of delicious, natural foods. They had no strange aftertastes and never grew tiresome, no matter how much she ate.
Seeing Yu Li actually finish two bowls of noodles, the lady of the stall was genuinely surprised. Despite being so skinny, she could eat so much.
The portions in their bowls weren’t small—enough to fill most people—and it was rare for anyone to order a second bowl.
After finishing her noodles, Yu Li felt like the two bowls were just enough to line her stomach, but she didn’t order more.
When paying the bill, she took the opportunity to ask the lady about work carrying goods at the dock.
The stall lady, being straightforward, assumed she was asking on behalf of a man in her family who wanted to earn money carrying loads. Without hesitation, she shared what she knew—after all, this was common knowledge among the townsfolk.
What the stall lady told her matched what Yu Jin had mentioned: if someone wanted to carry goods at the dock, they needed to approach the overseer.
“You see the man sitting under that tree over there, drinking tea? That’s the overseer. He’s in charge of managing the laborers and the loading jobs. You can talk to him, but I’ve heard his commission fees are very high. Sometimes, if he’s in a bad mood, he’ll take most of the workers’ wages, leaving them with only a small portion…”
Yu Li frowned. “Doesn’t anyone do anything about that?”
The exploitation seemed excessive.
The lady pursed her lips and whispered, “Anyone who becomes an overseer here usually has some kind of backing. Even if they take the majority of the money, no one dares to cause trouble… unless they don’t want to work in the county anymore.”
The laborers working these hard, physical jobs were ordinary people with no connections, just trying to earn an honest living. They had to accept whatever they could get, unless the overseer’s actions were truly outrageous.
These overseers were cunning, knowing just how far they could push without crossing the line. They made sure not to make things completely unbearable, so over time, everyone got used to it.
As they spoke, new customers entered the stall, and the lady hurried off to tend to them.
Yu Li picked up her basket and left.
Under the blazing sun, she wandered over to the dock, observing the laborers busy unloading goods in a well-organized fashion. Meanwhile, the overseers sat comfortably in the shade, sipping tea. The sight made her feel uneasy.
Yu Li didn’t rush to find work at the dock and decided to look around some more.
Continuing her stroll through the town, she came across a shop selling malt sugar. She went inside and bought five pieces for ten coins.
The malt sugar pieces weren’t large, but they were sold individually, which showed how expensive sugar was in these times. No wonder commoners couldn’t afford it. From the original owner’s memories, Yu Li recalled only eating sugar once as a child, and the sweetness had left a lasting impression.
Yu Li’s understanding of this world was based on the original owner’s memories, so she wasn’t aware that the sugar-making process in this era was highly underdeveloped. Sugar was a luxury item that most commoners couldn’t afford.
After buying the sugar, she walked a bit further, turned a corner, and suddenly saw a butcher shop by the roadside.
Meat!
Meat♪ Meat!
Yu Li’s eyes lit up as she walked over without hesitation.
Since coming to this world, apart from the cured meat rice and the two chickens she’d eaten early on, she hadn’t had much meat.
The Fu family was frugal in their daily lives, like many rural households. They rarely bought meat. If they craved something, they’d steam eggs or make scrambled eggs. The most extravagant dish was tofu braised with pork cracklings, seasoned with homemade sauce. The aroma and flavor were so enticing that Yu Li could eat an extra half pot of rice.
If pork cracklings were so delicious, real meat had to be even better!
She had twenty taels of silver on hand. Even after buying grain, she’d still have money left over. Buying a little meat wasn’t unreasonable, was it?
It was past noon, and the butcher shop didn’t have much meat left. With the stifling heat, meat spoiled quickly, so most of it had already been sold. All that remained were a few bare bones tossed casually to the side.
Yu Li was disappointed. If only she had come earlier!
As Yu Li stared blankly at the few bones on the table, a voice called out.
“Li Niang?”
Yu Li looked up and saw Tu Laoda walking out of the shop. She nodded at him and then returned her gaze to the bones on the table.
She really wanted to eat some meat. Maybe she should just buy the bones?
If she took them home, she could make soup—add some kelp and peanuts to stew with them, and at least they’d have a hint of meaty flavor…