The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 26 You even want this kind of stuff
In addition to selling books, bookstores also sell stationery.

The "fifth treasure of the study" - the writing knife - that was placed in the open had all been searched and taken away, or had been consumed for other purposes.

Only those that are inconspicuously sandwiched between the pages of the book could possibly slip through.

This practical multi-purpose knife can be used to cut paper and open letters, and can also be used as a bookmark. The blade is blunt and not prone to accidental injuries.

Judging from the design of the sword that Wen Gu picked out from the slag, the original one should have had a tassel tied to it, which was burned in the furnace along with the book.

Things made of animal bones, bamboo and wood were burned into slag or deformed, and only copper, iron and metal items remained.

I came here to review it just to see if I could find any bargains.

Aristocratic families and wealthy families preferred the elegant and high-end style of "no steel blades in the study", and abandoned copper and iron in favor of precious materials such as jade, gems, and ivory. Even if they used copper and iron, they would inlay gems.

But here, it is considered good to find a copper and iron book knife. Wen Gu also wants this kind of practical one.

Only this relatively complete book knife was found in the slag.

After some more fishing, I found two swords with metal blades and wooden handles. The handles were burned, leaving only the small blades as long as a finger. Wen Gu also collected them.

Xiao Liu can use it when setting traps.

County Magistrate Zhou was not interested in these things because he had experienced hunger and his family had also suffered accidents while looking for food. So, like Xiao Liu, he valued things related to food more.

In addition to edible food, there are also cooking tools.

Every time he arrived at a house, County Lieutenant Zhou would first check to see if there was any food, or if there were any iron or copper pots or the like that had been left behind.

Sadly, none of them were found. They were either taken away by their original owners or taken away by forces that passed through here later.

All I found were a few teacups, bowls, and spoons.

Fortunately, there are grain bricks from the grain merchants’ homes, which can soothe the resentment in my heart.

However, the grain merchant had too many grain bricks. They only had one donkey cart and one mule cart, and they had to carry other supplies on the carts, so they couldn't hold so much grain to be made into bricks.

It is not realistic for one person to travel with a sack of bricks on his back!
They first pried off all the grain bricks.

If you leave it on the wall, it might be eaten by rats.

If you can’t take it all away at once, find a place to store the rest. Maybe you’ll have the chance to take it away again in the future.

The place where the grain merchant lived had been searched many times. Whenever any force, big or small, passed by here, they would definitely target the grain store and the drug store first.

"It's not appropriate to put it here."

County Magistrate Zhou carefully considered the houses in the town and chose an unremarkable courtyard with a small warehouse with intact doors and windows. He had put together a wall with intact grain bricks, making it inconspicuous. If one pushed the door open and walked in, one would have thought the warehouse had been emptied long ago.

Close doors and windows to prevent mice from getting in.

Also mark the review in your notebook.

I have a notebook specifically for drawing maps. In this era of poor information flow and no navigation, a lot of work still has to be done by myself.

After returning to the grain merchant's residence, they will rest here for another night and set off tomorrow morning.

County Lieutenant Zhou chopped some wood and looked at the axe in his hand with a worried look on his face. "If this axe breaks, I don't know if I can find a replacement."

If the axe blade is just blunt or curled, it's easy to fix. But if the axe blade is severely damaged, it needs to be heated and forged. But that's not possible now.

Wen Gu was also thinking about this.

Ironware spread to the general public, and blacksmith shops could be seen in some small towns and remote counties.

Of course, he is not the kind of high-tech blacksmith who has a career and makes military weapons and armor.

Ordinary blacksmiths only make civilian tools.

Don't expect to find high-tech talent; those have long been snatched up by all the powers. The requirements for reviewing the past aren't high; just find an ordinary person. If you can't get weapons, then getting household items should be fine, right?

The problem is where to find people.

Where are the blacksmith shops and blacksmiths?
The axe was just a small matter, he wanted to make something else.

After a short rest, continue heading north.

The riverside ferry town was quiet again.

The grain merchant's house had a layer of wall pried off from the inside. In one room, the wooden window frames and pillars were covered with dense spots, as if pierced by some sharp weapon.

Wen Gu and his party carried the newly pried grain bricks and a lot of grain powder wrapped in oil paper, and headed north along the designated route.

Another few days of travel.

They have crossed state lines and reached another state.

According to the current dynasty's system of prefectures and counties, Xiao Liu and County Magistrate Zhou's hometowns belong to different prefectures than the place they are visiting now.

Due to transportation limitations, most people in this era rarely travel far. Zhou Shan also knows more than others because of his job and he travels to more places.

Now that they have left Lianzhou and left the familiar area, it is difficult for County Magistrate Zhou to give any advice.

He was very familiar with the county town and had heard of the surrounding areas, but he was completely clueless about the areas further away.

We were unfamiliar with the place and it was difficult to choose a route, so we reviewed our experience and decided to recruit a few more locals to join the team.

There are still not enough people!
As time goes by, the competition for survival in the north will become more intense. We need to recruit more talents so that it will be easier to do things in the future.

“I don’t know if there are any survivors locally.”

Soon, Wen Gu saw signs of firewood being cut down. Besides that, there were also the remains of evil creatures that had been slain, probably half a month ago, with sharp knifework.

Review the past to get everyone's attention.

Without a map, we can only determine the distribution of towns and villages based on the terrain, topography, and roads.

The place they were passing through should be very close to a county town or a once prosperous town.

If it is a county town, they will choose to bypass it.

Along the way, most of the county towns have become monster nests.

Ma Tuaner in the sky gave the first reminder.

A moment later, they met a man.

He was out to chop wood. It seemed that he was the only one there. He was carrying a basket on his back and holding a hatchet in his hand. He was wrapped in a gray, coarse cloth and had his face covered. It was hard to tell what he looked like, but he looked very young.

It was clearly just chopping wood, but it gave people a strong feeling of stealing and not being decent.

Zhou Shan stepped forward with a knife, called out to the other person, and maintained a distance that made both of them feel at ease.

Wen Gu listened to the conversation between the two people in front and also observed the local man.

According to the other party's own introduction, his surname is He, he is the eldest in the family, and everyone around him just calls him He Da.

Surname plus ranking, a popular name.

He Da used to be a villager in a village outside the county town, but when the world became chaotic, he moved to the city.

Ahead is the county seat of Feng County, where there are still many survivors.

If I had come half a month earlier, there would be more people in the county town.

It’s not that there were heavy losses in the past half month, but half a month ago, the county magistrate Tan of Feng County took a lot of people away and headed north.

A year ago, when the world was in chaos, County Magistrate Tan and his officials stayed in the city, protecting many people and preventing the county from becoming a monster's lair like other counties.

However, in the second half of this year, shortly after the weather turned cooler, County Magistrate Tan prepared to take his people away.

The magistrate of the county, Tan, also tried to persuade them, saying that it was not safe here and that there were more opportunities in the north.

But for common people, leaving is riskier, so it is better to stay.

Therefore, half a month ago, County Magistrate Tan gathered his men, cleared out the evil spirits in the surrounding area, and then led those who wanted to leave north, while the rest of the people remained in the city.

Wen Gu listened carefully and couldn't help thinking:
As county magistrates, some are so stupid that they drag everyone down with them, while others can save the county, judge the general trend, and act decisively.

He is not from a noble family, but he has such ability.

What a great talent!
Unfortunately, I was a step too late and failed to visit the county magistrate.

Review and sigh.

Alas, even if I could meet them, I have neither fame nor background now. Those powerful people are arrogant and may not look at me straight in the eye.

County Magistrate Tan, right?
Make a note of it.

Maybe we'll have the chance to meet in the north in the future?
In front, He Da was also depressed at this time. He came out to chop firewood and encountered the police.

Although Zhou Shan didn't say it explicitly, He Da could guess after a few words that the man holding the knife in front of him was a former official.

At this time, Zhou Shan finally came and introduced himself.

Upon hearing that he was a county lieutenant, He Da quickly put down the basket full of firewood, bowed and smiled: "My humble self greets County Lieutenant Zhou!"

Looking at the other person's reaction, Zhou Shan knew what his previous career was.

It's very likely that He Da was once a vagrant with no fixed job, running errands in the city for a few rewards. Even at such a young age, he already had the slickness of a businessman. He must have been very strong on his feet.

Is the heavy backpack put down for the purpose of greeting?
Not!
It’s so that you can escape at any time!
Wen Gu glanced at He Da's backpack.

There was a square object carefully wrapped in paper inside. When the firewood was put into the backpack, it moved and the wrapping paper opened a little.

After seeing it clearly, Wen Gu raised his eyebrows slightly.

After observing for a while, when the previous conversation was almost over, Wen Gu got off the donkey cart.

His steps were calm and steady, and his demeanor was dignified and humble.

His eyes are clear and yet friendly.

Although he was wearing a coarse cloth with narrow sleeves, his elegant demeanor instantly drew the attention of He Da, who was originally on guard against Zhou Shan.

Watching Wen Gu, He Da suddenly recalled those elegant scholars who had already achieved academic success that he had met in the academy before.

When facing a military official like County Magistrate Zhou, He Da could respond flexibly, but when facing this elegant scholar, he became visibly restrained.

The Taoist priest next to him, Qingyi: "..."

Come, come, come again!
This bastard scholar is starting to act pretentiously again!
Taoist Qingyi looked at He Da, then at Wen Gu, and his face twitched.

isn't it?
No!
You even want this kind of stuff?

　Happy Lantern Festival!

　　May the flowers be in full bloom and the moon be full, and may luck always be with you!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)