Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 113 Local gangs, they really don't know the rules.

Lin Dao knocked on the courtyard gate and stepped inside.

In just two or three days, the courtyard had already undergone a complete transformation.

There was firewood in the woodshed, a water vat was placed in the yard, and a stove was lit in the kitchen.

In one corner of the yard, several potted plants were even grown.

Chen Yuanyuan and Dong Xiaowan, who had changed into simple clothes and hairpins, followed him with their heads bowed.

Over the past two days, the two women have learned about another side of Lin Dao from each other.

Chen Yuanyuan learned that Lin Dao was an extremely wealthy man, and that he was said to have made connections with the Duke of Wei's mansion.

Dong Xiaowan learned that Lin Dao was a god-like figure, and that the powerful servant of the Tian family could disappear without a trace with a wave of his hand.

Lin Dao's identity was pieced together in their minds, but it also made him seem more mysterious.

"Get some food."

Lin Dao sat down on the newly bought chair in the yard. "I'm hungry."

"Please wait a moment, sir." Dong Xiaowan turned and ran towards the kitchen.

She is one of the top ten chefs. She couldn't stand eating only dry food for the first two days, so she cooked for herself after that. Chen Yuanyuan was able to enjoy the good food.

His gaze fell upon Chen Yuanyuan, who stood respectfully to the side with her head bowed.

Lin asked, "Why don't you go home?"

Chen Yuanyuan shook her head, "This servant has no home."

Why not seek refuge with some relatives or friends?

"Those who sold me into the Pear Garden were my relatives," Chen Yuanyuan said with a bitter smile. "As for my friends..."

They had no friends in their group.

She thought of Mao Xiang.

She repeatedly hinted and explicitly told him that her situation was very dangerous and asked him to take her away as soon as possible.

However, Mao Xiang made excuses, saying he had something to do at home or something to do himself, and refused to give a clear answer.

Chen Yuanyuan herself was captured by Tian's servants because she went to look for him.

If it weren't for Lin Dao's help, we would probably already be on our way to the capital.

Although Jiangnan is vast, I don't know where to go.

There was a knock at the gate.

Chen Yuanyuan quickly said, "I suppose the water deliveryman has arrived."

Nanjing has abundant groundwater resources, but not every household has a well.

There was no well in Chen Yuanyuan's courtyard.

If you want to get water, you have to go to the well at the end of the street to fetch water and then carry it back.

The two young women were delicate and frail; they were ill-suited for such strenuous work.

So they hired someone to deliver water every day.

As soon as the gate was opened, someone was seen carrying two buckets of water on a shoulder pole inside.

Upon seeing Lin Dao sitting there with an air of authority, the newcomer's expression changed, and he lowered his head to pour water into the water vat.

Chen Yuanyuan closed the courtyard gate and returned to Lin Dao's side, only to find him resting his chin on his hand, staring at the courtyard gate.

"Master," Chen Yuanyuan said, somewhat puzzled, as she stepped forward. "He's just delivering water."

Water delivery is probably his main job, but he also has part-time jobs.

Visiting locations to scout out potential sites is one of the part-time jobs.

Two such beautiful women live alone in a small courtyard.

Not to mention the late Ming Dynasty, people in the modern world are eyeing it.

"After you finish eating, pack your things and come with me."

"Go and move the table over here."

Dong Xiaowan truly deserves her title as one of the top ten chefs.

Although the ingredients used in the dishes are simple, the dishes are excellent in terms of color, aroma, and taste.

At least Lin Dao ate heartily.

He developed a habit while serving in the Beggars' Army: he ate very quickly.

After finishing their meal and putting down their chopsticks, they simply pointed out, "The bowl was too small; next time, please use a larger bowl."

"The dishes are also too small in portion size; there's not enough to eat."

In the past, it would have cost at least several dozen taels of silver to get Dong Xiaowan to cook for her personally.

It's mainly about having a taste; everyone tries a few bites, gives a bunch of compliments, and that's it.

There is absolutely no one who would wolf down their food like Lin Dao.

Chen Yuanyuan thought that Dong Xiaowan would throw a tantrum and complain a few times.

Unexpectedly, Dong Xiaowan not only timidly agreed, but also fetched water and a towel to wash Lin Dao's hands.

Watching their interaction, Chen Yuanyuan felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

Licking the dog, licking the dog, licking until there is nothing left.

However, if you can arouse a girl's jealousy, then you will definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort.

There's no doubt that Chen Yuanyuan is now somewhat jealous.

"You guys pack your things."

Lin Dao stepped out the door. "I'm going to hire a car."

It's some distance from here to the street corner.

It seems that neither of them had the stamina to carry such a long distance with their bags on their backs.

Jinling City was the most prosperous place in the world at that time, and there were naturally carriages and horses there.

After wandering around the forest, he hired a horse-drawn carriage.

The carriage clearly showed signs of age, and even the horses pulling it were obviously old.

The driver had a simple and honest look on his face, and he spoke with a slight stutter.

When they returned, the two women were already prepared.

Each person carried a small bundle and helped each other onto the carriage.

The driver's eyes flickered slightly, then he lowered his head.

Lin Dao followed him into the carriage, and they immediately crowded together.

Chen Yuanyuan was still a little uncomfortable and subconsciously wanted to move aside.

But to his astonishment, Dong Xiaowan rested her delicate, fair chin on Lin Dao's shoulder.

She even reached out and gently patted his arm.

Chen Yuanyuan remained motionless, her eyelashes trembling slightly, lost in thought.

"The new shop is opening." Lin Dao tried to start a conversation. "I'd like to recruit some staff."

A smile bloomed in Dong Xiaowan's watery eyes. "If you want to find someone, go to the brokerage."

"We have any maids and servants you want."

The city of Jinling was bustling and prosperous, but the area outside the city presented a completely different scene.

Even the Jiangnan region, known as the land of fish and rice, suffers from food shortages.

Each bushel of grain contained several ounces of grain.

This was still in the Jiangnan region; in the north, especially in turbulent areas, it was a matter of how few grains of rice could be caught. Countless people across the country went bankrupt because of this.

Many people chose to sell themselves into slavery.

The wealth of Nanjing City attracted many people to come here to make a living.

Even if it meant selling oneself into slavery, one would still want to be sold into a wealthy family.

Lin Dao fell into deep thought.

He was thinking about the records he had seen about the slave rebellion in Jiangnan.

Dong Xiaowan, however, thought that her introduction was not detailed enough and hurriedly spoke up.

"Sir, the brokers are taking too much cut, often charging several or even ten taels of silver."

"You can also go to the areas outside the city where refugees gather to choose, as they are cheaper there."

“There are many people who would sell their whole family into slavery as long as they are given food.”

Lin Dao looked at her without any hint of reproach.

He knew it wasn't that the young girl was heartless; it was simply that the Ming Dynasty was inhumane in this regard.

The Ming Dynasty, in essence, served the powerful and wealthy.

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, ordinary people were not entitled to keep slaves.

Only those imperial relatives, civil and military officials, gentry and wealthy merchants had this qualification.

In places like Jiangnan, almost every household with some power and wealth keeps a large number of servants.

These male servants tilled the land and did manual labor, while the female servants wove cloth and served as maids; they were truly cattle and horses in the real sense.

Moreover, not only the servants themselves, but also their descendants would be slaves of the master's household for generations; this is what is known as "houseborn sons."

Why did the Jiangnan region, once known as a land of plenty, experience a food shortage?
Because the powerful and wealthy did not allow the planting of grain, they arranged for their servants to plant cash crops such as cotton, mulberry, and hemp.

The women then worked as weavers, producing goods to sell to various foreign tribes, including the French and Germans, earning huge sums of money.

The slaves undertook the hardest and most arduous work.

However, the vast majority of people cannot even be guaranteed the most basic right to survival.

It's no wonder that the Jiangnan slave rebellion occurred.

Lin Dao is preparing to start gathering his team.

Naturally, they wouldn't choose those dissolute young men in the city; those who couldn't survive in other places and sold themselves into slavery were a much better choice.

After a while, he frowned slightly and gestured for the women to be quiet.

I reached out to push open the car window, only to find it was sealed shut.

He reached behind his waist and pulled out a black stick.

Upon seeing the stick, Chen Yuanyuan's bright eyes narrowed slightly, and she subconsciously pulled her leg back.

"Stay here," Lin Dao instructed in a low voice. "Don't come out."

After saying that, he lifted the curtain and rushed out.

Upon seeing him emerge, the coachman's expression subtly changed, and he instinctively wanted to speak.

But the stun gun was pressed against his neck.

'Zzzzz~~~'

I jumped out of the car and looked around the forest road.

It was desolate and dilapidated, with many houses still standing.

There was no one in sight.

At the end of this road stands a sizable temple.

This is not the way to the next street corner at all.

"The local gangs really don't know the rules."

Reaching out and grabbing the driver's hair, Lin Dao vanished in a flash.

He returned after the time it takes to drink half a cup of hot tea.

He was wearing armor, a helmet, and carrying a travel bag.

"The team needs to be assembled as soon as possible."

Lin Dao put on his face shield and said, "I have to deal with these city scoundrels myself."

Outside the temple, beside a dilapidated stone pier, two beggars were picking lice from each other, acting as lookouts.

An older beggar yawned and tried to stretch.

But when he looked up, he saw a hammer falling.

'boom! '

The young beggar hurriedly tried to get up, but the hammer fell again as a warning.

He hung the hammer back on his waist, and placed his gloved hands on the shoulders of the two beggars.

When the forest path reappeared, only bright red bloodstains remained beside the stone pier.

The temple is quite large, but it is extremely dilapidated.

This could be the Dongyue Temple, or it could be the Guandi Temple.

Lin Dao was not interested in this.

He took a small drone out of his backpack and launched it, circling it several times above the temple.

Having determined the terrain and environment, the drone was retrieved and the operation commenced.

We took a detour to the back of the temple.

First, they dealt with a few of the gatekeepers and lookouts.

Then they retrieved the telescopic ladder with hooks and climbed up the wall.

He was wearing heavy armor, so he couldn't use his grappling hook.

They arrived at a door and were about to push it open and go inside.

The door in front of them was open.

A beggar, with his hands tied around his waist, walked out humming a tune.

Upon seeing the armored monster before him, the beggar abruptly stopped singing, his expression filled with fear.

Lin Dao slightly turned his head, his gaze passing over the beggar and looking into the house.

Inside the room were more than a dozen women who were tied with ropes.

"Yes~"

The beggar had just opened his mouth when a heavy fist slammed into it.

That was a real iron fist, a fist wearing an iron glove, which shattered his mouthful of dog teeth with a single punch.

The beggar was thrown backward and crashed to the ground, sobbing.

Lin Dao stepped forward and placed his foot between his legs.

The sound of an eggshell breaking rang out.

A shrill, inhuman cry echoed throughout the room.

"you."

Lin Dao stomped his large foot on the beggar's mouth, silencing his cry of pain.

He raised the claw hammer in his hand.

"They all deserve to die!"

(End of this chapter)