A glimpse of opportunity: Start by marrying a mermaid bride.

Zheng Xuan and his companions stayed in Nanhe Village, Tanghe Town, outside Jinmen City, about eighty li away from Jinmen City. The carriage took about two hours to travel to Jinmen City.

Tianjin was divided into two parts: the north and the south. The south part was the new city, also known as the foreign city, because a large area of ​​it was a foreign concession, and the remaining areas were used for businesses that supported the concessions.

To the north lies the old town, where people from all walks of life live.

The two got off the carriage at the city gate and saw the guards. After paying the entrance fee, they were allowed to enter the city. The city of Tianjin in this world was bustling with activity. There were vendors hawking their wares, setting up stalls on the ground, and performing various tricks such as crosstalk and magic shows.

Zheng Xuan had experienced night markets in later generations, so he wasn't surprised or curious about these things. But the fisherwoman was curious about everything she saw. The poor child had never imagined that the outside world could be so lively.

Zheng Xuan looked around and found an inn that looked quiet and clean.

The waiter, with his sharp eyes, saw Zheng and Xuan approaching and immediately asked, "Gentlemen, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"

Zheng Xuan said, "Let's check out the rooms first."

"Alright, please come in..."

Zheng Xuan led the fisherwoman into the inn, then looked around and, finding the place clean, chose a superior room and asked, "How much is a monthly room?"

Upon hearing this, the waiter immediately forced a smile and said, "Three silver dollars."

The fisherwoman was startled upon hearing this and pulled Zheng Xuan away. Three silver dollars! Was this shop made of gold? It was so expensive!

Zheng Xuan looked at the waiter and said, "That's not true. It's the off-season for merchants now. I see that many of our rooms are empty. I believe it's three silver dollars in the peak season, but we can't offer that price in the off-season. One silver dollar."

"Oh my god, this shop isn't mine. If I rented it to you at such a low price, the shopkeeper would skin me alive. Two dollars, two dollars, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xuan said, "If that's how you want it, then I won't rent it. I don't believe we can't find a cheap inn in this huge city of Tianjin."

Upon hearing Zheng Xuan's words, the waiter looked pained and said, "Alright, one yuan and fifty cents, plus breakfast every day, is that acceptable?"

"Breakfast is not something to be rushed!"

Zheng Xuandao.

The waiter said, "Don't worry, if breakfast isn't to your liking, I'll go out and buy you something. Whether it's fried dough sticks or jianbing guozi, it's on you, okay?"

Zheng Xuan said, "Okay, this is the place. I'll book it for a month."

Zheng Xuan handed the money to the waiter, who immediately replied, "Alright, just let me know if you need anything."

The waiter turned and left. After he left, the fisherwoman said, "Husband, we can't spend money like this. We've already spent one dollar and fifty cents since we arrived in the city. Let's find some time to rent a cheaper place. I heard that there are people in the city who are hiring to do laundry. I can go and do laundry to earn money."

Seeing the fisherwoman's worried expression about the future, especially her offer to help supplement the family income, Zheng Xuan couldn't help but sigh, "Women in this era are still so good. If it were in later generations, it would be too rare to find someone as considerate as the fisherwoman."

Glug glug~

Zheng Xuan's stomach rumbled, and he patted it, saying, "Come on, let's go out to eat!"

"Oh? Husband, it's too expensive to eat out. Let's make some flatbread and have some at the inn."

The fisherwoman tugged at Zheng Xuan, who said, "It's our first day in Tianjin, don't worry about money. We'll have plenty of opportunities to make a fortune here."

Zheng Xuan wasn't joking. Just now, on his way here, he saw two guys with green lights emanating from their heads. Zheng Xuan wanted to go up and claim the opportunity, but the two walked too fast for him to keep up. However, this also proved that there were definitely plenty of opportunities in Jinmen City.

There are still opportunities to make money on your own.

Another issue is money. Zheng Xuan is new to Tianjin and unfamiliar with the city. It's easy to get ripped off when looking for or renting a house. It would be better to stay in an inn for a month first, and then rent a house after he's become more familiar with the city. This way, he can avoid being scammed.

There's also the issue of food. Zheng Xuan and the fisherwoman had finally recovered some of their health these past few days, but now that they've come to the city, they're only eating flatbread. Their living standards are even worse than in the village. Wouldn't it be a waste for them to come to the city?

"Come on, I just saw they sell mutton soup outside, let's go get some!"

Zheng Xuan led the fisherwoman out of the inn and to the mutton soup stall. Zheng Xuan said, "Boss, one bowl of mutton, one bowl of mutton offal, and three sesame cakes, please..."

Upon hearing Zheng Xuan's words, the fisherwoman quickly pulled him aside and said, "Husband, I won't drink anymore. You can drink it yourself. Let's save some money. I'll eat some cakes, I'll eat some cakes."

Seeing the fisherwoman's state, Zheng Xuan didn't know what to say. He wasn't actually short of money. His aunt had gotten back thirty silver dollars, he had gotten twenty silver dollars from the ambush, and he also had a silver bracelet and two gold earrings that he had taken from Feng Guiqin. He estimated that these items could be sold for at least twenty or thirty silver dollars.

Zheng Xuan ignored the fisherwoman, while the boss quickly brought over the mutton offal soup and mutton soup. Zheng Xuan took the mutton offal soup, as he preferred the offal, while he gave the mutton to the fisherwoman.

The fisherwoman was deeply moved when she saw that Zheng Xuan had given her the meat and was eating the offal himself, since the price of the mutton offal soup was only one-third of that of the mutton soup.

Seeing that the fisherwoman wasn't touching her chopsticks, Zheng Xuan said, "What's wrong? Is it not to your liking? Why don't we go buy two jianbing guozi?"

"No, no need, this is fine."

The fisherwoman lowered her head and drank the mutton soup, tears welling up in her eyes. Her husband was so good to her.

Zheng Xuan then said to the fisherwoman, "After you finish eating, go back to the inn by yourself. I have some things to take care of. I won't be going back, so don't come out."

The fisherwoman nodded and looked at Zheng Xuan, saying, "Don't worry, I won't cause any trouble."

Zheng Xuan smiled, and soon finished his meal. The fisherwoman returned to the inn, while Zheng Xuan wandered around the city, eventually finding a gold shop after many twists and turns.

Do you buy and sell jewelry?

Zheng Xuan asked the shop assistant, who looked him up and down. Seeing Zheng Xuan's honest face, the assistant replied, "Yes, I accept it. Is it legitimately obtained?"

"It was left to me by my mother, so you can tell if it came from a legitimate source."

As Zheng Xuan spoke, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket, unfolding it layer by layer, three layers in total, before finally revealing the pair of gold earrings and silver bracelet. He did this intentionally: he knew that gold and silver of dubious origin would either be melted down or smashed beyond recognition, thus preventing the owner from discovering the loss and reporting it to the authorities.

Zheng Xuan's house was wrapped in layers upon layers of clothing, something only farmers would do.

The young shopkeeper, as expected, didn't suspect anything and said, "Hey, I thought it was some kind of treasure, is this all?"

……

The items were sold smoothly. After some haggling, Zheng Xuan sold a silver bracelet and a pair of gold earrings for thirty-two silver dollars. This brought the total number of silver dollars in Zheng Xuan's pocket to seventy-eight.

With the money in hand, Zheng Xuan felt more confident. Just as he was wondering whether to return to the inn or wander around, a group of people suddenly headed towards the north gate.

Zheng Xuan hadn't paid any attention at first, but when he glanced around unintentionally, he actually saw a blue exclamation mark in that direction!

Wow, what a coincidence!