People in this era generally married early, and Jiang Mu is only thirty-two now, which is considered the prime of life in modern terms. He was dressed in a long robe, which signified his identity as a scholar.
Jiang Chan sneered inwardly but maintained a neutral expression on her face. She walked straight past Jiang Mu and returned to her small room.
Jiang Xing, supporting Wang Shi timidly, said, “Father, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have stayed in my room learning feminine skills. Big brother is preparing for an exam, and I want to help by mastering these skills to earn money for his exams.”
Wang Shi suddenly felt heartache. Holding Jiang Xing’s hand and looking at her fair and tender skin, she could only see a small needle mark, yet it made Wang Shi feel incredibly distressed.
“My little ancestor, it’s hard for you to think for your big brother this way. You are much better than your elder sister; I’ve raised her in vain.”
“Mother, don’t speak ill of elder sister. She didn’t mean to,” Jiang Xing said timidly.
Wang Shi was dissatisfied, “I think she deliberately provokes me. I shouldn’t have given birth to her in the first place.”
Jiang Mu, impatient with these discussions, walked out with his hands behind his back. “Hurry up and prepare the meal.”
Jiang Chan lay on the bed, listening to Wang Shi’s intentionally loud voice. Considering the performances of Jiang Xing and Jiang Mu she had just witnessed, Jiang Chan knew that the task at hand was indeed quite challenging.
She didn’t spend time reflecting on her actions like Jiang Mu suggested. Instead, she lay back, contemplating how to break free from the current situation. The original owner’s primary wish was to escape from the Jiang family. This showed the original owner’s strong dissatisfaction with the Jiang family.
In just a short time since Jiang Chan’s arrival, she could already sense the oppressive atmosphere in the house. The father, a sour scholar, didn’t bother with family matters. The mother, Wang Shi, was biased, caring only for her son Jiang Miao, the scholar, and her younger daughter Jiang Xing, who was expected to marry well in the future.
Since the original owner’s wish was to break free from the Jiang family, Jiang Chan must fulfill it for her. This is indeed the first task. Qingyuan Shangxian has said that the tasks in the future will become increasingly difficult, and the first task cannot go uncompleted.
However, how to break free from the Jiang family? Jiang Chan stared at the beams on the ceiling, her mind racing. No matter when, money is the backbone of a person. People can stand tall because they have money.
To gain the right to speak in a family that can be likened to vampires, the most important thing is to have money. The only question is where this money should come from, and Jiang Chan needs to carefully think about it.
At only fourteen, Jiang Chan felt awkward. In modern terms, she would be considered a child laborer, but in this ancient era, she could already be married off. However, Jiang Chan couldn’t entertain the idea of getting married.
What makes her stronger than the original host is that she has undergone nine years of compulsory education. While her values may not be excessively righteous, at least they are not deviated too far. Unlike Wang Shi, who has no independent thoughts and relies on a man for survival, Jiang Chan cannot do that.
In modern times, she works hard to earn money and alleviate the burden on the orphanage. There is no reason why she would be helpless in ancient times. Jiang Chan carefully pondered the memories of the original host that she has integrated, striving not to miss any details.
Only when she had a little clue did Jiang Chan relax a bit. Using one’s brain is also quite exhausting, and Jiang Chan’s stomach immediately growled.
Touching her slightly shrunken belly, Jiang Chan, hearing no sounds outside, got up and moved towards the kitchen. She wanted to see how heartless the Jiang family could be when it came to food.
With the moonlight outside the window as her guide, Jiang Chan carefully searched the kitchen. As she expected, there was nothing edible in the kitchen. In the end, Jiang Chan only found two raw sweet potatoes. She wasn’t picky; cleaned raw sweet potatoes were still suitable to eat.
Holding the washed sweet potatoes, Jiang Chan thought about her schedule for the next day. It was clear that staying with the Jiang family was not an option. Maybe she should try her luck in town tomorrow?
According to the memories of the original owner, women in this era had relatively more freedom, similar to the Tang Dynasty in history. Women running businesses or shops was quite common. This gave Jiang Chan a bit of confidence. She had experience working, and she hoped that would help her survive in this era.
With this thought, Jiang Chan finished eating one sweet potato and slowly fell asleep, still contemplating how to live in this era.
She hadn’t forgotten what the celestial being Qingyuan Shangxian told her – if she made mistakes in the first three tasks, she would never return to the modern era. Jiang Chan valued her life, so she brainstormed ways to make sure she could survive.
Moreover, when Jiang Chan arrived here, Qingyuan Shangxian could not provide her with any help. No matter which era she came to, the only thing she could rely on was always herself. Jiang Chan understood this very clearly when she signed the contract with Qingyuan.
Thinking about this, Jiang Chan gritted her teeth. She refused to believe that a modern person like her couldn’t survive in such a feudal society!
It was still before four in the morning when Jiang Chan woke up. The sky was just starting to brighten. She had been awake all night, thinking about going to town early to try her luck.
If she woke up late, Wang Shi would surely stop her from going. Seeing how closely Wang Shi was watching her, Jiang Chan decided to slip out quietly before Wang Shi woke up.
After washing her face hastily with well water in the yard, Jiang Chan pushed the courtyard door open and headed towards the town. The original owner had been to town before. After she married the widower she frequently went there to sell firewood to survive.
Following the original owner’s memories, Jiang Chan walked towards the town. Despite being remote, she was young and walked fast. Even so, it took her nearly two hours to reach her destination, highlighting how isolated the Jiang family was.
The season when Jiang Chan came over was early winter, and at around six o’clock it was still quite dark. There were not many pedestrians on the road, but the breakfast stalls were already open.
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