Chen Xiaobei sat on the creaking broken bed for a full quarter of an hour.
He finally understood one thing: he had transmigrated. He had transmigrated to a parallel world, a place called the Great Cang Kingdom.
This was a country not found in history books. Judging from the level of house construction and the craftsmanship of the table in front of him, it was at most equivalent to the Tang and Song dynasties in real history. Although, the table was old and only had three legs.
While he was lost in thought, he heard a faint sound of footsteps.
A little girl, not as tall as the table, walked in cautiously.
This little girl was about five or six years old, with hair as messy as a bird's nest, a face covered in dust, and clothes so dirty that their original color could no longer be seen.
She walked into the room and timidly came to Chen Xiaobei's bed, "Brother, Qiao'er is hungry."
Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but shiver.
This little girl in front of him was the sister of the body's Chen Xiaobei, named Chen Qiao'er. Sudan Novel Network.
Although he was a nobody in his past life, he could at least earn a living by tightening screws in a factory.
But in this life, Chen Xiaobei was truly destitute. Besides the bed he was sleeping on, there was only a three-legged table. Oh, and a water vat in the corner.
Gurgle, his stomach growled uncooperatively.
But his memory told him that there was nothing to eat in their so-called home.
Chen Xiaobei forced himself to stand up, "Let's go find something to eat."
He stepped out of the room and looked at the house again.
In the courtyard, there was a large sophora tree.
But that was all.
In the east wing room, three bricks propped up half a cast-iron pot.
This was the so-called kitchen.
The surrounding courtyard walls were only one person high, and one could easily jump over the wall.
Sigh.
Chen Xiaobei shook his head. What kind of transmigration was this?
It's not like I'm a prince or a noble. I can endure that. It's fine if there's no cheat, but at least give me enough to eat. But this is great, no food, and a burden to drag along.
It was already close to noon, and walking on the village street, he could see few houses with smoke rising from their chimneys.
This village was called Hetou Village.
The village was near Qingniu Mountain. In a small mountain village of this era, there was little arable land and low yields. For ordinary families, being able to avoid starvation for the year was already a great blessing. Therefore, many families would just endure until noon.
As for the siblings, one was lazy and the other was too young, so it was understandable that they lived from meal to meal.
After walking not far, several people came towards them.
The leader was a local ruffian named Chen Ermao. Usually, these people were idle, doing all sorts of things like eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling.
Upon seeing Chen Xiaobei, Chen Ermao laughed from a distance, "Brother Xiaobei, I was just about to look for you. Hurry up and hand Qiao'er over to me."
A young man with a sharp mouth and monkey-like features next to him added, "Heh heh, Brother Xiaobei, we've found a good home for Qiao'er. Magistrate Zhao in the city is a well-known philanthropist. Qiao'er won't suffer there."
Chen Ermao then said, "That's right. As long as Qiao'er enters the Zhao family, not only will our gambling debts be cleared, but I'll also give you another five hundred wen."
Chen Xiaobei shivered, and memories flooded back instantly.
Damn it, the Chen Xiaobei of his past life was actually going to use his sister Chen Qiao'er to pay off his gambling debts.
Today was the day Chen Ermao and his gang were coming to collect.
Hearing these words, Chen Qiao'er visibly trembled and tightly held Chen Xiaobei's arm.
"Brother, don't sell me. I'll go dig for wild vegetables. From now on, you rest at home, and I'll go get food..."
Chen Xiaobei's nose felt sore. Chen Xiaobei, no, the dead Chen Xiaobei, you bastard, you wicked dog, you're selling your own sister.
He turned to look at the pitiful little girl and gently patted her head.
"Don't worry, Brother won't."
After saying that, he turned to Chen Ermao and said, "You must have misheard. I won't sell Qiao'er."
Hearing this, Chen Ermao laughed heartily, "Alright, I know you siblings have deep affection. Give me the person, and you wait at home. I guarantee not a single coin will be short. I'll deliver it to your home."
Chen Xiaobei shook his head firmly again, "I said, I will not sell my sister. She is the only relative I have in this world."
With that, he protected Chen Qiao'er, took two steps back gently, and picked up half a brick from the ground.
Chen Ermao's expression changed, "Chen Xiaobei, what do you mean? We agreed on this the day before yesterday."
Seeing his silence, the monkey next to him added, "Brother, think about it. Qiao'er is only six or seven years old, and she can't help you much. Besides, you're barely getting by. How can you afford to raise her?"
Yes, what the monkey said was true.
The common people of this era had no other livelihood except farming.
Chen Xiaobei's two mu of land had already been sublet to others. The annual rent of two hundred jin of grain was not enough to eat. If it weren't for the charity of kind neighbors, he would have starved to death long ago.
But these were not reasons to sell his sister.
Chen Xiaobei shook the brick in his hand again, "I said, I won't sell my sister."
Chen Ermao's face finally changed. He waved his hand.
"Go, grab the person."
Chen Xiaobei had experience fighting. He had already retreated two steps and brought his sister almost to the corner. Protecting his sister behind him was the safest. Most importantly, he had half a brick in his hand.
The monkey cursed, rolled up his sleeves, and rushed forward, reaching out to grab Chen Xiaobei's neck.
In the past, seeing this posture, Chen Xiaobei would have immediately softened and wished he could kneel and beg for mercy.
But today, Chen Xiaobei erupted with infinite fighting power, wielding the brick and smashing it towards the monkey's head.
The monkey, caught off guard, dodged quickly, but he was still a beat slow and was heavily smashed on the shoulder.
The monkey grimaced in pain and quickly retreated.
"You're seeking death." Chen Ermao saw this and rushed forward again.
Originally, Chen Ermao thought that his body, which was half a head taller than Chen Xiaobei, would be enough to intimidate the opponent. However, he didn't expect Chen Xiaobei to say nothing and smash another brick down on him.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei fighting so desperately, Chen Ermao also quickly retreated two steps.
Chen Xiaobei glared with bloodshot eyes and said fiercely, "I'll say it again, I won't sell my sister."
Seeing Chen Xiaobei acting like a madman, Chen Ermao stomped his feet and shouted, "Chen Xiaobei, don't forget, you still owe me two taels of silver."
Chen Xiaobei was filled with emotion upon hearing this. This was true. He had gambled for a whole night and lost two taels of silver to Chen Ermao.
Now it seemed like a trap. It was designed to force him to sell his sister.
The monkey next to Chen Ermao blinked his eyes, "Chen Xiaobei, think carefully. With your conditions, let alone two taels of silver, you probably can't even come up with one copper coin!"
Hearing this, Chen Ermao chuckled, "Yes, if you don't give me the person, then return the silver."
Chen Xiaobei's thoughts flashed through his mind. It seemed that if he didn't do something drastic today, this matter would not be resolved. He gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Give me three days, and I'll return your silver."