IHOEAYSTTTIW Chapter 88

Chapter 88: Transmigration Aftereffects Arrive Late But Surely, Idealism Is Destined to Be Unacclimated

Money, money, money, all they do is ask for money.

Lin Yan didn’t have a concept of money, but An Tan did. At this moment, he was frantically waving his hand behind the advisor, even pulling out a flat purse from his waist to show Lin Yan.

“No money.” As long as Lin Yan wanted it, An Tan wouldn’t care what anyone said. But Lin Yan’s mood was at its worst, and he didn’t give the steward a good look either.

Those people had already “bribed” the Provincial Administration Commissioner with plenty of good things, so why were they short on his few small coins?

No money for you, not giving you my life, go to hell.

The advisor had been observing Lin Yan’s expression, and seeing him like this, his heart sank halfway.

The advisor knelt down with a thud, kowtowing in a particularly crisp manner.

Lin Yan coldly turned his head away, but felt somewhat uncomfortable. Even though he knew that few officials in the Great Zhou were clean, he couldn’t accept these people’s kneeling with peace of mind.

The advisor saw these small changes in Lin Yan, and he struck while the iron was hot, kowtowing again as he pitifully pleaded, “All the people in this city see you as a bodhisattva, and now there’s not much grain in the city, and grain from outside can’t be transported in for a while. Please, sir, have mercy, just a little…”

The advisor rambled on and on, and Lin Yan grew irritable, but he had to admit that every word he said struck a chord in his heart.

He indeed couldn’t watch the Changning people starve and freeze, much less watch them die from famine. Even if he knew that the soaring grain prices in the city weren’t his fault, guessed that the Provincial Administration Commissioner’s complaints were just to shirk responsibility, and that the whole purpose was to trick some silver out of him, knowing that it was a trap that they didn’t even bother to conceal, he had no choice but to jump into it without hesitation.

Lin Yan coldly snorted and waved his hand around the room, “Whatever’s in this room, take it to the pawnshop.”

The advisor’s face instantly turned white. He wiped his sweat and shakily stood up from the ground, “Sir, you’re being too serious. The Provincial Administration has some silver…”

“I’m serious.” Lin Yan stroked White a couple of times, speaking lightly, “If you want it, you can even take this house.”

“Sir, these words…” The advisor wiped his sweat again, and was about to take his leave when he realized that Lin Yan’s expression wasn’t what he expected.

Those words weren’t a threat, or a warning, but more like…a helpless act of desperation.

Such almost foolish kindness, such naive ignorance of the world, the advisor thought only existed in children, but now he saw it in Lin Yan. The advisor was somewhat dazed, and he rubbed his eyes in disbelief, wanting to confirm it again, but he saw An Tan behind Lin Yan, hesitant to speak.

This gentleman had been following Mr. Wu’s side, and Mr. Wu treated him with respect and trust, even entrusting him with the management of his finances. But this gentleman wasn’t from the Wu family, he was more like…an informant sent by someone.

The advisor’s mind raced, and he quickly sorted out the twists and turns.

If the sons of officials couldn’t pass the imperial examinations, there were other ways to get a leisurely position. Spending money to buy an official title was one way, and making some political achievements was another.

It was said that the Emperor greatly favored this gentleman, and when he heard that he was coming to Changning, he rewarded him with a house and even sent someone to escort him here. Now, to relieve the disaster, he was pawning the house, gaining fame and political achievements. What else couldn’t he get his hands on?

Using the Emperor’s money to save the Emperor’s people, exchanging it for his own reputation and official position, who wouldn’t sigh at his brilliance?

“Sir, you are righteous.” The advisor smiled and went to An Tan to ask for the land deed, saying things that Lin Yan liked to hear, “After the famine in Changning ends, my master will definitely report your righteousness to the Emperor.”

Lin Yan didn’t know why the advisor’s attitude had suddenly made a three hundred and sixty degree turn, but he didn’t even have the desire to argue anymore. Lin Yan waved his hand, telling the advisor to get out quickly.

Having achieved his goal, the advisor didn’t mind Lin Yan’s rudeness in the slightest. He snatched the bank-notes from An Tan and happily retreated out, not forgetting to scheme about what valuables there were as he left the residence.

With Lin Yan’s permission, the people from the Provincial Administration came to Wu’s residence every couple of days to take a look around. They were like greedy hyenas, completely devouring the defenseless prey before complaining that the prey’s meat was too little, drooling as they retreated.

Lin Yan was trying to integrate into this era, starting with the simplest Four Books and Five Classics.

Several days passed, and Lin Yan hadn’t even figured out what the “Great Learning” was about, but the pawn tickets in his hand were already stacked higher than the Four Books—the purple sandalwood cabinet was pawned for charcoal, and the celadon pulse pillow was exchanged for coarse rice. In the end, when there was really nothing left, Lin Yan took out his thermos from his small backpack and exchanged it for twenty loads of bran.

Lin Yan had his own little account, and everything that was pawned was clearly listed in the ledger. He sadly discovered that, from ancient times to the present, pawn tickets were always more valuable than books of sages.

The only thing worth celebrating was that, with the support of these money and grain, the lives of the Changning people weren’t too miserable. Although they only had a bowl of thin porridge every day, at least they had something to eat.

However, this kind of thin porridge was about to become unsustainable.

By the time the snow stopped, Lin Yan had already moved out of the Wu residence and into an ordinary courtyard house. He wasn’t used to being served by too many people anyway, so he took this opportunity to dismiss all the servants, leaving only the young Ginkgo and Kumquat by his side.

The day the grain ran out was a rare good day, but Lin Yan no longer had the desire to wander outside. He just wanted to sleep well, and then look for more grain when he woke up.

Ginkgo saw Lin Yan’s exhaustion and softly comforted him, “Sir, you’ve been too tired these past few days, go back and rest first.”

Lin Yan looked at the porridge that was only a little bit left, and then at the nimble Ginkgo and Kumquat, and felt shamefully tempted.

Ginkgo gave Kumquat a look, and Kumquat immediately offered the excuse of going home early to Lin Yan, “Sir, I think I forgot to feed the cat this morning.”

The excuse was so clumsy that Lin Yan’s eyelids twitched, but he still followed the words, “Then I’ll go back first, you’ve worked hard.”

No matter when, leaving work early was a happy thing.

Lin Yan left a string of footprints on the white snow, letting his thoughts wander aimlessly.

Although the grain had run out, the grain transport team should be arriving soon. Xiao Qi… what was he thinking about that for? When the grain arrived, he wouldn’t have to drink this bland porridge anymore. In a couple of days, when the snow melted, he could dig up some spring bamboo shoots to eat, stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured meat, Xiao Qi definitely hadn’t eaten it before.

…

…

Recently, Lin Yan had been thinking of Yun Qi more and more often. Whenever he had free time, he would think of the time he spent with Yun Qi, recalling all the things that had happened before.

These past half a month of hardship were more than Lin Yan had experienced in the first half of his life, and he gradually understood Yun Qi’s lies, and the reasons behind them.

The former empress, who had transmigrated into a deep palace of resentment, was unable to change this dynasty, so she began to frantically push her children. Yun Qi grew up under such education, his thoughts completely separated from reality, receiving an education of equality for all while facing the reality that the upper echelons could decide the fate of a person with a single word.

Lin Yan had only endured such days for a few months and was already exhausted, let alone Yun Qi, who had grown up in such an environment, constantly torn between these two conflicting ideas for the past sixteen years.

So, when Yun Qi met Lin Yan, he almost instinctively grabbed this life-saving straw, like a drowning person, instinctively pulling the person next to him down, regardless of whether they were there to save him or not.

After that…

Perhaps Yun Qi had thought about confessing, but both his affection for Lin Yan and the things Lin Yan possessed made him unable to speak.

A big liar, a coward, but…

Lin Yan found that he couldn’t blame Yun Qi. The anger and confusion he had felt before had dissipated with time.

Lin Yan mocked himself with a curl of his lips, and pushed open the door to enter the courtyard.

Anyway, they wouldn’t see each other again, so what was the point of thinking so much.

But… what if, what if they could still meet?

If that day came, he would punish that bad guy a little, at least let him know that he wasn’t easy to bully!!!

Lin Yan took two steps towards the room when he suddenly heard wailing erupting outside the courtyard.

Before his mind could react, his body had already rushed out the door.

A shop assistant from the rice shop kicked a half-grown child into the ditch. The child was desperately protecting a tattered cloth bag in his arms, and a few grains of yellowed millet were visible between the accumulated snow.

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