Chapter 2: Light of Fortune

Lu Zheng passed through the front yard, told Aunt Liu not to prepare lunch for him, and then walked out of his house.

Before his eyes, there appeared an ancient city street, full of traditional charm. Although varying in age, it was teeming with a vibrant atmosphere of life.

The house that Lu Zheng bought was located in Tongyi Lane in the northeast of Tonglin County. The house was relatively large, and the street was quite wide. Lu Zheng's residence was not far from the street entrance, so as soon as he stepped out, he saw people carrying shoulder poles or pushing carts selling breakfast at the street corner.

The laws of the Great Jing Dynasty were not rigid; there was no curfew, and no designated commercial areas, so there were street vendors everywhere. Besides a few main streets and a special area marked out in the south of the county known as Cong'an Square, there were scattered shops doing business on other streets as well.

"Young Master Lu!"

"Good morning, Young Master Lu!"

Because Lu Zheng had bought a house there, these days he would head out every morning for a walk around. Curious as he was, he had even bought a few kinds of breakfast on previous occasions, so the vendors selling breakfast nearby were all familiar with him.

Lu Zheng nodded and casually bought a wild vegetable bun from Aunt Li, who was pushing a wheelbarrow.

One bun cost two copper coins. The wild vegetables had been picked by Aunt Li herself from outside the city yesterday. Accompanied by vegetable oil, the taste was refreshing with a slight sweetness.

While munching on the bun, Lu Zheng soon reached his destination.

Qingsheng Building.

The largest teahouse in Tonglin County, selling morning tea and lunch. The main reason Lu Zheng came was that the storytellers there, apart from telling tales, would often chatter about various strange happenings from all over. Although not entirely credible, it was an important way for Lu Zheng to learn about the Great Jing Dynasty.

Lu Zheng had been coming for five consecutive days, learning all aspects of this world from the fresh stories told by the storytellers.

...

After spending the morning, rewarding the storyteller with fifteen copper coins, Lu Zheng had lunch in the teahouse, and then leisurely headed to his next destination.

Wenshi Studio.

As the name suggests, this shop sold all kinds of stone artifacts, including inkstones, paperweights, seal stones, and various raw stones, which could be customized according to the customer's requirements.

These days, Lu Zheng had been infusing the Great Jing Dynasty and had pondered for a long time about what valuable items he could take back from the Great Jing Dynasty.

Books and paintings? Even if they were all new items, the celebrities of this world had no fame in their era.

Gold and silverware? They were valuable in this world too, and if Lu Zheng made large purchases, it would easily attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.

As for other crafts, there was no point mentioning them. They couldn't even be sold back home.

Finally, what gave Lu Zheng inspiration was the idea of his Jade Seal. Maybe there were some materials that were not valuable in the Great Jing Dynasty but highly valuable in modern times?

For example, recently popular Warring States red stones or Tianhuang stones, known as the king of Shoushan stones.

In recent days, Lu Zheng had returned to the modern world to cram knowledge about various jades, preparing himself well before heading to Wenshi Studio, hoping to find a bargain.

"Young master, do you need an inkstone or a seal stone? Our shop deals in a variety of stone artifacts, including blue mountain stone, black star stone, and red cherry stone."

After all, Tonglin County was just a county, and stone artifacts were not everyday business, so few people visited. When a customer finally came, the shop owner was very enthusiastic.

"I'm just looking around."

Lu Zheng politely responded and then began to look at the various stone artifacts in the shop.

Immediately after, in a spot where the owner couldn't see, a subtle smile appeared on his lips.

As expected, there were indeed good stones!

Even though judging by the placement of these stones, it was easy to guess their high price, was the money of the Great Jing Dynasty genuine currency?

"This seal…"

Lu Zheng wasn't shy, pointing directly to a fist-sized red seal stone on the shelf.

Its red was as deep as blood, covering from top to bottom, glamorous yet not demonic, as floating clouds and bright clouds, adorned with golden yellow, streaked and smooth like sunlight.

"Young master, you have a sharp eye. This is a Phoenix Blood Stone produced from Yaozhou Phoenix Mountain, with a color compared to cinnabar, red as blood wings, and the gold as phoenix autumn leaves, signifying the phoenix resting peacefully…"

After a bunch of exaggerated bragging, Lu Zheng just listened, not wanting to appear too wealthy.

However, seeing no reaction from Lu Zheng, the shopkeeper at Wenshi Studio found it hard to continue, so he wrapped it up and stated the price.

"Thirty thousand coins!"

"That's expensive. Twenty thousand coins."

"Oh my young master, this is top-grade Phoenix Blood Stone, with a golden base, a rare gem among thousands…"

"Twenty-five thousand coins, or let's call it off."

"I'll wrap it up for you!"

In terms of the purchasing power of the Great Jing Dynasty, one thousand coins could buy two hundred pounds of fine rice. Calculated at five yuan per pound, twenty-five thousand coins were equivalent to twenty-five thousand yuan in modern times, quite a luxury item.

But was that expensive for Lu Zheng?

A pair of fully transparent glass lion ornaments, clear as water, smooth as mirrors, pretending to be natural materials, could be said to be one in ten thousand in the Great Jing Dynasty, and sold for five hundred thousand coins!

Keep in mind, Lu Zheng's three-compound house only cost him three hundred thousand coins.

Although in a short time, Lu Zheng dared not bring another such massive weapon from here, Lu Zheng also needed to replenish his resources in modern times, as he was about to run out of supplies there.

In a fine sandalwood box, the shopkeeper also gifted Lu Zheng a box of seal paste. Lu Zheng paid with treasure notes and left the shop with satisfaction.

...

Throughout the afternoon, Lu Zheng wandered harmlessly from the east of the city to the west, adding some odds and ends to his house. However, he didn't carry these with him but paid the bill and asked the shopkeepers to deliver them to his house in Tongyi Lane.

Lu Zheng felt that the service in the Great Jing Dynasty was even better than in modern times, all offering home delivery.

...

When he returned home at dusk, he saw a dirty old beggar sitting under the eaves of his courtyard for a rest.

The old beggar had gray hair, dressed in tattered, threadbare linen garments, his face full of dirt, yet he looked contented, kneading mud balls while sniffing the fragrant smell wafting from Lu Zheng's house.

This was the meal Aunt Liu prepared using condiments that Lu Zheng had brought from modern times.

Lu Zheng sniffed and guessed that Aunt Liu might have even steamed a chicken today.

"Young sir, are you the owner of this house?" The old beggar showed a yellow-toothed smile. "Could you spare an old beggar a chicken leg?"

Lu Zheng instinctively frowned. As the younger, modern-day wave as he was, almost back-to-back with the post-00s, he had never encountered such a dirty beggar?

But Lu Zheng quickly regained his composure, without showing any sign of disgust.

Equality of all, empathy and respect for others, preserving dignity, these were the fundamental qualities of the younger generation in the new era.

"Sure!" Lu Zheng agreed without hesitation.

"Eh?" This time it was the old beggar's turn to be bewildered. He scrutinized Lu Zheng for a while and couldn't help but ask, "Really?"

"It's just a chicken leg. Wait here." Lu Zheng smiled, walked past the old beggar, and knocked on the door.

"Uncle Li, open the door!"

"Young master is back!"

A series of footsteps approached, Uncle Li opened the courtyard door and stepped aside, waiting for Lu Zheng to enter.

"Tear off a chicken leg, serve a bowl of vegetables, get two steamed buns, and give them to this fellow here."

Seeing Lu Zheng gesturing with his lips, Uncle Li finally noticed the old beggar sitting under the eaves of his house.

"Where did this old beggar come from? You're in luck; this is the spice my young master treasures, something you've never tasted in your life!"

Being from a poor background, Uncle Li didn't despise the old beggar. Instead, because of Lu Zheng's kindness, he felt a greater sense of security in his heart.

"Young sir, could you also spare an old beggar a cup of rough wine?" The old beggar continued to shamelessly ask for wine.

"Sure." Lu Zheng nodded.

Having given away a meal, it didn't matter to give a cup of wine too.

The old beggar beamed with joy, sitting under the eaves waiting for his food, while Lu Zheng, upon entering, saw Aunt Liu setting up the dining table in the main hall.

"Young master, the meal is ready!"

"Yes."

Lu Zheng had his meal in the main hall, while Aunt Liu and Uncle Li left their portions and ate in the kitchen themselves.

Then, just as Lu Zheng was about to start his meal, the Jade Seal in his mind suddenly gained five strands of white light!

At the moment the white light appeared, Lu Zheng immediately knew its name.

The Light of Fortune!