Chapter 7: Rags to Riches (Part 1)

  Huddled in the cold and gloomy old alley corner, Qin Kan was sleepless all night.

  From the day he came from, he didn't have too much ambition. Those stories of people who crossed over to fight for dominance and seek the throne were just that - stories to him. When it actually happened to himself, however, it was somewhat unattainable. At least a person cowering in the corner, unable to guarantee even warmth and fullness, absolutely had no thoughts of seeking the throne. The most practical thoughts were how to fill his own belly, how to warm himself up a bit, and... how to stay far away from that tall woman.

  Although it is uncertain whether the savage woman's facial features are against her husband, it can be confirmed that her facial features must bring financial losses and disasters, Qin Kan is a bloody example.

  The rain kept falling, chilling me to the bone.

  Qin Kan took out the cold and hard steamed bun from his bosom, gnawing at it mouthful by mouthful. As he ate, he stretched out his hand to catch the raindrops falling from the night sky, filling one hand before bringing it to his lips to drink.

  After eating the steamed buns, Qin Kan felt a chill all over his body again. He stood up and exercised his icy hands and feet. Under the dark and deserted night sky, a lone figure slowly ran along the streets of Shaoxing City, running half the city before returning to the alley, squatting down, hugging his arms, and curling up in the cold corner.

  It was a difficult night, and neither of them had ever experienced such hardship.

  A noble person delights in the rain, but Qin Kan can only bitterly smile as he looks up at the sky with its fine drizzle, he never thought that he would end up like a beggar.

  The sky gradually brightened, and from time to time, the sound of roosters crowing came from within the city. This night had finally passed.

  Qin Kan shook off the rainwater on his body, his clothes were already soaked through, sticking to him as if he was wearing a piece of thousand-year-old cold iron.

  His stomach was hungry again, Qin Kan walked out of the alley and planned to go to the Bao Dian stall in the East City Market to grab two hot steamed buns. He had been there twice yesterday and succeeded every time, which showed that the owner of the Bao Dian stall was not very clever and had poor eyesight. This kind of person belonged to the soft persimmon category, very suitable for taking advantage of.

  Just as he walked out of the alley, Qin Kan's good mood in the morning suddenly became very low.

  Because he saw a person, a woman with a lingering shadow, this woman had a height of 1.7 meters...

  Du Yan stood alone at the entrance of the alley, her expression calm and serene. Today, she didn't wear any makeup, her face was bare and natural, wearing a light green pleated skirt with wide and luxurious sleeves that were awkwardly tied with two wrist guards. The elegant and refined dress on her body seemed to exude a wild and fierce aura, emitting a strong and deadly vibe.

  At this moment, Du Yan stood firmly at the entrance of the alley, with her hands on her hips and a posture that seemed to say "don't even think about it".

  "Hey, you really spent a whole night in this broken place?" Du Yan's tone wasn't very friendly, the anger from yesterday was still evident.

  "Of course not," Qin Kan said with a straight face. "Last night, the young lady of a wealthy family saw me and fell in love with me at first sight. She was so infatuated that she cried and begged me to go home with her, arranged for me to stay in her boudoir, and even insisted on keeping me company all night..."

  Du Yan's eyes widened in surprise: "How is that possible?"

  Qin Kan said coldly: "Since you know it's impossible, don't ask me such nonsense again."

  Du Yan's face suddenly turned gloomy: "Then I won't waste words with you, do you know why I'm here?"

  Qin Kan sighed gloomily: "It's obvious, the newcomer is not here for good..."

  Du Yan's small and delicate nose wrinkled, squeezing out a few adorable folds, but her expression was somewhat schadenfreude.

  "Haven't you forgotten what you said yesterday? You said today we could gather twenty taels of silver as a fine, where is the silver?"

  Duyan stretched out her slender white hand and waved it in front of Qin Kan, looking very pleased with herself.

  Qin Kan murmured: "They say that the county magistrate is a spendthrift, and the governor is a ruthless killer... it seems that the county magistrate's daughter is not to be trifled with either..."

  Du Yan's beautiful big eyes narrowed into two slits as she smiled: "Although the county magistrate's daughter cannot bear to break up the family and destroy the house, at least she knows how to ask for debt."

  Qin Kan sighed: "If I have to take out twenty taels of silver now, there are only two ways..."

  Du Yan stared at him with interest, compared to twenty taels of silver, she was more curious about how a poor and broke man, penniless, could produce silver.

  Qin Kan coughed and said: "The first method... I'll dash my head to death in front of you."

  Du Yan's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at grain: "This method is not bad, let's use it."

  Qin Kan: "......"

  This woman is cruel and ruthless, absolutely not a good person...

  Fortunately, Qin Kan had a second plan.

  This was what he had been racking his brains for all night.

  "The second way......" Qin Kan raised his head to glance at the sky, saying lightly: "The time has not yet arrived, one hour later, twenty taels of silver will be either more or less."

  Du Yan's eyes widened even more: "Are you planning to rob a wealthy household or a government treasury?"

  Qin Kan pursed his lips and remained silent.

  This woman is not only cruel but also has a very low moral bottom line...

  Really don't want to bother with her.

  A living man cannot be killed by holding his urine, and a hero or good fellow certainly cannot be forced to death by a single piece of money.

  The idea of robbery is actually not bad, it's just that Qin Kan is relatively calm, and considering his current combat power value, the risk of robbery is too high.

  Even if Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was a good emperor and County Magistrate Du was a good official, their benevolence had its limits. Robbers were clearly not within their scope of tolerance. Once caught, they could not escape being beheaded after autumn.

  So Qin Kan's money-making plan is relatively quiet, he doesn't have the guts to call out "Da Ming Lv", at most he only dares to play a little edge ball.

  After confidently uttering a boastful statement and paying a fine of twenty taels, Du Yan's curiosity was thoroughly aroused, sticking to Qin Kan like a piece of sticky candy that couldn't be shaken off.

  The creditor had to follow behind him, Qin Kan naturally couldn't refuse. Fortunately, Qin Kan had already thought of a way to make money, and if nothing unexpected happened, he would be able to return the twenty taels of silver that he owed inexplicably within an hour, and from then on, he would never have any dealings with this savage and cruel woman again.

  Looking at Du Yan following closely behind him, Qin Kan sneered coldly in his heart.

  Today, I'll teach this young lady a lesson and let her experience what it means to "start from scratch" and "swindle with empty hands".

  It was already morning, and the streets in the city were gradually becoming lively. The market on Dongcheng's cobblestone street was especially crowded, with people coming and going constantly.

  Qin Kan hesitated for a moment, found a letter stall, and talked to the scholar who made a living by writing letters for others. They were both bookworms, at least in appearance. The down-and-out scholar was very generous and immediately agreed to Qin Kan's request, giving him over ten sheets of white paper. Qin Kan promised to return one or two silver coins to him within an hour.

  Then Qin Kan found a street performing troupe and borrowed a copper gong and a wooden box containing juggling equipment from them.

  Du Yan stood beside him silently, watching Qin Kan do all this. She didn't say a word, but her curiosity was like a wildfire that couldn't be stopped.

  Qin Kan took the borrowed white paper and evenly tore it into hundreds of small paper balls, each one crumpled up and placed in a wooden box. Only on one of the paper balls did he use a brush to paint a very abstract pig head, which he then crumpled up and stuffed into his sleeve.

  In the market, Qin Kan found a relatively empty space, took a deep breath, and then struck the copper gong in his hand, making it ring out loudly.

  Clang Clang Clang Clang......

  "Don't miss out as you pass by, dear fellow villagers and seniors, please stop for a moment. Good fortune is bestowed from heaven, just waiting for you to claim it. With just two coins, you'll have the chance to win big prizes. Everyone has an equal opportunity, and the prizes are fair for all, young and old..."

  Clang Clang Clang Clang......

  In the bustling streets, the deafening gong sound quickly attracted passersby to gather around in a large circle, three layers deep inside and out.

  People stand on tiptoes and gaze out, whispering to each other, discussing it in hushed tones.

  "What's going on? A windfall from heaven? Is it true or false?"

  "It's said to be called 'lottery', two coins for a draw, and if you win, there's a prize..."

  "Oh? Isn't that a lottery? But this way of saying it is quite novel..."

  The whispers fell into Qin Kan's ears, and he smiled calmly. However, Du Yan beside him was even more surprised, blinking her big eyes staring at Qin Kan as if a flower had bloomed on his face.

  The onlookers discussed it for a long time, but in the end no one came forward to be the first to eat the crab.

  A pedestrian with a heavy heart couldn't help but ask loudly: "Hey, you who beat the gong, you said there's a big prize for drawing lots. What exactly is the prize? If it's not worth much money, wouldn't we be wasting our silver?"

  Qin Kan suddenly smiled and didn't speak, Du Yan looked at his appearance, and couldn't help but hum twice from her nostrils.

  Others didn't know, but Du Yan was very clear about Qin Kan's situation. This guy couldn't even take out a single coin from his body, where would he get the prize to give to others?

  The sinister snort made Qin Kan unable to help but glance at Du Yan, who had her arms wrapped around her chest, looking at him with a schadenfreude expression.

  The crowd asked anxiously, and Qin Kan slowly replied: "The prize will not disappoint you..."

  Qin Kan glanced sideways with a sly smile and suddenly pointed at Du Yan beside him...

  The crowd suddenly fell silent, and you could hear a pin drop...

  Du Yan's almond-shaped eyes widened, she took a deep breath of cool air, and then her two eyes spewed out furious flames. Her slender legs under the long skirt moved slightly, although she didn't know martial arts, Qin Kan judged by feeling that this woman was making a "sweeping kick" stance...

  The prize is... a donkey!

  The onlookers sighed with regret and disappointment.

  Du Yan's anger was even more fierce, her pretty face frosty, and she squeezed out a sentence from between her teeth: "The prize is a donkey, what are you pointing at me for?"

  PS: Thanks for everyone's enthusiastic support, currently this book is already the third in the new historical fiction chart, I hope you all won't spare any effort and continue to collect and vote, don't let it be overtaken by those behind... Please please!