Great Qian Dynasty, Canglong Prefecture, Weishui County City.
The sky was bright.
Sizzle!
Inside a civilian residence in Lihua Lane, the sound of meat being stir-fried in a hot oil pan rang out.
The streaky pork, red and white, danced slightly in the oil, as the sizzling hot oil continuously drew out the tenderness from the fatty pork, filling the entire small courtyard with the aroma of meat.
On the windowsill outside the house, a young girl with hair tied in two tufts lay, staring eagerly into the house, drool covering half the windowsill.
“Brother, it smells so good~~”
Chen Er'ya looked at the busy young man in the house, feeling that her brother today seemed a little different from usual.
Last night, her brother was busy all night and didn't return until dawn when he finished his shift.
Normally, if he had a night patrol duty, he would just hastily eat something and then fall asleep. Today, however, was exceptionally rare.
Not only did he buy meat, but he also personally cooked it.
“Nannan, wait a little longer, it’ll be ready soon.”
The busy young man in the house skillfully poured in auxiliary ingredients and sprinkled salt into the iron pot, then smiled slightly at the girl on the windowsill.
The young man’s smile was a bit dazzling, and Chen Er'ya just thought her brother looked so handsome today.
After skillfully scooping the cooked streaky pork into a bowl, the young man then stir-fried a plate of seasonal vegetables.
The vegetables were grown by Chen Er'ya, and they were still fresh from being picked to being put into the pot.
The young man’s movements were extremely skilled; he finished everything in no time.
“Nannan, come quickly and bring the dishes. Today, we’ll eat in our courtyard.”
Chen Ping'an scooped two bowls of rice and walked towards the courtyard, holding them.
In the middle of the small courtyard, there was an old wooden table with two stools beside it. The stools had many scratches, showing the marks of time.
“Okay!”
Chen Er'ya moved deftly, carrying a bowl of dishes in each hand, excitedly placing them on the table.
“Brother, is there something good today? Why did you make so many delicious dishes~”
Chen Er'ya looked at the fragrant dishes on the table, unable to stop her mouth from watering.
On the table: two bowls of pure white rice, without any Impurities, clearly cooked from high-quality polished rice.
A bowl of streaky pork, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a large bowl of fragrant meat bone soup.
The milky white thick soup was steaming, making one’s mouth water.
Such a meal, let alone now...
Even when Chen Father was still alive, they rarely enjoyed such a feast.
Hearing this, Chen Ping'an stroked his sister’s head.
“It’s just that I haven’t eaten meat in a long time, so today we’ll have some meat.”
“Brother~ I’m already grown up, don’t always pat my head!”
Chen Er'ya shook off her brother’s hand, looking at him with a childishly fierce expression. As she looked, she was slightly stunned.
Her brother’s eyes seemed to be shining.
Such a light, she had never seen in her brother’s eyes since their father died.
Why today…
Chen Ping'an looked at his sister gently and picked a piece of fatty but not greasy streaky pork into her rice bowl.
“Don’t just stand there, eat quickly!”
“Yes.”
Chen Er'ya shivered, attracted by the aroma of the meat in front of her. She took a big bite of the meat, then used her chopsticks to shovel rice, eating it with the meat slices, swallowing it down.
“So, so delicious~”
“If it’s good, eat more.”
Chen Ping'an said with a smile.
“Brother, you eat too.”
Chen Er'ya said sensibly.
“Okay.”
Chen Ping'an picked up a piece of meat and looked at Chen Er'ya, who was eating with relish, suddenly feeling a bit dazed.
It had been several years since his Transmigration.
He had initially wanted to practice martial arts, but his bone structure was poor, making him unsuitable for it. Forget about martial arts initiation, even basic conditioning and practice were extremely difficult for him.
From initial ambition and eagerness to try, he eventually suffered severe setbacks and became content with his lot.
He had thought that life would just continue day by day like this.
But who knew, his family suddenly faced a change.
Chen Father, who had always been strong, was severely injured during a mission.
Speaking of Chen Father, he was a well-known hero in Lihua Lane.
He was an official Yamen Runner serving in the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office!
An official Yamen Runner was someone whose name was truly registered in the Zhenfu Division, and whose identity was genuinely recognized by the authorities and various Gangs, big and small.
When Chen Father was alive, their family’s life, though not wealthy, was much better than that of ordinary common people.
But with Chen Father’s collapse, the family lost its source of income, and their life became worse and worse.
Half a year ago, Chen Father passed away, leaving them forever, with only the two siblings to depend on each other.
In fact, if Chen Father had not been working tirelessly for over a month before his death, exhausting himself for his future, he would have, by rights, lived for at least another half a year.
Parental love is far-reaching.
Under Chen Father’s arrangements before his death, Chen Ping'an also became an unregistered Yamen Runner in the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office.
Although unregistered, the identity of a Yamen Runner provided him and his sister with the assurance of survival.
Chen Ping'an knew that in order to secure this identity for him, Chen Father not only gave up his injury compensation and all subsequent provisions, but also spent all their savings and even borrowed money to clear connections within the Zhenfu Division.
Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish!
No matter how much savings there were, they would eventually be exhausted.
But if Chen Ping'an secured the identity of a Zhenfu Division Yamen Runner, it would mean a continuous stream of income.
As an unregistered Yamen Runner, not counting any gray income, he would still receive eight qian in monthly salary.
This income was not low for ordinary people!
Furthermore, with Chen Father gone and without his identity protection, it would be difficult for Chen Ping'an alone to maintain the family property Chen Father had accumulated. Too many assets would undoubtedly attract the attention of some people and lead to unnecessary trouble.
Considering all these factors, Chen Father’s decision was undoubtedly correct.
Starting from half a year ago, Chen Ping'an officially joined the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office as an unregistered Yamen Runner, living an uneventful life.
The light in his eyes gradually dimmed in the repetitive daily life.
But… just yesterday!
Yesterday, he didn't return home all night, not because of a regular night patrol as usual. Instead, he followed a secret operation order, joining the Chief Constable and Yamen Runners of the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office to encircle and suppress a small Gang.
This small Gang had been preying on the streets and alleys, rampant and notorious.
Its downfall was naturally an excellent thing for ordinary people.
However, Chen Ping'an naturally wouldn’t simply believe that the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office was acting solely to punish evil, promote good, and uphold the authority of the da gan law.
The Nanquan Lane Garrison Office’s action of suppression last night was likely connected to the power struggles behind the scenes.
It was probably a case of one old one being gone, and a new one being born.
However, these matters were not relevant to Chen Ping'an.
Yesterday, he was extremely lucky. During the struggle between the Zhenfu Division Chief Constable, Yamen Runners, and the Gang leaders and members, he accidentally found a martial arts Cultivation Technique at the small Gang’s stronghold.
It wasn’t some divine or ultimate skill, but just an ordinary, common low-grade body refining Cultivation Technique, Iron Cloth!
He couldn't even take out such a common Iron Cloth.
During such Gang suppressions, there would always be a body search procedure before leaving, to prevent people from taking out benefits.
Unable to take it out, Chen Ping'an voluntarily handed over the Iron Cloth.
However, before handing it over, he carefully read through it.
It was this one reading that filled Chen Ping'an with infinite hope for his future life.
Thinking of this, the expression on Chen Ping'an’s face couldn’t help but become a bit more fervent.
He blinked a few times, and several lines of text appeared in his vision.
Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: None
Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Uninitiated (0/5)
…
“Brother, why are you spacing out? Eat quickly~ If you don’t eat, I’ll finish all these dishes~”
Chen Er'ya looked at the dazed Chen Ping'an and reminded him.
“Haha, I’ll let you eat for a while first. Watch me catch up to you now.”
Chen Ping'an picked up some seasonal vegetables, put them directly into his mouth, chewed a few times with the rice, and was about to swallow them.
Outside the courtyard gate, a violent knocking sound suddenly rang out. Along with the knocking, there was a furious shout.
“Open the door! Tiger Head Gang!”
…
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