Chapter 784 - 547: Temple Attendant
"Dividing the property but not the household ultimately means dividing the family."
Chen Sheng carefully folded the family division document and tucked it under the bed board, his eyes clear.
He sat by the wooden table in the west wing room, where the furnishings were simple: a wooden bed, a square table, two chairs...
This was the wing room he got from the family division.
"The reason for not dividing households is also to exploit loopholes, to avoid corvee and poll taxes..."
He picked up the coarse porcelain bowl on the table, took a sip of warm water, and silently pondered:
"The harsh governance is as fierce as a tiger; under this Great Li Dynasty, taxes are heavy, corvee never-ending, ordinary folks can only rely on such methods for self-preservation."
He had traveled here a few months ago, though he kept to himself, he never ceased collecting information.
The idle chats of village elders, the whispers among neighbors, even the snippets heard passing by the tea stand at the village entrance—all were noted in his heart, gradually piecing together the outline of this era.
"Such property division without household separation, relying on the clan, huddling for warmth, also serves to enhance the clan’s cohesion, achieving multiple objectives."
Having clarified the intricacies of the family division, Chen Sheng closed his eyes.
A pale blue panel floated clearly in his consciousness, emitting a faint glow:
[Name: Chen Sheng]
[Vitality: 5]
[Profession: None]
[Skills: Pharmacy Level 3, Surgery Level 1...]
His consciousness gently touched the panel, and instantly more fragmented details surged into his mind, clear and distinct.
Vitality, encompassing everything, is one’s personal fortune, one’s influence, and above all, one’s value in this world.
"I suppose it’s because I’ve acquired family assets, a house, and land, my wealth growing, thereby increasing my personal value, hence obtaining 5 points of vitality."
"Vitality has many uses, the most direct being to add points to skills, increasing skill levels."
Chen Sheng’s consciousness hovered over "Surgery Level 1"; a small white plus sign quietly appeared beside the skill name, with a faint glow.
When he moved his consciousness over "Pharmacy Level 3," the area was clean, without any plus sign appearing.
"With pharmacy at a higher level, adding points demands more vitality; my 5 points are simply insufficient."
He gently shook his head:
"In this ancient society, wealth distribution is exceedingly unequal."
"I divided six acres of land and a wing room, which in the village exceeds eighty percent of the people, yet only garners 5 points of vitality."
"Those tenant farmers perpetually dependent on landlords, with no land or house, live precariously, how could they have any vitality?"
Thinking thus, he couldn’t help but feel fortunate for his decent background.
After a moment’s reflection, his consciousness returned to the [Profession: None] section, his gaze gradually sharpening.
"From the panel’s information, solely using vitality to enhance skills addresses symptoms, not the root issue."
"Embarking on a career path, integrating skills with professions is the only way to maximize effectiveness."
He inwardly resolved to choose an appropriate profession, leveraging the gifts to gradually grow stronger.
Chen Sheng mused:
"At the very least, start by nurturing my health!"
...
Days passed in a blur.
During these few days, the Chen Family yard remained unsettled, but Chen Wu’s wailing and pleading had diminished.
Chen Shouyi eventually dug out his last reserves of silver and specially invited a few prestigious elders from the clan, to accompany him to town and clear Chen Wu’s gambling debts.
Upon returning from town, Chen Shouyi stormed straight into Chen Wu’s room, immediately spotting Chen Wu lying on the bed, looking dispirited.
He flew into a rage, snapped off a thorny branch, and began lashing Chen Wu indiscriminately, leaving streaks of red marks.
"You wastrel! You absolute wastrel!"
"I have never lost face like this in the village, in the clan, my entire life!"
"Because of you, scoundrel, getting addicted to gambling, owing everywhere, I’ve become the laughingstock of the clan!"
Their family is considered well-off and reputable within the Chen Clan.
His experience of facing town gossip left him completely humiliated, and naturally, he couldn’t quell his anger.
Chen Wu, unable to move, was being lashed with the thorny branch, howling in agony:
"Father! I was wrong, I really was wrong! Stop hitting me, stop hitting me! I’ll never gamble again, from now on, I won’t touch a gambling table!"
Heeding this, Chen Shouyi’s strikes showed no sign of relenting, the thorny branch continued hitting Chen Wu relentlessly:
"The Clan Leader has already declared, if you dare gamble again, you’ll be expelled from the Chen Clan, severing all ties!"
"At that time, usurers come to chop off your hand, break your leg, it’ll be your own responsibility, and I won’t intervene!"
After thoroughly reprimanding Chen Wu, Chen Shouyi snorted coldly, discarded the thorny branch, and stood by the bed with a face like iron, coldly observing Chen Wu.
He fetched a dry tobacco pipe from his waist, lit it, smoke swirling, his face full of fatigue.
After a long while, the pipe bowl burning hot, Chen Shouyi slowly stifled his anger, turned, and left Chen Wu’s room, walking steadily towards Chen Sheng’s wing room.
"Sheng, I want to discuss learning a skill with you."
Chen Shouyi opened the wing room door, seeing Chen Sheng sitting at the table, flipping through an old book, his tone softened significantly.
Setting aside his book, Chen Sheng looked up at Chen Shouyi, nodding slightly:
"I’m listening, father."
In this era, most bottom-level city dwellers relied on physical labor, such as coachmen, porters, and workers.
Wanting to learn a skill not reliant on physical strength offers limited options, mostly involving going door-to-door, linked to people’s daily lives.