Chapter 18: Finding a Way to Secure Money

Han Lei had Pingchuan fetch two jars of wine from the storage room, then carried them straight to the wounded soldiers’ camp to find Old He.

This wine had been procured on Han Lei’s first day treating the wounded; at that time, she had Zhao Zun send people out to buy whatever alcohol they could find. Her system funds were limited, so she couldn't purchase much alcohol, but there were too many injured and infections were severe, requiring large amounts of alcohol to clean wounds. These jars were intended for making disinfectant.

Unexpectedly, she soon received a second system reward and directly used it to buy grain and medicine, including enough alcohol. Thus, she hadn’t yet bothered with the low-alcohol wine bought from the market.

Now, it was perfect for inviting Old He for a drink.

Old He was busy removing stitches from a wounded soldier. Seeing Han Lei approach, his wrinkled face immediately broke into a flattering smile.

“Master, I’m busy, why are you here?”

Han Lei blushed at his crisp address of “Master.” It had been many days, yet hearing it still felt awkward. She had told him several times not to call her that, saying they could just discuss things as equals, but the stubborn old man refused to listen.

“Old He, I came to drink with you.”

Old He was momentarily stunned and only then noticed the two jars of wine Han Lei held. “Master, you drink?”

“No!”

Han Lei answered firmly, which left Old He confused.

You don’t drink, yet you want to drink with me?

“Heh heh, Master... what game are you playing here?” Old He saw Han Lei’s pale expression and cautiously asked.

“Old He, don’t you like drinking? I’m inviting you, and I also want to consult you on something.”

Old He suddenly understood—Master needed something from him! He instantly swelled with pride. The master was such a brilliant physician, yet she had matters to ask him? Heh heh!

He handed his work to a nearby military doctor, wiped his hands, and cheerfully led Han Lei into a small tent used temporarily to store medicine.

“Master, please sit here.”

Old He dusted off a small stool with his sleeve for Han Lei, then sat on another stool, pulling out a package wrapped in oiled paper.

The package was layered several times, and inside were only a few fried broad beans that looked like they had been stored for a long time. Judging by his careful manner, he must seldom indulge in them.

Han Lei opened a jar of wine and handed it to Old He. There were no cups, so they toasted directly from the jars.

“Old He, here, you drink first.” Though young, Han Lei was well-versed in social graces—offering kindness first.

Old He didn’t hesitate, uncorked the jar, and took a sip. “Hmm, good wine!”

Seeing Old He enjoy it, Han Lei got straight to the point. “Old He, I came to ask—how are your conditions in the camp?”

“Conditions?”

Old He clearly didn’t understand the term.

“Uh... how much silver do you get each month?”

“Oh, that!” Old He suddenly brightened. “Ordinary soldiers get one tael of silver monthly, doctors get three, and I, being the eldest with the highest medical skill…”

He popped a broad bean into his mouth, drank a mouthful of wine, then proudly held up five fingers. “I get five taels every month!”

“Uh... with your skills, only five taels a month?” Han Lei was stunned.

She had read that in the Han Dynasty the average price of rice was one tael of silver per shi of millet.

Millet was a type of grain; modern millet costs about six yuan per jin. In the Han era, one shi equaled a si jun, each jun weighing thirty jin, so one shi was 120 jin. Thus, one tael of silver was roughly equivalent to 700 yuan today.

A seasoned military doctor like Old He earned about 3,500 yuan a month, which would be gone after buying just five shi of millet.

That was far too low!

How could she indulge in fine meals, shop, or achieve financial freedom on that?

Han Lei was frustrated!

“Do you know how much the Marshal earns each month...?”

“Shh...” Old He made a silencing gesture and glanced cautiously outside. Seeing no one nearby, he lowered his voice. “Master, spare this old man! The Marshal is a figure beyond my reach. I cannot pry or gossip about him!”

Han Lei curled her lips.

She had forgotten this was a deeply hierarchical feudal society.

Zhao Zun was the stationed Marshal of a pass and a prince, naturally of noble status. Even if he was kind to the soldiers below, these small figures dared not cross the gulf of rank.

Seeing Han Lei’s expression, Old He quickly put on a flattering smile.

“But I do know that a military captain earns five taels monthly, a deputy general and vice commander get twenty-five.”

“The military strategist ranks higher than vice commander, so the strategist must...”

Han Lei stopped mid-question and winked at Old He, implying that the strategist’s salary should be higher than the vice commander’s, right?

Old He smiled knowingly back at Han Lei, then hastily took a sip from his jar.

“I didn’t say anything!”

Han Lei immediately understood. Excited, she stood up and pressed one jar of wine into Old He’s hands.

“I understand now, thank you, Old He.” She said as she stepped toward the tent’s exit.

Old He was startled and quickly called out, “Hey! There’s still plenty of wine! You’re leaving so soon?”

“I’m leaving! I’ve already treated you to all this wine!”

Han Lei didn’t look back, waving her hand as she walked briskly, as if buoyed by some good fortune.

Since the deputy general and vice commander earned twenty-five taels a month, she could roughly guess the salary of a general or military strategist in this era.

Though she was a woman, given her abilities and insight, she intended to seek out Zhao Zun for a strategist position or similar to increase her income.

Luxury is easy to enter, but hard to leave. For someone accustomed to a comfortable modern life, eating millet buns with these antiques was bearable for a while, but not long term.

Zhao Zun had given her a few thousand silver notes that day, but as a newcomer, there were many expenses to settle here—housing, transport, food, and necessities. Even with frugality, she couldn’t last long.

Since she couldn’t return home, she had to find a way to increase her income and live better.

Back in the modern world, several of her relatives were in business—restaurants, hotels, delivery services, and more. With that environment and her genius intellect, as long as she had enough silver to invest, there was much she could do.

With these thoughts, Han Lei quickened her pace to find Zhao Zun.

Not far from the tent, as she passed a row of haystacks, she heard muffled voices behind one.

“I’m not exaggerating! The first time, that monster’s belly yielded ten thousand jin of fine grain, not to mention the kitchen’s Old Chen said that within days, the warehouse suddenly had lots of millet, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. We’d never even heard of potatoes or sweet potatoes before!”

“What’s so strange about that? Didn’t the Marshal say that was supplied by the court?”

“I spit on that! That was tens of thousands of jin! Have you seen the supply troops bring that grain? Have you seen anyone move it into the warehouse? Tens of thousands of jin of grain appearing out of nowhere—besides a monster, who else could have such power?”

“You’re saying the Marshal’s lying? That the Marshal is actually a monster?”