Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

Chapter 6 How to Make Money

After seeing off the Liu family, Liu Yuanqi returned to the main hall. He sat for a while, then suddenly stood up and called out to the inner room, "Deran! Deran! Are you up yet?"

A boy's voice came from the inner room, lazy and grumpy: "Father, it's still early, let me sleep a little longer..."

"What are you sleeping for!" Liu Yuanqi strode over, pushed open the door, and said, "Get up! I have something to tell you!"

Liu Yuanqi lifted his son off the bed. "Deran, listen carefully. Your cousin Sanpang—no, Liu Bei—you must be more courteous to him from now on and stop making fun of him like before."

Liu Deran looked completely bewildered: "Why?"

"There's no reason why!" Liu Yuanqi's tone left no room for argument. "Also, a new cousin of his has joined the family. He's also a member of my Liu clan, named Liu Quan. From now on, when you see him, you must address him as 'elder brother,' and you're not allowed to be rude."

Liu Deran felt like the sky had fallen. How could he wake up with two "mountains" on his head?!

Am I still dreaming?!

…………

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The autumn wind grows colder day by day.

Liu Bei's family is doing much better this month than they did a month ago.

There were more than a dozen animal hides in the yard.

Among them were five wolf pelts, which belonged to the wolves that Liu Quan had killed when he arrived a month ago.

Other items include gray rabbit fur and brown deer fur.

They were all stretched out on wooden frames to dry.

In the corner of the kitchen, there was a dozen or so dried pheasants and rabbits, which Liu Quan had caught but couldn't finish eating, so he dried them and stored them away.

That day, before dawn, Liu Quan woke up.

He did not rush to get up, but lay on the couch, closed his eyes, and summoned Pangu in his heart.

"Pangu, we've collected data for a month now. Can you analyze the situation of this world in detail?"

"Based on the information collected over the past thirty days, and combined with the data analysis results, the following are the findings."

"It is now the second year of Jianning in the Eastern Han Dynasty, 169 AD. Emperor Liu Hong ascended the throne at the age of twelve and is now fourteen years old. He is assisted by Grand Tutor Chen Fan and General Dou Wu. At the beginning of this year, the eunuchs launched a coup, and Chen Fan and Dou Wu were killed. The eunuch group has taken complete control of the government."

"The host is currently located in Zhuo County, Zhuo Prefecture, Youzhou, in the northern part of the North China Plain, bordering the Yanshan Mountains to the north and Jizhou to the south. The climate here is a temperate monsoon climate with four distinct seasons and an annual precipitation of about 500 millimeters. The soil is mainly alluvial soil, which is suitable for cultivation."

"Zhuo County has a population of about 20,000 households, with agriculture as the main industry and handicrafts and commerce as secondary industries. There is a market in the county, which is open on the 3rd, 6th and 9th of each month. The main currency in circulation is the Wuzhu coin, and its current purchasing power is: about 30 coins for a dou of rice, about 200 coins for a bolt of hemp cloth, and about 50 coins for a jin of salt. The host's family's average monthly living cost is about 500 coins, of which the host's consumption accounts for 300 coins."

"Xiaolang Mountain and its surrounding forests are rich in resources. Field surveys have revealed 17 edible plant species, 23 medicinal herbs, and 9 game species. Among them, those with higher economic value include: wolves (fur is worth about 150 coins per piece, meat is worthless); deer (fur is worth about 80 coins per piece, meat is worth about 150 coins per jin, deer antlers and blood are even more valuable); wild rabbits (about 70 coins each); pheasants (about 40 coins each)..."

Liu Quan silently did some calculations.

During that month, he hunted a lot of wild game. After taking what he used for his own consumption and what he gave to Liu Yuanqi, he sold it at the market and earned nearly three thousand coins.

Three thousand coins would be enough for Liu to make a living weaving mats and selling shoes for more than half a year.

Pangu continued, "Based on the host's location and the host's cousin's name, and comparing them with the historical database, the following conclusions are drawn."

"The host's current cousin, Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande, is from Zhuo County, Zhuo Commandery, and a descendant of Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan of the Han Dynasty. Through cross-referencing with the database, this person closely matches important historical figures active in China between 191 and 223 AD."

"This figure declared himself emperor in Chengdu in 221 AD, establishing the Han dynasty, historically known as the Shu Han. He was revered by later generations as a model of benevolent rulers during the Three Kingdoms period, and is mentioned alongside Cao Cao and Sun Quan."

Liu Quan was somewhat stunned. "This guy Sanpang will actually achieve such a great career in the future?! The so-called hope for the future of the Liu family was just something I made up on the spur of the moment, but I didn't expect this kid to be so fitting."

For a moment, it seemed somewhat absurd.

Liu Quan sat up, got dressed, and got out of bed.

The clothes were newly made for him by Liu.

The clothing that was previously made of nanobots was transformed into an inner armor that he wore close to his body.

Well, it's called inner armor, but it's really just underwear.

Fortunately, nanorobots can self-clean, so there's no need to worry about them getting dirty.

Upon arriving in the courtyard, Liu Quan, bathed in the morning light, slowly performed guiding exercises while communicating with Pangu.

"Pangu, how should one make money in this era?"

Pangu quickly provided several options.

Firstly, farming.

Farming is the most basic profession in this era, and the only path for most ordinary people.

But the Liu family only had a few acres of barren land, and the grain they grew in the past was just enough to feed themselves. Now that Liu Quan has another mouth to feed, the gap has become much larger.

Secondly, the workmanship.

The handicraft industry was quite developed in this era, with iron smelting, textiles, salt production, lacquerware, and coin minting being major industries.

However, these industries are either state-run or monopolized by large corporations, so even if a seven-year-old child wants to become an apprentice, they might not be willing to take him on.

Even if they accept the money, it's just enough to feed them; there's no way they'll make any money.

Thirdly, they exerted their physical strength.

Liu Quan's hunting activities during this period can be considered a form of physical exertion.

But as winter arrives, wild animals hibernate in the mountains, making hunting less fruitful.

As for carrying bags at the dock or moving goods at the market, he wouldn't earn more than a few coins a day, not even enough for Liu Quan to have a meal.

Fourth, engaging in business.

That's a viable approach. As the saying goes, to get rich from poverty, farming is not as good as industry, and industry is not as good as commerce.

Making money is fastest in business.

"Pangu, given the current situation of Sanpang's family, what kind of business do you think they should go into?"

Pangu instantly presented a series of options.

"To help the Liu family expand their mat weaving and shoe-selling business?"

"That's a good option. Aunt Liu's straw mats and sandals always sell well. Although the profit margin is thin, these are consumables, so we can make it work by selling more at a lower profit. However, the competition in this industry is quite fierce, so we need to find a way to unify the market."

"Open a food stall? Start with a street vendor?"

"This one is pending for now. We can do it when we have enough manpower. Food is the most important thing for people. As long as the food tastes good, we will never have to worry about not having customers. At worst, we can ask Pangu to retrieve some recipes from the database."

"Hmm? Trade with grassland tribes? Use goods from the Central Plains, such as cloth, wine, grain, and iron, to exchange for grassland furs, horses, and so on."

"Doing business with the grasslands? The weather has been getting colder lately, and we often hear news of grassland tribes raiding south. If they can rob us, why can't we rob them?"

"Pangu, what do you say? Once Sanpang and I are a bit older, we can raise a group of men and raid the grasslands whenever we have free time. Wouldn't that be a viable business?"

Pangu: "The host's suggestion is very good. The difficulty for the Central Plains dynasty in raiding the grassland tribes lies in the fact that nomadic peoples have no fixed abode, and it is difficult for the Central Plains dynasty to accurately find them on the vast grasslands."

"But the host is different. As long as there is enough energy, the host's drones can cover the entire grassland."

"Yes, as long as there's enough energy!" Liu Quan said with a wry smile.

Alright, let's charge it first.

He began to speed up his movements.