The autumn chill had settled in, and winter came faster to Donglin City than to the inland regions. Early in the morning, even the strong men stomped their feet and blew into their hands to stay warm.
Families with some money had already switched to padded clothes, while the poor made do with just two or more layers of mismatched clothing.
Every day around this time, boats would arrive in Donglin. Once the river froze in winter, travel would stop. So the docks were always busy. Today was no different. Many young men from farming families lined up early, waiting to be hired.
Among the tall, strong men was a small, thin youth. Their clothes were barely enough, and their body looked delicate. When work was handed out, this youth was always pushed aside and ended up looking pitiful. Still, she forced her way forward. Without the money from this kind of labor, she'd freeze and starve.
But she was frustrated too. "What's with these guys? Why are they all built like giants? How is someone like me supposed to compete?" She already felt unlucky being thrown into this strange place, and now she had to pretend to be a boy just to survive. Unfair didn't even begin to cover it.
But even if it was unfair, she had to bear it. As a young woman from the modern world, she couldn't accept the laws of this place. But there was no choice—she had to deal with it.
Finally, she managed to land a job moving some light goods. But after only a short while, the work ended. She could only wait for the afternoon shipment. Sitting off to the side, she took out a dry bun she had bought earlier and began to eat.
A rough-looking man sat on a box beside her and glanced at her a few times before speaking in a loud voice. "Hey, looks like you eat only one bun for lunch every day. Is that enough? Here, take this. You'll need energy to move more stuff this afternoon. Name's Silong. What's yours?"
Yuna paused for a moment, surprised by the gesture. "Yuna. Thanks." She took the vegetable bun from him gratefully. It had been days since she'd eaten anything with flavor. She tucked the dry bun into her chest and started eating the warm veggie-filled one. After finishing it, she felt fuller than she had in days.
Silong stared at her. "Wow, you eat like a woman. So little."
Yuna wanted to cry. That's because she was a woman! No—correction—a girl! And calling her a "woman" was way too outdated and rough.
Another worker nearby chimed in, "What? Where's the woman?"
Silong snorted, "You're crazy from not seeing one, huh? I just meant this little bro eats like one."
Yuna kept calm and stayed silent. She'd only been in this world for half a month. Since she didn't know the place well, she preferred to watch and listen instead of talking much.
Another worker sighed, "I haven't seen any woman other than my mom in over a year. I'm dying over here."
"Only a year?" someone else snapped. "I've been stuck in this stinkhole almost two! There's not a single woman around. Of course we can't see any."
The talk quickly spiraled out of control. Yuna almost wanted to raise her hand and say, "Hey, I am a woman." But she knew better. If they found out, she wouldn't even get to sit here safely. She'd be lucky not to get eaten alive by this pack of wolves.
Just as the group got even louder about women, Silong suddenly turned to her. "Hey, how long's it been since you saw a woman?"
"About half a month," she answered casually. She had just been playing around with some friends back at university when she landed here.
As soon as she spoke, everyone looked at her like she was some kind of divine being. Did they have to stare at her like that just because she saw a woman? It wasn't like she had done anything with one!
But being from another world, she didn't understand how desperate these men were. Just as that thought crossed her mind, someone shouted, "Another merchant ship's here! It's Young Master Yan's! Must be a big load. Let's go!"
Everyone scrambled forward like their lives depended on it. One minute they were joking around, the next they were charging like madmen.
Yuna ran with them but got pushed to the front. Before she could steady herself, she was shoved to the ground. Pain shot through her entire body—like all her bones had been crushed.
A hand appeared in front of her. Long fingers, pale skin. She blinked and placed her hand in his, using it for support to stand up.
Even though the man wore a veil, just his hand alone made it clear—he was definitely handsome. His fingers were cool to the touch. Gritting her teeth through the pain, she said, "Thanks."
The young noble looked at her—barely sixteen or seventeen, small, thin, with short hair tied back lazily with a bit of string.
There was no way someone like this could compete for work with all these strong men. He said to someone behind him, "Mute, give that book you're holding to this little brother to carry."
A mute boy handed Yuna a book wrapped in blue cloth. She was still stunned, but took it. The moment she bent down, a sharp pain hit her back. The book was way too heavy.
"Ow, ow, ow..." she gasped. Just as she tried to lift it, that beautiful hand lifted it for her. The man's voice was soft and pleasant, "Are you hurt?" He returned the book to the mute and said, "Give this little brother a string of coins. It was my fault he got hurt."
Just like that—money. Yuna never expected luck like this. She didn't like being pitied, but she was too broke to refuse. She accepted the coins and thanked him.
Even though the veil covered his face, she couldn't explain why—but she knew he had to be incredibly handsome.
As he turned to leave, she asked, "Excuse me, may I know your name?"
He had given her work, paid her after she got hurt, and never looked down on her or pitied her. He gave her dignity. That was what she was most grateful for.
The noble replied, "Yan." Then he ordered his men to load the goods onto the cart and rode off.
Yuna used the money to buy more buns and a slightly thicker coat. Then she returned to the ruined temple outside the city where she slept. But she couldn't stay there once winter came. She had to find a place in the city that offered food and shelter, or she'd freeze to death.
After a restful night, she returned to Donglin to look for work again. But every job required brute strength. How could a girl like her manage that?
She wandered the streets, discouraged and lost.
Without paying attention, she bumped into someone who smelled heavily of perfume. The scent was so strong it made her sneeze.
"Ah! My dress! How could you be so clumsy, boy? This is my favorite dress!"