Henry Thompson rushed into the kitchen the moment he entered the courtyard. When he first woke up just now, he only felt cold all over, but after moving around for a bit, he started to feel a bit warmer. However, he soon felt unbearably hungry and thirsty, which was why he dashed into the kitchen to look for something to eat.

The pot was empty, and so was the rice jar. Henry Thompson searched the entire kitchen, but apart from some seasonings like salt, there was absolutely nothing edible. This left him feeling a bit discouraged, and also somewhat puzzled. After all, he was at least a minor landlord—how could he be doing so badly? How could there not be a single grain of food in the house?

Chapter 2: To Eat, or Not to Eat?

Apart from his own memories from his previous life, Henry Thompson also had the memories left behind by the previous Henry Thompson. However, these memories were incomplete and all jumbled together, like a database with no index or catalog. He could only sift through them bit by bit, unlike his own memories, which he could recall in full whenever he thought of something related.

Because of this, Henry Thompson couldn’t figure out why there wasn’t even a single grain of food in the kitchen until he dug through Henry Thompson’s memories and finally discovered that this year’s harvest was poor. Just before the harvest, a massive locust plague swept through almost all of Guanzhong. The tenants managed to salvage less than a tenth of the usual grain, barely enough for themselves, let alone to pay rent.

Under these circumstances, Henry Thompson simply waived this year’s rent, which made the tenants extremely grateful to him. However, while he didn’t collect rent, the government’s land tax still had to be paid, since the land was his. In the past, he would collect rent from the tenants and then pay the tax, with the difference being his real income. But this year, not only did he not get any rent, he even had to pay the land tax out of his own pocket.

Henry Thompson didn’t have much in savings to begin with, and after paying the land tax, he was left with almost nothing—not even enough money for food. In fact, before Henry Thompson died, he had gone nearly two whole days without eating anything. On top of that, he was a prideful person, preferring to go hungry rather than borrow money or food from others. Combined with his already weak body and the especially cold night last night, the combination of hunger and cold ultimately cost him his life.

After figuring all this out, Henry Thompson couldn’t help but give a bitter laugh. The original Henry Thompson was done with everything after dying, but he still had to go on living. Now, with not a single grain of food at home, and as a newcomer to the Tang Dynasty with no acquaintances, and with winter fast approaching, it really felt like he was being pushed to the brink. Was he really going to end up like the original Henry Thompson, dying of hunger and cold this winter?

“As a transmigrator, if I really starve myself to death, that would be the biggest joke ever!” Henry Thompson muttered to himself at this point, but then gave another bitter laugh. “But even a transmigrator needs to eat. The most important thing right now is to find something to eat. Only after I’m full will I have the strength to figure things out!”

After saying this, Henry Thompson stubbornly searched every room in the house again. In the end, although he didn’t find any food or money, he did find one thing—a simple fishing rod. Next to the rod was a small box containing fishing line, hooks, and other items.

“Do it yourself and you’ll have enough to eat and wear. Looks like I’m destined to have fish for this meal!” Henry Thompson said, picking up the fishing rod and testing it, finding it quite sturdy and definitely usable.

In his previous life, Henry Thompson rather enjoyed fishing, though he was usually too busy to go. Still, he knew a thing or two about it. He tied the fishing line, then counted the hooks in the box—there were only seven. So Henry Thompson simply made a set of hooks, commonly known as a “bomb hook.” This type of hook set only became popular in later generations with the rise of sea fishing. Because it has many hooks and a high catch rate, it earned the nickname “bomb hook.”

However, after making the bomb hook, Henry Thompson suddenly realized he’d made a mistake. Bomb hooks are usually baited with fermented feed—things like soybean cake, sesame cake, or bran that have been slightly fermented. When used, the bait and hooks are squeezed into a ball and thrown into the water. But where was he supposed to find fermented feed now?

“Forget it, I’ll just dig up some earthworms. More hooks are still better than just one.” Henry Thompson muttered helplessly to himself again. In the past, fishing was just for fun, but now it was about filling his stomach, so he couldn’t be picky.

There was a vegetable patch in the yard, though of course there were no vegetables left now. Henry Thompson grabbed a shovel and dug a couple of times, quickly finding plenty of earthworms, which he stuffed into the box. Then he drank a bellyful of water to stave off his hunger, grabbed the fishing rod, and headed out. The small river in front of the house was too shallow, and there were children playing on the opposite bank, making it a poor spot for fishing. So Henry Thompson finally went to the bank of the Huangqu to cast his line.

Fishing is an activity that requires both skill and luck. To catch fish, the first thing Henry Thompson needed was a good fishing spot. There’s a lot to consider here—season, weather, water conditions, and so on. Henry Thompson knew a bit about this, so he walked along the riverbank looking for a spot. At last, he found a good fishing spot under a dead willow tree by the river. It was the best spot around, but unfortunately, a middle-aged man was already sitting there, fishing.