Chapter 4: The Grand Lucky Draw

After gathering the paper into a small bundle, he loudly called into the room, "Liuxi, how’s the box coming along?"

"All done, young master!" Liuxi emerged from the room carrying the box.

Lin Feng took the box, examined the opening, gave it a slight polish, then placed a small paper bundle marked with the character for 'donkey' inside. Xiao Die had already gathered a large pile of paper bundles as well.

The three of them continued making paper bundles, and after collecting over a thousand, Lin Feng dumped them all into the box at once. "Xiao Die, take the remaining paper and let’s go sell the donkey!"

Liuxi and Xiao Die were puzzled. What was the young master up to? Why would he need a box full of paper bundles to sell a donkey?

Since Lin Feng said nothing, they didn’t ask further. Whatever the young master decided, they would follow.

Liuxi immediately led the sickly-looking donkey, its head hanging low and face drooping, as Lin Feng and Xiao Die stepped out of the courtyard.

Outside lay a vast expanse of fields.

It was March, and the farmland was lush and green. A gentle breeze swept across the fields, causing waves of verdure to ripple. It was the prime season for nurturing seedlings. The village farmers labored earnestly in the fields, while the orchard flowers blossomed—pink peach blossoms and white pear flowers intermingling beautifully, dotting the landscape. The air was filled with the fragrant scent of blossoms.

Beyond the fields flowed a clear stream running east to west, its waters gurgling softly. Willow trees by the riverbank sprouted fresh buds, swaying gently in the breeze.

A broad stone bridge spanned the river—a vital thoroughfare connecting the mountain village to the nearby town. Many people passed over it, including some dressed in fine clothes. There were even those riding large horses and others seated in ornate sedan chairs crossing the bridge.

These visitors were unlike the villagers; even the wealthiest recluses in the village wouldn’t number so many.

Curious, Lin Feng asked, "Liuxi, where do those people on horseback and in sedan chairs come from?"

Liuxi pointed north. "There’s a main road leading to Mingfeng County up north. If you hadn’t fallen ill, young master, we would have headed there. It’s a bit far, but those riding horses or in sedan chairs are probably travelers to and from Mingfeng County."

Lin Feng nodded thoughtfully. This place certainly had good traffic.

The three crossed the stone bridge leading southeast, not far from Luping Town.

Luping Town was quite large. Since residents from several nearby villages came daily to shop at the market, the town was densely populated.

"Young master, since you just recovered, why don’t you ride the donkey into town?" Xiao Die suggested.

"If I rode this sick donkey into town, it might die on the way. It looks even weaker than me," Lin Feng chuckled.

"If we sell the donkey, I’ll make you something delicious to help you recuperate," Xiao Die promised.

"Can we really sell it?" Liuxi, having been here before, asked.

Lin Feng smiled. "Watch and learn."

They finally reached the main street of town, bustling with activity. People flowed through like a stream, and the aroma from numerous snack stalls tempted passersby to stop and savor the food. The street was lined with merchants energetically hawking their wares.

Lin Feng was amazed. The main street was so lively it rivaled the busiest streets of Chudu.

The Jiangnan region was truly populous and prosperous.

The three found a vacant spot on the street. Lin Feng placed the box down and used a charred piece of wood to write on the paper: "Grand Lucky Draw—One Donkey."

He had Xiao Die stand off to the side holding the papers. Before he even started calling out, a few curious people gathered around.

One man pointed to the words on the paper and asked, "What does this mean?"

Lin Feng smiled. "If you’re willing to spend five wen, you can draw a paper bundle from the box. If the paper has the character for 'donkey,' you win a big prize—the donkey is yours to take home immediately!"

"Five wen?" someone echoed.

"Exactly, just five wen!"

For the common folk in Jiangnan, five wen wasn’t much. If you didn’t win, you lost only a small amount. But if you did, you truly got a bargain!

"I’ll try," a man said, handing five wen to Liuxi. He reached into the box, feeling around for a while before pulling out a paper bundle. Expectantly, he unfolded it, but it was blank. He sighed.

"My turn!" another man gave Liuxi five wen and drew a paper bundle.

"Alas!" he too had no luck.

"I’ll draw twice!" someone else gave ten wen, but he left disappointed as well.

"I’ll go!" "Me too!" more and more people joined in.

A long queue quickly formed.

Two hours later…

"I won! I won!" a man joyfully jumped up, holding a paper with the character for 'donkey.'

Lin Feng chuckled. "Congratulations to this gentleman on winning the grand prize. The donkey is yours!"

The man happily led the donkey away, despite its drooping head and weak appearance. After all, it only cost him five wen—a real bargain!

He was delighted, and Liuxi and Xiao Die were even more so.

Liuxi eagerly stuffed the money into his pouch. "Young master, we’ve made a lot of money!"

"Put it in the box," Lin Feng instructed.

"Alright." Liuxi emptied the coins into the prize box with a satisfying clatter.

"Young master, you really know how to do things!" Xiao Die admired. "I knew there was nothing you couldn’t handle!"

She was a bit puzzled though. If they had used this method when leaving Chudu, wouldn’t the young master have made even more money selling those fancy accessories, clothes, and precious swords?

Why hadn’t he thought of it before?

Had he perhaps gained new insight after recovering?

"Young master, shall we come back tomorrow?" Liuxi asked excitedly.

"What else do we have to sell? Or should I sell you?" Lin Feng joked.

"As long as it makes you money, selling me wouldn’t be a problem!" Liuxi puffed out his chest proudly.

"Who’d buy you, glutton? They’d go bankrupt!" Lin Feng laughed. "Let’s go home."

Xiao Die said, "Young master, since we earned money, why don’t we buy some good food to take back? You need to recover your strength."

"Of course," Lin Feng said. "Liuxi, buy some wine and food. We'll celebrate later."

"Young master…" Xiao Die pouted unhappily. "You just recovered. You can’t drink alcohol or waste money like before. We have no more items to sell."

In his past life, Lin Feng was a connoisseur of fine wine, and in this life, a carefree wanderer who never resisted a drink. Perhaps due to these two lifetimes of indulgence, Lin Feng felt the itch for alcohol stirring.

"Xiao Die, do you know why I got sick?"

"Why?"

"Because I didn’t drink on the road."

"I don’t believe it!"

Lin Feng relented, "Fine, just one jar of wine. For snacks, only some spiced peanuts."

"Agreed."