Chapter 12: Savings Surpass a Thousand—Sudden Wealth!
Chapter 12
After finishing lunch, Li Feng instructed Da Gou and the others to find a relatively safe spot. He lay down on a large rock, watching his children nearby, and asked, "Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"
"Now is a good time to share your thoughts."
"I'm going to separate from your grandparents. After that, how do you want to live?"
Li Feng’s words echoed through the forest, but to the youngsters, it was like thunder striking out of the clear sky.
Father was asking what they planned to do in life?
Da Gou pondered seriously for a moment, then his dark face flushed warmly. He wanted to be a carpenter like his eldest uncle, earn silver, and live in town with his father so they wouldn’t have to endure such hardship anymore.
Er Niu’s face reddened; he wanted to study, to pass the imperial exams and become a scholar, hoping to exempt their family from taxes.
San Niu wanted to be as capable as his father, earn plenty of silver, and ensure the family could eat meat and rice every day.
Da Ya wished to become prettier and fairer, thinking that would fetch a good price, and then her father and brothers could enjoy more meat and white rice.
Si Niu, Wu Niu, and Er Ya shared a simple hope: never to go hungry again.
"Da Gou, what do you want to be?" Li Feng asked him directly.
As the eldest son, Da Gou bore more responsibility, so his plans were naturally different from the others'.
"Ah?" Da Gou blushed even more when suddenly called upon, stammering for a while before saying, "I want to be a carpenter like my eldest uncle!"
Li Feng thought, “Not bad, ambitious. He could become Minister of Works someday!”
"Er Niu, what about you?"
"Dad, I want to study and learn to read and write. I don’t want to be bullied. I want to be like you," Er Niu said thoughtfully.
Li Feng nodded approvingly. “Good ambition, though not entirely honest—he’s a little black sesame seed inside—but he could be a strict official. The position of Minister of Justice suits him well.”
"San Niu?"
"Dad, I want to be like my third uncle, study hard, and become a high-ranking official."
Li Feng smiled. “Great, the future prime minister right there.”
"Da Ya?" Li Feng looked at the slightly shy Da Ya and asked.
In the capital, girls had limited opportunities, and it seemed difficult for a girl to make a name for herself. However, with several older brothers to protect her, Da Ya’s life wouldn’t be too hard.
Surprised by her father’s question, Da Ya hesitated a moment, then whispered, "Dad, I want to learn martial arts!"
Because she didn’t want to get beaten anymore.
Li Feng was impressed; this little girl had grand ambitions. She could become a heroine general one day.
"Si Niu, Wu Niu..."
Before Li Feng could finish, Si Niu eagerly interrupted, "Dad, I want to learn about herbs with you."
To recognize many herbs.
And later dig them all up to exchange for silver.
Li Feng thought, “Good, a personal doctor. Could become the chief physician of the Imperial Medical Academy.”
He then looked at Wu Niu.
Wu Niu said nothing, silent and seemingly puzzled.
Li Feng smiled inwardly. “Not bad, the youngest child favored on his father’s lap—well settled!”
Er Ya, who hadn’t been asked, was already fast asleep nearby.
Da Gou quickly took off his outer garment and covered her.
“It’s chilly in the mountains. Don’t catch a cold!”
Satisfied with their future plans, Li Feng rested on the spot and took the opportunity to sort through today’s harvest.
[Notification: Discovered pure wild lilies, pollution level 0, medicinal value 100%, total 10 jin; one jin sells for 15 wen. Sell?]
[Notification: Discovered pure wild Fo-Ti root, total 20 jin; one jin sells for 300 wen. Sell?]
[Notification: Discovered pure wild Salvia root, total 3 jin; one jin sells for 300 wen. Sell?]
[Notification: Discovered pure wild Prunella vulgaris, total 23 jin; one jin sells for 10 wen. Sell?]
...
A string of notifications sounded, and Li Feng almost clicked "Sell" out of habit.
Ah, the only downside is he’d need to find time to visit the town.
Selling all this would net him a few taels of silver.
These prices were only possible in the system’s marketplace; in town, they’d surely fetch less.
“Yo~”
Suddenly, a deer’s call echoed through the woods.
Li Feng jumped up and quickly vanished from his children’s sight.
“Dad!” Da Gou stood up, wanting to follow, but Er Niu stopped him.
“Don’t go. Let’s wait here and look around for the herbs Dad mentioned.”
Er Niu was more rational; this was deep in the mountains. At first, they could see other people’s footprints, but now not a trace remained, indicating few came this way.
Their father was experienced; even if he encountered a fierce beast, he could escape without fighting.
If they followed, they’d only be a burden.
“Oh, okay!” Da Gou looked at Er Niu, scratched his head, and gave up the idea of following.
He wasn’t smart, but he was obedient.
If the second brother said no, there must be a reason.
...
Deep in the jungle, Li Feng moved swiftly.
No wonder this body was so agile.
He hadn’t had the chance to eat well before.
After only two days of several full meals, his stamina soared.
His speed and striking power were much improved; the foundation was excellent.
One had to admit, the ancients had great genes—everyone who survived had endured brutal natural selection without any advanced technology!
Drawing his Tang dao sword, Li Feng swiftly navigated the forest, following the path of the deer’s call until he found a cave.
It was well hidden.
Holding his sword, he stepped inside.
No sign of wild animal droppings nearby suggested low danger.
The cave was small; after a brief search, he found nothing.
It was pitch black inside. Hearing the deer call again, Li Feng recalled purchasing a powerful flashlight from the system mall for 60 wen.
Turning it on, the beam illuminated a set of deer antlers on the ground.
They were intact and dried, likely left there for some time.
Li Feng was puzzled.
These antlers... weren’t they supposed to be freshly cut? How come they were just lying here?
After careful inspection, they were definitely deer antlers.
Stowing his sword, Li Feng picked them up.
No matter how they got here, once found, they belonged to him!
As soon as he took the antlers, a mechanical voice sounded in his ear.
[Notification: Discovered wild dried deer antlers, 800 wen per gram. Sell?]
“Yes!”
Li Feng did not hesitate and sold them immediately.
Come on, deer antlers were like soft gold.
At 800 wen per gram, he had found four pieces totaling one kilogram.
That amounted to 800 taels of silver!
A fortune, a windfall!
His savings instantly surpassed a thousand taels.
Clutching this huge sum, Li Feng felt far less anxious.
Turning to leave the cave, he found a few more herbs and gathered them without complaint.
Every bit counts.
He sold those for a few more taels.
Back at the original spot, Li Feng saw everyone waiting and nodded with satisfaction.
“Good, none of you are fools.”
“Dad, you’re back!” Da Gou and the others rushed over, full of concern.
“Mm,” Li Feng nodded.
“Dad, look! These are all herbs, right?” Si Niu came bounding over like a small firecracker, pointing eagerly at the herbs nearby, seeking his father’s approval.
Li Feng glanced and confirmed they were indeed herbs—all correct, and some quite valuable.
“Did you gather all these?” Li Feng ruffled Si Niu’s hair and asked.
“Hehe,” Si Niu chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head. “Big brother, second brother, third brother, and big sister all helped. It wasn’t just me.”
Everyone looked at Li Feng.
He withdrew his hand and said, “You all did well. Let’s call it a day.”
“I’ll take these herbs to town.”
“After selling them, I’ll hire a good doctor for your grandmother and bring some meat to nourish you all.”
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
Si Niu and Wu Niu were happy at the thought of eating meat.
Er Niu and San Niu felt a bit conflicted—meat again? Could life get any better than this?
Da Gou smiled too; he didn’t mind. As long as Dad was here, the family was together, and they could eat meat, life was good.
After Da Gou and the others left, Li Feng sold the herbs.
They fetched about two taels of silver.
That was roughly a hundred jin of herbs for two taels...
Counting what he carried, plus selling the deer antlers and herbs, Li Feng now held 1,112 taels of silver and 760 wen in copper coins.
Suddenly, he was rich!