Chapter 37: The Wolf Cub Has Grown Up—You Deal with Him Yourself!

"Village Chief!"

Li Qingyun stopped and cupped his hands in a salute toward the village chief. "Our home was robbed last night. I was planning to head to the county town to report it to the authorities!"

The village chief frowned. "Robbed again?"

"Yes!" Li Qingyun nodded. "I'm going to the town first to request someone from the yamen to come over and investigate what exactly happened!"

"Don't bother, I've already reported it," the village chief said, grabbing Li Qingyun's arm. "I reported this three days ago, but there has been no movement. It seems no one wants to bother with it."

Li Qingyun paused, asking with confusion, "Why?"

"Sigh!" The village chief sighed. "Because there's no one backing us from above!"

"It used to be fine, but the current magistrate was only transferred here at the end of last year. Since we haven't offered them any tribute, why should they bother doing anything for us?"

Li Qingyun’s eyes widened. "Aren't they supposed to be the 'parents of the people'?"

"Someone broke into a home to steal, and the yamen won't even intervene?"

The village chief looked at Li Qingyun, wondering if the boy had read so many books that he had lost his wits. He was already in his early thirties—how could he still be so naive?

"Enough about that. I went to town early this morning and retrieved the household separation documents from the yamen for you all!"

"Your family is now split into three. Here is your household registration certificate."

The village chief handed one copy to Li Qingyun, then shouted into the house, "Is Li Qingbao there? Come out and get your transfer documents!"

Li Qingbao walked out, examined the household registration papers, and frowned. "How was it so fast?"

Under normal circumstances, shouldn't it take about seven days for everything to be processed? It hadn't even been a full day; how was it already settled?

The village chief was annoyed by Li Qingbao's questioning. "Isn't this what you've been longing for? I processed it early for you so you could have some peace of mind, couldn't I?"

"Besides the household registration, I have also measured out your share of the fields!"

The village chief handed the documents to Li Qingbao, then turned to Li Qingyun. "Someone has taken a liking to your share of the land. Come to my house at the hour of the Rooster (5 PM to 7 PM) to sign the transfer papers!"

"If anyone else in your family wants to sell their land, hurry up—there are people eager to buy."

Having said this, the village chief turned and left. He still had to deliver the household documents to Li Feng. Out of that whole family, aside from Li Feng, not one of them knew how to conduct themselves properly.

Watching the village chief walk away, the members of the Li family each harbored their own thoughts. Li Qingbao’s face was full of worry, while Li Qingyun’s face beamed with joy.

If the silver was gone, then so be it. While he felt a sting over the lost hundred taels, it wasn't money he had earned himself, nor had he ever seen it, so he chose to practice "out of sight, out of mind."

Now, he had those few plots of land he had been dreaming of. If he sold them, he would receive hard cash—his very own silver. Wasn't that different?

Having secured his benefit, Li Qingyun cupped his hands to Li Qingbao. "Big Brother, I have errands to run, so I'll be heading out. I leave Father and Mother in your care!"

With that, he slipped away.

Li Qingbao’s expression darkened. The third brother was the youngest, and after several younger siblings had passed away in infancy, their mother had nearly collapsed from grief. If not for the youngest, their mother might have followed them.

Once his mother recovered, she poured all her affection into Li Qingyun as if to make up for the loss. This was exactly what had raised Li Qingyun into such a naive person. With his temperament, reading books might be fine, but if he were to become an official in the imperial court, he would likely be killed without even knowing how it happened.

He had mentioned this to his parents before, but they had always assumed he was just jealous of Li Qingyun and ignored him.

Ha! This fool—if he actually managed to pass the imperial exam and become a scholar, that would be the very beginning of his downfall!

Clutching the household documents, Li Qingbao entered the main room and placed the remaining land deeds before Li Dashan. "Father, how do you intend to handle these fields?"

Originally, the family had only five mu of paddy fields and eight mu of dry land. The remaining fields had been acquired later by the second son and his children. Now that the family had split, he held a total of seven mu of premium paddy fields, four mu of dry land, and five mu of medium-grade paddy fields. This was even more than their ancestral property.

If he sold it all, he could get a significant amount of silver. However, he couldn't be the villain who squandered the ancestral inheritance. Since the old man was going to live with him, the decision naturally had to come from Li Dashan!

Li Dashan glanced at Li Qingbao, seeing right through his thoughts. *Ha, the wolf pup has grown up and knows how to prey on his old father.*

He puffed on his dry tobacco pipe and said, "Keep the five mu of paddy fields for your mother and me, and you can handle the rest as you see fit!"

Li Qingbao was silent for a moment before agreeing. "Very well, I will do as you say, Father!"

"Except for the five mu of premium paddy fields, I will sell the rest!"

Li Dashan said nothing. Li Qingbao didn't speak further either; he turned and went out to handle the business.

Watching the room empty out, Li Dashan felt a sense of desolation and looked down at his injured leg. From yesterday until now, not a single person had asked about his injury. No one had gone to town to fetch medicine for him; they were all only thinking about his silver. The second son was a bit better, but his second son...

The more he thought, the more irritable he became. Li Dashan smoked continuously, his heart filled with agitation.

...

At the edge of the village, Li Feng had enjoyed a good night's sleep. As soon as he woke up, the door was pushed open.

Daya walked in carrying a basin of water, smiling at Li Feng. "Father, you're awake!"

She walked over and placed the water on the wooden stand.

Li Feng: "!!!"

This treatment. Someone was even bringing him water to wash his face?

Before he could refuse, Daya had already prepared everything needed for his morning wash. "Father, please wash your face first. I'm going out to prepare breakfast!"

Li Feng suddenly remembered. When they were at the old house, this was indeed how it had been. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. At the old house, Daya had always been the personal maid for Madam Li. From small tasks like fetching water for foot baths and helping with dressing, to major concerns like daily needs, Daya had handled it all. Madam Li had lived like the matriarch of a wealthy household. Now that they had moved, she hadn't yet broken the habit?

Li Feng: "..."

This damned society. It was so incredibly comfortable—no wonder everyone wanted to be a master.

At that moment, Li Feng added a new goal to his list: to become a master. The biggest master of them all.

Once he was ready, Li Feng said to Daya, "Don't do these things anymore."

"We've moved now. Don't apply the way you treated your grandmother to me."

"A girl should maintain proper distance from her father as she grows. You aren't a child anymore; in a few years, you'll be talking marriage. What does it look like for you to be doing this?"

"Also, as my daughter, you don't need to be subservient to anyone. You have three elder brothers, two younger brothers to support you, and your father here—how could I ever let you be wronged?"

Daya’s eyes turned red, and she gripped the hem of her clothes tightly. Girls matured early, especially in the complex environment of the Li family. Since her grandparents didn't favor her, she had become accustomed to reading their expressions.

Now, having left the old house, her father was their sky, their only reliance. She was used to pleasing the person in charge. When she did this before, everyone would praise her for being filial, but no one had ever spoken to her like her father did!

"Father!" Daya looked up, whispering softly.

"What is it? Father is here!" Li Feng turned and gave her a big, bright smile.

It was his first time being a father to such a well-behaved and filial girl. Li Feng was terrified of speaking too harshly! In ancient times, life was not easy for women. Since she was his daughter, he naturally wanted Daya to be able to walk through the world unrestrained and live as she pleased!