Chapter 39: Knocking Out Li Qingyun Mid-Journey, Leaving Not a Single Copper Behind!

"What do you mean by that?"

Li Dashan jerked his head around, staring fixedly at the old woman. Most of the family's money was kept by Mother Li. He had never concerned himself with household matters before; after all, the second son was his own flesh and blood, and if he and the old woman had both oppressed him, the second son's family would have rebelled long ago. In this household, the old woman played the villain. Aside from skimming a little off the top from Li Feng, his second son, he truly had no involvement with the family's silver. Just now, hearing that the household had lost over a hundred taels of silver, he was quite shocked. He had not expected the second son to be so capable of earning money.

The old woman’s eyes darted around. After a long while, she said, "Don't you remember when you fell into the water and broke your leg?"

"Dr. Li’s bone-setting paste was useless, so I had the second son take 100 coins from where the money was hidden so he could get you cooling medicine in town, along with the bone-setting paste from the Herb Hall."

"You are a fool!" Li Dashan was completely bewildered. "The family money has always been in your hands. How would the second son know anything? Tell me the truth—did you give that money to that boy in private?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Mother Li immediately began to curse. "That silver is my lifeblood. I saved for so long, and it was so hard to build up those savings. I was planning to use it for Chengtai and Chengyou’s weddings, and now, look—it's all gone!"

Li Dashan smacked his lips. He knew the old woman’s character; she loved money more than life itself. Once something was in her hands, it was nearly impossible to make her part with it. But... "Didn't you hide your silver in separate places?"

Li Dashan asked skeptically, "How much money was in the place you mentioned, and how much did the second son see?"

Mother Li frowned. "That was just for emergencies; it wasn't much, just a few strings of copper coins!"

Not much? Li Dashan looked at the old woman. Was her appetite too large? A few strings weren't much? At current rice prices of five coins per catty, two taels could buy a whole picul of grain—and that was fine rice. If it were coarse grain, that would be at least a hundred catties, enough to feed them for two months. Furthermore, if he took that money to town, he could have the young women call him "Master" and shower him with flattery; he felt that even an emperor's life couldn't be much better than that. This wasteful woman actually thought it wasn't much.

"Does anyone else know about the other locations?" Li Dashan gritted his teeth, feeling unwilling to let it go. There were so many hiding spots, all so well-concealed, that he had searched for years without finding anything. How could the thief be so skilled? It was as if they knew everything in advance and had accurately taken all of their money.

The old woman shook her head. "Every spot was carefully selected by me; no one knows. Except for the second son knowing I hid money in this room, the eldest and the third sons know nothing at all!"

Li Dashan grew more and more silent. A terrifying thought suddenly crossed his mind: could the second son have been faking it all these days? For a man who had acted like an ox for decades to suddenly become lazy was, in any light, a bit strange. And then there were the fields; usually, Li Feng would take his sons to work the land, and they had long since developed an attachment to it, yet he hadn't seen the second son in the fields for days. He spent his days idling about, and while Li Dashan fretted over the crops, the second son acted as if nothing were wrong. Could they have really been deceived?

Li Dashan reached for his dry tobacco pipe, packed it, and began to smoke, puffing away.

"Puff, puff, puff—all you do is smoke that thing all day long! Why don't you think of a way to solve this? Are we going to try to find the money or not?" Seeing Li Dashan not taking the matter to heart, Mother Li’s heart turned cold.

"We'll see. Let's wait until the eldest and the third one return!" Li Dashan lay on the edge of the bed, smoking and contemplating. If the second son had done all of this, then he had truly underestimated him. He couldn't go it alone; he would wait for the eldest and the third to return and discuss how they might get the lost silver back.

Smoke curled from the chimneys in the village. Every household was preparing their evening meal. Li Qingyun didn't walk back home until it was dark. His cheeks were flushed, yet he wore a smile, his hands clutched to his chest, his heart filled with joy. The matter of the fields was settled. The village head and the village elder were efficient men—they said it would be done in the afternoon, and it was. Including the sale of the crops, he had made nearly seven taels of silver from the fields. Adding the proceeds from the land sale, he had 126 taels and 300 coins in his possession. A house in the county seat would cost about forty or fifty taels. After deducting the cost of the house and the rent for a shop, he would still have a significant surplus. With this money, he wouldn't need to worry about labor service, and he could participate in social gatherings among scholars. Once there, he could engage in high-minded debates, which might prove helpful to him. Li Qingyun was delighted, lost in dreams of the future.

"Thump!"

Suddenly, a blow to the head knocked Li Qingyun straight to the ground. Li Feng emerged from the darkness. What was this called? A poor man suddenly getting rich—happiness turning into tragedy! To walk on a dark road after coming into money? Wasn't that just begging to be robbed? He smoothly fished out a money bag. Li Feng counted the silver inside; it was exactly the amount from the land sale. Li Feng didn't stand on ceremony and confiscated it all.

After taking the money, he wanted to pay a visit to the old house to see Li Qingbao. He had heard from the village head that afternoon that Li Qingbao also intended to sell his fields. The land he had been allotted was only one mu of prime paddy field less than the third brother's, which meant a difference of about sixteen taels of silver. Either way, it was over a hundred taels. Li Feng figured that after this, he would have nearly 1,500 taels of silver, putting him directly into the ranks of the landed gentry. He could do whatever he wanted.

After knocking Li Qingyun unconscious, Li Feng made his way through the dark to the old Li residence. The house was pitch black; Cheng Xiuyun must have taken her daughter and run back to town. Li Feng searched the place, but aside from finding the two old ones in the main room fast asleep, he found no sign of Li Qingbao. Bad luck. Li Feng closed the door and returned the way he came.

When he reached home, Dagou and the others were still waiting for him to have the evening meal. Because he was busy, Li Feng didn't say much to them; he grabbed two steamed white flour buns, drank a bowl of milk, ate a few slices of beef, and turned to go into his room. Outside, the little ones looked at the closed door, confused. Finally, Erniu spoke up, "Big Brother, after we finish our meal, let's organize the wood we cut from the mountain. We’ll finish Father’s bed today."

"Good!" Dagou had no objections. After the little ones finished eating, they went about their business.

Li Feng lay on the bed, deep in thought. The eldest was truly a cunning fox; he must have discovered something, as he had run off overnight. Did he think that was the end of it? What a joke! Li Dashan and Mother Li were still in the village! These two were supposed to live with the eldest, and since the eldest was such a "filial" son, how could he watch his parents suffer? Tomorrow morning, he would take the two old ones to town. If he couldn't find them there, he would go to the county. The goal was simple: deliver the parents to the eldest. Otherwise, taking the money without doing the work—that would be a terrible attitude! Once the two old ones got used to the life in the county, who would want to return to Li Family Village to be a mud-legged peasant? In order to stay in the county, the two of them would surely cling to Li Qingbao with all their might. He knew their "fighting prowess" all too well. Now that they were also injured, he wondered if the eldest’s family would still be able to focus on their imperial examinations in peace.