Chapter 41: Brine, the Li Family's Top Scholar Bites the Dust!

Since the family separated, the standard of living for Li Feng’s household had improved dramatically.

Currently, as the only elder in the house, Li Feng was lying on a recliner made by his eldest son, Dagou, enjoying the cool shade under a large tree. He had his legs crossed, feet resting on the end of the chair, swaying gently—he couldn't have been more content.

Little Er-Ya lay across Li Feng’s legs, watching her older brothers work, her face wreathed in smiles. Eldest daughter Da-Ya was washing vegetables by the well, the rhythmic chanting of her brothers’ labor filling her ears. For some reason, a smile also blossomed on her face.

"Thud!" Dagou and Er-Niu carried a piece of timber and dropped it squarely in the middle of the courtyard. Third brother, San-Niu, walked over shirtless, holding a marking ink pot and a toothed saw he had borrowed from the village carpenter, and immediately set to work.

As the sound of wood being sawed reached Li Feng’s ears, the corners of his mouth curled upward. Excellent, they were all talented and moldable; his business plans could finally be put on the agenda. As for a teacher and a private school, those needed to be arranged as well. The day he would become a man of status was not far off.

He was not short of money now; what he lacked was influence. He had a system shop from which he could pull an endless supply of high-quality goods, but if these were to appear in the hands of a mere farmer, it would cause major problems—they wouldn’t be able to handle the scrutiny. Originally, he had considered taking the children to the county town to make their schooling easier, but last night, he decided he could afford to take his time. He could send them to a private school first to learn to read and write, while he worked hard to elevate his own status.

Who said one had to pass the imperial examinations to enter officialdom? He didn't want to be a powerful bureaucrat; what he wanted was a reputation—a reputation strong enough to intimidate the local bullies. And Li Feng had already figured out how to earn it.

"Si-Niu!" Li Feng called out.

"Father!" The little tot helping nearby perked up at his father’s voice and trotted over. "Father, are you thirsty?"

Li Feng shook his head, sat up, and asked, "What is the situation in the fields? Is the rice doing well?"

Si-Niu scratched his head. "Father, we haven't been to the fields in days, so I don't know!"

Dagou put down the timber, drank some water, and walked over to Li Feng. "Father, I checked the fields. There is no shortage of water for the rice, but there are many weeds; we need to do some weeding."

Hearing this, Li Feng felt a twinge of regret. If he had arrived a little earlier, he could have purchased a batch of high-quality grain seeds from the system shop. If he had no other options, becoming a seed-producing farmer wouldn't be a bad path. In this era, seed-producing households were quite wealthy; they didn't need to pay taxes or provide corvée labor, and they were considered to have performed a great service by selling their seeds to the common people. If someone could provide seeds that increased yields, they could even receive accolades from the imperial court and potentially become a prominent gentry family. That was why Li Feng felt a bit of regret.

Grain was of paramount importance. If he could increase grain production, a fifth-rank official position would surely be within his reach.

"Go back to your work," Li Feng waved his hand and lay back down. Dagou looked at his father, puzzled, but turned to help Er-Niu.

The boys were efficient; in no time, they had peeled the bark off the wood. The younger ones, Si-Niu and Wu-Niu, ran over to collect the bark for firewood. With San-Niu doing the carpentry and the older brothers assisting, a piece of timber was processed in short order.

"Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, drink some water!" Da-Ya brought over an earthenware pot and several chipped bowls, pouring water for them.

"Thank you, little sister," they all said in unison. They took the bowls and gulped the water down.

"It’s salty!" Dagou finished, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the pot. "Give me another bowl!"

They were doing heavy physical labor, which drained their energy. Salt provided the strength they needed, yet salt was very expensive, especially now. Even when grain harvests were decent and there were no natural disasters, salt prices continued to climb. Their family could only afford coarse salt, which came in large, poorly processed chunks that tasted bitter. Aside from using a tiny bit in cooking, they were usually very frugal. However, these past few days, thanks to their father, they had been eating white flour meat buns, drinking milk, and enjoying roast chicken and duck. The taste was excellent.

But today, after drinking two bowls of salted water, Dagou’s eyes lit up. It was delicious! No bitter aftertaste at all!

"Salty?" Da-Ya was stunned. She looked at the water, poured some for herself, tasted it, and was equally surprised. It really was salty, and the flavor was just right. It was wonderful.

Er-Niu looked at Li Feng, his eyes filled with a smile, and downed his water. The younger ones drank carefully, wasting not a drop—after all, this was money!

Watching them, Li Feng felt a pang of sympathy. They had probably never seen refined salt before. It had pained him to watch them eat meals cooked with coarse salt every day. But there was nothing to be done while they were at the old house; he had to make do. Now that they were in their new home, he could openly bring out refined salt. They were already eating meat, so a little refined salt wouldn't arouse suspicion.

"Li Lao-Er, get out here!"

Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere of the small courtyard was shattered. The children turned to see their Third Uncle charging over with a group of men, looking fierce and menacing.

Er-Ya was frightened; she immediately hid behind Li Feng, clutching his leg, and peeked out at Li Qingyun. She didn't like her Third Uncle. Not one bit!

Seeing the fierce look on the man’s face, Li Feng stood up. "What brings Third Brother here? Are you here to congratulate your second brother on his housewarming?"

Li Qingyun spat internally and glared coldly at Li Feng. "You’re the one who did what happened at the old house, aren't you? Give me my money back! And our parents' money too—they are in such a state, yet you dared to embezzle the family funds! Li Caogen, where is your conscience?"

A crowd of onlookers had gathered. Seeing Li Qingyun’s hurried pace, they knew trouble was brewing and followed closely to see if they could help. But they were stunned by Li Qingyun’s opening accusation. Li Family’s second son had stolen things?

"Smack!"

A loud, crisp slap echoed through the air. Everyone turned, shocked to see Li Lao-Er strike him.

Li Qingyun’s head buzzed. He had been hit by Li Caogen again. How dare he! Fueled by indignation and the anger of losing his money, Li Qingyun cast aside all caution and lunged at Li Feng. "I’ll fight you to the death!"

"Weakling." Watching Li Qingyun’s clumsy approach, Li Feng didn't even use much effort. With a simple trip, Li Qingyun went sprawling face-first into the dirt, looking utterly pathetic.

"Hahaha! The scholar of the Li family is eating mud!" a snot-nosed child outside the gate clapped and cheered, delighted. The child’s parent was startled, quickly covering the kid’s mouth in embarrassment.

The group of men who had followed Li Qingyun looked at Li Feng, then at Li Qingyun, their faces turning a mixture of red and white. This useless fool. He was absolutely no good for anything!