Free Web NovelChapter 9: Chapter 9: Quiet Changes
CRACK.
Xie Yuan swung his axe, splitting a thick log in two. The progress bar rose just a little.
[Chopping Wood: (479/1000)]
Looking at the text before his eyes, he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and nodded in satisfaction.
’It’s not quite a "one point per log" rate, but it’s not too slow either.’
At this rate, he could advance to the next level in less than twenty days.
Xie Yuan set his axe aside, preparing to rest for a bit.
He sat on the woodpile and carefully took out several strings of Copper Coins from the sash tied around his waist, counting them.
Five strings were filled with Copper Coins. Each string was a mix of ten-cash, five-cash, two-cash, and single-cash copper plates, making up exactly one hundred cash per string for a total of five hundred cash.
Another string held fewer copper plates—sixty-three cash.
"Five hundred sixty-three cash. That’s my net profit for this period."
Xie Yuan let out a breath.
If this kept up, he could net more than one tael of silver a month.
In a mountain village, this rate of saving was by no means slow.
After all, he was the only one here who could chop down iron poplars as if they were worthless scrub.
The wealthy households in the village had all the iron poplar they could ever need. He had sold all his firewood to the man who collected it for the town’s tavern to clear out his stock.
Compared to when he first woke up, penniless, Xie Yuan was much better off now. He had enough to eat, even if the food wasn’t great. Every few days, he could even have a meal with meat, though it was just dry, stringy pheasants and wild rabbits.
But compared to the majority in the village who couldn’t even get enough to eat, Xie Yuan was definitely upper-middle class by mountain village standards.
’But it’s not enough.’
The ten taels of silver for the martial arts school’s entrance fee was still a distant dream.
He could barely manage to get by like this, but if he really wanted to climb higher...
’I’ll just have to wait for [Chopping Wood] to transform and see what effects it has then.’
So, after scrimping for two days, Xie Yuan stopped pinching pennies.
’I have to keep eating my fill and have a meat dish every couple of days. Otherwise, I won’t have the strength, which will hurt my efficiency. Right now, my Chopping Wood progress is what matters most.’
The other local thugs had come looking for him these past few days, but Xie Yuan’s firm attitude had scared them off.
After dealing with Li Mazi, Xie Yuan’s perspective on these ruffians, who had once been a headache, had changed.
’Aside from the people backing them, they themselves aren’t much of a threat.’
’If things get really bad, we’ll settle it in the woods.’
This unspoken chill he exuded made the thugs’ livers tremble. After being thwarted one by one, they ganged up and came to his door together.
Xie Yuan used the same old trick, performing his feat of splitting a man-high log with a single swing of his axe, then asked who wanted to go first. freewebnoveℓ.com
The thugs briefly considered whether an iron poplar log or their own heads were harder. With no one willing to be the vanguard, they just hurled some empty threats at each other and dispersed, leaving him alone for a long time afterward.
Xie Yuan didn’t actually use the axe blade on them, not out of soft-heartedness, but because while a simple beating was fine, seriously injuring or killing someone in public would bring too much trouble.
The mountain village was wild, but it wasn’t a complete lawless land.
’Luckily, no one cared about Li Mazi, so no one has come looking for me...’
"Yuanzi, stop chopping wood! What’s gotten into you these past few days? The trees on the mountain aren’t going anywhere. Come on over and eat!"
Li Lan’s voice called out from outside the wicker fence.
"Coming!"
Xie Yuan walked over to his brother-in-law and sister-in-law’s house next door. On the table were a plate of stir-fried chicken pieces, a plate of watery wild vegetables, and a plate of fragrant scrambled eggs. Wang Lei and Huwa were sitting at the table.
It was winter, so vegetables were scarce. A meal with more meat than vegetables was a rare sight in the village.
Li Lan served up steaming bowls of brown rice, and the three adults and one child gathered around the table, digging in with gusto.
Xie Yuan chatted idly with his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, then asked:
"Brother Shitou, are you going to the city to find work?"
Wang Lei nodded.
"It’s the slow season in winter. I’ll find some work in the city, save up some money for Huwa’s schooling."
"When are you leaving?"
"In a couple of days."
Wang Lei wiped his mouth and looked at Xie Yuan.
"Yuanzi, while I’m gone, I need you to come over and keep an eye on your sister-in-law and Huwa’Er."
"Brother Shitou, you don’t have to say that."
Xie Yuan said with a grin:
"If I don’t come here, where else am I going to eat?"
Everyone at the table laughed together, the warmth dispelling the early winter chill.
「On the other side of the village, inside a noticeably larger earthen house.」
Zhang the Second was on a heated kang bed with an old man who was smoking a long-stemmed pipe. A plate of peanuts and a pot of wine sat on the kang between them.
The old man exhaled a puff of smoke, making Zhang the Second frown. Then he picked up his small wine cup, took a sip, and let out a sharp HISS. He smacked his lips, his expression one of pure contentment.
In a mountain village where even grain was scarce, wine was a rare delicacy.
"Village Chief, this wine is the ’Thousand-Cup Knockout’ from the Unintoxicated Building in the county seat. A single pot costs five taels of silver. How is it?"
Zhang the Second said with a smug, crooked grin.
Hearing this, the old village chief sighed softly. He reluctantly put down his wine cup and said with a frown:
"Xiaoshan, forcibly seizing land is a capital crime punishable by beheading. How many heads do you have to risk doing such a thing?"
Zhang the Second, also known as Zhang Xiaoshan, scoffed.
"As long as they sign the papers ’willingly,’ it’s not seizure, is it? Of course, for any land deed transactions in the village, we still need your venerable approval."
Seeing the village chief remain silent, Zhang the Second leaned closer and said slowly:
"My brother went to the county school and spoke with the teacher. Little Wen is prime material for a scholar."
The long-stemmed pipe in the village chief’s hand trembled slightly.
"My brother is highly regarded by the County Captain, and he’ll be promoted again soon. Once he has some sway in the county yamen and can get an audience with the County Magistrate, we can have Little Wen learn composition from the Magistrate himself. With that kind of guidance, he might become a Scholar in the future—no, a Juren!
"A Juren! That would bring glory to your ancestors!"
Zhang the Second gave a thumbs-up as if the village chief’s grandson had already passed the imperial exams.
The village chief puffed on his pipe—PATTA PATTA—without a word for a long time.
After a long while, just as the tobacco in his pipe was about to burn out, the village chief set down the pipe, which felt as heavy as lead, picked up the wine cup, and slowly drained it.
A smile spread across Zhang the Second’s face.
"Then I won’t disturb you any longer, elder."
He refilled the village chief’s cup, left the nearly full pot of wine there, and turned to leave.
"Wait."
Zhang the Second turned back to see the village chief frowning as he spoke.
"A tiger is on the loose on the mountain. Someone from the next village was even mauled to death. Ask your brother if he has time to come back for a visit."
Zhang the Second gave a noncommittal reply.
"I’ll ask, but he’s busy with official duties. He probably can’t get away."
Seeing this, the village chief just sighed and shook his head.
Zhang the Second strode proudly out of the village chief’s house and happened to run into one of his thugs. He pulled the man over and asked:
"Hey, how’s that business going? Also, why haven’t I seen Li Mazi around for so long?"
"Second Brother! You’re back from the county seat?"
The thug greeted him, then said with a pained expression:
"I haven’t seen that lazy bastard in ages either. Who knows which widow’s house he’s shacked up in! As for the other matter... well, uh..."
He stammered as he recounted Xie Yuan’s dramatic change, especially his axe skills, which he described in mythical terms, making him sound like a master Martial Artist.
The moment Zhang the Second heard this, he knew his underling was exaggerating and slapped him right across the face.
"Useless!"
’However, then again, Zhang the Second himself had seen Xie Yuan with his axe. The man did have some strength, so he couldn’t entirely blame these underlings.’
He rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment, then a cold smile appeared on his face.
"Fine, so he’s a tough one. But no matter how tough the bone, when it meets me, it’ll turn to soft clay.
"And since Wang Lei and Xie Yuan are so close, I’ll just make an example of you two together."
