Chapter 29

Li Wang took Yong-ge to the field, where Cheng Duo was already waiting. When Cheng Duo saw Li Wang walking ahead with a cold face, he took the initiative to call out, "Uncle Li."

Then he shifted his puzzled gaze to Yong-ge's face and asked what was going on.

Yong-ge couldn't explain properly. His father had gone to his uncle's house early in the morning and seemed to have had an argument with his uncle and aunt. He even threatened to sever ties. And from what Yong-ge overheard outside the courtyard, it seemed to involve Cheng Duo… How could he explain this?

Li Wang, however, noticed Cheng Duo's expression and adjusted his own, saying, "It's nothing, let's get to work."

"Alright," Cheng Duo didn't ask further.

Li Wang was an experienced farmer, even though he limped on one leg, he plowed the land quickly. Each hoe went in with the same depth, turning out the weed roots neatly, creating well-organized furrows.

Yong-ge had to work a bit slower, but he plowed the land more meticulously.

As for Cheng Duo, he wasn't familiar with the technique of using different depths for each hoe, so the furrows he plowed were completely different from the other two. It was like the difference between peacetime and the battlefield.

Fortunately, Cheng Duo had great strength, and he didn't feel tired from just plowing the land. By the time Li Wang stopped to rest, Cheng Duo had already surpassed the other two by a large margin.

Seeing this, Li Wang didn't let Yong-ge continue digging. He asked him to pick up the weeds from the field and put them in a basket, which would then be carried to the compost pit they specifically dug on the side of the field. These weeds would ferment for a while there and then be mixed with grass ash and other fertilizers before being buried back in the ground.

When Cheng Duo stopped, he noticed that the sun was already high in the sky. His front and back were soaked with sweat, and if it weren't for this being ancient times, he would have wanted to take off his clothes and work shirtless.

Cheng Duo glanced at Li Wang, who was still toiling away, and walked over to Yong-ge, who was picking up the weeds with the basket. "It's getting late, go back and cook."

Yong-ge replied, "I'll finish picking up this basket first."

He was also sweating profusely, with flushed cheeks. His slightly tan skin occasionally showed a hint of fairness, indicating that the effect of the medicine seemed to be wearing off.

Cheng Duo took a quick glance but quickly averted his gaze. He stood in place for a moment before giving a reminder, "The meat and grains for cooking are already placed on the stove, don't hesitate to use them."

He felt that after the hard work he had done in the morning, he deserved a big bowl of sizzling bamboo shoot stir-fry with meat. Of course, apart from that, he didn't prepare any vegetables at all, afraid that Yong-ge would just boil some veggies in water to fool him.

Yong-ge looked at him helplessly and said, "I know."

The two of them had become quite familiar, and Yong-ge spoke naturally. Li Wang, who was watching from a distance, suddenly felt a bit sad—Yong-ge wasn't as lively in front of him as he was in front of Cheng Duo!

At lunchtime, Li Wang was astonished to see the table filled with greasy stir-fried bamboo shoots and meat, salty vegetable and meat slice soup, and even pork fat residue stir-fried with baby bok choy. Yong-ge's bold cooking methods left him speechless.

Did Yong-ge make everything that Cheng Duo had in his house just because Cheng Duo treated him to a meal? This was too much…

And, he even made cornmeal rice!

Li Wang trembled as he looked at the three large bowls of rice that Yong-ge brought over. "Yong-ge, you…"

Was this excessive or what!

Yong-ge helplessly looked at his father. "Father, Cheng Duo likes eating like this."

The baby bok choy was just picked from their own field. It had only grown a little because Cheng Duo's kitchen didn't have a single leafy vegetable, so Yong-ge had to pick some and stir-fry them.

Cheng Duo was indeed very satisfied. He picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a large piece of stir-fried meat, then took a mouthful of rice, feeling content. "Not bad, we'll follow this standard from now on."

While eating, he didn't forget to call out to Li Wang, "Uncle Li, you should eat too."

Li Wang cautiously reminded him, "Well… Cheng Duo, life doesn't work like this. You can't eat as much as you have on hand. What will you do once it's finished?"

"It's fine. After eating, I'll go to the mountains to hunt. I haven't finished eating the meat I sold at the stall yesterday. Having too much at home can attract wolves easily," Cheng Duo said, pointing to a row of cured meats hanging under the eaves. Because he believed pork was the most delicious, he had Yong-ge make pork dishes first.

Li Wang: "…" Would he have enough time to learn hunting now?

Most likely not. When his legs were still agile, he would go to the mountains to gather herbs, and he had seen wild chickens flying around, but he never managed to catch a single one. Moreover, he had seen other hunters, and those people only resorted to hunting in the mountains because they had no other means of survival.

Hunting wasn't as easy as Cheng Duo made it seem. During unlucky times, they could go for several days without catching any prey, let alone larger animals.

Li Wang's gaze shifted to the wolf pelt hanging on the rack, and he gained a new understanding of Cheng Duo's abilities.

But obviously, his understanding was still far from sufficient…

Yong-ge also noticed it by now and furrowed his brow. "No wonder I saw footprints in the vegetable field earlier. It was a wolf!"

Being targeted by wolves was not a good thing.

Yong-ge remembered the first time he saw Cheng Duo when he killed a wolf, and he began to suspect that the wolf pack was after Cheng Duo.

Cheng Duo didn't mind. "It's fine. They come to give me wolf pelts and wolf meat. I wish they would come more often."

"Still, be careful," Yong-ge reminded him with concern.

Li Wang also advised, "I've heard from those old hunters that wolves are cunning. If you can't beat them, they will attack from behind or drive their prey into traps like herding sheep… You often go to the mountains, so it's better to be cautious."

Cheng Duo paused for a moment but didn't mention that he had already been ambushed by the alpha wolf. For the sake of peace, he had to pretend to be a receptive student.

Yong-ge couldn't help but notice that Cheng Duo didn't seem to take their warnings seriously. However, he knew that Cheng Duo had great strength and could even fight off wolves barehanded, so he wasn't overly worried.

Li Wang worked with Cheng Duo for three days, and every day there was at least one meat dish on the table. As for the staple food, it was either steamed buns, pancakes, or rice.

Li Wang had privately reminded Yong-ge, but after Yong-ge reduced the food and increased the vegetables on the table, Cheng Duo complained to him. Yong-ge found himself caught in the middle and didn't know whose advice to follow…

The more Li Wang worked, the more he felt guilty. The tasks that originally took five days to complete were finished in just three days, mainly thanks to Cheng Duo. He increased the pace, and Cheng Duo followed suit.

Cheng Duo's strength seemed tireless. He carried heavy buckets as if they weighed nothing… Later on, Cheng Duo simply didn't let him carry anything and had him and Yong-ge water the fields instead.

Just as they were about to finish all the work on the four mu plot, Wu Guihua, who hadn't shown up for several days and had a pale complexion, suddenly appeared with Uncle Li and the elders from the village.

As soon as Li Wang saw Wu Guihua, he frowned. "What are you all here for?"

"Second Brother, what's with that attitude? The hunter has shown you kindness, and now you're wholeheartedly helping an outsider?" Wu Guihua couldn't hide her anger.

Li Wang stood his ground and glanced at Uncle Li and the village elders who had come along. He didn't hold back as he said, "I've already said it once when I was at Li Man Cang's house, and today I'll say it again in front of Uncle Li: I have severed my brotherly relationship with Li Man Cang…"

"What are you blabbering about, Second Brother?" Wu Guihua shrieked, trying to interrupt him. But Li Wang paid her no attention and continued, "From now on, their family has nothing to do with me! Don't bother coming to me. Even if I die of poverty or hunger, I won't beg Li Man Cang for anything!"

"Li Wang, how can you say that?" Uncle Li frowned, disapproving. "After all, you're blood brothers. When there's a conflict, you should talk it out. Why cut off your relationship like this?"

Cheng Duo wasn't surprised at all. He knew that in ancient times, clan and family relationships were very close-knit, and severing ties meant cutting off one's own path in life. That's why he had specifically asked Yong-ge for his opinion before considering buying land from Li Man Cang's family. He knew that breaking such family ties wasn't something easily done.

Li Wang couldn't speak ill of his deceased mother, so he turned his face away and said, "Uncle Li, I have my reasons for doing this. You don't need to worry about it."

"Uncle Li, look at him! Our family has just encountered trouble, and he can't resist kicking us when we're down!" Wu Guihua was the first to slander. "Is this hunter instigating you? How much money did he give you that you disregard your own elder brother?"

Li Wang's face turned cold. "Wu, do you really want me to speak plainly in front of everyone?"

Wu Guihua hesitated. She really was afraid that Li Wang would disregard everything and expose everything!

Although filial piety was valued in ancient times, villagers who only knew how to farm were capable of anything once they shed their facade. Just like Li Da and Li Er, when Li Wang tried to control them, they even fought back against Li Wang. Moreover, local bullies and tyrants were terrifying. Most people didn't dare provoke them. If it hadn't been for them harming the interests of the majority in the village, they wouldn't have easily driven people away.

Driving someone away meant cutting off their means of survival. If they couldn't survive, who knows if they would come back for revenge against the villagers? They couldn't possibly seal off the entire village!

Uncle Li and the others looked at each other, knowing that there must be some hidden circumstances, but since Li Wang wouldn't speak, they couldn't bring themselves to ask. They were just unsure about why Li Wang, who was usually honest, had been pushed to the point of wanting to sever his brotherly relationship…

"Li Wang…" Uncle Li wanted to persuade him again, but Li Wang interrupted, "Uncle Li, in these years, how has Li Man Cang treated me? How has he treated me? I believe you all understand that in your hearts. There's no need for further persuasion. In any case, their family has nothing to do with me from now on… And don't bother provoking me, or else I might do something you won't expect."

It was evident that Li Wang's last words were directed at Wu Guihua. She was angry, but at the moment, she had more important matters to attend to, so she didn't resort to her usual tactic of throwing a tantrum.

"Uncle Li, do you have some business here?" Cheng Duo saw Wu Guihua's demeanor and realized there was something they didn't understand, so he took the initiative to ask.

Wu Guihua hadn't shown up earlier, but now she brought people along just as they were finishing their work in the fields.

Wasn't this all planned in advance? But if it was planned against him, she was probably being a bit too optimistic!