Chapter 26: The Trouble Has Only Just Begun!

"You!"

Li Yanjun shook his head hurriedly. "No, no, I'm just an errand boy. Anyone could do this job!"

"What a pity!" Lu Chuan laughed. "In this village, there isn't a single person willing to deliver messages for me!"

Li Yanjun felt embarrassed. "You know how it is. The Zhao Family Village is powerful; it's natural for the villagers to be afraid."

"It's not just fear of me!"

Saying this, Lu Chuan shook his head helplessly. "Believe me, the trouble has only just begun."

Li Yanjun stood there, stunned. "You mean the people from Zhao Family Village will still come looking for trouble?"

Lu Chuan looked at Li Yanjun as if he were looking at a fool, then patted him on the shoulder. "Give me another tael of silver."

"Alright!" Li Yanjun handed the silver to Lu Chuan. He looked somewhat bewildered, innocent, and naive.

After taking the silver, Lu Chuan turned to Chen Miaomiao, who was nearby. "Dieyi, go cut the pig's head off the half-carcass in the kitchen and let him take it back to boil and eat. It’ll be good for him to build up his strength!"

Still dazed, Li Yanjun left with four taels of silver and half a pig's head.

Su Ruan covered her mouth and giggled. "Is that man a friend of yours? He seems quite cute!"

"He's alright," Lu Chuan smiled, then tidied up the items on the ground. He looked at the low-slung mud house and was at a loss for words. It was a shame that building a new house took time; otherwise, he would have loved to tear down these eyesores.

...

After Sun Zhi received the silver and heard what Li Yanjun had to say, he nodded with satisfaction. "Good lad, he actually has the Zhao family completely under his thumb. That’s truly rare. I really underestimated him before."

"Village Chief," Li Yanjun asked, puzzled, "was Brother Chuan being too soft? When Zhao Dabao said ten taels of silver, he just agreed! In my opinion, he could have tried to haggle!"

Sun Zhi knocked Li Yanjun hard on the head. "Nonsense, don't talk about things you don't understand! Let me tell you, Lu Chuan is doing just fine."

Sun Zhi glared at him. "You can't ask for too much money. Ten taels is already enough to make many people green with envy. If he had asked for a hundred and fifty taels, it would be difficult for him to even gain a foothold in this village."

Li Yanjun still didn't quite grasp it.

"You really should eat more pig brains to sharpen your wits!" Sun Zhi sighed and continued, "Besides, that Zhao Dabao couldn't possibly have produced that much money. Asking for money at the start was just to provoke the Zhao family. This kid, he’s got real talent!"

Excitement flickered in Sun Zhi's eyes. Suddenly, he stood up and paced back and forth in the small room, lost in thought. "Great potential, truly great potential!" He clenched his fists tightly.

Li Yanjun stood to the side, looking completely confused by Sun Zhi's behavior.

There are no secrets in a village. In the blink of an eye, the news had spread to many households in Shuangshui Village.

Just as Chen Miaomiao finished preparing dinner, she heard a light tapping at the courtyard gate.

"Dachuan, are you home?" A voice with a gentle tone called out.

Lu Chuan walked out and saw a woman standing outside. Seeing him, she hurried to say, "Dachuan, it's your Aunt Liu!"

Lu Chuan broke into a smile. What did I say? The trouble has only just begun.

"Aunt Liu!" Lu Chuan looked at her and asked, "What brings you to my house so late?" His voice held a hint of suspicion.

"Dachuan, it's like this. I heard you went hunting in the mountains and caught a wild boar. My family's grain supply for the year isn't enough yet, so I was thinking, could I borrow some pork from you to take to the county seat and sell? To trade for some grain!" Aunt Liu said cheerfully. "You've really made something of yourself, managing to bag a wild boar. It's been years since our Shuangshui Village had a hunter like you. I always said you’d amount to something when you grew up! See, wasn't I right?"

Lu Chuan chuckled. "Aunt Liu, are you misremembering? I remember you saying that I was no good at studying or martial arts, and that I’d likely be a mere farmer all my life."

"How could that be!" Aunt Liu stared at him. "Dachuan, Auntie has always believed in you. You've truly misunderstood me this time!"

Lu Chuan laughed. "Auntie, I'm afraid that won't be possible. You know there are three of us here, and we need three shi of grain. Grain is so expensive this year, and after skinning and butchering that wild boar, there wasn't much meat left. I barely have enough for myself, so I truly have no spare meat to help your family. Maybe you should find another way?"

"Dachuan!" Aunt Liu's face darkened with displeasure. "Those two women of yours don't know how to work; I hear they do nothing all day. What did you marry them for? If I were you, I'd divorce them. Do you remember your sister Xiuxiang? That's my daughter! She's a real worker. If she marries you, you two could live a wonderful life, how about that?" Aunt Liu said enthusiastically. "As for the bride price, I won't ask for much—just half the boar!"

*Whoosh!*

At that instant, an arrow from Su Ruan's hand whistled through the air and embedded itself into the threshold right at Aunt Liu's feet. Su Ruan stood in the doorway with a playful smile.

"Oops, excuse me, Auntie! I'm not useless; I know how to shoot an arrow." Su Ruan looked at Aunt Liu with amusement. "However, my aim is a bit shaky. If you keep babbling nonsense, I can't guarantee where the next arrow will land!" She winked at Aunt Liu.

Lu Chuan looked back at Su Ruan and laughed. He hadn't expected the young woman to be jealous.

"Vixen! You vixen!" Aunt Liu jumped in anger. "Dachuan, can't you control her? We're family! Your wife is treating her elder like this! This is a rebellion! She has broken the seven grounds for divorce—you can cast her out!"

"Whoosh..."

Another sound pierced the air. Aunt Liu's hair bun was struck and fell to the ground.