Chapter 9: Are You Perhaps Not Quite Satisfied with Us?

Fortunately, Lu Chuan wasn’t very clever. He had inadvertently revealed his thoughts, leaving room for a way out.

“Hmph, consider yourself lucky!” Zhou Tong sneered. “I want to see what you’ll do when you can’t pay the grain tax! Even if you do pay, I can still accuse you of being a Turkic spy!”

He lightly patted Lu Chuan on the shoulder and added, “Let’s see then, will the county magistrate believe you or me, farmer?”

With that, Zhou Tong strode away confidently.

Lu Chuan narrowed his eyes slightly. It was clear he needed to find a way to deal with Zhou Tong first. Although Zhou Tong couldn’t cause him too much trouble now, if he ended up in prison, he’d certainly suffer.

“Truly, the King of Hell is quarrelsome, and little devils are hard to deal with,” Lu Chuan thought warmly, while his mind raced, formulating a plan to handle Zhou Tong. He knew he had to act before the grain tax deadline.

At that moment, the shopkeeper of Cui’s Grain Store hurried out. “Sir, please wait a moment…”

Lu Chuan looked up. “Is there something else?”

“If you need grain, especially in bulk, I can offer you 45 qian per jin. That price is for a mix of new and old grain,” the shopkeeper said with a smile. “Trust me, with this year’s market, you won’t find anyone else in Hongtu County who can match this price.”

Lu Chuan paused, then realized the shopkeeper was quite shrewd. From his earlier conversation with Zhou Tong, the shopkeeper knew Lu Chuan needed grain — possibly 300 jin or more — and so now, he was eager to make a deal.

“This price is a bit high,” Lu Chuan said, shaking his head. “I’ll think it over.”

Without another word, he turned and left.

The shopkeeper watched him go, helplessly shaking his head before returning to his seat. “Ah, how unpredictable life is. I wonder if this man will survive in the end. Anyone Zhou Tong targets never ends well.”

After leaving Cui’s Grain Store, Lu Chuan stopped by a fabric shop to buy ten bolts of cloth and some small textile supplies. As for the blacksmith, there was no need to visit. In this era, iron was strictly controlled; even making farming tools required official registration. Possessing unregistered iron items could land one in jail.

So far, Lu Chuan’s bow and arrows were made entirely of wood, but their range was not short.

At that moment, Su Ruan stood before a bow hanging on the door, her eyes filled with longing.

“Like it?” Bai Siyu asked with a hint of helplessness.

“If you like, one day the master can make one just for you. The craftsmanship doesn’t seem too complicated,” Bai Siyu said.

“You don’t understand,” Su Ruan shook her head slightly, as if making a firm decision. She took the bow down from the door and carefully stroked it.

“This bow looks simple, but it’s not so easy to make well,” she said. “With good wood, quality materials, and a strong bowstring, making a good bow isn’t that difficult. But the hardest thing in this world is to turn something ordinary into something extraordinary.”

“These are just simple wood and the lowest-grade grass rope, yet this bow was made from them. There must be steps to the process we can’t even imagine.”

As someone from a martial family, Su Ruan naturally loved weapons and knew a thing or two about them.

Bai Siyu nodded, surprised. “Hearing you say that, I think I understand.”

Su Ruan gently pulled the bowstring, releasing a clear, crisp sound.

“Looks like we’re lucky to meet such a person here. Too bad it’s at this time; otherwise, I’d try to recruit him into the army.”

…

Lu Chuan bought some daily necessities. His home was now bare and drafty, and with winter upon them, he needed supplies to keep warm.

Determined, he purchased three cotton quilts.

“Damn, these prices are terrifying. One quilt costs 500 qian!”

The three quilts alone cost him 1,500 qian after bargaining. These quilts were thin compared to modern standards but could barely keep out the cold.

Including other purchases, he spent a full 2,000 qian.

After organizing his purchases, Lu Chuan headed home.

Since Su Ruan had underestimated the grain prices earlier, he planned to return to the mountains tomorrow to hunt more. If he could catch some badgers, that would be perfect.

“Master, you’re back?” Su Ruan and Bai Siyu emerged as he entered.

Bai Siyu’s cheeks were flushed, and after shyly glancing at Lu Chuan, she lowered her head.

Lu Chuan took the quilts off his shoulder and handed two to them.

“These two for you. When I have time, I’ll fix up our house. The place isn’t much now; sorry for the hardship.”

Suddenly, tears welled up in both Su Ruan’s and Bai Siyu’s eyes.

Bai Siyu hurried forward. “Master, if it weren’t for you, the two of us would have long since…”

“You saved us!”

“And yet we’ve only been a burden to you…” Her voice trembled slightly.

Summoning courage, she asked hesitantly, “Master, are you unhappy with us?”