Hours past noon.
The father and son ate and drank their fill before leaving the restaurant. Shen Yuan hesitated repeatedly, but in the end, he decided to buy some premium tea leaves and fruit.
Back at the Martial Arts Hall, he handed the tea leaves and fruit to Huang Qingzhou.
Huang Qingzhou glanced at the gifts in front of him and smiled faintly, "Younger Brother Shen, you're too generous."
Shen Yuan smiled slightly, "Brother, please don't refuse. In the future, Shi Tou will need your care."
"If this kid causes trouble here, feel free to discipline him, I won't say a word."
The two families hadn't been in contact for years, and he didn't expect that some tea leaves and fruit could rekindle their former relationship.
This gesture of gift-giving was merely a hope that Huang Qingzhou would pay some attention to his child.
Such is the way of human relationships.
"Haha... no problem at all,"
"He's like a nephew to me. I will treat him as my own."
Huang Qingzhou initially intended to decline.
In his view, Shen Yuan's gift at this time seemed like an attempt to forge a connection.
Given the current situation of the Huang Family, renewing this relationship would undoubtedly be a burden. Accepting this gift made it difficult to refuse Shen Yuan's requests in the future.
But now hearing that Shen Yuan just wanted him to take care of the child eased his concerns, so he accepted the gift calmly.
"Younger Brother Shen, if there's nothing else, let's have Shi Tou join us for posture training this afternoon."
"Do you and your son need more time to talk?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan looked at Shen Wenxing beside him, rubbed his head, and shook his head, "Everything that needed to be said has been said."
"Brother, I'm entrusting the child to you, and I'll be on my way."
He cupped his hands in salute, turned around, and walked out of the courtyard.
"Ah Die!"
Shen Wenxing turned and looked at his father's departing figure, unable to resist calling out.
After all, he was a seven-year-old child, leaving his parents for the first time, naturally feeling a bit lost and anxious.
Shen Yuan's body stiffened, but he did not turn back. Instead, he quickened his pace out of the Martial Arts Hall.
Behind him came the sound of Shi Tou's soft sobs.
"Shi Tou, consider this place like your own home with your uncle here. Study martial arts well and don't disappoint your father's expectations..."
By the time Huang Qingzhou's comforting words resonated, Shen Yuan had already boarded the ox cart, slowly departing the Martial Arts Hall.
On the road, his eyes welled up slightly.
He glanced back at the Martial Arts Hall, then bitterly smiled, shaking his head.
As a parent, sometimes you really have to harden your heart.
If he had turned back just now, there would have been an inevitable farewell scene of cries and wails.
Returning from town, Hu Yufen was in the courtyard transcribing that "Agricultural Miscellaneous Skills."
Shen Yuan unhitched the old ox from the cart, led it into the barn, and walked over.
"Back so soon?" Hu Yufen asked, a bit surprised, "Did you settle everything for Shi Tou?"
Shen Yuan stood behind her, gently massaging her shoulders, "Everything is taken care of. I bought some gifts for Master Huang, and he agreed to look after Shi Tou well."
Hearing this, the worry on Hu Yufen's face eased a bit. She looked around the courtyard and sighed, "The two kids used to play around the courtyard. Now that it's suddenly quiet, it's hard to get used to."
Shen Yuan said nothing, placing his hand on her shoulder, letting her head rest against his abdomen.
After a moment—
"If we want our child to succeed, we must let them leave our protection eventually."
"Besides, isn't Ah Nu still here?"
Hearing this, Hu Yufen looked up at the time, "It's almost time to pick up Ah Nu."
Time flew by, and over a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Shi Tou and Ah Nu's studies were going very smoothly.
This afternoon, Shen Yuan returned from weeding the fields. Hu Yufen brought over the meal, and the couple sat in the courtyard.
"Husband, have you heard? Erzhu was arrested by the government!"
Arrested by the government?
Holding his rice bowl, Shen Yuan frowned slightly, "Why?"
Hu Yufen shook her head, "I'm not sure. I heard something about smuggling; anyway, it sounds serious. He's already been taken to Anyang County."
"According to the laws of Great Yu, even if it doesn't lead to execution, exile is inevitable."
Shen Yuan suddenly understood.
"No wonder the weeds in Erzhu's field are taller than the crops, and neither he nor his wife are seen weeding."
Niu Erzhu's field was adjacent to theirs, 15 acres in total.
With the harvests of the past two years, life should have been manageable.
But this Niu Erzhu was irresponsible, indulging in gambling and drinking.
Normally, the field was managed by his wife and children.
A few days ago, when Shen Yuan went to Black Water Pool, the thin young man he met on the field ridge was Niu Erzhu.
Shen Yuan had heard about the smuggling.
On the mountain separating Great Yu from the Western Wilderness Barbarian Race, precious ores and various furs were abundant. Bringing these into Great Yu could multiply their value several times.
Such lucrative profits naturally tempted some into taking risks.
They exchanged grain with the Barbarians for furs and ores and then sold these goods, making handsome profits.
These people were called "Mountain Wanderers."
In earlier times, one often saw Mountain Wanderers in the villages and towns along the mountains, carrying large bundles.
Later, the new Emperor Yu established Mountain Patrol Captain Camps along the mountains, both to patrol for Barbarian warriors secretly crossing the border and to crack down on these "Mountain Wanderers."
Shen Yuan did not expect that Niu Erzhu would be so bold as to engage in such activities despite knowing about the presence of the Mountain Patrol Captain.
The laws of Great Yu were very strict, and even minor smuggling was severely punished.
Niu Erzhu's assets would be confiscated, and his family would undoubtedly face exile. He might even lose his life over this.
Realizing this, an idea suddenly lit up Shen Yuan's eyes.
"Yufen, Erzhu's field is right next to ours. Should we consider buying it after the county's judgment is made?"
Hearing this, Hu Yufen seemed tempted.
With good production over the past few years and Shen Yuan's fermentation technique greatly enhancing soil fertility, possessing an additional 15 acres of fertile land seemed beneficial.
However, Erzhu's field would surely be confiscated. Buying land from the government was different from purchasing from ordinary common people.
"We currently have only about 130 taels of silver left, and some must be reserved for emergencies. We likely can't afford it."
Hu Yufen spoke regretfully.
Shen Yuan, however, was undeterred, "If we can't buy it, let's lease it first. The Government Office certainly doesn't have people to manage such small plots of land."
"The laws of Great Yu provide tenants with the right of first refusal. After leasing for a couple of years, when we have more resources at hand, we can buy all 15 acres at once."
Hu Yufen nodded, "Then why don't you finish your meal and ask the Village Chief about it?"
"Alright!"
After the meal, Shen Yuan hurriedly headed to the Village Chief's house in the village.
Hu Yufen busied herself with preparing winter clothes for the family. Autumn had arrived, and the children's winter clothes from last year were now too small and needed to be remade.
To save money, she didn't discard the old winter clothes, intending to alter them for current use.
Meanwhile, Shen Yuan received definite news from the Village Chief.
The case against Niu Erzhu's family was practically concluded. Due to the smuggling involvement, the male members of the family were to be exiled to the North Sea, while the female members would be demoted to "City Guard and Millstone."
"City Guard and Millstone" was a punishment in Great Yu for criminals, where male offenders became "City Guards," tasked with building walls and other laborious tasks, while female offenders became "Millstones," responsible for graining rice day and night for the Government Office, collectively known as City Guard and Millstone.
As for renting the field, the Village Chief agreed to inquire, and if there were no issues, the land could be leased to him by next spring.