The forest was silent, muffled by a thick blanket of snow. It was a deceptive peace; Li Wei knew that in this weather, the forest was a predator's pantry. The weak died, and the strong ate.
Old Yellow, the family's mongrel, trotted ahead, his nose twitching. He was a raggedy beast, part wolf perhaps, with milky eyes that hinted at his age. But he knew these woods better than any human.
Li Wei followed the dog, his breath pluming in the air. He carried a rough hemp sack on his back and a sharpened wooden staff in his hand. Every step was a crunch, breaking the crust of ice on the snow.
*Focus,* he told himself. *Don't think about the cold. Think about the yield.*
He wasn't just walking aimlessly. He was reading the land. The slope of the hill, the direction of the water flow beneath the ice. In his previous life, finding the right grazing land was an art form. Here, it was survival.
**[System Map: Undiscovered.]**
**[Scanning Terrain... High concentration of organic matter detected 500 meters northeast.]**
"Northeast," Li Wei muttered, adjusting his course. Old Yellow paused, looking back as if asking why they were leaving the game trail.
"Trust me, boy," Li Wei whispered.
They pushed through a thicket of thorny bushes, the branches scraping against his thin coat. The terrain dipped suddenly, forming a small, sheltered ravine. It was a natural windbreak, shielded by a large outcropping of rock.
The snow here was thinner, blown away by the wind, revealing patches of brown earth and withered vegetation.
Li Wei stopped. He knelt, brushing aside the frost.
There, clinging to the side of the ravine, was a clump of tall, stiff grass. Even in its dried, winter state, the structure was unmistakable. Thick stems, broad leaves.
**[Species Identified: Wild Napier Grass (Elephant Grass).]**
**[Status: Dormant.]**
**[Genetic Vitality: High.]**
**[System Note: This variety has adapted to cold. Excellent base for hybrid forage.]**
A rare smile touched Li Wei's cracked lips.
"Jackpot."
Napier Grass was the king of tropical forage—fast-growing, high-yield, capable of feeding a herd on very little land. Finding a wild, cold-hardy variant was like finding a diamond in a pigsty. With the System's optimization, this could become the backbone of his winter feeding program.
He didn't have a shovel, so he used his staff and his hands. He dug carefully around the root clumps, ensuring he got the rhizomes—the underground stems that held the life of the plant. He packed the damp, black earth carefully into his hemp sack.
He worked for an hour, his fingers numb, until the sack was heavy with root balls.
*That's enough for a nursery,* he thought, standing up and stretching his aching back. *Now, we need nitrogen.*
To make the grass grow like magic, he needed legumes. Clover, alfalfa, or vetch. He scanned the ravine floor.
Suddenly, Old Yellow growled. It was a low, rumbling sound deep in his chest. The fur along the dog's spine stood up.
Li Wei froze. He gripped his staff, his eyes scanning the tree line.
"Show yourself," he said softly, not loudly enough to echo.
Movement.
From behind a fallen pine log, a pair of amber eyes glowed. A shadow separated itself from the darkness of the forest.
A wolf.
It was gaunt, its ribs visible even under the thick winter coat. It was a lone wolf, likely driven from its pack or starving. The most dangerous kind. It didn't growl. It just stared, calculating.
Li Wei's heart hammered against his ribs. He had no bow. No sword. Just a pointy stick and an old dog.
"Old Yellow, heel," Li Wei commanded, his voice steady.
The dog backed up, still growling, positioning himself between Li Wei and the wolf.
The wolf took a step forward. It was testing them. It smelled the blood from the scratch on Li Wei's hand, and it smelled the cattle dung on his boots. To the wolf, Li Wei wasn't a man; he was meat.
Li Wei didn't run. Running triggered the chase instinct. He stood tall, widening his stance. He raised his staff and banged it loudly against the hollow trunk of a dead tree.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The sharp, rhythmic noise echoed through the silent ravine. It was unnatural. It didn't sound like prey.
The wolf paused, its ears flicking back.
"I am not a rabbit," Li Wei said, his voice deep and projected. He locked eyes with the beast. "I am the one who holds the fire. Go."
He banged the staff again, stepping forward aggressively instead of back.
Old Yellow barked sharply, a sound of defiance that seemed to startle the wolf. The predator hesitated. It was starving, but it wasn't suicidal. A fight with a creature that made loud noises and stood its ground wasn't worth the risk.
The wolf bared its teeth once—a final warning—then turned and vanished into the shadows of the pines as silently as it had appeared.
Li Wei let out a shaky breath. His legs felt like jelly.
"Good boy, Old Yellow," he whispered, patting the dog's head. The dog wagged his tail tentatively, still trembling.
They needed to leave. The encounter was a reminder: this land wasn't his yet. It was wild.
As he turned to go, his boot caught on something hard beneath the snow. He stumbled, cursing his clumsiness.
He looked down. He kicked the snow away.
It wasn't a rock. It was a mushroom.
A cluster of them.
Li Wei blinked. He knelt down. They were brown, with sturdy stems and rounded caps.
**[Species Identified: Armillaria Mellea (Honey Fungus).]**
**[Edibility: Edible when cooked. Caution: Must be boiled.]**
**[Market Value: Common folk delicacy. Nutritional Value: Moderate.]**
Mushrooms. In the dead of winter.
They were growing on the root of the old dead tree, protected by the ravine's microclimate.
It wasn't gold, but it was food. It was variety. It was something to put in the soup that wasn't tree bark.
He harvested them carefully, filling his pockets. He adjusted the heavy sack of grass roots on his back. He had the seeds for the future, and food for tonight.
The walk back to the village was faster, driven by the cold and the adrenaline. When the mud walls of his home came into view, Li Wei felt a surge of relief.
He entered the yard. His father was feeding the chickens.
"You were gone long," Li Dazhuang said, eyeing the sack on Li Wei's back. "Did you find the herbs?"
"Better," Li Wei said, dropping the sack near the woodpile. He pulled the mushrooms from his pockets. "Found these in a warm ravine. And some wild grass roots for the calf."
Li Dazhuang picked up a mushroom, inspecting it. "Fungus? In this cold?"
"The mountain keeps secrets, Father," Li Wei said. "Wash these. Boil them twice to get the poison out, then add them to the soup. It'll taste like meat."
Li Dazhuang's eyes widened. The promise of a meal that tasted like meat was a luxury they hadn't had in months.
"And the grass?" his father asked, pointing to the dirty roots.
Li Wei walked over to the small patch of soil he had cleared that morning—the one where he had planted the System seeds.
"These are special," Li Wei said. "They grow fast. I want to plant them near the shed. When spring comes, this patch will be greener than anything in the village."
Li Dazhuang looked skeptical, but after the wolf incident and the mushrooms, he didn't argue. "Do what you want with the corner. Just don't let the chickens scratch it up."
That night, the Li family ate.
The soup was still thin, but it was dark with the essence of the mushrooms. It had an earthy, savory richness that coated the tongue. The children slurped their bowls clean, even little Li An letting out a small burp.
Li Wei sat on the kang, his belly warm for the first time in days. He watched his family. The fear of starvation had receded, just an inch.
He closed his eyes and summoned the System.
**[Daily Report:]**
**[Ranch Points: 12]**
**[Assets: 1 Calf (Recovering), Brachiaria Plot (Germinating), Napier Roots (Planted).]**
**[New Task Unlocked: Expansion.]**
**[Objective: Lease the 'Barren Slope' from the Village Head. Reward: Basic Veterinary Kit.]**
Li Wei opened his eyes. He looked at his father, who was smoking a pipe by the window.
"Father," Li Wei said into the quiet room. "The Village Head is collecting the land leases next week, right?"
Li Dazhuang nodded. "Aye. Most folks are giving land back. Can't afford the seed or the tax."
"I want to lease the Barren Slope," Li Wei said.
The room went silent. The Barren Slope was rocky, thorny, and useless for farming. It was considered cursed land.
"Why?" his mother asked, frowning.
"Because," Li Wei said, looking out into the dark night where his future ranch lay. "It's not for farming. It's for the cows. And if we lease it, we can get a government tax break for 'reclaiming wasteland'."
It was a gamble. But he needed that land to start the empire.
Li Dazhuang knocked his pipe against the window frame. "You have a plan for the calf. You found mushrooms in winter. You fixed the cow."
He looked at Li Wei, smoke swirling around his face.
"If you want the slope, I'll back you. But if it fails... we lose the house."
Li Wei met his gaze. "It won't fail, Father. I promise."
He had a system. He had the knowledge. And now, he was about to have his first piece of land.