The heavy iron pot landed on the earthen floor with a dull thud, settling into the ash. The sound seemed to echo the sentiment of the entire household: solid, heavy, and permanent.
Li Wei wiped the frost from his eyebrows and stomped his boots on the threshold. The main room of the Li house was crowded. With the family, the two workers (Shitou and Da Niu), and Zhao Feng, the small space felt stifling yet warm.
"Mother," Li Wei said, placing the heavy string of cash coins on the low table next to the pot.
The clinking sound—copper against copper—was the sweetest music in the world to a poor family.
Lady Zhao stared at the string. It was thick, heavy, and bound with red cord. She reached out, her hand trembling, and lifted it. The weight was substantial.
"One tael... and six hundred coins," Li Wei announced, pulling off his gloves. "The jerky sold out. We also have a standing order from the Fragrant Pavilion for the next batch."
Li Dazhuang sat by the fire, smoking his pipe. He didn't look at the money; he looked at his son. The old man's eyes were obscure, filled with a complex mix of relief and the sinking realization that the hierarchy of the household had shifted. The boy was no longer just a mouth to feed; he was the provider.
"The workers need to be paid," Li Dazhuang said gruffly, knocking his pipe against his shoe.
"Done," Li Wei said. He turned to Shitou and Da Niu, who were standing awkwardly by the door, unsure if they were allowed to look at such wealth. "Shitou, Da Niu. Step forward."
The two boys shuffled forward.
"This month's wages," Li Wei said, counting out two small strings of coins—fifty coppers each. "And a bonus."
He tossed them two pieces of the leftover jerky from his personal stash. "For your families."
Shitou's eyes went wide. He clutched the coins and the meat to his chest. "Boss... thank you! My mother... she can buy medicine now!"
"Work hard, and you'll get this every month," Li Wei promised. "But tonight, we don't rest. We celebrate the money, but tomorrow, we build."
"Build what?" Li Er asked, leaning forward. "We have enough grain now. We can last the winter."
"We don't want to just 'last'," Li Wei said, his voice firm. "We need to expand. The shed is full. The King needs a proper pen. The workers are sleeping on straw in the corner of the shed. That stops now. We are building a bunkhouse. And a proper kitchen."
He looked around the cramped, smoky room. "This house... it's a farmer's hovel. I'm building a Ranch House."
***
The next morning, the Barren Slope was a hive of activity.
The problem with building in winter was the ground—it was frozen solid, hard as iron. Digging post-holes was backbreaking work that could shatter a shovel.
But Li Wei had a solution.
"Don't dig," Li Wei instructed, pointing to the rocky terrain near the upper slope. "We use the rocks."
The Barren Slope was cursed with stones, but Li Wei turned the curse into a blessing. They didn't need a deep foundation. They needed a *pad*.
"Zhao Feng, level the ground," Li Wei shouted over the wind. "Shitou, gather the flat rocks. Da Niu, mix the lime and mud mortar. We're building dry-stone walls first, then we'll frame the wood."
Li Dazhuang watched from the sidelines, his arms crossed. He saw Li Wei directing the men—not with the hesitation of a novice, but with the confident hand gestures of a foreman.
"Father," Li Wei called out. "I need your eye on the corners. If they aren't square, the roof won't sit right. You're the only one here who knows how to frame a roof beam."
Li Dazhuang blinked. He hadn't been asked to do heavy lifting; he had been asked for his *expertise*. A slow smile creased his weathered face. He wasn't useless.
"Bring the line," Li Dazhuang barked, stepping forward with renewed vigor. "Shitou! You call that level? Put a rock under it! We're not building a dog kennel here!"
The dynamic shifted. The father became the master carpenter, the son the architect. The rhythm of hammers and the scraping of stones filled the air.
By midday, the outline of a large structure appeared on the barren hill. It was roughly forty feet long and twenty feet wide. Much larger than the family home.
"It's too big," Li Er muttered, carrying a load of timber. "Who is going to live here?"
"The herd," Li Wei said, driving a stake into the ground. "And the men who tend them. In the future, we'll have drivers, breeders, and cooks. They need a home."
He walked over to the design he had scratched into the dirt.
"See here? This large room in the center is the *Great Hall*. It has a hearth—not a small stove, but a massive stone fireplace open to the room. It will heat the whole house."
"A fireplace?" Li Dazhuang frowned. "It wastes heat. The smoke goes up."
"It ventilates," Li Wei corrected. "And it allows for open-flame cooking. We need to roast meat, father. We need to sear. A wok isn't enough."
He pointed to the back. "Four small rooms. Two for storage, two for the workers. And a loft above for the hay. It keeps the hay dry and insulates the room below."
It was a practical design, born of the Western frontier but built with Northern Dynasty materials.
***
Three days later, the frame was up.
The winter wind howled, but the rough stone walls of the bunkhouse stood firm. They had used the abundance of wood from the forest to create a steep, A-frame roof, thatched with thick layers of reed and straw harvested from the riverbank.
It wasn't pretty. It was rugged, grey, and squat. It looked like a fortress.
"Time for the Hearth," Li Wei announced.
This was the heart of the 'Cowboy' lifestyle he wanted to instill.
They built the fireplace in the center of the Great Hall, constructed from fieldstones and held together with yellow mud mixed with straw. The chimney was built up through the center of the roof, surrounded by the hayloft.
When the last stone was set, Li Wei took a torch and lit the kindling inside.
The draft was perfect. The flames roared to life, sucking air through the vents and sending a blast of warmth radiating outward. Unlike the traditional *Kang* (heated brick bed) which took hours to warm up, the stone hearth threw off heat instantly.
Shitou and Da Niu crowded around it, their faces flushing red from the warmth.
"It's like standing in the summer sun," Shitou gasped. "Boss, this is magic."
"This is engineering," Li Wei corrected, though he smiled.
He looked at Zhao Feng. "Bring the meat. Tonight, we christen the house."
They dragged the wooden table into the center of the hall. Li Wei didn't cook a stew. He set the iron grate over the open fire in the hearth.
He took the ribs of the old cow—which had been freezing outside—and rubbed them with the last of the spice mix. He laid them on the grate.
The sizzle was loud in the empty hall. The fat dripped onto the fire, flaring up, charring the meat. The smell of BBQ smoke filled the room, escaping through the chimney, signaling the entire village that something new was happening on the hill.
"Sit," Li Wei commanded.
The family, the workers, and Zhao Feng sat around the long table. There were no individual bowls of rice. Li Wei placed the massive platter of grilled ribs and roasted root vegetables in the center.
"Eat with your hands," Li Wei said, picking up a rib. "Tear it apart. This is the way of the plains. It makes you strong."
He bit into the meat. The char crunched, the meat was smoky and tender.
For a moment, there was silence. The etiquette of the Dynasty—chopsticks, small bites, silent chewing—was forgotten. It was primal. It was loud.
Li An, usually so proper, grabbed a bone and tore a chunk of meat off. His eyes widened. "It tastes... wild!"
Zhao Feng laughed, grabbing a handful of vegetables. "This... this is food for warriors."
Lady Zhao looked at the scene—her family and neighbors eating like barbarians in a stone fort on a frozen hill. She wanted to scold them for their manners. But then she saw the light in her husband's eyes as he gnawed on a bone, and the color in her children's cheeks.
She sighed and picked up a rib.
"To the Ranch," Li Wei raised his mug of hot water (tea was too expensive).
"To the Ranch," the table echoed.
**[System Notification: Facility Constructed.]**
**[Structure: Bunkhouse (Level 1).]**
**[Effect: Worker Morale High. Recovery speed increased. Ranch Stability +10.]**
**[Unlock: Ranch Mess Hall.]**
As the fire crackled and the wind battered the stone walls outside, Li Wei felt the system settle. He wasn't just a visitor in this world anymore. He had built a hearth. He had built a home.
He looked at the heavy wooden door, barred shut against the cold.
"One step," he whispered to himself. "We have a home. We have a herd. Now... we need a future."
He looked at Li An. "An, tomorrow, you go to the school in the county. I have money for the tuition now. You don't just learn to read; you learn to write contracts. I need a partner who can read the fine print."
Li An nodded vigorously, wiping grease from his chin. "I won't let you down, Brother!"
The first stage was complete. The Li Family Ranch was no longer a campsite. It was a stronghold. And soon, the spring thaw would come.