The city of Qinghe was a different beast in winter.
The streets, usually choked with dust in summer, were now slick with trodden snow and grey slush. The vibrant market stalls were covered in heavy tarpaulins, and the merchants huddled around braziers, their breath misting the air as they hawked their wares.
Li Wei rode his old horse through the city gate, the wolf-pelt hat pulled low over his eyes. He looked like a specter from the northern steppes—a stark contrast to the colorful, bundled-up citizens of the Great Liang.
He ignored the stares. He had business to attend to.
His first stop was not the grain market, nor the livestock auction. It was the "Pleasure Quarter"—the district of wine shops, tea houses, and brothels.
Tying his horse to a post outside a reputable-looking establishment called *The Jade Cup*, Li Wei stepped inside. The air was thick with the smell of roasting duck, spilled wine, and expensive perfume.
"Welcome, Guest!" a sharp-eyed manager called out, his smile faltering slightly as he took in Li Wei's rough, mud-splattered boots and the wolf-pelt hat. "We... have private rooms available."
"I'm not here for wine," Li Wei said, his voice cutting through the ambient noise. He pushed back his hat, revealing his face. "I'm here to talk about your trash."
The manager blinked. "Trash?"
"The swill. The leftovers. The vegetable peelings, the fruit rinds, the spilled rice. What do you do with it?"
"We... sell it to the pig farmers outside the city," the manager said, eyeing Li Wei with suspicion. "Or dump it in the river if the ice allows. Why?"
"I want to buy it," Li Wei said. He pulled out a string of copper coins from his pouch. "I'll pay you five hundred coins a month. In exchange, my cart comes by every evening before sunset. You fill it with your waste. I take it away. You don't have to haul it to the river, and you don't have to deal with the pig farmers."
The manager stared at him. It was a pittance—five hundred coins was nothing to a place like *The Jade Cup*. But the convenience? Having the trash hauled away cleanly every day?
"The pig farmers pay us six hundred," the manager hedged.
"I'll pay seven hundred," Li Wei countered instantly. "And I provide my own barrels. You just pour."
The manager's eyes gleamed. "Done! Seven hundred coins a month. I'll have the kitchen staff separate the liquid from the solid for you."
"Good."
Li Wei left a deposit and walked out. He repeated this process at three other large restaurants and a winery. By noon, he had secured a steady stream of high-energy "waste"—brewer's grains, vegetable scraps, and leftover buns.
It was the oldest trick in the industrial farming book: turning city waste into rural protein. His cows would eat better than the peasants this winter, and for a fraction of the cost of hay.
***
His second task was grimmer.
He headed toward the slaughterhouse district. The smell here was metallic and sharp, overpowering even the cold.
Rows of wooden pens held pigs, goats, and a few weary oxen awaiting their fate. The ground was stained red.
Li Wei walked past the prime stock. He wasn't interested in healthy animals. He was looking for the "rejects."
He found them in a pen tucked behind the butcher's shed. A small group of animals huddled together, ignored by the buyers. A three-legged sheep. A goat with a clouded eye. And a calf.
It was a strange-looking thing. It was a heifer, barely weaned. While the other calves of its age were leggy and spry, this one was short, almost comically squat. Its legs were stubby, its body compact and blocky. Its coat was a dull, muddy brown.
A burly butcher was sharpening a cleaver nearby.
"That runt," Li Wei pointed. "How much for the runt?"
The butcher looked up, spat on the ground, and laughed. "That thing? It's cursed, I tell you. Dwarf cattle. It won't grow tall enough to pull a plow. It can't reach the yoke! I was going to turn it into dog meat tomorrow. Give me two taels and it's yours."
Li Wei walked closer to the pen. The little calf looked up at him. It shivered, its large, dark eyes filled with a mixture of fear and resignation.
**[System Analysis Initiated...]**
**[Target: Heifer Calf (Local Variant).]**
**[Age: 6 Months.]**
**[Anomaly Detected: Achondroplasia (Dwarfism).]**
**[Genetic Trait: Recessive Gene detected – "Double Muscling" potential.]**
**[Hidden Stat: Intramuscular Fat deposition rate 400% higher than average.]**
**[Verdict: Rare Mutation. Perfect for "Wagyu" style crossbreeding.]**
Li Wei's heart skipped a beat. A dwarf cow. In the modern world, this was a defect. But in the world of high-end beef, this specific mutation—short legs, compact body, high fat storage—was the holy grail. It was the genetic foundation of luxury breeds like the Japanese Brown or certain strains of Wagyu. It wouldn't plow a field, but its meat would melt on the tongue.
"Two taels is too much," Li Wei said, keeping his face indifferent. "It looks sick. Look at its coat. I might have to treat it for weeks before I can even butcher it. One tael."
"One tael and five hundred coins," the butcher bargained. "Or I kill it now."
"Deal."
Li Wei handed over the coins. He didn't have a cart yet, so he grabbed a rope, tied it around the calf's neck, and led it away. The calf waddled behind him, its short legs working furiously to keep pace with the horse.
Passersby pointed and laughed. "Look at the Magistrate's son-in-law! He bought a cripple!"
"He's collecting trash now! First the wolves, now the runts!"
Li Wei ignored them. He had found gold in the gutter.
***
As he led the calf back toward the city gate, a familiar carriage blocked his path.
It was black, with the Zhao family crest.
The window curtain pulled back. It wasn't his wife, however. It was the Second Uncle, Zhao De.
Zhao De looked down at Li Wei, his nose wrinkling in disgust. He saw the mud, the strange wolf hat, and the pathetic, short-legged calf straining at the rope.
"Nephew," Zhao De sneered. "I heard you were buying city swill and feeding it to cattle. I thought it was a rumor. But here you are, leading a crippled dog-meat calf through the streets."
Li Wei stopped. He didn't bow. He adjusted the wolf hat on his head, looking like a wolf himself.
"Uncle," Li Wei said calmly. "Out for a drive?"
"I came to see the magistrate," Zhao De said, his eyes narrowing. "He is getting old. He shouldn't be burdened with the shame of a son-in-law who plays at being a pig farmer. I have a cousin who runs a silk house. He needs a clerk. A lowly position, but it pays steady silver. Perhaps you should quit this... folly."
He gestured at the calf. "Look at that beast. It cannot work. It cannot plow. It is useless. Like you."
Li Wei smiled. It was a cold, dangerous smile.
"Uncle," Li Wei said, "you see a plow ox. I see a treasure. You see a cripple. I see the future."
He tugged the rope, and the calf waddled forward, bumping into Li Wei's leg.
"This calf is worth more than your carriage," Li Wei lied smoothly. "And as for the silk house... keep the job. I don't need a desk. I have a ranch."
He sidestepped the carriage, leading his horse and the calf around it.
"You will fail!" Zhao De shouted from the window. "And when you do, I will be there to buy that land for pennies!"
Li Wei didn't look back. He raised a hand in a lazy wave.
"Get in line, Uncle. The wolves tried first."
***
The journey back to the Westland was slow. The calf couldn't walk fast, so Li Wei dismounted and walked alongside it, leading both the horse and the cow.
The snow began to fall again, thick and heavy.
By the time he reached the ranch, his legs were numb. But as he crested the hill and looked down at the bamboo shelter, he felt a surge of warmth.
Smoke was rising from the chimney. The fences, despite the snow, stood strong. Chen Hu was outside, chopping ice.
"Boss!" Chen Hu dropped his axe and ran over. He took the horse's reins and looked at the calf. His eyebrow rose. "Is that... a cow? It looks like a goat."
"It's a heifer," Li Wei said, patting the calf's head. "Her name is 'Little Treasure'."
"Little Treasure," Chen Hu repeated. "It is... small."
"Small is good," Li Wei said, shivering. "She's special. She's going to make us the most famous beef in the dynasty. But first, she needs to get warm."
He looked at the corral. The 'General', the Black Bull, lifted his head and let out a low bellow, welcoming the new addition to the herd.
"And Chen Hu," Li Wei added, pulling the contract from his robe. "Tomorrow, I rented a cart. We start picking up swill from the city. We're going to mix it with the hay. The cows are going to eat like kings tonight."
Li Sheng ran out, wrapped in a thick quilt. "Brother! You're back! Is that... food?"
"That," Li Wei said, grinning at his brother, "is the future of the Westland. Help me get her inside."
That night, the small shelter was crowded. The 'General' lay in the corner, the five cows huddled together, and the new 'Little Treasure' was given a spot near the fire, protected from the cold.
Li Wei sat by the lantern, watching the calf chew on a bundle of sweet hay mixed with apple cores he had brought back.
He opened his notebook.
*Assets:*
*- 1 Black Bull (General)*
*- 5 Cows*
*- 1 Dwarf Heifer (Little Treasure) - [Priority: Keep Virgin until breeding age.]*
*Feed Contract: Secured.*
He looked at his calloused hands. They were stained with dirt and city grime.
"Slowly," he whispered. "One runt at a time."
**[System Update]**
**[New Livestock Added: Dwarf Heifer (Mutation).]**
**[Ranch Diversity Increased.]**
**[Quest Unlocked: The First Crossbreed. Breed 'General' with 'Little Treasure' when mature. (Time: 18 Months).]**
Eighteen months. It was a long game. But Li Wei was a patient man. He had waited forty-two years to start living. He could wait a little longer for the perfect steak.