The summer solstice was traditionally a time for dumplings and family gatherings in the Great Liang Dynasty. It was a day to honor the ancestors and pray for a bountiful harvest.
For Li Shun, it was opening day.
He woke before dawn, his mind racing with a checklist of preparations. Today was not just a family gathering; it was a proof of concept. If he could convince the Magistrate—and more importantly, his wife, Zhao Lian—that the Westland was not a desolate wasteland but a land of opportunity, he would secure the political backing he needed to expand.
"Smell that?"
Han Qiang stood by the pit, stirring the coals. The fire had been burning since midnight, reducing the hardwood logs into a bed of white-hot embers that radiated a fierce, steady heat.
"It smells like victory," Li Shun said, stretching his back.
He walked over to the prep table. The main attraction was a whole rib primal from a young steer—not the tough old mountain beast, but a younger animal that had been grazing on the rich ryegrass for two months. It had been dry-rubbed with a proprietary blend of salt, crushed Sichuan pepper, wild garlic, and a secret ingredient: brown sugar rendered from cane syrup he had traded for in town.
The meat was dark red, the fat cap creamy white.
"Time to dress the beast," Li Shun muttered.
He hoisted the heavy cut of meat onto the grill grate above the pit. It sizzled immediately, the fat rendering and dripping onto the coals, sending up plumes of fragrant, spicy smoke.
"Keep the temp steady," Li Shun instructed Old Zhang. "Turn it every hour. Baste it with the vinegar and herb mop. Do not let it burn."
"Understood, Young Master," Old Zhang said, looking like a general guarding a fortress. He took his station seriously.
Li Shun looked around the clearing. They had built a long table from split logs and sturdy sawhorses. It was rough, rustic, but strong. They had spread woven mats on the ground and set out pitchers of cool spring water mixed with wild honey and lemon.
*It's not a banquet hall,* Li Shun thought, *but it has character.*
---
Around mid-morning, the sound of carriage wheels grinding over the dirt road echoed through the valley.
Li Shun, wearing his full 'Ranger' attire—the felt hat, the leather vest, the polished boots—stood at the gate to greet them.
The Zhao carriage was an elegant thing of lacquered wood and brass fittings, pulled by two fine horses. It looked almost absurdly opulent against the backdrop of the rugged log cabin and fencing.
The driver brought the carriage to a halt. The door opened.
Zhao Yu, the younger sister-in-law, hopped out first. She was dressed in a light yellow summer dress, her hair tied up with ribbons. She looked around with wide eyes.
"Wow!" she exclaimed. "It really is green here! I thought Father was joking when he said you grew grass on rocks."
Magistrate Zhao stepped out next. He wore his official robes, looking every inch the government official, but his face held a relaxed expression Li Shun rarely saw in the city.
"Shun'er," the Magistrate nodded, looking around. "The air here is... clean. Very refreshing."
Finally, Zhao Lian emerged.
She wore a pale blue robe embroidered with white lotus flowers, simple yet elegant. A silk veil hung from her hair ornament, partially shielding her face from the sun. She stepped onto the dirt path with the grace of a dancer, looking at the rough surroundings with a critical eye.
"Husband," she said softly. "You've been busy."
"The foundations are laid," Li Shun said, bowing slightly. "Welcome to the Westland Ranch. Please, come in."
---
The tour began at the pastures.
Li Shun led them along the fence line. The ryegrass was knee-high, swaying in the breeze.
"This is the grass you spoke of?" Magistrate Zhao asked, kneeling to touch the blades. "It is thick. Dense. Like a carpet."
"It's a high-yield variety," Li Shun explained. "It recovers quickly from grazing. We can support more animals per mu here than the lowland rice paddies can support farmers."
He whistled—a sharp, trilling sound he had practiced.
In the distance, Han Qiang, mounted on his horse, drove a small group of cows toward the fence.
The family gasped.
The cows looked different from the scraggly draft oxen they were used to seeing. Their coats were glossy, their sides rounded and full. They moved with a heavy, confident gait.
And leading them, from a separate pen, was Hei Bao.
The black bull stopped and looked at the strangers. He tossed his massive head, the sun glinting off his polished horns.
"By the heavens," Magistrate Zhao breathed. "That beast... I have never seen such a bull. He looks like a monster from the legends."
"That is Hei Bao," Li Shun said proudly. "The foundation of our herd. He weighs as much as two ordinary oxen, and his muscle density is twice that of a plow animal."
Zhao Lian stared at the bull. "He is... magnificent," she admitted, dropping her polite facade. "He does not look like a beast of burden. He looks like a warrior."
"He is a provider," Li Shun corrected gently. "He is being bred for one purpose: to feed people the finest meat they have ever tasted."
Zhao Yu leaned over the fence. "He's scary but cool! Look at his shoulders! He could probably pull a cart through a wall!"
"He could," Li Shun agreed. "But we don't ask him to pull carts. We ask him to sire calves that will inherit his strength and his... flavor."
---
After the tour of the pastures and the stables—where Magistrate Zhao inspected the horses and the unique saddles with great interest—they returned to the cabin area.
By now, the smell of the roasting beef was everywhere. It was a thick, savory aroma that made mouths water instantly.
Old Zhang and Li Ming were setting out plates.
"Lunch is served," Li Shun announced.
He walked over to the pit. The beef was dark, almost black on the outside, glistening with rendered fat. He tested it with a skewer—it slid in like butter.
He carried the roast to the table and set it on a large wooden board.
"I ask that you put aside your preconceptions about beef," Li Shun said, addressing the table. "This is not the tough, stringy meat of an old plow ox. This is a young steer, finished on rich grass, cooked slowly over open fire."
He picked up his knife. With practiced ease, he sliced into the roast.
The crust cracked. Inside, the meat was a perfect pink, juices running clear and shimmering.
He cut thick slices and placed them on the family's plates.
Zhao Lian looked at the meat on her plate. It was a generous portion, rare and fragrant.
"How should we eat this?" Magistrate Zhao asked, picking up his chopsticks. "Is there a soup?"
"No soup today, Father," Li Shun said. "Just eat the meat. Taste the flavor."
He watched nervously. This was the moment.
Magistrate Zhao took a slice with his chopsticks and placed it in his mouth.
He chewed.
His eyebrows went up.
He chewed again, slower.
The Magistrate closed his eyes. "The crust is salty... crisp. But inside... it is soft. Tender. The juices..."
He swallowed and let out a long breath.
"This is beef?" he asked, opening his eyes. "It tastes nothing like the beef I have eaten before. It has... depth. A richness."
Zhao Yu had already stuffed a piece into her mouth. She moaned. "Oh my god! It's so juicy! It tastes like... like it has butter inside!"
"That is the marbling," Li Shun explained, relieved. "The fat is inside the muscle, not just on the outside. It bastes the meat from within."
He looked at his wife.
Zhao Lian held a piece of meat. She took a small bite.
Li Shun held his breath.
Her expression was unreadable. She chewed slowly. Then, she took another bite, larger this time.
She looked up at Li Shun. There was surprise in her eyes—and something else. Respect.
"It is... delicious," she said quietly. "I have never tasted meat like this. It is rich, but not greasy. It has a... spirit to it."
"Good," Li Shun smiled. "Because this is just the beginning."
---
After the meal, the mood was languid and happy. Magistrate Zhao was reclining on a log bench, sipping tea, looking over the valley with a satisfied smile.
"You have done well, Shun'er," he said. "I admit, I had my doubts. But this land... and this meat... you have something special here."
"Thank you, Father."
"But," the Magistrate added, his tone sharpening slightly, "meat alone is not enough. To make this a true business, you need scale. You have fifty mu of good pasture now. But to truly supply the city, or the capital, you need more."
"I know," Li Shun nodded. "I am saving for the next expansion. I want to buy the southern ridge. Another two hundred mu."
"That is expensive."
"I have a plan," Li Shun said. "And I have a product."
He gestured to Han Qiang. "Sergeant, ready the horses. Let's give them a show."
Han Qiang nodded and trotted off.
"Show?" Zhao Yu asked, perking up. "What kind of show?"
"A demonstration of how we manage the herd," Li Shun said. "In the West, we don't chase cows on foot. We ride."
---
They gathered by the main corral.
Inside, several of the younger steers were wandering aimlessly.
Li Shun mounted his horse, adjusting his hat. He looked at Han Qiang.
"Cut the black one out," Li Shun ordered. "Drive him to the north corner."
Han Qiang grinned. "On it."
The two men rode into the corral.
Zhao Lian and her family watched from the fence, mesmerized. In the city, horses were for transport. Seeing them used as working partners was new.
Han Qiang rode wide, flanking the steer. The horse moved sideways, diagonal, blocking the animal's path without bumping it.
Li Shun rode straight for the animal, spinning his lasso.
*Thwack.*
The loop settled perfectly around the steer's neck.
Li Shun dallied the rope around his saddle horn. The steer pulled, but the horse planted its feet and leaned back, easily holding the weight.
"Roping!" Li Shun shouted.
He dismounted in a fluid motion, running to the steer. He quickly flipped the animal onto its side and tied its legs with a smaller rope—a "piggin' string."
He stood up and raised his hands.
"Time?"
Li Ming, holding a hourglass timer, shouted, "Faster than the last time, Brother! Barely half a column of sand!"
Li Shun released the steer and patted its flank. The animal scrambled up, unharmed but smarter.
Li Shun rode back to the fence, coiling his rope.
"This is how we sort, brand, and doctor the animals," Li Shun explained. "It is fast. It is efficient. One man can do the work of ten on foot."
Magistrate Zhao nodded slowly. "I see. You have built a system. A martial art for farming."
"You could say that," Li Shun said. He looked at Zhao Lian. "Would you like to learn? Not the roping, perhaps, but the riding?"
Zhao Lian looked at the horse, then at her husband. She hesitated. A lady of her standing did not ride astride like a man.
"I... do not know how to ride," she admitted.
"I will teach you," Li Shun said softly. "We can take a slow walk along the ridge. The view of the sunset is beautiful."
He offered his hand.
Zhao Lian looked at his hand—rough, callused, sun-browned. Then she looked at his face. The pale, sickly scholar was gone. In his place was a man of the earth, confident and strong.
"I would like that," she said, a rare smile touching her lips. "But you must not let me fall."
"I promise," Li Shun said, his voice low and sincere. "I will never let you fall."
---
Later that evening, after the family had departed, Li Shun sat on his porch.
The sun was setting, painting the sky in bruised purples and burning golds. The cows were lowing in the distance. The air was cooling.
He opened his system interface.
**[QUEST COMPLETED: HOST THE SUMMER SOLSTICE BBQ]**
**[REWARD:]**
* **Reputation:** +50 (Clearwater County)
* **Family Trust:** High
* **Unlocked Blueprint: Water Irrigation Windmill**
**[NEW OBJECTIVE:]**
* **Expand to the Southern Ridge.**
* **Breed Hei Bao with the Herd.**
Li Shun leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head.
*The hardest part is over. They believe.*
Now, it was time to build the empire.