The walk back from the county town was long, but the heaviness in Chen Yuan's chest had lifted. The sack of bran on Chen Hu's shoulder was a tangible proof of success—a trophy that weighed almost nothing compared to the copper coins hidden in Chen Yuan's waist pouch.
"Forty-five coins," Chen Hu muttered for the tenth time, shaking his head in disbelief. "San Lang, I've hauled rocks for three days straight and never earned that much. And you just sold grass. *Grass!*"
"It's not just grass, Brother," Chen Yuan corrected gently, stepping over a rut in the road. "It's timing and quality. The manager wasn't buying food; he was buying health for his horses. Remember that. In business, you sell solutions, not just things."
Chen Hu looked at his younger brother with a new light in his eyes. The boy who used to read books in the corner had suddenly become a leader.
"You sound like one of those city merchants," Chen Hu chuckled. "Just don't turn into a fox. I like you better as a simple farmer."
"I'll always be a farmer," Chen Yuan smiled. "Just a slightly smarter one."
* * *
When they arrived home, the sun was setting, casting long shadows across the courtyard.
The family was gathered for dinner, but the atmosphere was tense. Liu Shi was scolding Little Ming for spilling ink, and Wang Shi was mending a pile of clothes with sharp, jerky movements.
"Back already?" Liu Shi looked up, her brow furrowed. "Did you get into trouble? Why are you so late?"
Chen Yuan walked to the center of the yard. He didn't say a word. Instead, he reached into his pouch and pulled out the string of copper coins. He poured them onto the low wooden table.
*Clink, clatter, roll.*
The sound of copper hitting wood silenced the entire room.
Forty-five coins. It wasn't a fortune—it wasn't silver or gold—but in a poor farming household, a pile of copper coins represented survival. It represented salt, oil, and medicine.
Wang Shi dropped her needle. Her eyes widened, greed and shock warring in her expression.
"Where... where did this come from?" she stammered.
"The town," Chen Yuan said, sitting down on a stool. He looked tired but satisfied. "I sold the first batch of grass to the Flying Cloud Transport stables. They paid forty-five coins. Plus this sack of bran."
He kicked the sack of bran towards the kitchen. "Wife of Eldest Brother, you can mix this with the wild vegetables for dinner tomorrow. It will make the porridge thicker."
Wang Shi's face instantly transformed. The sharpness melted away, replaced by a beaming smile. She stood up and snatched the sack. "Oh! Bran! Real bran! San Lang, you are truly capable! I knew you had a good head on your shoulders."
Chen Dazhong sat by the side, smoking his pipe. He looked at the coins, then at his son. He didn't smile, but the tension in his shoulders visibly relaxed. He tapped his pipe against the table leg.
"Keep the money," Chen Dazhong said gruffly. "Put it towards the tax. But San Lang... this grass. Can you sell it again?"
"Yes, Father," Chen Yuan nodded. "I made a deal. I will supply them every three days. It won't make us rich, but it will keep the tax collector off our backs while we work on the real plan."
"The real plan?" Wang Shi asked, busy examining the quality of the bran. "What else is there? This is already good!"
"The sheep," Chen Yuan said. "Selling grass is just the first step. The real money is in the sheep. I need to build a proper shelter on the hill. The rainy season is coming. If the sheep get wet and sick, we lose everything."
"Build a shelter?" Chen Hu asked. "On the hill? We need wood. The village forest is open, but cutting trees..."
"I'll handle the wood," Chen Yuan said. "Tomorrow, I'm going up the mountain. Second Brother, can you watch the sheep here?"
"Of course."
* * *
The next morning, before the mist had even cleared, Chen Yuan set off.
He didn't go alone. Little Stone, the village boy he had hired, was waiting by the village entrance. The boy looked ragged but eager, holding a rusty hatchet.
"Boss!" Little Stone chirped. He had started calling Chen Yuan 'Boss' after receiving the two copper coins. "I'm ready!"
"Good. We need to find sturdy wood. Oak or Pine. No rot."
They hiked up the mountain path behind the East Hill. The forest here was dense, the ground covered in fallen leaves.
Chen Yuan navigated with purpose. While he didn't have a lumberjack's strength, he had the System.
*System, scan for construction materials.*
**[Scanning...]**
**[Target Area: North Ridge.]**
**[Resource Found: A cluster of Pine trees. Diameter: 15-20cm. Condition: Good for structural posts.]**
**[Note: Bark needs stripping to prevent insect infestation.]**
They reached the ridge. Chen Yuan marked the trees.
"Little Stone, cut these three. I'll strip the bark."
They worked in silence for hours. The sound of the hatchet biting into wood echoed through the forest. By noon, they had three long logs and several bundles of thinner branches.
"Now we need to move them down," Chen Yuan said, wiping sweat from his forehead. This was the hard part. The hill was steep.
Just as Chen Yuan was about to rig a rope to drag the logs, a shadow fell over them.
"You're doing it wrong."
Chen Yuan looked up. It was Xu Tie.
The veteran wasn't wearing his usual tattered training clothes. He had on a cleaner, though still patched, set of gray cloth. He held no weapon, but his posture was rigid.
"Brother Xu," Chen Yuan greeted him, straightening up. He didn't ask why the man was there.
Xu Tie walked over to the log Little Stone had been struggling with. "You're dragging it by the small end. It will catch on every root."
He bent down. His movement was stiff, favoring his good leg, but his hands were fast. He grabbed a vine from the ground, looped it around the log in a specific knot Chen Yuan didn't recognize, and pulled.
"Ugh!" Xu Tie grunted. The log moved smoothly, the vine acting as a harness.
"Use gravity," Xu Tie said, looking at Chen Yuan. "Not just muscle."
Chen Yuan watched him. The man was helping. Silently, without promise of pay.
"Brother Xu," Chen Yuan said. "Will you help us move these? I can offer you a meal."
Xu Tie paused. He looked at the logs, then at the cleared patch of land visible through the trees below.
"I don't want a meal," Xu Tie said, his voice low. "I want a place to put my bed."
Chen Yuan's heart jumped. "The shed?"
"It's a start," Xu Tie said. "I checked your land. The drainage is poor. If you build a shed there, the rain will turn the floor into a swamp. You need to dig a trench first."
He looked at Chen Yuan, his gaze intense. "I was a pioneer in the army. I built forts in the swamps of the South. I know how to build dry ground."
Chen Yuan realized what was happening. This was a test. Xu Tie wasn't just looking for charity; he was looking for a commander worth following.
"Then tell me where to dig," Chen Yuan said immediately. "You direct, we work."
A flicker of approval passed through Xu Tie's eyes.
"Good. Get the logs down. Then we dig."
* * *
With Xu Tie's guidance, the efficiency of the work tripled.
He showed them how to lever the logs over rocks, how to choose the path of least resistance, and how to strip the bark in long, clean strips (which Chen Yuan realized could be used for weaving baskets).
By evening, the logs were at the construction site.
But the surprise came when Xu Tie looked at the cleared ground.
"Here," he stomped his foot on a spot. "Dig a trench two feet deep, diverting the water to the gully. Otherwise, your sheep will rot."
Chen Yuan looked at the hard, clay-filled earth. Digging a two-foot trench with hand tools was a day's work for two men.
"I'll start now," Chen Yuan said, grabbing a shovel.
"You'll work in the dark?" Xu Tie scoffed.
"Wolves and thieves come at night," Chen Yuan replied. "The sooner the fence is up, the sooner the sheep are safe. I can't afford to wait."
He began to dig. The clay was stubborn, fighting him every inch.
*Clang.* The shovel hit a rock.
Chen Yuan ignored the pain vibrating up his arms. He kept going.
Little Stone, tired as he was, saw his boss working and quickly ran to grab a hoe.
Xu Tie stood on the side, watching them.
*Foolish,* he thought. *Working yourself to death for a few sheep.*
But then he looked at the determination on the boy's face. He saw the same look he had seen in young recruits before a desperate battle. The refusal to yield.
Xu Tie sighed. He looked at his bad leg. He couldn't dig. But he could plan.
"Stop," Xu Tie barked. "You're wasting energy. Angle the blade. Like this."
He walked over, took a stick, and drew a diagram in the dirt. "Dig in sections. Don't try to move the whole trench at once."
He stayed there, under the darkening sky, directing them. He didn't touch a shovel, but he didn't leave.
When the moon rose, the trench was half done.
"We continue tomorrow," Xu Tie announced. "At this pace, the shed will be up in three days."
Chen Yuan leaned on his shovel, panting. He looked at Xu Tie.
"Thank you, Brother Xu."
"Don't thank me," Xu Tie turned to leave. "I'm just bored. And that shed better be dry."
As he limped away, the System pinged.
**[Relationship Update: Xu Tie.]**
**[Status: Interested -> Collaborator.]**
**[Loyalty: 15/100 (Wary but willing).]**
Chen Yuan smiled. 15 points. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
He looked at the trench, the pile of logs, and the little boy sleeping under a tree.
The ranch was rising. One shovelful at a time.