At the lumberyard in Hunter Town.
"Mister! I'm sorry! I used that tool hammer too hard yesterday, and I didn't expect it to shatter. You can take the compensation out of my wages!"
Looking embarrassed, Li Xing took out the pouch at his waist, which had originally held his money, and placed it on the table in front of the lumberyard owner.
The owner opened the pouch and saw the tool hammer inside, shattered into pebble-sized pieces. He stared at the young man before him, at a loss for words.
"What about the handle? Don't tell me that broke too!"
When the owner asked about the handle, Li Xing hurriedly pulled the wooden handle from his waist.
"It's right here, mister!"
As he spoke, he handed over the tool hammer's handle.
The owner saw the mark he had carved near the bottom of the handle. Rather than get angry, he immediately burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha~~"
Seeing Li Xing's puzzled look, the owner happily explained.
"Do you know where I bought this tool hammer?"
Li Xing shook his head. Holding up the handle, the owner smiled and said happily,
"I bought this thing from that old fellow Angie Turner!" Seeing that Li Xing didn't understand, the owner continued, "I remember I'd just made a lot of money as a traveling merchant, and I took the old fellow outside town for a good meal.
"But that old bastard didn't appreciate it. He said something about quick money not lasting.
"Anyway, he was sour as could be.
"I knew he was sour because I'd made a fortune. But I also knew that the more of that money I spent on him, the worse he'd feel.
"So I pulled a stunt.
"I took some of that money and deliberately commissioned a lot of tool sets from him. These hammers were among them.
"Who knew the old bastard wouldn't hold back? When I checked the bill, he'd marked up a few things, including this batch of hammers!
"I noticed that the price listed on the panel was completely different from what he'd charged me, so I took the things to him and demanded an explanation.
"And guess what happened?"
Seeing that Li Xing had grown curious about the rest of the story, the owner said with a smile,
"That old bastard had the nerve to tell me, 'You don't understand the craft. How can I charge a brother the same price I'd charge anyone else? The materials are different.'
"I was so angry I couldn't even speak."
The owner laughed as he told the story, gazing at the hammer handle in his hand as he recalled the past.
"Luckily, that batch of tools really did work well, so I didn't say anything more. But now! Hmph~~ I've got something on you, old fellow! Hahahahaha~~~~~~"
Li Xing watched the lumberyard owner raise the handle in his right hand as high as he could, throw his head back, and laugh with his mouth wide open as he looked at it.
Li Xing was speechless. You're over a hundred years old between the two of you. Why are you still having these petty disputes like children?
If I'd known, I would've gone to the smithy and bought a replacement. Oh! I remember now. I don't think I have any money.
Then forget it!
Earlier, after washing up at a well in town, Li Xing had come to the lumberyard for work.
But to his surprise, the tool hammer he'd borrowed just yesterday had lost too much durability because of his Void Construction skill! So as soon as he started work today, the tool hammer had shattered in front of all his coworkers.
After an experienced coworker helped him inspect it and told him what had happened, Li Xing had no choice but to put the broken hammer in his empty money pouch and report it to the owner.
That had left him in an awkward spot for a while.
Fortunately, the owner was understanding. After telling Li Xing about the past, he agreed to Li Xing's proposed compensation.
That settled the matter.
Li Xing then continued with another day of logging.
Because Hunter Town's lumberyard was in a remote mountain region, certain blue schools of thought had not overly intruded.
Li Xing's logging work was therefore paid uniformly by output rather than by time.
Because of the changes to his body after transmigrating, Li Xing's basic physical attributes had undergone a qualitative leap, leaving him with no outlet for his energy.
Now, logging provided that outlet. He kept harvesting trees in the woods like a ruthless logging machine.
Watching Li Xing work so efficiently,
the lumberyard owner felt too embarrassed to exploit him too much. He took some time to go to the town's butcher shop and buy some meat, intending to treat the workers at their morning meal.
Li Xing didn't know the current situation among the nobles in this world, but the residents of Hunter Town had no concept of three meals a day, morning, noon, and night.
Instead, they ate whenever they were hungry.
During the break, Li Xing wolfed down the work meal the owner had given him and marveled at what a good, kind man he was.
"Look at the meat in this bowl! No wonder he's rich!"
After the morning work meal,
Li Xing started logging again. It was as though he were possessed by a ruthless logging machine.
Like mowing down enemies in a Musou game, he felled every tree in the area designated for cutting and quickly helped the other workers process the trees into the required lumber.
Because Li Xing was so efficient, some workers had essentially become his porters. In their spare moments, they took bets among themselves on whether he could finish the designated cutting area today.
And so, after midday,
Li Xing finished felling every tree in the area designated for the week.
That put the work three or four days ahead of schedule.
The lumberyard owner, who had been watching from the side for quite a while, looked with satisfaction at the pile of processed lumber. Li Xing was lying on it, taking a short afternoon nap.
So the owner went out to buy some more meat, intending to serve the workers their afternoon meal early!
When the work meal was served early,
Li Xing woke to the aroma of meat soup and quickly got up and came over.
He promptly joined the line for food.
As he listened to the workers around him discussing how they could finish early today, collect their pay, and go home,
Li Xing's tears ran from the corners of his mouth.
"Mister, you're a good man!"
He ate the meat soup, which had so much meat it nearly overflowed the bowl. Only by comparison did he realize how badly he'd been exploited as a sucker, working hard at his previous part-time jobs while bringing his own meals.
He recalled his conversation with the owner yesterday, when he'd told him about what had happened at his previous jobs.
All he remembered was the owner's angry cursing: "That's downright inhuman! If the people under him haven't smashed the place up, he must be blessed by the gods. It's unbelievable that a lousy factory like that can still exist!"
After the meal, every worker in the lumberyard looked eager to get going. They all seemed to be gathering their strength to achieve a certain goal. In that atmosphere, Li Xing was preparing to get back to work too, but the owner stopped him.
"Li Xing, here are your wages. Your work is done for today. Leave the rest to the other workers! You don't need to come in for the rest of the week."
Seeing the shocked look on Li Xing's face, the owner hurriedly explained.
"Don't misunderstand! The others can probably finish the remaining work in the next few days, and there won't be anything to do after that. It's good that you've got so much strength, but you need to leave the other workers some opportunities to work too.
"I have to say, I underestimated what you could do.
"Someone like you should join the army. Becoming a general shouldn't be a problem!"
Looking at the two heavy bags of gold coins before him,
Li Xing smiled and said,
"Mister, I'm happy you're letting me go back and rest. But I just ate the meal you gave me, and now I'm leaving without doing anything. Isn't that a bit..."
"Young man! I don't care what you've been through before. But don't sell yourself short. Surely you're worth more than a bowl of my food? You and I are working together, not enslaving and being enslaved!"
Seeing that Li Xing's eyes had reddened a little with emotion, the owner placed the two bags of gold coins in his hands and comforted him.
"Son! Go wash your face and get some rest. Then take the money and buy yourself a few new clothes and other daily necessities! Your life in Hunter Town has only just begun. You don't need to devote all your time to work. Understand?"
After listening to the owner's advice, Li Xing nodded, turned around, and left the lumberyard.
Watching Li Xing walk away alone, the owner sighed.
"Ah~~~ What a good young man! How come he never met any good people before?"
Outside the lumberyard!
Feeling the weight of the two bags of gold coins in his hands, Li Xing recalled what the owner had just told him.
The warmth in his heart immediately welled up in his eyes,
and so, on the street, a young man could be seen covering his eyes with his hand and shouting alone on the road,
"Next time anyone says the world before transmigration was definitely more advanced than the world after transmigration, I'll *T your ancestors!!!"