Sam Had Hidden Talents?

Phila had barely finished speaking when lines of information appeared before Li Wei.

[Professional Chef*** is exercising the authority of the head of the household.]

[The head of the household believes the family should focus on hunting and gathering to prepare for the coming winter. However, because she did not consult the family beforehand, some members disagree with her, which will lower her rating.]

[Warning: Tasks assigned under the authority of the head of the household have the highest priority. Until they are completed, it is not recommended to do unrelated work unless circumstances beyond your control arise or it is during your free time.]

[You may choose tasks related to hunting, gathering, or both. Whatever you choose, completing ten task units will finish the task and grant double experience, as well as five Family Contribution Points.]

[Tip: All Plot Kill votes will be suspended until the head of the household's assigned tasks are complete.]

[Tip: Exercising the authority of the head of the household will raise your completion rating if it has a positive effect on the family's future development, and lower it if it has a negative effect.]

And just like that, the matter was settled.

Penny said nothing more and went straight back to her room to rest. Phila did the same.

Li Wei and Sam were still awake. Li Wei was whittling a Wooden Spear beside the fire. This time, Phila had readily handed over the short knife. Since she had chosen the hunting-and-gathering route, she couldn't very well refuse to provide even a short knife.

Sam sat across from the fire, holding a thick wooden club. Who knew what he was thinking?

"George, I think we could head deeper into the forest tomorrow. I saw a deer there a couple of days ago."

Sam spoke up, apparently trying to seize the initiative. He'd already grasped the essence of this game: be reasonable, be reasonable, and for fuck's sake, be reasonable.

And he really had seen a deer.

"I'd rather go fishing. There are plenty of fish downstream in the creek, and there are wolves in the forest. We can't handle them yet. It's too dangerous."

Li Wei didn't even look up as he spoke. He hadn't just seen fish; he'd actually caught some. Sam still had a long way to go before he could take the initiative from him.

But the two of them had clearly reached an impasse, so Sam persisted. "We need more game, George. When winter comes, your sister might have a baby. You're going to be an uncle."

What the hell, he was going to be an uncle!

Li Wei looked up in shock. He wasn't surprised because the remark was funny; he was horrified because Sam was impressive.

Not impressive because he could get Penny pregnant, but because he'd come up with that excuse so quickly.

Yes, a new addition to the family was a big deal. Even if it was only a possibility, as Penny's younger brother and the baby's uncle, Li Wei couldn't possibly remain unmoved.

If he did, it would go against the story's logic. It would be like a TV show with such a brainless plot that viewers would curse it out.

After all, they were a loving family.

That was a decisive move. Li Wei had no way to argue against it.

After a moment's thought, all he could say was, "The forest is too dangerous, and that pack of wolves might ambush us. So we need to be thoroughly prepared."

"Of course. Leave it to me. Let me borrow your knife."

Sam stood up, took the knife from Li Wei, and headed to the makeshift storage shed. Before long, he returned with a simple Hunting Bow and three bowstrings.

"Praise Penny! She's so clever and dexterous. Do you know how to use this Hunting Bow?" Sam asked with a grin.

Li Wei shook his head, though he thought to himself, Penny's a Professional Craftsman. Making a simple wooden Hunting Bow must be a piece of cake for her. So not only is she clever and dexterous, she's also fucking small-chested and dumb.

Besides, was Sam's primary profession Hunter?

No wonder he was so confident.

"Little brother, I need some materials for making wooden arrows. Go find me some."

Sam sat down with his legs spread wide, looking every bit the confident brother-in-law.

Li Wei said nothing more. There was no point. Sam had already taken the initiative, and besides, it would be ideal if they could work together on a hunting trip. The invisible rules would fairly distribute all their gains according to their contributions.

The wilderness was no place for acting on a whim.

They worked late into the night. Li Wei helped Sam make twenty Fletchingless Wooden Arrows and four Wooden Spears, then went back to his room to sleep.

When Li Wei woke from a deep sleep early the next morning, he found himself alone in the little house.

He didn't think much of it. It was only around five in the morning, the time he woke up every day. Phila should have finished cooking vegetable porridge by now, and Penny and Sam...

Wait. Li Wei hurried out of the house, only to find that Penny and Sam were nowhere in the yard. More importantly, the four Wooden Spears he'd made the night before were gone, along with the simple Hunting Bow.

Only Phila remained in the yard, carefully stirring the vegetable porridge. When she saw Li Wei come out, she smiled at him. "Poor thing, you must be worn out from all that work clearing the fields. Don't worry, you can take the day off. Your sister and Sam went hunting before dawn. Come have breakfast."

Fuck! Are you kidding me?

Li Wei's head was spinning. He was furious.

But he soon calmed down. Anger would only make him lose control, and it wouldn't help anything.

In fact, only now did he finally realize that he still didn't understand the core of this task well enough.

There were no allies. Someone could be an ally one moment and stab you in the back the next. That was probably the norm.

Everyone had a profession tied to the role they played.

For example, he was a farmer. If he wanted to advance further, he needed to earn more Family Contribution Points and try to become the head of the household. Only then could he set a development route focused on agriculture.

Penny was a craftsman, so she would naturally prioritize handicrafts and things like the Blacksmith Shop.

Phila was a chef, so the hunting-and-gathering route had a lot to do with her.

And Sam was very likely a hunter, which would complement Phila's work as a chef.

Only by understanding all this could he make sense of why Penny, despite being furious after Sam had stabbed her in the back the night before, had gone off with him that morning and left Li Wei behind. She wanted to complete the Main Quest assigned by the head of the household as quickly as possible, so she'd have enough time to do her own work.

Last month, Li Wei had been held back by clearing farmland.

If the hunting-and-gathering task held him back again this month, his main profession would be nowhere near progressing.

This was a war fought without smoke or flames.

"Thanks, Mom! I'm not tired. Can I go gathering with you today?"

Li Wei quickly adjusted his mindset. His immediate priority was still to finish the hunting-and-gathering task as quickly as possible.