Borrowing Grain

"Dad, hurry and eat. It'll get cold soon."

Listening to Old Dad's endless chatter, Li Xiao felt no annoyance at all. Instead, he found it warm and comforting.

Only then did Li Youde come to his senses and take a big gulp of porridge.

At noon, Li Xiao placed the Herbal Compendium on the table, preparing to grind out some Experience points.

Li Youde draped himself in a thick coat, leaned on his cane, and prepared to head out.

"Dad, where are you going in such heavy wind and snow?"

"The Millet is about to run out. I'm going to Village Head's house to borrow some, enough to tide us over for a while."

Li Youde said this, exhaling a breath of white mist.

"Dad, your legs aren't convenient. I'll go."

Li Xiao rose to his feet.

"It's not far. I'll be back before long. You've barely dealt with Village Head before, so I'd better go. Stay in the house."

Creak!

As he spoke, Li Youde casually pushed open the door.

Seeing that he could not talk Li Youde out of it, Li Xiao could only give up.

Li Youde stepped outside, casually shut the door behind him, and disappeared into the snowy landscape with his cane.

It was much like the ancient times of his previous life: imperial authority did not extend into the countryside, and the Village Head governed the people of these surrounding villages.

The Village Head's surname was Wang. His family was considered relatively well-off in the village, but in times like these, every household treated grain as precious as gold. Borrowing food was no easy matter.

In his previous life, Li Xiao had read countless stories of neighbors turning against one another over borrowed grain. Let alone in a year of such great disaster.

Village Chief Wang was no good man either. Quite a few villagers had rented or borrowed things from him and been taken advantage of. One could often hear the neighbors cursing him behind his back.

Yet that did not shake his position in the slightest.

That was because the Village Head's eldest son was a Martial Master!

Martial Masters were the privileged class of this world!

They were somewhat like the scholars of ancient times in his previous life.

But those scholars wielded the written word.

Martial Masters, on the other hand, wielded real power, with mighty force gathered into their own bodies.

Li Xiao had once seen Wang Biao from afar. The man was a minor Headman in a gang, with more than a dozen men under his command.

During the busy farming season, Wang Biao would bring his men back to help with the work, barking orders left and right, imposing and majestic beyond measure.

The previous owner of this body had been deeply envious, which was why he spent all day drifting among the gangs.

Unfortunately, before he made anything of himself, he had already died.

Li Xiao did not know whether Old Dad would manage to borrow any grain.

But he knew that the Village Head had coveted his family's Good fields for a very long time!

The Li Family had three mu of Good fields. The soil was fertile, and the crops planted there yielded more than those in other fields.

But because Li Youde was a skilled archer, and Li Xiao was also a rogue and rascal, they had managed to hold onto those Good fields.

If it had been anyone else, the Village Head would have long since seized them by force.

Li Xiao took a deep breath, his fingertips brushing over the yellowed pages as he turned to the next one.

This page depicted Ginseng.

The ink lines were drawn with exquisite detail. Its main root was spindle-shaped, thick and full, crowned with a purplish-red rhizome that seemed to still carry the warmth of the soil.

Fine, dense rootlets surrounded it, winding and stretching like an old man's beard.

At the top, the compound leaves spread like a palm, their edges lined with tiny serrations and carrying a hint of Spiritual Qi.

Though the ink of the notes beside the illustration had faded, the writing remained clear:

Ginseng, also known as Earth Spirit, Divine Herb. Sweet in taste, slightly bitter, and mildly warm in nature.

Effects: greatly replenishes primordial Qi, restores the pulse and prevents collapse, strengthens the spleen and benefits the lungs, promotes fluids and nourishes the blood, calms the mind and improves intelligence...

Seeing phrases such as "greatly replenishes primordial Qi" and "long illness and frail weakness," Li Xiao's heart jolted.

Old Dad's leg injury had yet to heal, and his body was depleted.

His elder sister had overworked herself, leaving her deficient in Qi and Blood.

This body of his was also terribly weak from prior injuries and long-term malnutrition. This Ginseng was practically a divine medicine tailored exactly to their needs.

It preferred shady, damp environments, avoided direct sunlight, and was highly cold-resistant. It was suited to growing in well-drained, loose, fertile sandy soil rich in humus.

Seedlings preferred shade, while mature plants could endure a little sunlight...

Herbal Compendium Experience points +1...

Herbal Compendium Experience points +1...

Herbal Compendium Experience points +1...

Just as Li Xiao was grinding Experience points for the Herbal Compendium.

Li Youde had already arrived at Village Chief Wang's home.

Knock, knock, knock!

A series of knocks rang out.

The Village Head lived quite comfortably. Though it was not considered any official post of rank.

The security and moral instruction of these surrounding villages, as well as the collection of taxes, all required his approval.

It was not a proper official position, but there was no shortage of fat to skim.

The spaciousness of his house alone made that clear.

Village Chief Wang Ying sat wrapped in a thick padded coat beside the stove, where an iron pot steamed over the fire.

He was short, with a long beard and shrewd eyes.

Beside him sat his second son, Wang Chen.

"Who is it?" Wang Chen's voice came from inside.

There was obvious impatience in his tone. With his father being the Village Head and his elder brother a Martial Master, he loafed around all day and strutted through the village as if he owned it.

He had always looked down his nose at the farmers of the village and never showed them a pleasant face.

Grumbling and cursing, he got up, pulled his fur coat tighter around himself, and walked out of the room.

The door opened with a creak, and Wang Chen poked his head out to look.

Seeing Li Youde, Wang Chen curled his lip.

"Uncle Li, it's you. In weather this cold, why aren't you warming yourself at home? What brings you to my house?"

Though his words were polite, he kept the door half-blocked and stood in the doorway, showing no intention of letting him in.

Seeing his manner, Li Youde understood what the other man was thinking.

But he had come to ask a favor. Without grain, his family would not survive this winter.

He forced a smile onto his face.

"Xiao Chen, I need to speak with Village Head. Please announce me."

Leaning on his cane, Li Youde peered into the house.

"Dad, Li Youde is here!"

Wang Chen called inside, only then stepping away from the door.

Wang Chen walked ahead. Behind him, Li Youde leaned on his cane. Wang Chen hurried back to shut the front gate before quickly following behind.

As Li Youde entered the room, warmth washed over him, easing the stiffness in his frozen body.

Village Chief Wang Ying made no move to rise and greet him. Though they belonged to the same village, the two families were hardly close.

Whenever other villagers rented or borrowed things, the Village Head had taken no small advantage of them.

Only Li Youde, with his skill at hunting and no worries over food or clothing, had even earned himself a family estate. He had never come to Wang's home to rent or borrow anything.

Wang Ying had coveted the Li Family's three mu of thin fields for a long time.

"Sit," Wang Ying said casually.

Only then did Li Youde sit beside the stove, setting his cane aside.

A fragrant aroma hit him, and Li Youde swallowed.

Looking closely, he saw the pot bubbling away.

Inside, snowy white tofu and vivid green pickled cabbage were stewing together.

Li Youde's Adam's Apple bobbed again.

At home, his family ate thin porridge so watery they could see their reflections in it every meal. Forget tofu—even their Millet was nearly gone.

Grain was precious beyond measure. These life-saving things had to be rationed carefully. Yet the Village Head's family could still eat pickled cabbage simmered with tofu in this year of great famine.

"Village Head," Li Youde said, rubbing his hands together before stretching them closer to the stove.

"I came this time to borrow some Millet from you...

There's almost no food left at home. Lend me three or five dou. Don't worry—once spring comes and we harvest in autumn, I'll definitely return an extra dou. I won't delay payment."