Things Are Not What They Used To Be

Zhang Xuan's voice grew increasingly choked, tears sliding down his cheeks drop by drop.

"I truly cannot scrape together a single cent now. My mother raised me for sixteen years, yet in the end, I cannot even afford a thin coffin for her. I am truly unworthy of the grace my parents showed in raising me."

The more he spoke, the more distraught he became, his voice trailing off into low, continuous sobs.

Lin Xuan remained silent.

Once the weeping subsided slightly, he asked in a soft voice, "Have you had any luck seeking funds elsewhere?"

Zhang Xuan wiped the tear tracks from his face, his expression desolate.

"I couldn't borrow much. Every household is struggling these days; I know that well.

The clan told me that since it wasn't my father who died, I should just wrap her in a straw mat and find any hole to bury her in. They said that instead of struggling to beg for money, I should go back to being a porter.

I ran around for two days and only managed to scrape together three hundred coppers."

Upon hearing this figure, Lin Xuan let out a long sigh.

"Take me to your home to see."

A short while later, the two arrived at Zhang Xuan's house. It was a thatched hut with a hole in the roof, letting light into what would have otherwise been a dim room.

In the center of the main room, a female corpse lay on a mat, devoid of life.

Seeing that his words were true, Lin Xuan continued, "Are you skilled in farming and cultivation?"

"I am. I can handle any farm work," Zhang Xuan nodded repeatedly.

Seeing this, Lin Xuan spoke slowly, "In that case, I will take care of the old lady's funeral arrangements.

From now on, you will help my family manage the fields and tend to the crops."

"Really?" Upon hearing this, a hint of joy finally appeared on Zhang Xuan's face, which had long been occupied by sorrow.

Lin Xuan nodded. "Really."

He took out two taels of silver and handed them to Zhang Xuan.

In Liang City, two taels of silver were enough to hold a modest funeral—a thin coffin, burial clothes, and a simple ceremony; all were covered.

Overcome with emotion, Zhang Xuan immediately knelt on both knees and bowed deeply to Lin Xuan, his tone filled with gratitude.

"Thank you for your help, benefactor. May I dare ask your name?"

"A man's knees have gold; I am Lin Xuan. I live in that house. Once you finish the funeral, come find me there. If no one is home, come back another day." Lin Xuan pointed toward his own home, which was surrounded by many other dwellings.

"Benefactor's surname is also Lin? Could it be that you are of the same family as those people?" Zhang Xuan asked, full of curiosity.

"Hmm, the current head of that family is my great-uncle, but I have no dealings with them." Lin Xuan nodded lightly.

"Benefactor has the heart of a Bodhisattva. I heard that those Lins often practice usury, which is why I tried to borrow money from them. I never expected that not only would I fail to borrow any, but I was nearly beaten by them."

Zhang Xuan sighed with emotion, feeling that these two households surnamed Lin were not the same kind of people at all!

When Lin Xuan left, he continued to express his thanks repeatedly.

He looked at the female corpse in the center of the room, and his face, which had not shown a smile for so long, finally wore a forced, fragile grin.

"Mother, I can survive now."

Over the next two days, Zhang Xuan buried his mother in a thin coffin—neither extravagant nor shabby—which fulfilled his final wish.

"What is the meaning of this?" Chen Fang watched the young man working diligently in the fields, couldn't help but pull on Lin Xuan's sleeve, and led him aside to speak quietly.

"From now on, you don't have to farm anymore; he will do it. If there is a harvest, we will split it. Can't you just enjoy some peace and comfort? Is our family short on money?"

"Can that boy handle it?" Chen Fang asked doubtfully.

Lin Xuan replied, "Whether he can or not, you just need to keep an eye on him. If he does something wrong, just correct him."

Zhang Xuan was very serious about watering, as if he were irrigating his own land, without a hint of laziness or perfunctory effort.

They agreed on a three-to-seven split: Lin Xuan would take seventy percent of the harvest, and Zhang Xuan would take thirty percent. This division was set because the land had already been cultivated by the Lin Family, and the heavy early-season work had already been completed.

If his labor contribution increased next year, the split would change.

The reason Lin Xuan had Zhang Xuan take on this work was that he wanted to cultivate his own confidants. Soon, if he could pass the martial arts competition, he would become a military officer at the Garrison. How could he manage without his own people?

Could he really do everything himself, or send Lin An to do it? It was impossible to fight alone forever.

During the time before the grain was harvested, Zhang Xuan's meals were also provided by the Lin Family.

When it was time to eat today, Chen Fang brought a bowl of food to Zhang Xuan.

Seeing the meal Chen Fang brought him, Zhang Xuan bit his lip slightly, his breathing grew heavy, and he fought to keep his tears from falling.

While there was nothing to do during this period, Lin Xuan took Lin An to hunt in Rou Mountain.

Relying on the experience of his past life, the strength of this body, and the exceptional dynamic visual talent brought by Sharp Eyes, he could now hit his mark with every arrow.

However, there was no challenging prey left at the foot of the mountain for him to hunt, so he had no choice but to head deeper into the mountain.

Not long after, a few wild boars appeared in Lin Xuan's field of vision. The largest sow among them was unmistakably the one that had led the pack when he hunted the piglets before.

Nearly a month had passed, and the piglets had grown significantly, though their numbers had been cut nearly in half. They had likely fallen to other beasts or hunters.

Lin Xuan drew his bow and aimed at the largest sow. It looked to be about 150 catties. He had been terrified while hunting this group before, but now he could hunt them openly. Back then, a single charge from this sow would have cost him half his life.

Now, he could subdue it with his bare hands, and it likely wouldn't take much effort at all.

As for it causing him any harm, that was basically impossible.

His strength was no longer what it used to be!

"Whoosh~" The Armor-Piercing Arrow traveled from the boar's eye straight into its brain, then punched out the back of its head. It lost the ability to move almost instantly, collapsing to the ground and twitching uncontrollably.

"Should I shoot the other boars now?" Lin An pondered the reason Lin Xuan had called her here.

"No, leave them be. In two or three months, they might grow into adults."

Lin Xuan didn't bother with the other boars. After all, in the hunting trade, one shouldn't drain the pond to catch the fish. Wiping them all out now might net him a hundred catties of meat, but hunting them slowly over time would certainly yield higher long-term returns.

Watching Lin Xuan kill the boar with a single arrow only to forbid her from hunting, Lin An felt a wave of helplessness.

"So you called me here, but won't let me do anything, just to watch you shoot?" Lin An punched Lin Xuan's shoulder.

Lin Xuan shook his head. "No, I called you here to be the manual labor. After all, a boar this big isn't easy for me to carry back alone."

They had actually pushed a cart over, but it was left at the foot of the mountain. Transporting this thing down from the mountain required some effort; after all, they couldn't just carry it on their shoulders, could they?

The two of them used hemp rope to tie the boar's legs, securing them to a wooden pole to carry it down the mountain. It saved a lot of effort and kept their clothes from getting dirty.