The family finally has surplus grain!

"Shh, shh, shh! You brat, keep your voice down!"

Grandpa Qin Dashan hurried over and covered Qin Lan's mouth, then asked Qin Yao, "These... were all earned from mining too?"

"Yes, Grandpa."

Qin Yao lifted his chin proudly. "I was in even better shape than yesterday. I saved up six whole flatbreads.

"And I ate until I was stuffed. Don't believe me? Feel for yourself."

As he spoke, Qin Yao puffed out his belly, showing that he was ready to submit to Old Master Qin's inspection at any time.

Qin Dashan nodded, then shook his head. His voice was slightly choked as he said, "Child, you've suffered."

"Ah, it wasn't tiring, really! It was good exercise, actually."

After saying that, afraid his grandfather would not believe him, he dropped to the ground and started doing palm push-ups on the spot.

"All right, all right, get up, my good grandson. Grandpa believes you!"

To put his grandfather further at ease, Qin Yao specifically added, "Grandpa, I listened to you. While I was in the mine pit, I didn't dare show off. I kept pretending that 'I worked a ton just to earn more food and was about to collapse from exhaustion.'"

"Yes, that's exactly how it should be."

Old Master Qin greatly approved. "Being cautious can never be wrong."

As they chatted, Qin Dashan did not leave his hands idle, beginning to gather up the flatbreads.

His old eyes brimmed with irrepressible delight. "Six flatbreads. Lan'er and I will eat one, and save the other five.

"When daylight comes, we'll take them to the market and trade them for some copper cash.

"These flatbreads are thick and big. Selling one for ten copper coins won't be a problem!"

Old Master Qin, who had once struggled and scraped by for several years selling his labor, knew all too well the value of a large coarse flatbread!

Copper cash was also called copper coins.

One copper coin was also known as one wen.

At the current prices in Tang Village, beef and mutton sold for around twenty wen per jin.

Pork cost twenty-five wen per jin. Since pork could be rendered into lard, it was actually pricier than beef and mutton.

A whole chicken or duck sold for fifty or sixty wen.

Salt cost twenty wen per jin. Finer salt was even more expensive, with some selling for over a hundred wen per jin!

Rapeseed oil and the like cost fifty wen per jin.

Rice cost six or seven wen per jin. Flour was more expensive, at twelve or thirteen wen per jin.

That was for relatively refined rice and white flour.

Coarse flour was cheaper, though not by much.

So, a large coarse flatbread like the kind supplied specifically to mine slaves, being so filling in such a large portion, would definitely have plenty of people fighting to buy it for ten wen!

Five flatbreads would bring in fifty wen.

That was already as much as Grandpa earned from a day of hard labor, added to the wages Lanlan made each day from washing and sewing!

At last, there'll be some surplus food at home!

Qin Yao was delighted.

"All right, Yao'er, hurry and lie down on the bed. I'll apply some medicine for you."

"Huh? Apply medicine for what?"

Qin Yao looked utterly bewildered.

"Silly child, for your foot injury, of course!"

Old Master Qin reproached him gently. "Do you really think this old man is so muddleheaded that I can't tell how much your ankles suffered from wearing shackles back and forth between the mine pit and the village?"

As he spoke, Old Master Qin took a palm-sized piece of rag from the only old cabinet in the house and said, "Don't let its blackened appearance fool you. This cloth is very useful!

"While I was working, I passed by the back gate of Tiger Head Martial Hall and happened to catch one of the hall's servants sneakily selling scraps of cloth that had been used by the martial apprentices and soaked in medicine for bruises and sprains.

"After a great deal of haggling, I finally spent two wen to cut out this little piece.

"Though it had already been used by the martial apprentices and most of the medicine's efficacy was gone, it should still be somewhat useful."

Qin Yao could not help but feel warmth rise in his chest.

"Grandpa, you... Sigh, it's all my fault. I never thought to show you my legs and feet."

Qin Yao pulled up his trouser leg in one swift motion and pointed at his perfectly fine ankle. "Look, aren't I fine?"

"As a 'Heaven-Chosen Miner,' it seems that as I keep training, everything from my skin and flesh to my muscles and bones has improved quite a bit. You can rest easy now!"

"What 'Heaven-Chosen Miner'? You're always saying strange things!"

Old Master Qin shot his grandson a look, then pointed at the slight, barely noticeable bruise on his ankle. "Isn't this still swollen from getting bumped? Lie down and don't move. This old man will rub it for you."

"I'll do it myself, I'll do it myself."

Qin Yao quickly took the black cloth from him. "Grandpa, go eat the flatbread with Lanlan."

"If we drag this out any longer, that girl's drool won't be containable!"

"I wasn't drooling! Hmph, bad brother!"

Qin Lan stomped her feet, both embarrassed and angry.

"Hahahaha..."

The next day.

Qin Yao returned to the mines.

Eating, going down into the mines—everything was as usual.

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Skill Mining: Mastery (5318/20000)

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Skill Mining: Mastery (5320/20000)

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Skill "Mining"...

While mining, Qin Yao still did not forget to show off his acting skills.

The main thing was to give people the impression that he was truly working, and truly exhausted.

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Skill "Acting": Beginner Realm (328/500)

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Skill "Acting": Beginner Realm (330/500)

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Skill "Acting"...

When lunchtime and dinnertime came around, the youth could farm another wave of proficiency through eating.

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Skill "Eating" Proficiency +3

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Skill "Eating" Proficiency +2

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Skill "Eating"...

Everything was steadily improving, step by step.

When night fell, Qin Yao returned to the little house in Tang Village.

"Wow~ Another six big flatbreads!"

Qin Lan's watery eyes curved into crescents. "Brother, you're so, so, so amazing!

"But earning so much food must be really hard on you, right?"

Even amid her excitement, his sister could not help worrying about him.

So she hurriedly pulled Qin Yao over to sit down, massaging his arms and kneading his shoulders.

Qin Yao fondly rubbed his sister's head. "It's fine, girl. Your brother isn't tired.

"Go eat the flatbreads with Grandpa."

At that moment, Old Master Qin came over as well.

His weathered face was now filled with a smile called "hope." "Yao'er, the flatbreads you brought back yesterday sold for fifty copper coins altogether.

"Today's are worth another fifty.

"As long as we save for two more days, we'll have enough to buy a martial arts illustrated manual from Tiger Head Martial Hall!

"I paid close attention before. The training methods in that manual, as well as the meridian pathways of the Tiger-Fighting Fist, all conform to the principles of martial arts. They were not drawn at random to fool people."

"That's wonderful!"

After hearing this, Qin Yao was filled with anticipation.

In two days, my 'Mining' skill will enter a new realm as well.

With an even stronger body, practicing that Tiger-Fighting Fist should let me achieve twice the result with half the effort, right?

A moment later.

As Qin Yao watched Grandpa and Lan'er eat the flatbreads with great relish, he quietly summoned the system panel—

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Host: Qin Yao

Realm: None. However, compared to ordinary people, the body is already exceptionally strong, only one step away from entering the first level of the Martial Body Tempering Realm

Cultivation Method: None

Skills: Mining (Mastery Realm, 10376/20000); Eating (Minor Mastery Realm, 205/1000); Acting (Beginner Realm, 419/500)

Available Points: 7

Soon!

In another two days, the 'Mining' skill will definitely break into a new realm.

By then, the 'Acting' skill should reach the 'Minor Mastery Realm' too.

It's time to start planning the next step.

Qin Yao stared at the iron shackles around his feet and murmured inwardly, But no matter what I do, wearing these things is far too inconvenient.

I need to find a way to remove them first...