Looking Toward the Future, Settling the Household

Lin Feng was not too worried.

The speed at which his martial arts improved would definitely outpace that man's recovery.

Still, he could not delay for too long. Once he brought the Beast Hunting Fist to perfection, he would find a chance to destroy that Flower Picking Bandit.

After Wang Shanxiong returned home, fury surged in his chest.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He grabbed a broken porcelain bowl and smashed it viciously onto the floor.

With a crack, the bowl shattered.

"Hiss, hiss." He had pulled at his wounds from using too much force, and pain made him suck in cold breaths.

He was not angry at Lin Feng. He was angry at those three little hoodlums.

Never mind that the three of them had demanded extra silver—they had not even done the job.

He was still someone with a name in the martial world, yet he had been played by three little hoodlums.

Wang Shanxiong sat on the bed and tended to his injuries.

"Ah, it seems I won't be able to deal with that little wife next door anytime soon.

"To bear five children in one pregnancy, her primal yin must be exceptionally abundant. If I can harvest it to nourish myself, it will surely help my wounds heal quickly."

Before Lin Feng had finished brewing the medicine, his mother had already prepared dinner.

There was thick rice porridge, cooked cured meat, and homemade pickled vegetables. For this family, it already counted as a lavish feast.

Mother Lin served a bowl of porridge with cured meat and went into the room to feed Lin Feng's wife, Zhou Chunlan.

She had him watch the five little ones as they ate.

More than half of the children's sugar figurines remained, placed beside their bowls.

It was rare for the children to eat porridge this thick, not to mention cured meat.

The porridge they usually ate was as thin as water; it was hard to fish out even a single grain of rice.

Meat was even rarer. They could not eat it more than a few times a year.

The children ate like five little piglets, rice grains all over their mouths. Before long, their little bellies were round and full.

Lin Feng noticed that the children kept sneaking glances at him while they ate.

Thinking back to the original owner, Lin Feng suddenly understood.

The original owner liked to drink and beat the children during meals.

They were afraid he would hit them.

Guilt rose in Lin Feng's heart. Though he had not been the one to beat them, he was wearing the original owner's body now.

After Dabao, Lin Yuxiang, finished eating, he looked at him.

"Drunkard, are you really not drinking anymore?"

Damn it, they had not even finished their sugar figurines, yet the way they addressed him had already changed back.

Lin Feng glanced at the sugar figurines on the table.

Afraid that Lin Feng would snatch his sugar figurine, Dabao immediately picked it up and changed his words with a smile. "Um, Dad, are you really not drinking anymore?"

Lin Feng shoveled the last bit of food from his bowl into his mouth. "Mm. I won't drink ever again."

Lin Feng had not liked drinking in his previous life either. No matter whether it was a superior or a client offering him a toast, he never drank.

Among the four boys, little Sibao was the smallest and skinniest. He also looked the most honest and simple, with thick brows and big eyes like a little tiger, unbearably adorable.

Lin Feng could not help reaching out to stroke little Sibao's head.

Little Sibao's body trembled before going stiff.

The other little treasures all turned to look at them in unison, afraid that Lin Feng would strike little Sibao.

After waiting for a while, little Sibao saw that Lin Feng had only patted his head and had not hit him. A smile appeared on his face, and he even cooperatively turned his head.

Lin Feng simply scooped little Sibao up and set him on his shoulders.

"Ah!" Little Sibao cried out and clutched Lin Feng's topknot tightly.

"Come on. Daddy will take you out to help you digest."

Lin Feng took little Sibao to add some firewood beneath the medicinal brew, then carried him around the yard in circles as he ran.

Little Sibao was frightened at first, but after playing for a while, he began to giggle.

The other little treasures came out to watch as well.

Before long, they could not resist wanting to try it themselves. Lin Feng sat one on each shoulder and played with the children until the sun set.

By then, the medicine was ready.

Mother Lin had Lin Feng personally feed the medicine to his wife.

Lin Feng carried a bowl of medicine into the bedroom and sat by the bed.

His sickly wife possessed an even more delicate, pitiful beauty.

Her face was pale and frail, like flower petals drenched by rain, carrying a faint sorrow.

When Lin Feng entered, Zhou Chunlan said expressionlessly, "Put the medicine down. I can drink it myself."

"Mother told me about how you received guidance from an immortal. Is it true?"

In this world, women held the same status as they had in the ancient times of Lin Feng's previous life. Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. Every woman hoped to marry a good man.

Except for those female heroes whose martial prowess soared through the roof.

Lin Feng hurried to state his position. "Of course it's true. I'll soon let the whole family live a good life."

Zhou Chunlan had already given up on the original owner. Now that her husband had changed for the better, she was somewhat unaccustomed to it, and even more afraid to believe it.

"I don't dare hope for too good a life. As long as you don't drink like your life depends on it as you did before, that will be enough."

"There is plenty of time ahead. You and the children can watch what I do."

The two chatted for a few more moments, but in the end Zhou Chunlan still drank the medicine herself.

As Lin Feng was leaving the room, he slipped a silver hairpin into Zhou Chunlan's hand.

Zhou Chunlan held the hairpin in a daze. How long had it been since her husband last bought her a gift?

When she had first married into the family, that man had been good for two years. Later, after he became addicted to alcohol, he turned into a drunkard who cared about nothing.

She had even worried over how to raise all the children.

It could not have been better if her husband truly turned back from his wayward ways.

Zhou Chunlan placed the silver hairpin beneath her pillow. A smile appeared on her face as she closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.

Land in the countryside was worthless.

Though the Lin Family was poor, they still had three rooms: the main house and the east and west side rooms stood in orderly rows. Though old and shabby, they were spacious.

Lin Feng's father had acquired all of it while he was still alive.

Since Zhou Chunlan was ill, Mother Lin feared that the children would disturb her daughter-in-law's rest, so she had the children sleep with her.

However, her room was not large enough, so she had to send two children to sleep in Lin Feng's room.

Under normal circumstances, the children would rather squeeze together than dare sleep in his room.

Today, Dabao, Lin Yuxiang, and Sibao, Lin Yuze, volunteered to go to Lin Feng's room.

With the two little children on either side of him, Lin Feng felt somewhat awkward.

For most of his previous life, he had slept alone. He was afraid that he might roll over and crush the two children.

Yet the two children kept nuzzling against him like little piglets, their two pairs of dark, round eyes staring at him.

Lin Feng asked, "Why aren't you sleeping?"

Little Sibao, with his tiger-like head and tiger-like brain, said, "I'm afraid that when we wake up, Daddy will turn back into a drunkard."

Lin Feng picked little Sibao up, placed him against his chest, and stroked him twice.

This felt far better than petting a cat.

"Sleep without worry. Since Daddy has changed for the better, he won't change back."

The two little ones still refused to sleep.

Lin Feng asked little Sibao again, "Tell Daddy what wish you have. Daddy will make it come true for you."

Without even thinking, little Sibao said, "I want to learn martial arts and become a martial arts master, so no one will dare bully us anymore."

Lin Feng recalled that the little ones rarely went outside. Because they had been malnourished for so long and were too thin and weak, they were always bullied by the other children in the village.

Lin Feng kissed little Sibao affectionately on the cheek. "Tomorrow, Daddy will teach you martial arts. From now on, I'll make sure you eat meat every day and grow strong and sturdy, so no one will dare bully you."

Lin Feng looked at Dabao again. "What about you, Dabao?"

Dabao thought for a moment, then picked up the feather duster used for sweeping the bed and slung it over his shoulder.

He called out, "Fruit for sale! One coin each!"

After calling out, Dabao said, "I want to be one of those and earn lots and lots of money. Then I'll have money to buy medicine for Mother, and clothes and food for my little brothers and sisters."

Dabao had seen the peddlers who came into the village selling goods make money, and he wanted to follow their example.

"That's called a merchant, a merchant who does business.

"Dabao is so sensible. Daddy will give you some money. Save it first, and once you have enough, you can start doing business."

After saying that, Lin Feng took out five copper coins and handed them to Dabao.

Lin Feng had not given all the silver to his mother. He had kept quite a bit for himself.

After receiving the copper coins, Dabao counted them again and again. He did not even know where to put them, and he grinned from ear to ear.

The other three little treasures in the next room heard the laughter from this room and kept peeking through the door, somewhat envious of Dabao and Sibao.

"Grandma, tomorrow I want to sleep with Daddy too."

"Alright, you can take turns sleeping with Daddy."

The children soon fell asleep, while Lin Feng began considering how to get more meat.

Tomorrow, he would gain another Breakthrough Point. Breaking through required a large amount of food, especially food rich in protein.

The grain at home was not enough to support even two of his breakthroughs.

Lin Feng suddenly thought of something, and his eyes lit up.

The small river beside Xiaohe Village was full of river shrimp and crabs. The villagers called those shrimp and crabs River Critters, and no one ate them.

Wouldn't that be a bargain for him?