Chapter 17: Finally, No Longer Short of Money.

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Sun the Leper wanted to retreat. However, Lu Chuan stepped forward instead. What fools! They had planned to cover me with a sack, but now that things were exposed, instead of fleeing immediately, they charged straight at me. Lu Chuan hesitated not a bit. His stick swung up sharply, flipping Sun the Leper onto the ground. Then, with a calm gaze, he looked around and asked, “Anyone else want to step up?”

“Lu Chuan!” Sun the Leper whimpered, clutching his chin, blood pouring from his mouth. His eyes burned with hatred. “You… how dare you hit me?” He swayed to his feet, voice trembling. “Believe it or not, I’ll make sure you never go back to Shuangshui Village again!”

“I don’t believe it!” Lu Chuan stared him down and then crouched, a playful smile on his lips. “But I have a hundred ways to kill you without anyone knowing. Do you believe that?”

“I told you, don’t provoke me!” Sun the Leper growled.

“Today, I’m just teaching you a lesson.” Lu Chuan extended his hand and grabbed Sun the Leper’s arm. Swiftly, he picked up a dry branch nearby and broke it in two. With a sharp crack, he jabbed it hard into Sun’s palm.

“Be good now. Go see a doctor properly, or else this hand of yours might be useless,” Lu Chuan said coolly. “There’s still time if you go now.”

Sun the Leper howled in pain on the ground. “How… how can you be so cruel?” he asked with deep fear and resentment in his eyes.

“I never claimed to be a good man,” Lu Chuan replied, patting his head. “You should be grateful you met me now. Otherwise, even if you had ten lives, I’d still kill you all.”

With that, Lu Chuan turned and walked away.

Sun the Leper struggled to rise, wincing in agony. “What are you all standing around for? Hurry and take me to a doctor!”

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Lu Chuan made his way to the Xu residence. When he saw Xu Houxiang again, a hint of surprise flickered in Xu’s eyes. “You found something again so quickly? Seems like you’ve been too modest. This isn’t luck—it’s sheer skill!”

“It really is luck,” Lu Chuan said with a smile. “I did catch the badger, but the wild boar was pure chance.”

He reached into his bag and pulled out the wild boar meat. “Look here—about a hundred jin of wild boar meat.”

Xu Houxiang paused briefly, then said, “I’ll pay you 150 qian per jin. That’s 15,000 qian.”

That made Lu Chuan’s heart race a little. Was wild boar meat really this valuable?

“We’re approaching year-end, and the household really needs this. It’s hard to find in the market, so I’m offering you the highest price. But…” Xu Houxiang lowered his voice, “I’ll return 3,000 qian to you.”

Before Xu could finish, Lu Chuan interrupted, “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”

Xu Houxiang narrowed his eyes. This kid was clever. “Alright then, the badger meat will count for 6,000 qian. You don’t have to return anything.”

Xu’s mood brightened. Though greedy, he knew it was wise to maintain good relations with this young man. Having been steward for so long, he understood that everyone profits when everyone thrives. Being too greedy might cause this kid to take his goods elsewhere, cutting off his own income.

“Thanks a lot, Steward Xu,” Lu Chuan said with a smile and a slight bow.

Now Lu Chuan was truly flush with money. Half a wild boar sold for 12,000 qian, plus 6,000 for the badger—18,000 qian in total. Next, he needed to exchange the money for grain. Also, he could finally arrange for a loom. This was something Bai Siyu had long desired.

Bai Siyu was a somewhat conflicted and proud woman. She clearly felt her contributions to the household were insufficient and was eager to prove herself. So, when Lu Chuan went hunting, she would stay at home embroidering. But embroidery was delicate and time-consuming. Though she could do it, she wasn’t meticulous, so selling it at a good price was difficult. The wealthy looked down on it, and the poor couldn’t afford it.

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Thus, weaving was the best fit for her—specifically hemp cloth. This kind of fabric was affordable for ordinary farming families and could help supplement household expenses. Looms were still within reach for common households, though they weren’t cheap—costing about 3,000 qian.

“By the way!” Xu Houxiang suddenly seemed to recall something. “You asked me about old grain before. Are you trying to use it to pay the annual grain tax?”

Lu Chuan nodded.

Xu Houxiang glanced around before speaking quietly, “Old grain is hard to come by nowadays. I have a connection, but the price isn’t much cheaper. On the market, mixed new and old grain sells for 50 qian per jin.”

“My connection can offer you 40 qian per jin. That’s the limit.”

He then asked, “How many people are in your household?”

“Three,” Lu Chuan answered.

Xu Houxiang looked surprised. “Three? Recently, the authorities arranged wives for all the men.”

“Are there others in your household?” Xu pressed.

“No,” Lu Chuan said with a bitter smile. “I offended the official who sent the wives, so I was forced to pick two, and they’re registered. I had no choice but to start hunting. Who knew I’d be lucky enough to gather enough grain before paying the tax? Of course, all thanks to you, Steward Xu. Without your help, I’d have nowhere to turn.”

He gestured to the sedan chair.

Xu Houxiang nodded. “Be careful. These officials each oversee different areas. Since the one who delivered the wives is involved, he’ll also handle the grain tax collection. He might cause you trouble. After paying the tax, life won’t be peaceful for you either.”

He smiled wryly, “In any case, good luck.”

“Follow this road east, cross the Dingshui River, and you’ll find a shop called Cui’s Grain Store. Look for a man named Cui Baiwei. He has old grain. Just say the steward from the Xu residence sent you; he’ll know.”

Xu Houxiang advised, “You’d better prepare more. Otherwise, that official might give you a hard time again.”