Chapter Nine: Returning to the Village

“No matter how cheaply we sell it, we can’t just let it go for twenty taels!” Chen Shu was furious; seeing Qin Zhen lose money pained him more than losing his own.
“Too much money draws attention,” Qin Zhen replied, still perfectly calm. “We’ve already received fifty taels as a reward. If we sell the bear for a high price too, do you think we’ll make it back to the village in one piece?”
One should never flaunt wealth.
Now that their fortune had already been exposed, it was more important to ensure they survived long enough to spend it.
“Exactly! Uncle Chen, you’re a grown man—how can you still not see what even a child can?” Liu Quan pursed his lips.
With Qin Zhen’s explanation, Chen Shu finally understood.
These days, there were bandits everywhere. If one wasn’t careful, they might be robbed and left gutted.
Such a sum was a fortune—who wouldn’t be tempted?
“What’s there to fear? Before I retired, I was renowned in the army! Three or five common thugs could never get close to me!” Chen Shu boasted.
Pit him against a bear, and he’d hesitate. But set him against bandits, and he’d never back down.
“Uncle, I know you’re strong, but even you can’t defend against an arrow in the dark, can you?” Qin Zhen tried to reason with him.
The word “arrow” made Chen Shu’s face flush and silenced him.
“Brother Liu, I’m thinking of buying some things to take home. Do you know which shop in town has the best quality goods?”
“You’ve come to the right person! I can’t vouch for other places, but here in this coastal county, I have connections.” Liu Quan grinned. “What is it you need?”
“Grain, silk, axes, mattocks…” Qin Zhen counted off on his fingers as he spoke.
Now that he had money, he needed to convert it into necessities.
Liu Juan’s taxes were paid, but little remained.
He and Liu Juan would have children, and who knows, there might be a tax for them as well. Should illness or disaster strike, money would flow away. With so little in his pocket, it would be gone in no time! If he wanted a peaceful and prosperous life, he needed to rack his brains to earn more.
“What are you planning? It wasn’t easy to get some money, don’t squander it like this!”
Grain and silk Liu Quan could understand.
But why so many axes and mattocks? If no one used them, wouldn’t they just rust away as scrap?
“I’m thinking of revitalizing the village. Our place is in ruins—it’s time to repair it. And besides, the villagers haven’t tasted rice in ages; shouldn’t we buy some to have on hand?” Qin Zhen said.
“Done! With that promise, say no more. Leave it all to me!” Liu Quan was moved. “Everything else is easy, but iron tools are hard to get. I’ll do my best to find them, but I can’t promise how many.”
Ironwork was a restricted commodity in Shang.
Farming tools were less regulated, but expensive. Most were family heirlooms, passed down and rarely sold.
“And see if you can find a spinning wheel. Juan wants to weave cloth,” Qin Zhen added.

Considering the sun had already set, Qin Zhen found an inn for the night, planning to shop the next day.
Liu Quan proved efficient—at dawn, he gathered a group and set out.
Soon, everything Qin Zhen needed was purchased.
There were seven or eight carts just for the grain, and with all the other supplies, the long convoy drew plenty of attention.
“Why are you buying so much?” The constable who had been on duty the previous day approached and said in a low voice, “With all this, it won’t be easy to travel the mountain roads.” He paused, then offered, “Would you like me to send a few men with you for the journey?”
“That would be wonderful!” Qin Zhen was troubled over how to transport so much back home.
The back roads were out of the question; they had to take the main road, which was plagued by bandits. If they had the county constables with them, the trip would be much safer.
Having learned from the journey out, Qin Zhen now took the initiative—without waiting for Liu Quan’s signal, he stepped forward and slipped the constable a silver ingot.
“May I ask your name?”
“My surname’s Lin,” the constable replied.
“Captain Lin, I’ll be relying on you, then!”
Captain Lin weighed the ingot in his hand and nodded in satisfaction.
“Don’t worry—with me here, you’ll get home safe and sound!”
With that, he picked a few able-bodied deputies, and they set out together.
The journey home was even more rushed than the one out.
Fortunately, they met with no trouble, and before nightfall, Qin Zhen and his party returned to the small fishing village.
Their return caused a stir, especially the hero’s plaque for slaying the bear, which left the nearly sixty-year-old village chief in tears.
Of course, more than the plaque, most people were interested in the carts of grain Qin Zhen had brought back.
Li Han’s eyes were practically glowing green with envy.
Qin Zhen, however, was generous. He had Liu Quan help distribute a cart of grain among the villagers.
If not for the communal meals, he and Liu Juan would have starved to death long ago. Now that he had returned in glory, what was a cart of grain to share?
“Captain Lin, it’s late—why not stay for dinner?” Qin Zhen invited warmly. “We have a few wild rabbits at home, perfect for roasting.”
Captain Lin was tired after a day’s travel and accepted the invitation with pleasure.

“Then I shall accept your hospitality.”
On the way back, Qin Zhen wondered why he hadn’t seen Liu Juan.
Could it be that the night before last had been too much for her, and she still hadn’t recovered?
Just as he was about to enter, a vile voice drifted from inside the house.
“Stupid widow, tonight I’ll have my way with you!”
This was followed by Liu Juan’s sobbing.
Rage surged through Qin Zhen—he burst into the house and kicked open the door, only to see Scarface Wang Wu throttling Liu Juan and beating her furiously! Liu Juan clutched at her clothes, struggling desperately to protect herself.
The sight turned Qin Zhen’s eyes blood-red in an instant.
He grabbed a stone and smashed it with all his might at Wang Wu’s head!
The blow sent Wang Wu staggering, blood streaming down his neck.
“Qin Zhen, you dare hit me?!” Wang Wu clutched his head in disbelief, staring at the shorter Qin Zhen. When had this kid grown so bold?
“Hit you? I’ll kill you!”
Qin Zhen lunged, seized Wang Wu’s arm, and the two grappled fiercely.
Liu Juan’s cries for help brought the whole village running.
“What’s going on?!”
Chen Shu and Li Han were the first to arrive.
Even before they entered, they saw Wang Wu, clothes in disarray, stumbling out of Qin Zhen’s house, with Qin Zhen in hot pursuit, dragging an iron mattock and swinging it hard at Wang Wu’s head!
Wang Wu tripped and fell; the blow meant for his head landed on his thigh instead.
The sharp metal pierced straight through, blood gushing everywhere!
“Enough! One more blow and he’ll be dead!” Chen Shu hurried over and restrained Qin Zhen.
Li Han also held him back. “Zhen, what happened?”
In reply, they met Qin Zhen’s bloodshot, icy gaze.
It was a look burning with murderous intent.
“Let me go!”