"Xiao Wu, are you going to practice calligraphy or martial arts?"

 

After Ling Wen left the room, it took a while for everything to return to normal. Now that their father had awakened, they didn't need to go outside to look for wild vegetables anymore. Ling Wen remembered that their father always mentioned how he wanted them to become scholars in the future. So, Ling Wen decided to practice calligraphy in the backyard and strive to meet his father's expectations.

 

As everyone knows, how can Ling Jingxuan be that kind of pedantic person? If he really intends to let them take the road of imperial examination, it will not be as simple as letting them take the exam to be a scholar. It is a bound duty for the children to study. Ling Jingxian doesn't want them to become illiterate in the future. In his mind, a scholar is only a middle school graduate, so his request is not too much. As for whether they should take the imperial examination in the future, he will definitely respect their own opinions.

 

"I want to practice martial arts. In the future, I will protect you and Dad, and prevent others from bullying you."

 

Little Baozi, on the other hand, shook his head. Compared to Ling Wen, he was truly innocent and naive. However, among the children in the village, he was more mature. Though they were twins, he always saw himself as the younger brother, and Ling Wen was like the pillar of their family. Whenever other kids bullied them, Ling Wen would stand in front of him and protect him from any harm. So, he always ended up being the one getting beaten. Now that their father was better, their family would become better too. Their father had also taught them how to fight and read, and while he wanted them to learn to read, Little Baozi preferred to learn martial arts so that he could protect his beloved father and brother.

 

"Alright, let's go to the backyard with some tea. It's too hot to practice martial arts in this weather. Don't just focus on practicing all the time."

 

Gently patting his brother's face, Ling Wen first led him to the kitchen to fetch a big pot of tea before heading to the backyard. The two brothers were unaware of the impending disaster.

 

Ling Jingxuan's house was quite remote, at least a mile away from the village. It would take some time for the group of women to reach there. Ling Jingpeng had picked plenty of wild grapes from the mountain, and Ling Jingxuan had also returned. The two brothers smiled at each other, their youthful and handsome faces blushing slightly from the heat, but they were not tired at all. Compared to earning a couple of silver coins for a jar of jam, this little effort was nothing.

 

"Eh? Brother, why did you cut your clothes again to wrap things? Aren't you afraid that Xiao Wen will nag you again?"

 

Seeing his older brother holding two large packages and missing a big chunk of his clothes, Ling Jingpeng burst into laughter. He remembered how last time, Ling Wen had nagged him for quite a while.

 

"Well... you didn't remind me earlier!"

 

Ling Jingxuan's forehead twitched, and he gave his brother a disgruntled look. He remembered clearly that his little Baozi had seen him cutting his clothes, but he didn't stop him. He thought... Xiao Baozi kept on talking about how he didn't cherish things or wasting things until his ears were almost callused. Now he couldn't help but get a headache when he thought of that scene.

 

"Haha... I didn't know you would forget about it so quickly, big brother. So, what's inside these packages?"

 

Seeing his brother's reaction, Ling Jingpeng laughed even more heartily. He understood his brother's intentions quite well. Other than wild fruits, his brother was also good at finding edible mushrooms and fungus. They were delicious and fresh, and he had been thinking of asking his brother to teach him how to recognize those things.

 

" Of course, it's a good thing. Come here and have a look. These are raspberries. I found several raspberry trees with large, ripe, red fruits. The slightly sour and sweet taste is perfect for making jam as a substitute for wild grapes. I've also found some small raspberry trees nearby. Let's dig them up and plant them in our backyard. Next year, we won't have to risk going to the mountain to pick them. And this... these are wild bayberries. Unfortunately, their peak season is in May, and most of them have fallen off now. I only managed to pick this much. These things have strong medicinal value; they can be used to make wine, quench thirst, stimulate appetite, strengthen the spleen, and even prevent heatstroke. We can use these for now and come back earlier next year to gather more."

 

Speaking of his new discoveries, Ling Jingxuan unwrapped one of the packages and revealed two types of red fruits. They were both sour and sweet, but their appearance, uses, and medicinal values were different. Raspberries could even enhance male virility and treat infertility. In the eyes of ancient people, infertility was the worst. Making them into jam would undoubtedly increase their value.

 

It must be said that Ling Jingxuan's medical skills provided him with many conveniences. He could easily find anything with medicinal value and develop a series of money-making ideas based on his past experiences. Seeing the slightly dumbfounded look on Ling Jingpeng's face, he knew how impressed his brother was.

 

"Cough... What's this one?"

 

After finally suppressing the shock brought by his older brother's abundant knowledge and active mind, Ling Jingpeng cleared his throat and asked, anticipating another surprise.

 

"These are mushrooms and various kinds of fungi. It's not the season for mushrooms to grow in large quantities now, but it's not bad to find this much. When October comes and the weather cools down, there will be countless mushrooms in the mountains. We can work hard at that time, gather a lot, and sell them in town. It's a source of income."

 

Even though mosquitoes were small, they were still meat. If it could make money without any investment, why not do it?

 

"Big brother, how do you know so much?"

 

Ling Jingpeng casually asked, but Ling Jingxuan's reaction was slightly stiff. Then, he forced himself to smile and diverted the topic, focusing on the packages. There were various valuable things in the mountain, and Ling Jingxuan had an eye for them. Besides wild fruits, he could also find mushrooms, fungus, and other delicious and fresh things. He had long thought of asking his brother to teach him how to recognize those things.

 

"Of course, I've read many books as a child scholar, so I naturally know more. Let's not talk about this for now. I've already filled two big baskets with wild grapes. Is it enough? If not, I'll go back up the mountain alone later. You can stay here and clean them. Later, we can make jam together."

 

To his surprise, Ling Jingpeng didn't get to the bottom of it but squatted down and pick up one of the bamboo baskets while talking. Ling Jingxuan looked at him suspiciously, but he couldn't see the slightest doubt on his face. He himself wondered first.

 

"Wait, since we're here, let's cut some wild grape branches and go back to plant them. All the ones I planted last time have already survived."

 

But Ling Jingxuan didn't struggle with it for too long, it's a good thing that his younger brother doesn't doubt it, isn't it?

 

Thanks to the Crescent Moon Spring water, the wild pear tree branches and grape branches that he cut back and put in the yard a few days ago are all alive. The Crescent Moon Spring Water can not only attract fish but also promote the growth of plants. According to his observation, it is also beneficial to the human body.

 

The most obvious evidence of its great benefit is the healing of the wound on Xiao Baozi's face. It's only been a few days, and under the effect of taking spring water every day and washing his face with spring water, he can hardly see the wound now. For this reason, he is also more determined to keep the Crescent Lake a secret. He was not guilty of committing crimes but he didn't want to find trouble for nothing.

 

"Already alive? It's only been a few days. Didn't you see it wrong?" Hearing this, Ling Jingpeng paused and looked at him suspiciously. He was considered a half farmer, so why didn't he know that fruit tree branches were so easy to grow?

 

"Ahem? How could I be wrong? Anyway, you're right to listen to me. In the future, I want to buy all the homesteads around my house and turn them into farm orchards."

 

Unnaturally coughing twice, Ling Jingxuan waved a sickle to chop thick branches while speaking. Ever since he discovered the efficacy of Crescent Spring water, he began to think about buying a homestead first. Anyway, that piece of land was idle. No one dares to move in with them, right? Presumably, the price should not be expensive. It’s just that the county magistrate is not as good as the current one. Lizheng’s power is very great in the village. He felt uncomfortable when dealing with the second grandpa Lizheng’s name.

 

"Buy the land?" Ling Jingpeng was taken aback again when he heard the words. He sighed softly then picked up the sickle to help him cut the branches together.

 

"What's the matter? Don't you want me to buy it?"

 

Sensing that something was wrong with him, Ling Jingxuan asked strangely but Ling Jingpeng just shook his head. "No, it's just... Forget it, our parents didn't let me tell you about these things but you must know that the Ling family treats you like a fool. When they drove you to the foot of Yuehua Mountain, they never intended to give you a chance to survive. Not to mention the mystery of Yuehua Mountain, there are various ferocious beasts on this mountain that can kill people. They want you to die. In order to buy you the three acres of land, our parents knelt at the second master's house for a whole day and night. I still remember it. Our parents couldn't get out of bed for several days after they came back. Later, maternal grandma brought a few uncles to Erye's house to make a fuss, and he agreed to sell the land to us. Everyone in Erye's family still hates our parents to this day. The paternal grandparents have also become more and more indifferent and mean to our parents because of this matter. So, if you really want to buy land, I'm afraid it will not be so easy."

 

They are obviously close relatives by blood, but they want each other to die. Isn't it just a man giving birth, plus an unmarried pregnancy, what do they do?

 

Ling Jingxuan completely disliked the Ling family except for his parents and younger brothers. The reputation that is precious in their eyes is basically worthless to him. He has to find a way to separate their parents as soon as possible.

 

"It's okay, no matter how powerful Lizheng is, how can he have more power than the county magistrate? The land doesn't belong to him. At most, he just helps out with running errands to sign the contract. From now on, I'll go directly to the county town to find the county magistrate to buy the land."

 

The Qing Dynasty expressly stipulated that a small amount of land transactions did require the consent of the local government. But what if he easily bought more than a thousand acres? Huh, he didn't believe it. If you have money, can't you buy things?

 

"Ask the county master to buy it?"

 

Ling Jingpeng was stunned, how much land would he have to buy? Or did he think that the county lord was so free that he would deal with the amount of land by himself?

 

"Hehe... Do you think I was joking when I said in the morning that I would buy the half-salt land? At present, no one can grow anything on the half-salt land except me. The county master may be grateful for my money after buying it. When I really grow something, the merits of the county lord will be great. Do you think the county lord is the big one or me at that time?"

 

Stopping what he was doing, Ling Jingxuan squatted on the ground and half-jokingly said that the endless semi-salt land in the Inner Sea Basin is at least tens of thousands of hectares. If he can really grow something, the county master may call him dad. In reality, what he has to do now is to save money as soon as possible, buy land and hire people to do all the preparations before the seawater floods back.

 

"You can really grow crops there?!" If Ling Jingxuan's actions after waking up made him shocked and happy, then he was shocked and excited now. There was a faint intuition in his heart telling him that maybe he could really do it.

 

"Well, I do have some ideas. It's too early to talk about those things now. Let's go home." No matter what he says now, it's just talking on paper. People will even think that he is dreaming. When the facts appear in front of him in the future, not a single word needs to be explained.

 

"Huh? Oh, good?"

 

Without a definite answer, Ling Jingpeng was inevitably in a daze. When they carried the bamboo baskets on their backs and saw Ling Jingxuan was about to pick up the thick branches that were bundled together, Ling Jingpeng suddenly came to his senses. He put the two bundles into his arms first then he dragged the branches and walked in front. Where Ling Jingxuan couldn't see, the slightly dark and young handsome face slowly raised a smile. He believed that if it was the current eldest brother, he would definitely be able to do it.