Chapter 3: What Is She Doing Bare-Legged by the Tree Hollow?

Mrs. Li wept profusely, her tears streaming down. "My Sanbao, what are you doing?"

Li Ping'an, who had been feeling quite miserable, felt a chill run down his pants at his mother's use of the nickname "Sanbao." He quickly sat up. "Mother, I don't deserve to be called Sanbao."

"No, you will always be my Sanbao, my own flesh and blood." The old woman gripped his hand tightly, as if afraid her son might suddenly vanish.

Li Ping'an withdrew his hand and turned to his eldest brother. "Brother, you are forbidden from hitting sister-in-law from now on! She has had such a hard time all these years, how could you bear to strike her? It was clearly my fault. Sister-in-law asking for ten guan was not making things difficult for me. When I said twenty guan, it wasn't just empty talk—I truly want to repay this family."

The Li family, with the exception of the Qin woman, all looked extremely anxious. Li Ping'an had always been as slippery as an eel, avoiding any family responsibility at all costs. Why was he acting like a madman today, insisting on such a heavy, nearly impossible wager? Yet, the words were out, and there was no turning back.

Although the old patriarch of the Li family doted on Li Ping'an, he knew well that Ping'an’s past behavior had been too extreme and had hurt everyone’s feelings. Without proving himself, it would be hard for him to remain in this home. The second daughter-in-law might be keeping her head down in silence, but there was plenty of resentment in her heart. And the nephews and nieces—they had been bullied by Li Ping'an enough in the past; who didn't hate him? He could protect his son for a moment, but not for a lifetime.

Seeing that his sister-in-law had stopped targeting him and was busy leading the children, Li Ping'an smiled and said, "Father, Mother, Brother, Second Brother, please go back to your work. Don't worry about me. I'll wander around the area; I haven't been back in so long that it all feels a bit unfamiliar."

The old man walked over to Li Ping'an, gave him a meaningful look, and led him outside the door. He whispered, "Ping'an, Father knows you have the heart to turn over a new leaf. But as the saying goes, 'earning money is like eating dung, spending it is like having diarrhea'—it isn't easy to come by. Especially since you’ve promised twenty guan to the family, do you have a plan? Do you need help from your father or your brothers?"

Li Ping'an smiled and patted the old man’s shoulder. "Father, it's only twenty guan. Isn't it easy enough if you have hands? Why would I need a plan? Just rest easy."

Seeing Li Ping'an still acting like the lofty, useless wastrel of the past, the old man grew nearly frantic. His face reddened as he snapped, "You little animal! You have no plan at all, so what are you spouting off about? Your sister-in-law has a stubborn temper; if you lie to her again, how could she ever forgive you?"

Li Hu, who had sneaked over, grunted, "Father, I think you're the one being foolish. Giving her ten days is just to let her blow off steam. My brother has truly grown up; he even knows how to save face for me. If she’s still ungrateful after ten days, I’ll divorce her."

Li Ping'an glared at him, furious. "Brother, shut up! If I find out you’re bullying sister-in-law again, I won't let it go." With that, he turned and walked away.

Li Hu marched angrily toward the Qin woman. Before he could speak, Qin Cuihua said coldly, "I’ve already written the divorce papers for you. In ten days, either he goes or I go. If you want to hit me, go ahead! I don't believe you can beat me to death in ten days!" As she spoke, seeing Li Hu’s fist hovering in the air, she turned and walked away herself.

The old woman rummaged through her bedside cabinet for a long time until she found a silver bracelet. Estimating it was worth something, she gritted her teeth and, making sure no one was looking, hobbled after him. Li Ping'an was startled and quickly turned back to support his vision-impaired mother.

The old woman stroked Li Ping'an’s head, her heart aching. "My son, how can you earn money without any starting capital? I still have this bracelet; take it and pawn it to use for now." She added, "Remember, this is your chance to turn your life around, so don't you dare mess it up." Fearing Li Ping'an wouldn't take it to heart, she deepened her tone. "Since you’ve made your promise, you must succeed. Don't let those outsiders look down on you. It’s not just your sister-in-law—the whole village is waiting to see you make a fool of yourself."

Hearing this, Li Ping'an almost laughed aloud. It seemed the ancient truth that mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are natural enemies held fast. His sister-in-law served the old woman perfectly, yet the old woman was never satisfied with her. Why, she even called her an "outsider."

Li Ping'an waved his hand with a smile. "Mother, keep the bracelet. Your son has plenty of ways to make money." He continued walking, his eyes scanning his surroundings. The old woman stood frozen, watching her son’s retreating back, feeling that her "Sanbao" was indeed different. At the very least, he had learned to be considerate. Even if Li Ping'an didn't make any money in ten days, she was determined to keep her son at home.

...

Qili Fort belonged to the Lingnan Circuit of the Great Kang Dynasty. The people had only migrated here less than two generations ago, and the level of development was quite low; theoretically, there were many ways to get rich.

However, once Li Ping'an stepped out, he realized he had overestimated things. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but endless barren wasteland. On the road, people were occasionally seen carrying baskets, heading up the mountain to forage for wild fruit and vegetables. But judging by their dejected expressions, they hadn't found much on the outskirts of the desolate mountains.

Li Ping'an’s constitution was poor; after climbing the slope for a while, he was already exhausted. He found a piece of deadwood and leaned against it. Looking down at the Li family home, he realized it wasn't just his family that was poor—the whole village was much the same. A village like this would probably be blown away by a strong gale.

As he rested, he began to organize the information he had just absorbed. This was the Great Kang Dynasty, a dynasty he had never heard of. The old man was named Li Daqiang, a former soldier; the old woman was Niu Jinhua, originally a maid to a noble lady, who had eloped with the old man. Later, when the noble family found out, they hadn't blamed them but had even sent a dowry. However, due to political turmoil, the noble family had moved away, and contact was lost.

His eldest brother, Li Hu, was married to the Qin woman and had two sons and two daughters. The eldest nephew, Li Liang, was twenty-one, sturdy but ill-tempered, having driven his wife away years ago. The second nephew, Li Yun, was seventeen and was studying at home because of him, though he was often sick. The two nieces were Li Yu and Li Mei.

The second brother, Li Xiao, was married to the Sun woman and had two sons and a daughter. His second sister-in-law was gentle, and all the children in the family liked her. The eldest son was Li Kun, the second was Li Peng, and the little niece was Li Dingdang. The Li clan was a large local family, and it took Li Ping'an quite a bit of effort to sort everyone out.

Li Ping'an stood up to continue exploring, but felt a tightness in his chest—he wasn't sure if it was the lingering effect of Song Yuan'er's kick or a side effect of the original owner's suppressed anger. He walked a few dozen more steps and, near the edge of a cliff on the outskirts of the mountain, leaned on a piece of deadwood to rest.

"Duo-luo-luo! Duo-luo!"

A series of piteous cries suddenly reached Li Ping'an’s ears. He was momentarily stunned—had he encountered a ghost? Why was a perfectly good log crying out in misery? He looked down in confusion and immediately burst into laughter. It wasn't a ghost at all, but a hapless flying squirrel.

The flying squirrel is a type of rodent with a rabbit-like head, a fox-like tail, and wing membranes for gliding. It wasn't crying "depraved" (duoluo), but rather "duo-luo-luo"—the sound it makes when cold. This unlucky squirrel had clearly been relieving itself in its personal latrine when a small snake bit it. The snake was busy coiling its body around the squirrel, and it looked like the poor creature would be dead soon.

"Wait, isn't this exactly what I needed?" Li Ping'an, who had been watching the spectacle, suddenly felt his eyes light up. He reached out and grabbed the small green snake by the neck—a skill he had mastered as an engineer in his past life. He hadn't expected that after transmigrating, this old trick would still come so easily.

The flying squirrel, having been bitten by the snake, was twitching in its latrine. The injury didn't seem fatal, but it had rendered the creature immobile. Why did Li Ping'an save it? Because these rodents are special—they like to defecate in one specific spot, leading folks to call them "thousand-mile foragers, one-spot defecators."

The feces of the flying squirrel is known as *Wulingzhi* (Five Spirit Resin) and is extremely expensive, often selling for over forty wen per ounce in city pharmacies. In the trade, it’s known as a treasure that "excretes gold and urinates silver." The mountain of *Wulingzhi* in front of him, once dried and processed, would weigh at least five or six jin, which could easily earn him over two guan.

It’s true what they say: one cannot earn money beyond their own cognition. Li Ping'an had lived a miserable life at the Song household, often relegated to odd jobs in the pharmacy, but over time, he had gained more insight than he had from his studies or farming.

He quickly took off his pants, bared one leg, and stuffed the *Wulingzhi* into the pant leg. As for the dying squirrel, he tore a strip of cloth from his garment, bound it simply, and tucked it into his sleeve. Ancient robes were loose, so the little guy didn't feel stifled, though its constant "Duo-luo! Duo-luo!" was quite annoying. He covered the *Wulingzhi* and the snake in his pant leg with wild greens; this was his first stash of money, and he couldn't afford any carelessness. If the villagers snatched it, he’d have nowhere to cry.

He didn't rush off immediately. He planned to find the squirrel’s nest, as these creatures were known to store food. He might find a large hoard of nuts, which would ensure he had a full meal before he finally made his fortune.

Just as he was searching the hillside, a voice suddenly exploded in his ear:

"Li Ping'an, have you no shame? Why are you standing there with your legs bare, doing that to our tree?"