In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

Faced with the magistrate's question, Qin Shaolang fell into a brief moment of thought.

He didn't have the same sophisticated political skills as Chu Wu, but that didn't stop him from learning on the spot.

"In reply to Your Excellency, I am physically weak and cannot compare with those well-trained men. I will come to serve Your Excellency again after I have grown stronger."

Upon hearing this, the magistrate immediately clapped his hands and laughed.

"You don't need to worry about that, but since you've put it that way, I naturally won't force you. If you two are willing to become my retainers, I welcome you anytime."

The attempt to win him over failed, but the county magistrate was completely relieved.

If these two agree on the spot for fame and fortune, even if you appoint them as your successors, you will have to be careful to prevent them from betraying you with important information.

But these two are clearly not that type, which means that as long as they can be brought under my wing, there is no need to worry that they are only superficially loyal to me.

"It's getting late. Since you don't intend to serve the Great Wei for the time being, you should head back now. If I have the time in the future, I will personally pay you a visit."

Chu Wu immediately cupped his hands in greeting.

"Thank you for your kind consideration, Magistrate!"

After another round of polite official greetings, the magistrate finally gave his instructions.

"The larger wild boar was in good condition, so I handed it over to the Great Wei and asked them to approve the payment. As for the smaller one, you two can take it back and share it. Especially Qin Zhuangshi, you're too weak, you should eat more."

The two thanked him and then carried the little wild boar away from the county government office.

They hadn't gone far when Chu Wu pulled Qin Shaolang back and whispered something.

"Your words just now gave the magistrate an opportunity. In a few days, he will definitely find time to visit you and ask for a definite answer. You should prepare for this as soon as possible."

Qin Shaolang nodded immediately.

"Thanks for reminding me."

He was unfamiliar with the ways of ancient officialdom, so Chu Wu's willingness to lend a hand solved his immediate problem.

Seeing Qin Shaolang's serious expression, Chu Wu immediately burst into laughter.

"What do you plan to do with this pork?"

Qin Shaolang pondered for a moment.

"This wild boar was hunted by you and me together, so it's only right that we each get half. It's just a matter of whether you'd rather sell it for money or take the meat home to eat."

Chu Wu chuckled.

"Thanks a lot then, but I plan to take this pork home to eat. What about you? Do you want me to help you sell it?"

Qin Shaolang pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"Take it home to eat."

With winter fast approaching, food will soon become the most important resource. If he could, he would like to spend the silver notes in his pocket and convert them into tangible goods, such as spices, salt, clothing, hunting weapons, and traps.

After discussing it on the street, the two went to the pawnshop together and used the hundred taels of silver to buy the necessities of life.

……

In the village, Er Mazi viciously pushed the woman to the ground.

"I'm still annoyed, what's wrong with going out for a drink!"

The woman slammed her head against the cabinet with a thud, and a bruise quickly appeared on her arm. But she didn't care about that. She struggled to her feet and made a move to snatch the last copper coins she had left in the house.

"You'll die if you don't drink that horse piss, won't you! You've taken all the money, and you'll be happy if you let me starve to death and your daughter starve to death!"

Er Mazi pushed the woman to the ground with all his might. Seeing her furious appearance, he felt even more disdain and sneered.

"Do I need your permission to entertain my brothers with drinks? If I hadn't been out of my mind back then and bought you, you wretched woman, would you still be alive today?"

These words pierced the woman's heart, and a wave of sorrow washed over her, turning her from silent tears to wailing.

Er Mazi got annoyed and waved his hand impatiently.

"Stop arguing! I'm treating the brothers to a meal today. Tomorrow I'll go up the mountain and kill that white-browed tiger. We'll take it to the county government and get at least twenty taels of silver. That should be enough for you and your mother to get through this winter."

The woman immediately stopped crying and sniffed.

"The wild beasts on those mountains are ferocious; they're not so easy to hunt. If anything happens to you, how will my daughter and I survive?"

Er Mazi had truly exhausted his last bit of patience. He waved his hand impatiently and walked straight out of the yard.

"That good-for-nothing doctor Qin Shaolang managed to hunt back two wild boars, so I'm an experienced hunter. Hunting back a white-browed tiger is a piece of cake for me!"

The cold wind at dusk rattled the door.

The woman felt a chill run through her body from the cold and quickly got up to close the door.

It wasn't that she was physically weak; on the contrary, having followed Er Mazi for so many years and having a diet rich in meat and oil, her health wasn't bad.

But Er Mazi was just a rough man, and even when the woman reminded him to buy new clothes, he often forgot about it.

The woman was wearing last year's winter clothes, which were already torn in several places. The summer clothes underneath were not enough to keep out the cold.

"May God protect us."

In utter desperation, the woman could only pray to the heavens before disappearing into the inner room.

The only blanket on the bed was wrapped around the daughter, whose cheeks were flushed red, as if they had been burned.

"Son, why are you kicking off the blanket again? Listen to your mother, rub your sweaty side first, and maybe it will be fine."

The woman quickly covered her daughter with the quilt again and put a wet towel over her head. She was at a loss and paced anxiously around the room.

Suddenly, the woman knelt down with a thud and prayed sincerely to the clay statue.

"God, I beg you, I only have one daughter, please don't make things difficult for her. If I have done anything wrong, punish me, but don't torment my daughter."

……

Meanwhile, Chu Wu placed the wheelbarrow in front of Qin Shaolang's house. Seeing two thin girls come out, he couldn't help but laugh and patted Qin Shaolang's shoulder hard, teasingly saying...

"Why did you choose such a thin wife, brother? Be careful that the baby won't have enough breast milk and will go hungry in the future."

Qin Shaolang glanced at the wheelbarrow on the ground, and considering Chu Wu's help, decided not to hold it against him.

"I don't like people who are too fat; they look greasy."

Chu Wu paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed even louder.

"Big brother, please don't tell me you're angry. I really didn't mean it. Besides, with your amazing abilities, you can definitely fatten them up and make sure they have plenty of breast milk."

The two chatted as they unloaded the goods from the wheelbarrow.

The wheelbarrow was naturally bought by Qin Shaolang, who exchanged all one hundred taels of silver for various items. Chu Wu, on the other hand, only bought two handy knives besides his daily necessities, and still had nearly fifty taels of silver left.

Chu Wu came along, firstly to help, and secondly to become acquainted with Qin Shaolang so that if he needed help in the future, he wouldn't be so clueless as to not even know where Qin Shaolang lived.

Seeing Su Jin and Su Tang approach, Chu Wu coughed lightly.

"Sisters-in-law, where should we put these things?"