We agreed on a famine year, so how come your family has enough rice and wheat flour?

"Fool, are you all better?" a villager asked, his eyes wide.

Lin Feng glanced sideways and sneered, "Thanks to Chen Lizheng, who tricked my wife into exchanging two paddy fields for a radish that was supposed to be a precious wild ginseng. Heaven couldn't stand it and made me come to my senses."

"Nonsense! What I gave you is genuine wild ginseng, a full thirty years old!"

Chen Youtian puffed out his beard and glared, vehemently denying that he had cheated the Lin family out of two plots of paddy fields by selling fake wild ginseng.

A villager chimed in, "Fool... Lin Feng, you've never eaten wild ginseng before, how do you know it's fake? Chen, the village head, is a wealthy and powerful man, he wouldn't do something like this."

Lin Feng bent down, picked up a wooden bowl from the ground, and held up a wild ginseng root that had been boiled in water, saying to everyone:

"Normal wild ginseng is yellowish in color, hard in texture, has many and forked rootlets, and also has a unique rhizome and rhizome bowl."

"Radishes, on the other hand, are whitish in color, have fewer rootlets, and are softer in texture."

After listening to Lin Feng's words and carefully comparing them, everyone realized it was true.

Seeing that everyone believed Lin Feng's words, Chen Youtian raised an eyebrow and calmly said:

"Folks, would you believe the words of a fool?"

"Benri Masashi said this is wild ginseng, and it is wild ginseng!"

"If anyone believes a fool, they should never come to the village headman to borrow grain again."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes darted around, and their tone immediately changed, saying that this was genuine wild ginseng.

There was nothing anyone could do. Today, bandits entered the village and looted every household. This year is also a famine year, and the fields cannot produce any grain.

Not long ago, Chen Youtian opened his granary to borrow grain, and they borrowed a total of 100 shi (a unit of dry measure) of coarse rice.

Of course, they weren't lent out for free; they were all secured by land deeds.

If the land is lost after nine years and returned thirteen times, and the debt cannot be repaid after one year, the land will belong to Chen Youtian.

At this point, no one dared to offend Chen Youtian.

They could only fawn over and echo Chen Youtian's "mistaking a vine for a ginseng."

Chen Youtian looked at Lin Feng with a smug expression, "Lin Feng, you should thank my wild ginseng for curing your brain."

"But one wild ginseng isn't enough. I have two ten-year-old ones at home. How about this, exchange them with me for the remaining seven acres of dry land. Otherwise, you're just being temporarily sober."

"Chen Lizheng, I'm not fortunate enough to enjoy these radishes. You can eat your fill yourself." Lin Feng sneered. Chen Youtian was addicted to land annexation.

Taking advantage of the famine, they engaged in large-scale mergers and acquisitions.

Spinning around, Lin Feng stared at the villagers and continued, enunciating each word clearly, "I'm a man; I can't let my woman go up the mountain and have her chastity violated by hundreds of bandits!"

Lin Feng's resounding words filled the villagers with shame, and they averted their gazes from him.

Chen Youtian frowned.

Sending Liu Yu up the mountain to be the bandit chief's wife was a pretense; the real purpose was to keep her for his own enjoyment.

With a face that could rival the beauty of fish and geese, a slender figure, and a round, pert bottom, Liu Yu was a sight to behold. How could she let the bandits squander such a gift?

The initial plan was to lure Liu Yu out of the Lin family, secretly send a servant to hide her, and then take half a shi of coarse rice to the refugee settlement near Qingyang City to replace Liu Yu with another woman to go up the mountain.

Once the bandits are dealt with, Chen Youtian can start making arrangements to marry Liu Yu as his fifth concubine.

Now that Lin Feng's mind has recovered, this plan has fallen through.

After all, Lin Feng has the right to inherit Liu Yu's estate, so Liu Yu is no longer a widow.

Chen Youtian was somewhat unwilling. "Lin Feng, even if Liu Yu is your wife now, I think your brain is fine, but your lower body isn't. How about I give you two shi of grain and twenty taels of silver, and you divorce Liu Yu?"

"I'll divorce your mother!" Seeing Chen Youtian's persistent wickedness, Lin Feng immediately cursed loudly.

"Chen Lizheng, I remember you just married your fourth concubine last month. With so many wives, why don't you set an example and offer two to the bandits?"

The surrounding villagers looked at him strangely.

In fact, they had this idea a long time ago.

Because he still needed to borrow grain from Chen Youtian, he dared not mention it.

Chen Youtian was so angry his face turned red and his neck bulged. "How can that be the same?!"

"How is it different!" Lin Feng sneered sarcastically. "Could it be that all four wives you married were ugly and deformed, and you were afraid that the bandits would look down on you and, in their anger, wipe out your whole family? That shouldn't be the case. Our village head eats well, drinks well, and dresses well. He can't be blind to choose ugly wives."

"You, you dare insult this village head!" Chen Youtian jumped up and down in a rage, waving his hand, "Men, beat him up! Smash his mouth!"

"Yes, sir!"

Chen Youtian's servant stepped forward, his palm transforming into a claw, and with a move called "Dragon Emerging from the Sea," he suddenly grabbed at Lin Feng's neck.

"My lady, step aside."

Lin Feng remained calm as the servants rushed towards him, ready to test the strength of this body.

Pushing Liu Yu aside, Lin Feng then took the initiative to greet the servant.

"Husband, be careful!"

Liu Yu immediately shouted in concern.

"Bang bang bang..."

"what!"

A disheveled figure was sent flying, crashing to the ground and screaming in agony.

The villagers present were immediately shocked!

Chen Youtian's servants were all skilled at guarding the house, yet they were utterly helpless in front of Lin Feng.

Lin Feng's face showed a hint of reluctance.

This body is far inferior to his previous one, but because he has been drawing a bow for many years, he still has strength. As long as he has a full meal, his strength should double again.

"Outrageous! You dare hit my man? You're asking for death!"

Chen Youtian was furious when he saw his servant being knocked to the ground by Lin Feng!

However, Lin Feng glanced at him sideways, which immediately sent a chill down Chen Youtian's spine.

It felt like being stared at by a fierce tiger.

Lin Feng looked at Chen Youtian, exuding domineering arrogance, and said, "Chen, village head, return the land deeds to my two paddy fields. Of course, you can continue to argue, but I can't guarantee you'll leave my house standing up!"

The villagers inside the house were all astonished when they heard Lin Feng's words.

Lin Feng still wants to hit Chen Youtian? Isn't that just courting death?

Chen Youtian thought so too. Just as he was getting into the mood, he met Lin Feng's cold gaze again, and half of the word "no" got stuck in his throat.

Considering that there was only one injured servant by his side.

Finally, Chen Youtian's face turned ashen, and he took out a land deed from his wide sleeve and threw it on the ground.

"Lin Feng, I hope you stay arrogant forever, lest you turn into a fool again after today!"

After trying to calm his anger, Chen Youtian gave Lin Feng a meaningful look with his shrewd eyes, and then angrily took all the villagers away.

Lin Feng understood the threat in Chen Youtian's words and replied disdainfully, "Don't worry, if I'm any stupider, I'll kill you the moment I see you!"

boom!

Lin Feng closed the door.

Just as he picked up the land deed and stood up, a warm, soft body suddenly entered his arms.

It was Liu Yu who took the initiative to hug Lin Feng.

The fragrant scent and soft touch stirred a restless feeling within Lin Feng.

Lin Feng gripped Liu Yu's fragrant shoulders and comforted her in a magnetic voice:

"My wife, don't be afraid. I'm not a fool anymore. I will protect you."

"My...husband..." Liu Yu's beautiful peach blossom eyes were filled with tears, her lips trembling and her voice trembling as she looked at Lin Feng.

These days, she has indeed felt immense pressure, as if the sky were falling.

She, a single woman, took care of all the big and small affairs of the household.

She was almost sent to Black Wind Stronghold, where the bandits defiled her.

But now that Lin Feng has returned to normal, Liu Yu feels a sense of security and relief, and the burden on her shoulders has been greatly reduced.

Glug!

Suddenly, Liu Yu heard Lin Feng's stomach rumble with hunger.

"Wife, do we have any food at home?" Lin Feng scratched his head awkwardly.

"Yes, my lord, wait a moment, Yu'er will get you something to eat..."

Liu Yu smiled through her tears, packed up the wooden bowl, and left the house.

When she returned, Liu Yu was holding a bowl of piping hot brown rice porridge.

"My lord, luckily Yu'er is clever. When the bandits were about to enter the village, she took the last five liters of coarse rice and fifty copper coins and hid in the tunnel. That's how we avoided having to borrow grain from Chen Youtian now."

As Liu Yu spoke, she placed the bowl on a dilapidated low table.

"My lord, drink up. If it's not enough, Yu'er will get you some more."

Lin Feng was starving, so he didn't stand on ceremony. After putting down the land deed, he drank the whole bowl of brown rice porridge in one gulp.

A bowl of brown rice porridge doesn't feel very filling, but fortunately, in my previous life, as a top soldier, I could survive for half a month on just grass roots when carrying out sniping missions, so having a bowl of brown rice porridge now is quite nice.

Liu Yu stood to the side, her face full of love, looking at Lin Feng with gentle eyes.

"Husband, would you like more?"

Lin Feng placed the wooden bowl on the low table, shook his head, and then looked outside. It was still light outside; it was probably just past 3 PM.

"My wife, it's still early. You wait for me at home. I'm going out hunting and will bring back some meat."

Lin Feng found his elder brother's hunting gear: a seven-bucket recurve bow with the bowstring removed, a worn-out quiver containing five or six birchwood arrows, a short knife, and a linen net bag soaked in tung oil and hung with stone weights.

After checking the hunting bow and finding no problems, Lin Feng placed the bow tip with the string already attached on his left foot, held the string with his left hand, grabbed the other bow tip with his right hand, stepped his right foot between the string and the bow, and used the strength of his waist, hips, and upper arms to snap the bowstring in place.

Gunpowder has not yet been invented in the Great Xia Dynasty, so the bow is the best ranged weapon.

"Wait, husband, don't go!" Liu Yu suddenly grabbed Lin Feng's arm, saying worriedly:

"My lord, Black Wind Mountain was occupied by bandits a few days ago. The other hunters in the village dare not go up the mountain to hunt, for fear of encountering bandits. These people are ruthless killers."

Black Wind Mountain was originally a place frequently visited by hunters from several nearby villages.

With the arrival of the bandits, no hunters dared to go there anymore.

Some of the more stubborn ones were killed by the bandits and their bodies hung in the forest at the foot of the mountain.

Lin Feng patted Liu Yu's head reassuringly and said with a smile, "Don't worry, my wife. Black Wind Mountain is very big. It would take a whole day and night to cross it. How could we possibly encounter bandits? Besides, even if we did, wouldn't I just hide?"

"But……"

Liu Yu wanted to say something more, but Lin Feng deliberately put on a stern face, "If you keep nagging, I'll spank you. Besides, if I don't go hunting in the mountains to earn money to buy wild ginseng to improve my health, how can I consummate our marriage?"

It would have been better if the "wedding night" hadn't been mentioned, because the moment it was, Liu Yu's ears burned instantly, and she was incredibly embarrassed.

After all, she was only nineteen years old, a young girl, and only one year older than Lin Feng.

Lin Feng pinched Liu Yu's delicate nose and teased her:

"Doesn't my young lady want to do 'that' with me and give birth to ten or eight children for the Lin family?"

Liu Yu shyly buried her pretty face in Lin Feng's strong chest, "Husband, Yu'er... Yu'er wants..."

"But my husband, I heard from the doctor that ordinary wild ginseng is not very effective. It must be over thirty years old. The longer it is old, the more essence of heaven and earth it absorbs, and the more potent the medicine becomes. However, all the old wild ginseng on the mountain has already been dug up."

Liu Yu raised her eyes, her brows furrowed in worry.

Lin Feng laughed and said, "I'll go up the mountain and try my luck first. Black Wind Mountain is so big, it's impossible that there isn't a single old tree."

After saying that, Lin Feng released Liu Yu's soft body, slung the basket containing his hunting gear over his shoulder, and left the house.

Liu Yu chased after him to the door, watching Lin Feng's receding figure with reluctance in her eyes. She bit her luscious lips and murmured to herself, "Husband, you must come back safely!"

Chen Family Compound.

Chen Youtian held his fourth concubine, who was dressed in a white gauze dress and looked delicate, on his lap, enjoying the service of the beauty feeding him a grape with her small mouth.

At this moment, a servant dressed in a gray short-sleeved shirt rushed in, knelt down before Chen Youtian, and bowed respectfully, saying:

"Master, that fool Lin Feng has left the village with a hunting bow on his back. He's heading towards Black Wind Mountain. It looks like he's going hunting."

Chen Youtian was slightly surprised.

After leaving Lin Feng's house, he sent his servants to keep a close watch on him.

Upon learning that Lin Feng was going hunting in the mountains, Chen Youtian knew his opportunity had arrived.

An opportunity that would leave Liu Yu with absolutely no one to rely on.

A murderous glint flashed in Chen Youtian's eyes, and a cold smile appeared on his lips. "Lin Feng is really stupid. Black Wind Mountain is currently sealed off by bandits, and he still dares to run there."

"Ah Bing, you take two men and wait for that idiot to come down the mountain. Then kill him and make it look like the scene was done by bandits."

"Yes, sir!"

After the servant A Bing responded, he immediately withdrew, called two companions, grabbed their broadswords, and headed towards Black Wind Mountain.

Not long ago, he suffered a great loss at Lin Feng's hands, and this time he is determined to avenge himself.