Abandoning literature for martial arts, starting by unleashing the beauty's bow.

Lu Fengnian smiled slightly, "Alright, we'll listen to Mother. We won't say anything more, and we won't say anything at home either."

Liu Yunjuan was relieved and asked, "Fengnian, are you really not planning to take the imperial examination again?"

After a moment's thought, Lu Fengnian said, "Anyway, there's no strict age limit for taking the imperial examination. Let's put this matter aside for now and talk about it again when we have the opportunity."

I'll first sort things out at home and take on the responsibilities.

Liu Yunjuan nodded. "Since you've already made up your mind, I won't try to persuade you otherwise."

At this point, she looked at Lu Fengnian's old gray jacket and said, "Whether you take the imperial examination or not in the future, you have to redeem the robe your father bought for you."

Your father toiled in the soil his whole life, and when he passed away, he didn't leave behind much. The robe he bought for you was his most prized possession.

We should keep this hope in mind.

Lu Fengnian nodded. "Mother, don't worry. In a few days, I will return the bow to Sister Tian and get the robe back."

At this point, he suddenly remembered something, found a wooden basin, and quickly went into the yard.

When I came back, I brought a basin of washed wild strawberries.

Upon seeing the bright red snakeberries, Liu Yunjuan exclaimed in surprise, "Fengnian, what are you doing? Why did you pick such a big bowl of snakeberries?"

Lu Xiaoyu's eyes widened. "Big brother, don't you know that eating snake fruit can cause poisoning?"

Lu Feng chuckled and asked, "Have you seen anyone in our village get poisoned from eating snake fruit?"

Lu Xiaoyu shook her head. "Everyone knows snake fruit is poisonous, who would still eat it?"

"Isn't that settled?"

Lu Fengnian added, "Since no one has ever eaten it, it means that nobody knows whether the snake fruit is poisonous or not."

Lu Xiaoyu retorted, "But that's what our ancestors have always said. It's an experience passed down from them, and it can't be wrong."

Lu Fengnian smiled and said, "We must abide by the experience passed down from our ancestors if it is correct. But we certainly cannot blindly follow it if it is wrong or needs to be verified."

The older generation told us that snake fruit is a fruit eaten by snakes and is highly poisonous.

However, based on my observation, snakes do not eat snake fruit; most of the ones that eat them are birds, such as sparrows and magpies.

Sometimes, the village's cattle and sheep would eat it, but they were never seen to be poisoned.

Liu Yunjuan pondered for a moment, "Just because cattle, sheep, and birds don't get poisoned after eating snake fruit doesn't mean that we humans won't get poisoned."

Lu Fengnian's smile remained unchanged. "Mother, you've hit the nail on the head. To prove it, I ate some yesterday, and so far, I'm perfectly fine."

Upon hearing this, both Liu Yunjuan and Lu Xiaoyu were taken aback.

Lu Fengnian continued, "Although snake fruit is not poisonous, it is bland and tasteless."

However, it's far better than wild vegetables and grain husks.

After saying that, he grabbed three wild strawberries and threw them into his mouth.

"Don't eat the bountiful harvest!" Liu Yunjuan exclaimed urgently.

Lu Xiaoyu was also extremely anxious and quickly tried to dissuade her.

However, Lu Fengnian chewed a few times and swallowed the snakeberry directly.

After finishing his meal, he handed the wooden basin to Lu Xiaoyu with a smile, "Girl, have a taste."

Lu Xiaoyu waved her hands repeatedly.

She was taught by her elders from a young age that snake fruit was absolutely forbidden to be eaten, as it would poison her to death, so she dared not try it.

Lu Fengnian then turned his gaze to Liu Yunjuan.

Liu Yunjuan didn't hesitate for a moment, grabbing a slightly smaller snakeberry. "My son dares to eat it, why can't I, his mother?"

After saying that, he threw it directly into his mouth, chewed it a few times, and finally swallowed it.

After waiting for about six breaths, he said, "Fengnian is right, the taste of snake fruit is indeed a bit bland, but it's much better than grain husks."

Lu Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment, then picked up a snakeberry, carefully put it in her mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.

Then a smile appeared on her face. "When I was little, I really wanted to try the bright red apples."

But my father and the villagers always told me that snake fruit is highly poisonous and that eating it would definitely kill you.

Therefore, when people see it, they all stay far away and dare not get close.

So this is what it tastes like.

"You greedy girl."

Lu Fengnian smiled, "Although the taste of snake fruit is not good, at least it can fill your stomach."

Besides a civet cat, all we have at home now are some wild vegetables and grain husks.

Xiaoyu, when you go to dig for wild vegetables tomorrow, pick some snake fruit on your way back.

Remember to cover them up so that those gossipy women in the village don't see them.

Otherwise, they would definitely gossip about it behind my back.

More importantly, if they find out the snake fruit isn't poisonous, they'll definitely try to take it from you.

Lu Xiaoyu nodded emphatically, "I understand, I definitely won't let anyone see it."

Lu Fengnian got up. "Mother, I'm a little tired, so I'll go back to sleep first. Tomorrow morning, I'll go to the county and sell these two civet pelts."

After Liu Yunjuan responded, Lu Fengnian went back to his room and fell asleep immediately.

After a long day and a big meal, it's time for a good night's sleep.

…………

The next day, early in the morning.

Lu Fengnian ate a bowl of wild vegetables cooked in civet bone broth, folded two animal hides, wrapped them up, and went out.

The distance from Mao'er Village to Qinghe County is about forty li (approximately 20 kilometers).

However, from Mao'er Village to the official road, there is a mountain road that is nearly ten miles long, rugged and difficult to travel, and takes the most time.

Once you get onto the main road, the rest of the road becomes relatively flat and much easier to travel.

Lu Fengnian did not leave the village immediately, but went first to a courtyard surrounded by an earthen wall in the east of the village.

It was still early, and the owner of the yard had not yet gotten up.

Lu Fengnian hesitated for a moment, then knocked three times on the door.

No one inside the courtyard responded.

He then increased the force of his knocks and knocked on the door a few more times.

Just then, an annoyed voice came from inside the courtyard, "Who is it? What are you doing so early in the morning?"

Then, with a creak, the door opened, and a red-faced man with thinning hair appeared. He was Qiu Qingbai's father, Qiu Mingzhu.

The moment the door was opened, a strong smell of alcohol emanated from Qiu Mingzhu, and his eyes were noticeably swollen and dark.

It's obvious he drank a lot last night.

Qiu Mingzhu was a notorious drunkard in Mao'er Village. He was also a terrible drinker, and when he got drunk, he would go crazy and beat his wife.

Later, his wife couldn't take it anymore and ran away.

If your wife runs away, then beat your daughter, Qiu Qingbai.

When Qiu Qingbai got a little older, Qiu Mingzhu never laid a hand on her again.

It wasn't that he changed his bad habit of getting drunk and acting crazy; it was because Qiu Qingbai gave him a good beating.

After that beating, Qiu Mingzhu was bedridden for three days.

From then on, Qiu Mingzhu continued to drink wine as usual, but after getting drunk, he never dared to act crazy under the influence of alcohol again.