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

The next day, before dawn, Lu Fengnian set out and crossed the Blackwater Ridge while most of the people in Mao'er Village were still asleep.

In the evening, when it was pitch black in Mao'er Village, he carried his prey back home.

The harvest this time was not great. After spending a whole day in the mountains, we only managed to shoot two mountain goats and one adult blue sheep.

We'll keep the two mountain juveniles for ourselves, and as for the argali sheep, we'll take them to Qinghe County to sell.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lu Fengnian left home again and headed to Qinghe County.

He arrived at the market as soon as it opened in Qinghe County and sold the whole argali sheep to a shop in the market for four qian of silver.

If the skin, meat, and horns of the Himalayan ibex are sold separately, the price will be even higher.

However, Lu Fengnian came to the county this time mainly for Lu Manyue's matter, so he didn't bother with that.

Once he had the money, he went to the jewelry shop in Qinghe County immediately.

When Lu Xiaoyu returned home last night, she nervously and cautiously told him that she wanted a plain copper hairpin.

The girls in Mao'er Village mostly wear hairpins made by themselves, either wooden or bamboo. Those who are slightly better off will tie their hair with a hair tie.

Those who could afford to wear copper hairpins were few and far between.

Lu Xiaoyu seemed to feel that her request was a bit excessive, so she was visibly nervous when she said these words to Lu Fengnian.

Lu Fengnian went into several jewelry shops and took a general look around.

Plain copper hairpins are all priced similarly, around thirty coins. If they have more patterns, the price will be higher.

However, Lu Fengnian did not buy the copper hairpins. Instead, he spent three qian of silver, or three hundred wen, to buy a silver hairpin with a ruyi-shaped head pattern.

He then went directly to Fuyuan Leather Shop.

Upon seeing Lu Fengnian's arrival, Fang Tong's face showed a look of shame.

Seeing his expression, Lu Fengnian felt a pang of anxiety.

As soon as he followed Fang Tong into the VIP room, he asked urgently, "Manager Fang, has something gone wrong with my brother's situation?"

Fang Tong cupped his hands apologetically, "I was thinking of making a trip to Mao'er Village myself first thing tomorrow morning, but I didn't expect Brother Lu to come by himself."

I'm so sorry, but there's been a slight problem with my regular customer."

Upon hearing this, Lu Fengnian's heart sank.

At the same time, another thought inevitably arose in his mind: Could it be that Fang Tong was just putting on an act from beginning to end, and had never actually helped him with Lu Manyue's matter at all?

So he asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

Fang Tong cupped his hands in greeting and said with a flushed face, "I boasted earlier that I would definitely send Brother Lu's younger brother to Mao'er Village within seven days."

However, my regular customer suddenly sent someone over last night to say that things are getting tense at the military camp lately, and the matter will have to be postponed.

Lu Fengnian frowned. "Manager Fang, is your old customer reliable?"

Fang Tong responded firmly, "That's definitely not a problem. As long as he's willing to take it seriously, he might even cover for someone who's beheaded."

Since he promised to do it, he'll definitely be able to get it done.

Lu Fengnian added, "Manager Fang, it's not that I don't trust you."

However, there is not much time left before my younger brother leaves Qinghe County to go to the front line.

If you, my long-time customer, can't handle it, then tell me the truth so I can quickly think of other solutions.

Fang Tong's face flushed even more. "Brother Lu, I will definitely do what my old customer promised."

On this point, I, Tong, can vouch for it with my personal integrity.

"Brother Lu, if you don't believe me, I can give you a written agreement right now. If this matter cannot be resolved, I am willing to compensate you with one hundred taels of silver."

At this point, he actually prepared to go and get a writing brush.

Lu Fengnian quickly stopped him, "Manager Fang, you don't need to do this."

I definitely believe you, but this matter involves my brother's safety and fate, so I have to be careful.

Six days have passed. Shouldn't we have some definite news by now about when my brother will be back?

Fang Tong cleared his throat. "The messenger said that the new recruits from the county will be re-registered before they set off for the front lines."

At this point, crossing your brother's name off the roster would be the most convenient thing to do.

Lu Fengnian frowned. "Wouldn't it be too late to drag this out until that critical moment?"

Fang Tong looked embarrassed. "Although it's a bit late, this matter is definitely reliable."

My regular customer has stated the timeline so clearly, he must be absolutely certain.

You can rest assured about that. Just come and collect them when the time comes. If you can't collect them, hold me responsible.

As he said this, Fang Tong thumped his chest loudly, making a solemn promise.

Having said that, Lu Fengnian couldn't say anything more, so he nodded and said, "Manager Fang, I'll leave this matter to you."

Fang Tong waved his hand and said with a look of shame, "With things handled like this, I don't deserve the word 'request'."

"Brother Lu, rest assured, I've already accepted your gifts and patted my chest twice; I will definitely get this done."

Lu Fengnian nodded. "I trust Manager Fang."

Fang Tong visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "I didn't sleep a wink last night after receiving a message from a regular customer. I didn't know how to explain it to Brother Lu."

Fortunately, Brother Lu trusted me and was magnanimous, allowing Fang to get through this ordeal.

I earnestly request that Brother Lu not let this incident cause him to doubt my integrity, and that he not sell his hides to my shop in the future.

Lu Fengnian waved his hand, "If my brother can return home safely, from now on, I will only sell my fur products to Fuyuan Fur Shop."

Upon hearing this, Fang Tong's face lit up with joy. "Your younger brother will definitely return home safely, there won't be any problems!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Lu Fengnian left Fuyuan Leather Shop.

However, he did not go home immediately, but instead wandered through the teahouses in Qinghe County, listening to all sorts of news.

His hearing is now far superior to that of ordinary people. No matter how noisy the teahouse is, as long as he sits inside, he can hear everyone's conversation.

After spending nearly two hours in several teahouses in Qinghe County, Lu Fengnian finally learned what he wanted to know.

The Mi family was the largest family in Qinghe County. Three generations ago, a member of the family passed the imperial examination and became a high-ranking official in Daqing.

Every new county magistrate, upon taking office, would first visit the Mi family.

The current head of the Mi family, Mi Wanzhong, is nearly sixty years old, but he is still vigorous and has a strong demand in the bedroom. He had previously been searching for tiger penises everywhere.

Clearly, the regular customer Fang Tong mentioned was Mi Wanzhong.

Mi Wanzhong was known for his generosity and had a good reputation in Qinghe County.

If Mi Wanzhong agrees to help Lu Manyue, then it's almost certain that it will succeed.