Gou Zai Xianwu Wenjing Search for Opportunities

Lin Yuan started a fire in the front yard to brew medicine. After adding firewood, he practiced meditation by the stove.

The gatekeeper, who had been watching intently, became so interested that he started practicing along with the others.

It's one thing to follow along and practice, but to ask questions is another!

Lin Yuan didn't know what to say, so he gave a few perfunctory replies. After the medicine was boiled, he simmered it over a low flame for a while. As Doctor Meng had instructed, he should drink a small amount at first and gradually increase the dosage as his body adapted.

So he poured only half a bowl, then poured another half of the small packet of prepared medicine into the bowl, stirred it well, and drank it all in one gulp.

Neither bitter nor sweet, just peaceful.

After extinguishing the fire, he continued practicing his long fist static stance while the medicine was still in his stomach.

At first, he wasn't in a hurry to succeed; he focused on mastering the basics first.

Although standing meditation is tedious, it is a bittersweet experience, simply because there is hope.

This time he lasted much longer than yesterday afternoon, but still not as long as he did at the martial arts field.

The only good news is that his butt doesn't hurt as much anymore.

Whether it was Zhao Sheng's medicated oil that worked, or as Doctor Meng said, Instructor Hong was indeed careful not to injure the tendons and bones, only causing swelling and pain in the flesh for a few days.

If that's true, then Coach Hong's application and control of force has reached a state of perfection.

As long as Coach Hong wasn't punishing his disciple maliciously, Lin Yuan didn't mind suffering a bit; let him whip him if he wanted, as long as it was effective.

When the sky brightened and the sun rose in the east.

Lin Yuan's training time was almost up, and he felt hungry. He went out and found a restaurant, ate two bowls of mutton stew, but didn't dare to eat too much. It cost him nearly one qian of silver, equivalent to ninety copper coins.

Eating one breakfast is roughly equivalent to the eldest brother carrying sacks for three days.

Lin Yuan suddenly realized that after the flood, not only had the price of grain soared, but the price of meat had also risen. If he calculated it this way, he would have to spend at least ten taels of silver a month on meat if he ate out every day.

How can we afford this?

It seems that eating out alone is definitely not an option; I need to find a way to cook.

In the end, Lin Yuan decided to avoid troubling two masters. Since he was going to be Master Xu's assistant, Master Xu should at least lend him a hand.

So he quickly washed up, changed into a long gown, picked up his arithmetic manual, and went to the Xu family school.

At this moment, Master Xu had just finished reviewing the "Elementary Learning Classics: Teacher and Student Chapter" with his students and was having them read it aloud when he saw Lin Yuan coming over, and his face immediately lit up with a smile.

After he finished speaking, he immediately asked Lin Yuan to explain the mathematical classics and solve the problems. So the two of them took turns explaining for several lessons.

As it was lunchtime, Master Xu invited him to have lunch with him, as was his custom.

At the dinner table, Lin Yuan brought up the matter of cooking.

"This?" Master Xu was slightly surprised. He sent you to the Li family's martial arts hall to build relationships, but you're actually serious about it. Do you really want to learn martial arts?

Master Xu took it to heart: "It's alright. I'll talk to Granny Li later and have her cook separately for you. You can settle the wages with her separately."

"Thank you, Master!" Lin Yuan then shared his plans in advance. "Doctor Meng from the Li family said that martial arts training cannot be separated from meat. So I'd like to ask my cousin to help hunt some wild game. My aunt's family are hunters in the mountains, so I'll trouble Granny Li to prepare it as well."

The Lin and Zhou families are related by marriage for two generations, and the Zhou family will help with this favor. However, Lin Yuan is not willing to take it for nothing and will give some compensation later.

Actually, wild game is very cheap nowadays. Wild game has more lean meat and less fat, and the meat is tough and takes a lot of heat to cook, so it is not popular with villagers. Livestock is much fatter and easier to cook.

The reason it's so expensive is simply because of the inconvenience of transportation and storage. In this hot weather, only live animals and cured meat can be preserved; fresh meat will spoil if not eaten on the same day.

It's quite difficult to transport live animals from Jiuling Mountain to the town for sale. First, it's hard to hunt without injuring the prey, and second, half of the tax has to be paid to the Marquis's mansion when the animals are sold in town.

The price has to double for no reason!

The price has gone up, and it doesn't taste good, so it's not selling well; only wealthy families like to eat this stuff.

However, it's fine if family members eat it privately and it goes unnoticed.

Lin Yuan also realized that the reason why these aristocratic families were so powerful was not only because of their family traditions and learning, but also because they controlled local production resources, thus locking in the upper limit for rural people.

The teacher pondered for a moment. Seeing that he really wanted to practice martial arts, he didn't try to dissuade him. He just told him to give it a try and that it wouldn't be too late to persuade him after he hit a wall. "It's just a little bit of oil and salt, and it won't take much effort. If you still want to brew the medicine, just have Granny Li brew it for you. You can give Granny Li a little extra pay later."

"Thank you so much, my dear teacher!"

After finishing his meal, Lin Yuan told Granny Li about the matter. Granny Li immediately agreed to provide him with three meals a day, plus medicine to be prepared in the morning and evening, and five qian of silver per month.

……

In the afternoon, Lin Yuan taught a math lesson and then discussed a math problem with the teacher before ending the lesson early.

Lin Yuan came to the dock first and told his elder brother about the matter.

Without hesitation, the older brother agreed on the spot: "I'll have Dali catch some rabbits and squirrels later, and I'll carry them to the school for you sometime. We can also help the school gather some firewood; we can't rely on others for everything..."

Lin Yuan's cousin, Zhou Dali, and the two often played together since childhood, but now they are both busy making a living and haven't seen each other for a long time: "Dali has a hard time in the mountains, and we can't let him work for nothing, so I'll give you some money..."

"Why give him money? He won't take it. Our families have always been like this for years, we never exchange money. I'll just send him some dried sweet potatoes and oil and salt..."

"What about at home?" Lin Yuan was worried that his family might be short of money.

"Don't worry about things at home! Father and I will finish the autumn tax in two more months. You should focus on your martial arts training." The eldest brother suddenly smiled and gestured towards Foreman Wu, who was walking over. "Thanks to you this time, Foreman Wu gave me a lighter job and raised my wages by 30%."

"Yes, if you encounter any trouble at the dock, go to Lishui Pavilion to find Zhao Sheng. He is my fellow disciple, and I mentioned you to him before."

Lin Yuan looked at Foreman Wu and, seeing him approach, spoke first: "Brother Wu, thank you very much this time."

"Hey, we're all brothers, no need to be so formal."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Foreman Wu simply wanted to inquire about Lin Yuan's recent situation. Lin Yuan explained his relationship with Master Xu, Li Shi, and others, which sounded quite impressive, making Foreman Wu much more cautious.

The docks are ostensibly managed by the Black Snake Gang, but in reality, they are controlled by the Carp Pavilion, with one layer pressing down on another, and the powerful families at the top.

In the past, Foreman Wu didn't have much of an impression of Lin Yuan, who was good at studying, but it was different when he learned martial arts. Regardless of what would happen in the future, at least this person would be very good at fighting, and the dock was a place where one could fight his way up.

Lin Yuan chatted with him for a while before leaving the dock, thinking that he would bring Zhao Sheng next time to support his elder brother and make things easier for him.

As he walked into Red Willow Lane, he happened to run into Zhao Sheng, who was looking for him. It turned out that Li Shi had promised to have drinks with him the next night.

Lin Yuan happened to be conscripting men, so he pulled Zhao Sheng along to transport firewood and a small clay stove to the school, and also reminded Granny Li to remember to brew the medicine in the evening.

After finishing his work, Lin Yuan went to Hu's Coffin Shop again, met Hu Cai, and returned the five taels of silver he had borrowed last time.

"I'm treating Li Tingzuo and Zhao Sheng to drinks tomorrow night. If you're free, come along too. It'll be a good opportunity for everyone to get to know each other."

"That's wonderful!" Hu Caigang was practicing martial arts when he saw Lin Yuan return the money so quickly and even treat him to drinks. Li Tingzuo was also at the gathering. Hu Caigang immediately felt this junior brother was worth befriending and grabbed him, not wanting him to leave.

"Junior brother, you've come at the right time. Practicing martial arts alone is too lonely, let's practice together! I can give you some pointers..."

Lin Yuan originally wanted to go back and finish his medicine before practicing, but since he was being given free guidance, he was happy to accept it.

The coffin shop's backyard is quite large, but it's piled with a lot of timber, so the space for practicing martial arts isn't big, but it's enough for standing meditation.

Hu Cai immediately began to critique his stance: "Junior brother, no offense, but your stance is worse than when you first practiced it!"

"I've been standing here for quite a while now," Lin Yuan said, feeling quite pleased with himself.

"It's not about the length of time, it's about the standard. You've forgotten how to exert force again? And that posture... If Coach Hong sees this, he'll definitely give you three lashes to make you reflect on your actions."

Lin Yuan immediately broke out in a sweat. With only a few days left until the fifteenth of July, he could only hope to receive fewer lashes. Forget everything else, he cried out, "Senior Brother Hu, save me!"