Druid Fairy

Chapter 13 Acquiring a Peach Grove
On the day Li Rongzhou emerged from seclusion after advancing to the next level, the Li family held a lavish feast, featuring fish, meat, seasonal wild vegetables, and the indispensable mushroom soup, totaling nine dishes and one soup, truly a "feast".

The whole family was overjoyed and celebrated together.

Li Pingfu was at the age of rapid growth and was also practicing martial arts. He ate like a whirlwind, finishing a large bowl of rice and still not satisfied, like a bottomless pit.

Li Ping'an also has a big appetite.

Even little Li Pingcan has a round belly from eating so much.

In the end, the table was spotless, and the sauce from the roasted pork was used to mix with the rice.

"You little brat, you're going to eat your father out of house and home!"

Li Rongzhou chuckled and cursed, but secretly he was worried. If it weren't for the occasional subsidies from the "gold mines," the family savings, and the peach trees he planted three years ago finally bearing fruit, he would really be living beyond his means.

But as the children grow up, the expenses will only increase. How many peach trees would we need to plant to afford to support them?

…………

night.

Holding Qin Shi in his arms, Li Rongzhou felt the warm, soft scent of soapberry on her body, and the excitement of his breakthrough turned into a sense of peace.

With a wife, children, and a warm bed, isn't all his hard work in seeking a breakthrough just for such a stable life?
"My wife, you smell so good."

"At your age, you keep spouting nonsense. Aren't you ashamed?" Madam Qin scolded.

Under the warm orange candlelight, the beautiful woman was delicate and supple, with a rosy complexion, and could be both angry and happy.

With her husband by her side, the woman who used to toss and turn at night unable to sleep finally blossomed into a beautiful flower, nourished by dew.

Li Rongzhou was itching to do something, saying, "I not only say strange things, but I also do strange things."

"Disgusting~"

afterwards.

The couple lay comfortably on the bed.

"My wife," Li Rongzhou said earnestly, his mind free of distractions, "I want to plant some more peach trees."

The family's ten mu of dry land is planted with double-cropping rice. If the year is good, the yield per mu is forty shi (a unit of dry measure), and the harvest is twenty liang (another unit of dry measure).

This is the family's staple food; we don't easily exchange it for silver.

The real money is made from the peach orchards, which yield about 500 catties per mu. Four mu of peach orchards yield more than 30 liang.

This is the revenue before taxes are deducted.

However, the initial investment in a peach orchard is very large, as land and seedlings are expensive, and the management cycle is long. It takes three years for the peach seedlings to grow into peach trees.

The initial purchase price of 360 taels of silver would take seven or eight years to recoup, assuming favorable weather, abundant harvests, and lenient taxes.

Li Rongzhou had a clear plan. He was in the prime of his life, and Pingfu could also serve as a partial laborer. If he endured hardship now, his children and grandchildren would enjoy the benefits in the future.

Besides, money saved up won't generate more money; it's more reassuring to plant it in the ground.

Madam Qin silently calculated, "There are still two hundred and thirty taels of silver left in the house." After a pause, she asked with some concern, "Isn't this too tiring?"

The work in the fields is all heavy and exhausting; even oxen can be worked to death.

"Practicing martial arts is tiring, what's farming compared to that?"

Li Rongzhou pretended to be relaxed and said, "I'll ask the village chief tomorrow if there are any spare peach orchards."

…………

News from Peach Blossom Village always spreads like the wind.

The news that Li Rongzhou's family had recently purchased four acres of peach orchards spread to every household, giving rise to many strange rumors.

"No wonder they're a landlord family; even as refugees, they still have such wealth. I wonder how many tenant farmers they've plundered!"

This is just jealousy and spreading rumors.

"Of course! Let me tell you, this family is really strange. Granny Wang's family had been living peacefully for forty years, but as soon as they came, Granny Wang suffered misfortune. Isn't that strange?"

This is a conspiracy theory.

"Oh dear, these people from out of town have no good intentions. The mushrooms they sent me were full of worms, I don't dare to eat them!" This is just being hypocritical after getting a good deal.

"Damn it, they planted so many peach trees! These shameless outsiders are stealing food from us villagers!"

These words cannot be heard face-to-face. When they meet villagers, they are always polite and smiling. However, Li Pingcan's little mushroom can hear a lot of them.

Huffing and puffing, the joy that Dad had felt about planting new peach trees had dissipated considerably.

The local villagers are far too xenophobic.

Especially after Wang Pozi's family fell into ruin, their relationship with the villagers deteriorated further, and they became completely out of place.

Only then did Li Pingcan understand why his father had been reluctant to antagonize the villagers; words can kill and destroy one's spirit!

"Forget it, instead of getting angry, I'd rather hone my skills so that the villagers can't even look up to me and won't dare to gossip!"

Having successfully helped his father break through to a minor martial arts realm, Li Pingcan grew increasingly fond of the [Nature's Gift] skill and devoted himself to mastering it.

To increase his mana, he began practicing basic martial arts—a set of movements he had mastered three years ago for fitness.

Upon seeing this, Li Pingfu frowned and said, "Young man, you are still too young. Your body and internal organs are still developing. Practicing martial arts too early will easily deplete your vital energy and blood, and damage your foundation. It will be a loss." This is a universally acknowledged principle.

"Don't worry, bro, I know when to stop." Li Pingcan puffed out his cheeks and stretched seriously. He wasn't really a child.

The full-level moonlight is equivalent to double the growth at night. He is much more robust and stronger than his peers, and has not suffered from any childhood illnesses over the years.

Li Pingfu knew his younger brother was always sensible and intelligent, but he was still worried. He stared at him for a while, and only when he saw that his brother was not forcing himself to practice did he feel at ease and go out.

Watching his elder brother's departing figure, Li Pingcan used the two skills, [Spore Growth] and [Spore Sensing], while training his body.

A tiny gray mushroom sprouted on the older brother's clothes.

This wasn't about spying on his own brothers; the villagers' rejection was unsettling, and even though Li Pingfu had martial arts skills, he found it difficult to deal with certain malicious acts.

As a "centralized monitoring and security system," it can be the first to know and mobilize personnel if anything happens!

…………

The Zhou family's training ground.

Although Zhou Enxian was not a member of the same clan, he was highly respected by the villagers because of his strength as a Qi and Blood Martial Artist.

At this time, Zhou Enxian was leading about twenty children from the village in martial arts training. They ranged in age from eight to sixteen and were all from the wealthiest families in the village.

"Black Tiger Skill, First Form, Begin!"

Zhou Enxian was stern and unsmiling. He sternly shouted, his gaze sweeping over the children. Anyone whose movements were not up to standard would be hit with a soybean that made them grimace.

"Drink, drink, drink!"

In the empty training ground, the children's neat shouts and Zhou Enxian's stern teachings rang out: "The first move of Black Tiger Kung Fu is the foundation of all moves. If you don't learn the basics well, it's like building a house without laying a foundation. All your training will be in vain!"

"Practicing martial arts requires consistent effort, not just working hard for three days and resting for two... I'm talking to you, daring to slack off?"

"You're not 'pouncing on your prey' like a hungry tiger, are you? You're more like a lazy donkey rolling around!"

"The move must be swift, ruthless, and fierce. 'Black Tiger Pounces on the Heart' does not mean pounce on the heart, but rather describes the fierce and ruthless actions of a black tiger when it pounces on its prey. Therefore, this move is a deadly killing move!"

After practicing several times, Zhou Enxian demonstrated again and then had the children practice more.

His gaze swept over them one by one.

Seeing Li Pingfu's actions, he couldn't help but nod in satisfaction—he had indeed made the right judgment on the boy; he had good potential, and most importantly, he was able to endure hardship.

Diligence will surely bring rewards.

The hardships you endure now will become resources for your future advancement in martial arts.

Apart from his impetuous and competitive nature and unwillingness to be second to anyone, he was almost as outstanding as he was back then.

But this is a common problem among teenagers of this age; a youth without being a bit of a flirt is a wasted youth!

Zhou Enxian thought to himself, "He just needs to work on his temper gradually."

Before we could figure out how to polish this rough gem, a collision occurred!

(End of this chapter)