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

Lu Xiaoyu worked quickly and prepared dinner for Lu Fengnian. The meal included meat and vegetables, which was considered top-notch in Mao'er Village at the moment.

Liu Yunjuan and Lu Xiaoyu had already eaten, and the two sat around the table, having dinner with Lu Fengnian.

Lu Xiaoyu suddenly said, "Big brother, our Mao'er Village and Shangjie Village are fighting again today."

Lu Fengnian asked, "Is it because of the water source again?"

Lu Xiaoyu nodded, "That's right, every year during the dry season, we definitely have to fight several battles."

Lu Fengnian hummed in agreement but did not speak.

Liu Yunjuan said, "Some people from the village came today and want to invite you over."

Lu Fengnian raised his head slightly. "Is it about the matter in Shangjie Village?"

Liu Yunjuan nodded, "You showed off your amazing archery skills in public that day, so naturally they would think of you when something like this happens."

Lu Fengnian asked, "What did you reply?"

Liu Yunjuan responded softly, "I just said you weren't home."

Lu Fengnian hummed in agreement. "Logically speaking, this is a matter for our entire Mao'er Village, and I should be the one going there."

However, my father is no longer here, and even if we go home for the full moon, we won't go back to cultivate those few acres of land.

The dispute with Shangjie Village over water resources has little to do with my family, so I won't get involved.

Lu Xiaoyu added, "Big brother is right. In the past, when we fought with Shangjie Village every year, Father and second brother would participate. Second brother was even injured the year before last."

But when it came to allocating river water, the Li family always got the lion's share, while our family was always at the very end.

More importantly, the Li family is definitely in charge of the competition for water resources.

A while ago, when Zhao Gang and Li Xiaorou got married, they deliberately took a detour to our doorstep and banged on gongs and drums for a long time before leaving.

If my elder brother gets involved in this matter, the Zhao family might give him a hard time, and they might even try to make things difficult for him.

Liu Yunjuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll listen to you. Fengnian hasn't been involved in this matter before, so it's understandable that he won't participate now."

This matter will definitely drag on for a while before it ends. If anyone comes looking for you again, don't show up; your mother will handle it.

…………

The family had plenty of food and savings.

Lu Fengnian did not rush into the mountains, but continued to practice archery, as well as military boxing and fighting techniques from his previous life, while waiting for news from Fang Tong.

The next day, around noon.

Lu Fengnian went out and came to the Qiu family again.

I knocked on the door three times and then I heard footsteps.

The door opened, and Qiu Mingzhu appeared. His hair was still sparse, but his face was somewhat bluish, with a not-so-clear handprint.

Lu Fengnian was slightly puzzled. Qiu Qingbai had already left, so who slapped Qiu Mingzhu on the face?

"Lu, the great scholar!"

Upon seeing Lu Fengnian, Qiu Mingzhu's face lit up with joy. "I heard that you shot a fox back from the mountains and are now a rich man."

You and Qingbai are good friends, could you lend me some money?

I'll return it to you in a couple of days.

Lu Fengnian examined the handprint on Qiu Mingzhu's face closely and asked, "Who hit you?"

Qiu Mingzhu looked embarrassed. "Guo Laocai is a real scoundrel. I married my innocence to him, so I'm practically his father-in-law."

I wanted to see Qingbai, but he wouldn't even let me in the door, and even ordered his guards to attack me. This is outrageous!

Upon hearing this, Lu Fengnian realized that Qiu Mingzhu had only been slapped, which was considered lucky.

Old Guo spent his money, failed to get the person, and was almost scared to death. He was still seething with anger when Qiu Mingzhu offered himself up. Moreover, he was probably just looking for a drink. It was no wonder he didn't get anything good out of him.

He guessed that the reason Guo Laocai only let Qiu Mingzhu get slapped once was probably because he was worried that Qiu Qingbai would come back to settle scores with him after he finished his studies.

As Qiu Mingzhu finished speaking, a fawning smile appeared on his face. "Master Lu, you can sell a fox for at least three taels of silver."

I won't lend you much, just twenty coins, and I'll pay you back the next day.

Lu Fengnian did not respond immediately, as if he was thinking about it.

Qiu Mingzhu quickly added, "Lu Da... Fengnian, you and Qingbai are good friends. For her sake, lend me twenty coins."

Don't worry about me not being able to pay you back. Qingbai is now a wealthy woman from a well-to-do family in the county. Whenever she comes back to the village to see me, she'll probably give me several taels of pocket money. How could I possibly not be able to pay back your twenty coins?"

Lu Fengnian slightly raised his eyelids. "I remember you're a bricklayer?"

Qiu Mingzhu was taken aback at first, then nodded, looking puzzled.

Lu Fengnian then asked, "Is the skill still there?"

Qiu Mingzhu immediately patted his chest and said, "Although I have rarely done this kind of work since Qingbai's mother passed away, my skills are definitely still there."

If I hadn't quit doing masonry work, Zhao Laosan wouldn't have had a chance, and he wouldn't have been able to take over all the masonry work in the village.

"A bumper harvest! Are you planning to build a new house or just repair existing ones?"

Lu Fengnian shook his head. "It's not our house, it's someone else's house."

Qiu Mingzhu looked puzzled. "Other people's houses?"

Lu Fengnian added, "I'll hire you to repair someone else's house; I'll pay for it."

Upon hearing the word "silver," Qiu Mingzhu's eyes lit up. He patted his thin chest and said, "No problem. As long as the price is right, I'll definitely do a great job."

Lu Fengnian nodded. "There are four rooms in total. One collapsed, one partially collapsed, and the remaining two rooms need to have their roof tiles replaced."

Qiu Mingzhu immediately responded, "This is a big job, it will require a lot of copper coins."

Lu Fengnian hummed in agreement. "Go buy the ingredients yourself. Meals aren't included."

Qiu Mingzhu was taken aback. "How can you work for someone and not provide meals? Besides, I need to borrow money from you now, where would I get the money to buy materials?"

Lu Fengnian took out half a tael of silver and handed it to Qiu Mingzhu. "I'll give you half a tael first. I'll give you the other half after I've finished this matter."

"One tael of silver!"

Qiu Mingzhu was immediately stunned.

Lu Fengnian said softly, "The highest wage for this job will not exceed three qian of silver."

I'm giving you so much because you're innocent.

Qiu Mingzhu grinned, "Everyone says that a bountiful year is filled with kindness and loyalty, and seeing it today, it's certainly true."

After he finished speaking, he grabbed the half tael of silver in Lu Fengnian's hand and tried to pull it back.

To his astonishment, he discovered that the half tael of silver seemed to be welded to Lu Fengnian's hand, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge it an inch.

So he gave an awkward smile and said, "Fengnian, just say what you have to say in one go."

Lu Fengnian raised his voice slightly, "Let me make this clear from the start: I can give you this half tael of silver first, but if you continue to drink while working and cause any trouble, you will be responsible."

Moreover, I will take the money back from you, and even if you've already used it to buy wine, you'll have to spit it out.

When Lu Fengnian said these words, his voice was very soft and gentle, but when it reached Qiu Mingzhu's ears, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.