Chapter 32

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Ordinary people could relax, but Wu Tao did not dare to let his guard down at all. He was not particularly eager to capture Wang Yonggui, as he knew that to catch Wang Yonggui would require an extremely high price, costing countless lives. Not to mention the compensation for the deceased subordinates, which was enough to give him a headache.

Wu Tao's idea was simple: to follow the example of Shaowei County and shift the disaster eastward, driving Wang Yonggui out of Sankou County. He would let Wang Yonggui wreak havoc wherever he went, as long as it was not in Sankou County. However, Wang Yonggui, like a turtle that had swallowed a weight, was determined to stay in Sankou County. No matter how Wu Tao sent people to drive him away, Wang Yonggui refused to leave.

Wu Tao even once sent people to speak to Wang Yonggui, promising to give him 500 taels of silver and send him out of the county with a proper escort if he would leave Sankou County. But Wang Yonggui ignored him.

Wu Tao was at a loss. Besides continuing to request more assistance from the prefecture, he also hung a reward notice at the city gate, recruiting brave men to assist the county office in capturing Wang Yonggui.

This made the already somewhat relaxed atmosphere in the county tense again, and many people were scared to stay at home, not daring to go out.

Li Wenjun also felt the change in the atmosphere. Since his alchemy failed, he could only focus on practicing martial arts to strengthen his body. He spent more than half an hour each day at the martial arts school compared to before.

Sankou County was a small and insignificant county in the entire Song Dynasty, with no significant status. Therefore, the martial arts school here was also mediocre. Both the school's master and the martial arts instructors had limited skills.

Li Wenjun learned very ordinary martial arts here. Unlike other martial arts practitioners, he persisted in cultivating the "Changchun Gong" every day. The small amount of heaven and earth's essence he absorbed each day had a positive effect on his muscles and bones, making him stronger, faster, more sensitive, and more agile than others.

So far, Li Wenjun had been practicing martial arts for several months. While he could not say much about other things, if he were to become a bodyguard in a security company in the future, he would definitely be qualified, and supporting his family would not be a problem. However, this was not the life he wanted; he still longed for cultivation.

One day, after returning from the martial arts school, Li Wenjun turned into the market and bought an old hen. He asked the seller to clean it and bought some wild mushrooms and other ingredients to prepare for stewing the hen at home.

Practicing martial arts and building strength every day was very tiring. If his nutrition did not keep up, he would not be able to sustain it. To be honest, he owed a lot to the fact that he had robbed the old Taoist's storage bag. It was because of the gold, silver, and valuable jewelry inside that he did not have to worry about money.

Back at home, Li Wenjun sat by the stove, filled the iron pot with water, added seasonings, and put the cleaned hen into the pot. He grabbed a handful of wheat straw, lit it, and put it into the stove, gradually adding firewood to get the fire going.

After the pot boiled, it did not take long for the aroma of the chicken to waft out. Li Wenjun sniffed and felt his stomach rumble.

The big dog he raised ran over and lay at his feet, absorbing the heat from the stove while staring at the iron pot, hoping that his owner would share some meat with him later.

Li Wenjun patted the dog's head and laughed, "Greedy ghost."

At this moment, the dog suddenly stood up and ran toward the courtyard gate. Soon, Sun Jianing's voice came from the gate. "Brother Wenjun, are you there?"

"It's Jianing? Your nose is quite sharp, coming over just in time for dinner. Haha, come on over quickly. I'm stewing chicken today, and I can't finish it alone. We'll finish it together." Li Wenjun said with a smile.

Sun Jianing did not hesitate to be polite. Li Wenjun had also eaten at their house many times, and the two were already very familiar. He walked to the stove, bent down, and deeply inhaled the rich aroma coming from the pot.

"Smells good, really good." Sun Jianing rubbed his hands and said, "Brother Wenjun, you take a break, I'll help you with the fire."

Li Wenjun stood up and let Sun Jianing take over. He did not leave but moved a stool and sat down by the stove. It was cold outside, and it was warmer here.

"Brother Wenjun, while the chicken is stewing, I remember something. My parents mentioned you the other day. They said that living alone here, you need to eat and wear clothes, but you have no income. This is not a long-term solution. Especially since you eat meat every few days, go to the martial arts school to practice, and go to the teahouse to listen to stories. Even if you have a lot of money, it won't last long. Brother Wenjun, don't you think you should think about a way to earn money?" Sun Jianing said.

Li Wenjun smiled and said, "No problem, I can still manage for a while."

"Brother Wenjun, you can't say that. As the saying goes, if you don't think ahead, you will have worries soon. You and I are both not young anymore. Recently, people have been coming to my house to arrange marriages for me. I think you are also at that stage. You need to think about saving money. In the future, when someone arranges a beautiful wife for you, and your wife gives you a few children, the family will be happy." Sun Jianing said.

Li Wenjun chuckled and said, "Jianing, how old are you? Thinking about being a father already?"

"What's wrong with that? Isn't that how everyone here grows up?" Sun Jianing said without any embarrassment.

Li Wenjun shook his head. In his hometown, the customs were not much different from those in Sankou County. At his age, getting married and having children was not unusual. If it were in the past, he would have followed the trend, doing whatever his parents arranged. But now, his horizons were broader, and he had greater aspirations. His ambitions were not here.

"Brother Wenjun, don't take it lightly. Today, Aunt Zhang came to our house to arrange a marriage. The woman asked for ten taels of silver and some silk and brocade. Our family's annual savings are about that much. It's so hard to get married. If you don't start saving early, how can you manage?" Sun Jianing's young face showed a maturity beyond his years.

Li Wenjun smiled and said, "If you need money, I can help you. Consider it a loan. You can pay me back whenever you can, or not at all."

Sun Jianing shook his head and said, "I know Brother Wenjun is good to me, but I can't take your money. Brother Wenjun, don't worry, I have a way to earn money."

"What way? Tell me about it." Li Wenjun asked casually. Sun Jianing was honest and reliable, so he did not worry that he would do anything illegal.

Sun Jianing said, "Brother Wenjun, you know that Sankou County is located at the intersection of three mountains: Wufeng Mountain, Shaowei Mountain, and Tianhua Mountain. Many medicinal herbs grow on these mountains, so there are many herb collectors in Sankou County, and the herb trade here is very prosperous.

Every year, just before the New Year, there is a medicinal herb trading fair. The fair is held in Fengshou Town at the foot of Tianhua Mountain.

Every year, when the fair is held, merchants from all over the country gather here, and there are many opportunities to make money. The fair starts the day after tomorrow. I want to go and see if I can find a way to earn money."

Li Wenjun was intrigued and asked, "Is there a wide variety of herbs available for purchase there?"

Sun Jianing said, "You could say yes, and you could say no. Most of the herbs at the fair are common and frequently used. Rare herbs are less likely to appear. We usually send our precious herbs to the capital city to sell to pharmacies like Huichuntang, which allows us to earn a bit more. However, for large quantities of herbs, it is more cost-effective to trade at the fair."

Li Wenjun nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go to the fair in Fengshou Town as well."

Sun Jianing was delighted and said, "Great, I'll talk to my father. We'll set out for Fengshou Town tomorrow, and we can look out for each other on the way."

Li Wenjun thought of something else and asked, "Wang Yonggui hasn't been caught yet. The fair is still going to be held. Aren't you worried he might cause trouble?"

Sun Jianing said, "My father said, as long as the sky doesn't fall, we have to keep living. Besides, with so many people in Sankou County, how likely is it that we'll run into him?"

Li Wenjun nodded thoughtfully.

The next day, Li Wenjun set out with Sun Baicao and Sun Jianing. Sun Baicao hired a carriage from a carriage rental shop, and they set off for Fengshou Town, carrying a large amount of herbs they had accumulated over the past year.

The journey was smooth, and they arrived in Fengshou Town without any incidents.

On the way, Sun Baicao chatted with Li Wenjun about some interesting stories from the fair.

The merchants who came to the fair to buy herbs not only purchased wild herbs collected by the herb collectors but also encouraged locals to cultivate herb fields and grow herbs in high demand. They often signed contracts with the farmers, agreeing on the quantity and price of the herbs to be purchased the following year. Some farmers, greedy for profit, followed the trend and planted whatever herbs were in high demand, but often ended up losing more than they gained.

It was also common for merchants and farmers to breach contracts, and there were several lawsuits over this every year. To handle these matters, the government set up a branch office in Fengshou Town, where the county magistrate's deputy, the county prime, was stationed.