Chapter 2

Soon, Zhang Yu and Yang Xin arrived at Ma Tou Village.

Seeing the familiar place, Yang Xin felt an urgent need, and his thin body trembled uncontrollably.

Just as they saw the gate of their home, they heard a loud voice from inside.

"My parents' bodies are still warm, and you still have no humanity?" The young voice was filled with anger.

"Brother!" Without even stopping the horse, Yang Xin struggled to dismount.

At this moment, inside Yang Xin's home.

It was just a few dilapidated thatched cottages, slightly worn out.

Yang Guanjun held a pole, facing off against several of the landlord's henchmen with a fierce demeanor.

His face was already bruised in several places, but the faces of the landlord's henchmen were no better.

"Is it not natural for the landlord to reclaim his thatched cottages?" Liu Dong said viciously, "If you don't leave, I'll kill you and throw your body to the dogs on the mountain."

"I can't let my sister come back and not find her home. If you have the guts, step over my dead body." Yang Guanjun was unafraid of death.

"Your sister won't be coming back. She should be in the county magistrate's bed, screaming with joy!" Liu Dong laughed mockingly.

His subordinates also burst into laughter.

"You're lying! If you ruin my sister's reputation, I'll fight you to the death!" At seventeen, Yang Guanjun was thin, but with the pole in his hand, he fought Liu Dong and his men with no resistance.

"What the hell, how can eating wild vegetables give you such strength?" Liu Dong was puzzled.

Suddenly, Yang Guanjun swung the pole and hit Liu Dong on the shoulder.

In pain, Liu Dong was thoroughly enraged.

He took the bow from his back, drew an arrow, and aimed it at Yang Guanjun's forehead.

At such close range, he couldn't miss.

Yang Guanjun forced back three men with one swing of the pole, facing Liu Dong with fierce eyes, "Come on!"

"You're asking for death!" Liu Dong's heart trembled as he was about to release the arrow.

Suddenly, a horse crashed through the rotten door, startling everyone.

"What a lively scene!" Zhang Yu said from atop the horse, looking down at Liu Dong.

Liu Dong was stunned, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Why are you here, sir?" Liu Dong asked, frowning.

"The young lady told me she wanted to come home and take a look," Zhang Yu explained, "What are you doing here?"

"Sir, these thatched cottages have already been mortgaged to my master. We are here to collect them," Liu Dong explained.

"Then go back and tell your master that I have bought these thatched cottages."

"Sir, what do you mean?" Liu Dong was even more puzzled.

"From now on, this will be the home of the county magistrate's wife. I believe the richest man in Zhao won't refuse this favor, right?"

"Understood! I will report back to my master." Liu Dong, not daring to act on his own, reluctantly withdrew.

In the courtyard, only the three of them remained.

"Brother, are you okay?" Yang Xin dismounted in a panic and rushed to Yang Guanjun's side.

After carefully checking his brother's body and confirming that there were no serious injuries, tears still streamed down Yang Xin's face.

"I'm fine, sister. Those bastards didn't get any advantage," Yang Guanjun said proudly.

"Good skills, young man!" Zhang Yu praised.

Yang Guanjun looked at Zhang Yu warily, "What do you want?"

He immediately protected his sister behind him.

"Do you want to protect your sister?"

"Yes! If you touch my sister, I'll fight you to the death!" Yang Guanjun said firmly.

Zhang Yu admired this young man, who, despite his malnourished body, had beaten Liu Dong and his men black and blue. He was a good seed.

"With your current skills, how can you protect her?" Zhang Yu said with a playful smile.

"Whoever bullies my sister, I'll beat them to death."

"What if you can't beat them?"

"Then I'll fight them to the death." Yang Guanjun's fierce appearance left no doubt about his determination.

Zhang Yu threw a bag of silver at Yang Guanjun's feet, "Buy two coffins to bury your parents."

Yang Guanjun looked at the bag of silver on the ground in shock, hardly believing it.

Officials had always sucked the blood of the people. Why was this iron rooster plucking its own feathers today?

Yang Xin was equally shocked. For poor families like theirs, a body was wrapped in a straw mat after death, and there was no such thing as a coffin.

The siblings felt a pang of emotion, and their perception of Zhang Yu changed subtly.

This county magistrate was different from the previous ones.

In Ma Tou Village, there was only one carpenter.

Yang Guanjun led Zhang Yu to the carpenter's shop.

Upon entering, various pieces of furniture and daily wooden utensils were visible.

Zhang Yu took a closer look and found the carpenter's craftsmanship to be quite good.

Hearing someone come in, the carpenter Huang Ji poked his head out from the inner room.

"Champion, why are you here?" Huang Ji hurried out to greet him.

"Uncle Huang! I want to make two coffins for my parents," Yang Guanjun stated his purpose.

"Poor people like us can't afford coffins. Besides, do you have the money?" Huang Ji tried to dissuade him.

Yang Guanjun shook the silver in his hand, "Given by the sir, is it enough?"

Hearing this, Huang Ji's eyes immediately focused on Zhang Yu.

He had spent his whole life in the shop and had never seen the county magistrate.

"Commoner sees the sir!" Huang Ji, seeing the token on Zhang Yu's waist, was convinced and quickly knelt down.

"How long will it take to make two coffins?" Zhang Yu asked.

"Sir, it depends on what kind of coffins you want. The simpler, the better!" Huang Ji answered cautiously.

It was his first time meeting the county magistrate, and his heart was pounding.

Zhang Yu looked at Yang Xin and her brother for their opinion.

Yang Xin bit her lip and said, "The sooner, the better!"

"Understood, please wait two days, sir. I need to prepare some wood," Huang Ji quickly agreed.

At this moment, Zhang Yu saw a piece of pear wood in the corner of the shop.

This material, with its hardness and flexibility, was perfect for making a crossbow.

He picked it up.

"How much for this piece of wood?" Zhang Yu asked.

"Pear wood is abundant in the mountains. Sir, take it if you like," Huang Ji said generously.

"Thank you!" Zhang Yu took the pear wood.

From the memories of this body, the current civilization of Da Qi had very poor bow and arrow technology. The power of the bows was insufficient, and accuracy was poor, relying on volleys to ensure effectiveness.

Powerful crossbows had not yet been developed.

Zhang Yu wanted to use this pear wood to make a crossbow, which would be very useful in the future.

To survive in this world, he needed to deal with the Zhao family, the richest in Pingchuan.

He needed to enhance his own strength.

The three returned to Yang Xin's thatched cottage.

"Brother, start the fire! I'll go to the back mountain to pick some wild vegetables," Yang Xin instructed.

Although Yang Guanjun was reluctant to have Zhang Yu stay for a meal, he had to acknowledge the kindness of the man who had paid for the coffins for his parents.

This act of kindness made him put aside his prejudice.

Zhang Yu was now in the courtyard, using tools borrowed from Huang Ji to start working.

This piece of pear wood could make two crossbows.

With the knowledge from his previous life, Zhang Yu spent half a day and had already made the basic shapes of the two crossbows.

If conditions allowed, he could add gears to the crossbows to speed up the stringing process.

Now, he just needed to make the bowstrings to complete the crossbows.

The best material for bowstrings was cow tendon, but killing cows was illegal in Da Qi, making cow tendons scarce.

Zhang Yu's eyes turned to the wild deer in the mountains. Deer tendons could also be used.

For now, he used hemp rope, which was not strong enough to withstand more than ten shots before breaking.

Tomorrow, he would go into the mountains to test the crossbow's power. If he could hunt a wild deer, he could make an enhanced version of the crossbow.

At the same time.

In Pingchuan County.

At the Zhao family residence.

Compared to the desolate and dilapidated state of the county, the Zhao family was extremely luxurious.

In the back garden, Liu Dong knelt before a man in fine clothing.

This man was the head of the Zhao family, Zhao Tianlin.

"Is the young county magistrate really going to buy those thatched cottages?" Zhao Tianlin asked with a playful tone.

"Absolutely, he must be infatuated with Yang Xin," Liu Dong guessed.

"That's good!" Zhao Tianlin looked at the gray sky, "I was really afraid he wouldn't like wealth and beauty. Otherwise, Pingchuan County would have to change county magistrates again."

"Changing the county magistrate is just a word from Mr. Zhao. I have already investigated this person. He comes from a poor family and has no background."

"Ha ha, whether to change or not depends on how smart he is!"