Chapter 31: A New Home, and the Bonds Between People!

By the time they reached their destination, it was already dark. The clan elders had departed for their own homes as soon as they left the Li residence. A group of young men followed the village chief, and upon seeing Li Feng’s new dwelling, they could not help but gasp.

He was truly bold, a master of his own craft. It was said that this place was haunted. In the past, others who claimed to be fearless had tried living here, but none had lasted even three days before fleeing in shame. Otherwise, how could such a large house have remained vacant?

"Second Brother Li, I’m afraid there are unclean things here. We’ll just leave your belongings here; we’re off!" A young villager greeted Li Feng before hurrying away. The others followed suit, scurrying off in a rush.

Seeing this, the village chief felt uneasy himself. He looked at Li Feng and said, "It is still habitable; the things inside don't seem to mean any harm. If you find it unsuitable after moving in, come find me. I will check where else there might be land and speak with the headman to see if we can mark out a plot for you to build a house."

"Many thanks, Uncle Village Chief!" Li Feng bowed to the chief. Dagou, Erniu, and the others followed his lead, bowing as well: "Many thanks, Grandfather Village Chief!"

"Alright, alright, hurry up and settle in. I’m heading back now!"

Li Feng nodded at these words and instructed Dagou and Erniu, "Take your younger siblings inside first. I need to go out for a moment."

With that, Li Feng chased after the village chief. As he called out to the man, who was walking with long, quick strides, the chief startled and stood frozen, not daring to look back.

Seeing this, Li Feng hurried two steps forward, circled around to face the chief, and pulled a string of coins from his robe, holding them out. "I apologize for the trouble today, Uncle Village Chief. This is a small token of my gratitude; please, you must accept it."

"This..." The chief stared at the coins—a full twenty wen. It was a significant amount. Why give it to him? The chief repeatedly declined. "What are you doing? With this money, you should buy the children something good to eat; keeping them healthy is what’s most important!"

"Don't worry, I won't neglect them, but this is my heartfelt wish. Please, take it." Li Feng pressed the copper coins into the chief’s hands. "It’s no matter. I earned this by finding things on the mountain before the family split. Please, just take it."

He paused, then continued, "Originally, this money was for my third younger brother, but I didn't expect..." He stopped briefly before adding, "Now that the family is divided and I have less farmland, I have plenty of free time. I’ll go up the mountain again in a couple of days; I won't be short of money." He stepped back and bowed to the chief once more.

The village chief looked at Li Feng, his clouded eyes slightly reddened. The Li family’s second son used to always walk with a hunched back, gasping for breath, never idle for a moment—either working in the fields or hunting on the mountains. Yet now, he saw something different in Li Feng.

The weight of the coins in his hand brought the chief a sense of relief. He had a premonition that Li Dashan might come to regret this. "Very well, I will accept it." The chief decided to keep it for him; if Li Feng ever ran into real trouble later, he could just return it.

"Then let me walk you home," Li Feng offered. The chief did not refuse, and the two walked along the path.

"What are your plans for the future?" the village chief asked.

Li Feng shook his head. "I don't know yet. I'll take it one step at a time. Whatever the future holds, it will surely be better than staying at the old Li residence!"

"Oh? You’ve finally realized it?" the village chief asked, curious. In the past, no matter how others tried to persuade him, Li Feng had never been able to make up his mind. Why the sudden change?

"I had no choice but to realize it," Li Feng sighed. "Dagou and Erniu are growing up; they’re reaching the age to take wives. If we had stayed at the old house, I’m afraid I wouldn't have the means to help them marry. Now that we’ve split off, everything we do is for ourselves, and there’s something to look forward to. Dagou and Erniu aren't lazy; our lives will surely get better day by day!"

"That is true," the village chief nodded, then added with some regret, "If you had had this realization earlier, the children wouldn't have suffered so much with you."

"It’s not too late now!" Li Feng said with a simple smile, seeing the chief to his home before heading back the way he came.

As he passed the old Li residence, Li Feng stopped. The house was brightly lit—it was clearly going to be a sleepless night. Since he was already there, he couldn't return empty-handed. He was still thinking about that cellar full of grain. Even if he didn't eat it himself, he would take it all; he could use it for good deeds later to build a reputation.

He purchased a "knockout powder" from the system store. After checking his surroundings and using the system’s location feature to confirm no one was near, he vaulted over the wall.

Taking note of the wind direction, Li Feng quickly knocked everyone out. Once the house fell silent, he headed straight for the cellar and moved all the bundled grain into his storage space. He didn't leave a single grain for the eldest brother, and he cleared out the third brother’s share as well.

With the grain stored, Li Feng went to the makeshift kitchen and took the pots, bowls, and ladles. That large iron wok, in particular, was a treasure. Buying a new one cost a fortune; with this, he could trade it for something else. He also took all the farming tools.

After clearing those out, he went to the backyard. They used to keep chickens and ducks there, but those had all been sold to cover the third brother’s expenses.

Moving past the empty pens, Li Feng went to the vegetable garden and uprooted every single plant. Confident he had left nothing behind, he headed to the rooms of the eldest and third brothers. They were both in the main room, slumped on the floor in different spots—likely having been searching for money.

Old Man Li and Mother Li were sitting on the edge of their bed, now also collapsed. Judging by their positions, they had clearly been in on it. It meant that when it came to money, neither of them had ever considered him.

Li Feng felt that the original owner of his body had been treated unfairly. He stepped into the room and searched the eldest and third brothers, finding a coin purse on each. The eldest had over three taels of silver—a huge sum. The third brother was poorer, but he still had over two taels. They were all wealthy. It seemed only his own household had truly been destitute.

After taking the money, Li Feng went to their living quarters, rummaged through their belongings, and found another purse with over a thousand copper coins. Li Feng took it all without hesitation. He even took their bundles—he didn't mind. He would just wear hemp cloth tomorrow.

Having played the role of a thief, Li Feng felt a thrill. Money came so fast this way! It almost made him want to pay a visit to the county magistrate's office.

With his haul secured, Li Feng returned the way he came, looking forward to the chaos at the Li residence tomorrow. After the previous incident of theft, wouldn't it be natural for the Li family to be robbed again? Since all the items were in his space, even if they suspected him, they would have no evidence. He wanted to see how the two injured, penniless old people would deal with their eldest and third sons. Take them to town? Don't dream about it. When they were useful, they were "Mother and Father," but when they were useless, they would just be "the old fossils." The third and eldest sons were both ingrates; the spectacle of this father-son and brother-brother betrayal would surely be entertaining.

"Father!!!"

Just as he reached the entrance and before he could step inside, a small figure came rushing out and threw herself into his arms. "Father, is this going to be our home from now on? Does this mean we don't have to go back to Grandfather and Grandmother's house anymore?"

Li Feng hugged the little girl, tapped her head, and said firmly, "Er Ya is so smart. Yes, this is our home from now on—a home without Grandfather or Grandmother, a home just for us."