Chapter 53: Selling the Bear in Town, The True Face of Liu Wenliang

“We’re setting off,” Zhao Yuxiang said as he saw the three of them.

Chu Feng was somewhat surprised. “Is it just the three of us today?”

“Lately, no one else from the village has been coming, to avoid retaliation from Taoyuan Village,” Zhao Yuxiang explained.

Hearing this, Chu Feng felt a bit embarrassed. If it weren’t for him, the villagers probably wouldn’t be so worried about those brutes from Taoyuan Village.

Noticing Chu Feng’s thoughts, Zhao Yuxiang smiled. “Xiaofeng, this has nothing to do with you. Nobody in our village would think like that. As long as we’re in the right, you can rest assured and do your work.”

Those words warmed Chu Feng’s heart, filling him with comfort.

There was a hint of irony, too. Apart from his own family, everyone else in the whole village seemed genuinely good-hearted.

Chu Feng’s father had hidden himself at the Chu family home and hadn’t come out since. No one knew how he was faring inside.

Wei Xiaoxia had left the village as well; where she had gone was unknown. Dead or alive.

But Chu Feng didn’t care. After all, he was just a time traveler.

He had no real feelings for Wei Xiaoxia or the so-called Chu family. The so-called blood ties belonged to the original owner, whom Chu Feng refused to acknowledge.

Besides, his mother and eldest brother had always tried to harm him. Chu Feng wanted nothing more than to stay far away from them.

Once he earned enough money, he planned to quickly leave for the town.

Yet suddenly, a pang of melancholy struck him.

“Brother Zhao, has no one else in our village ever thought about leaving?” Chu Feng asked Zhao Yuxiang.

The village was so barren; there were no chances to make money.

Every day, they were bound to the mountain, staying in Yulong Mountain, seeing no hope.

“Where else could we go?” Zhao Yuxiang replied.

He patted the old ox’s rump.

It was the only ox in Yulong Village, under Zhao Yuxiang’s care.

He even had a whip but never dared to use it.

The old ox was quite intelligent, and after a couple of pats, it quickened its pace considerably.

“Xiaofeng, we common folk live off the land. If we leave the village, we lose our land, and without land, we have no means to survive. How can we just leave?”

Chu Feng shook his head. “But now the government collects grain every half month. Villagers even have to buy grain from the town to hand over to the officials. There’s barely enough to eat—what difference does it make?”

“At least there’s hope, right? At least there’s a chance. It’s wartime now, so the grain collection is frequent. After the war, maybe the government will exempt us. Of course, that’s uncertain, but it’s something we can hope for, something to live for. Leaving our homeland to wander outside means losing all hope.”

That was the mindset of ordinary people.

If they really left the village, how would they know life outside would be better?

What if life outside was even harsher?

In the end, it was the government’s fault.

Chu Feng fell silent.

Continuing the conversation would be disrespectful.

Though he was a time traveler, he had no special system, nor did he know poetry or songs.

He possessed no extraordinary martial skill.

On the battlefield, he was no different from an ordinary soldier, at best a pawn to be sacrificed.

Yet now, in Yulong Village, he was the most respected mountain patrolman.

As for the future—whether to stay in the village after earning money or to take his family away—he still had to think it through.

Soon, the four arrived in the town.

Zhao Yuxiang had his own destination.

He would wait for the three at the town’s gate at noon.

The three carried their bags and headed toward the town center.

The town’s living conditions were bleak as well.

With the snow growing heavier, the entire village was covered in thick snow.

The market had far fewer people.

The streets had no small vendors.

When they reached the Spring Breeze Inn, they found there were barely any customers inside.

Liu Wenliang yawned, his abacus clacking rhythmically in his hands.

“Brother Liang, I’m back again,” Chu Feng greeted.

This was their second meeting.

Since last time, Liu Wenliang insisted Chu Feng not call him “shopkeeper”—it sounded rustic and unfriendly.

As one of the major meat suppliers, Chu Feng naturally held a different status in Liu Wenliang’s eyes.

Seeing Chu Feng, Liu Wenliang immediately approached. “Brother Chu’s back. What meat do you have today?”

He assumed it would be the usual pork, mutton, beef, or horse meat.

Those were all good commodities.

Currently, there were few places offering meat.

As the town’s largest inn, meat supplies were scarce during this period.

Liu Wenliang was quite troubled.

But the New Year was approaching.

The war would probably pause soon.

Then things might get better.

After all, wealthy families disliked cooking themselves and preferred dining out for their New Year's Eve feasts.

“Take a look first. See if you want any,” Chu Feng said, revealing a gap in his sack.

Instantly, bear paws peeked out.

Upon seeing the bear paws, Liu Wenliang quickly sealed the sack.

He stared at Chu Feng in shock.

“Where did this come from?”

“I hunted it,” Chu Feng said without the slightest hesitation.

Liu Wenliang scrutinized Chu Feng several times before nodding. “Follow me, brothers.”

Previously, their trades had been in open markets, and Liu Wenliang was always straightforward.

The market price was the market price.

But now, Liu Wenliang became extremely cautious.

He even led them to a private room in the kitchen.

He drove out idle cooks before cautiously asking, “How much do you want for it?”

The question stunned Chu Feng.

He glanced at Wang Wei and Sun Can, hoping they might provide some insight.

But the two just stared dumbfounded, unsure what to say.

Chu Feng instantly realized they probably didn’t know either.

So he said to Liu Wenliang, “Brother Liang, to be honest, I don’t know the market price for this. But I trust you won’t cheat me.”

“That’s right. I won’t cheat you. This stuff is valuable, especially bear paws! Besides those, what else is in the sack?”

“There’s bear meat, bear bile, bear brain, and a bear skin.”

“I don’t want the bear skin here. I can introduce you to someone to sell that. But I want the rest. One hundred taels—how about it?”

Hissing breaths sounded behind them.

Wang Wei and Sun Can exchanged glances; they had never heard of such a sum in their lives.

One hundred taels was a fortune.

For an ordinary person, one hundred taels meant a lifetime free from want.

They instinctively looked at Chu Feng, hoping he would accept quickly.

They knew Chu Feng was a man of loyalty.

If he agreed, they would surely get their share.

Chu Feng stroked his chin. “Brother Liang, you’re not being sincere.”

“How could that be? Brother Chu, the price I gave is very fair. Your bear can’t be sold easily in town—not because it’s undesirable, but because it’s too precious. Others can’t offer a price like that. I’ll give you one hundred taels, not a cent less. Deal?”

Wang Wei couldn’t help but grab Chu Feng’s hand, eager for him to agree.

“In that case, Brother Liang, let’s do business some other time,” Chu Feng said, starting to pull the sack away.

Wang Wei and Sun Can grew anxious.

But seeing Chu Feng insist on leaving, they followed behind him.

After all, that bear wasn’t theirs to sell—it was Chu Feng’s catch.

“Xiaofeng, wait! One hundred and ten taels!” Zhao Yuxiang called out.

Chu Feng didn’t look back.

“One hundred and twenty taels!”

Still no glance back.

“All right, all right, one hundred and fifty taels! That’s my final offer. If you still won’t agree, then go ahead and leave.”

Chu Feng stopped and smiled.