Volume One, Chapter 19: The Swiftest Way to Enrich Through Warfare

The elderly village chief felt somewhat reassured seeing that most people sided with him. He had feared that after all his efforts and worries for the villagers, he would only end up burdened with complaints.

"Alright, the matter is settled," he declared. "But rest assured, everyone has ample supplies this time. No matter what, we can all lend a hand to help you get through this difficult period."

Those who had not gotten what they wanted were still clamoring wildly, desperate and forceful. However, the villagers pushed them to the very back, preventing them from disturbing the chief as he continued distributing supplies.

Shen Shuli and Su Yunhai received the largest share of the spoils this time, especially four thousand jin of fresh meat. This meat had to be processed quickly; otherwise, it would spoil in no time. The agreed deadline was tomorrow—they had only one day to handle it properly. If mishandled, the meat would likely mold and rot.

At the Su family estate, no one had expected them to receive so many goods! What thrilled them the most was the sixteen heads of livestock assigned to them—priceless treasures that could not be bought even with silver! For these farming families, nothing was more joyous than having abundant land and livestock.

“Second brother, you’ve really brought honor to the Su family, getting us so many animals, six hundred taels of silver, and four thousand jin of meat all at once!” an elder exclaimed.

“Quick, hand over the silver; I’ll keep it safe for you,” said Old Madam Su, who first admired each of the livestock before turning to Su Yunhai with her hand outstretched, requesting money.

Su Yunhai slapped her hand away, casting a sidelong glance at the opportunistic old woman who never seemed satisfied.

“Want silver? Fine. Next time the bandits come, you can go fight for it too. Stop coveting the silver that I and my daughter earned with our lives,” he said coldly. “But I can spare some meat for you. If you help with curing it, I’ll give each household a hundred jin.”

His generosity stunned Old Master Su, Old Madam Su, and the other two branches of the family. What did this mean? Did they get no share of the livestock, meat, or silver? They had to work for him just to get a hundred jin? And they hadn’t even divided the family property yet!

Sister-in-law Cui Yuhong couldn’t hold back any longer and stepped forward. “Second brother, this is wrong! How could you send mother to the front lines to fight bandits? She’s so old already!”

“Besides, we haven’t divided the family yet. You can’t use all these supplies alone. Wouldn’t it be better if mother handled the distribution? How can you be so unfilial? And you’re supposed to be a scholar! How can you be so reckless?”

Su Yunhai had no desire to argue. He glared coldly at Cui Yuhong. “What, did you forget I kicked you just a few days ago?”

“When did my family ever belong to you?”

Cui Yuhong still nursed the pain in her chest but had forgotten it in her excitement over the family’s unexpected fortune. She tugged at her mother-in-law’s sleeve, hoping she would intervene.

She was not alone in these feelings. The entire Su family was displeased, glaring resentfully at Su Yunhai. So many good things—what harm would it do to share a little with them? Even if they were sparing the silver, couldn’t they give more livestock, carts, and meat to ease the burden on the second branch?

They were truly ungrateful! But no one dared speak out; they only seethed quietly.

Old Master Su scowled, looking at Su Yunhai with dissatisfaction. “Second son, your old man isn’t dead yet. Who do you think you’re lord over? As your mother said, keep a hundred taels of silver for yourself, and give the rest to her for proper distribution.”

“As for the livestock, none of you second-branchers farm the land anyway, so give them to the eldest and third sons; they have more fields and can use them.”

“And the meat? You can’t eat it all. Once everyone helps cure it, divide it equally to avoid spoilage and waste.”

Su Yunhai rolled his eyes at the cheap old man’s attempts at fairness. What a pipe dream. He was clearly favoring the other branches.

“Father, have you forgotten? Tomorrow morning I’ll be leading my family to flee. These animals won’t even be enough to haul our belongings. No need to trouble yourselves,” he said.

“Besides, those two cows and a mule at home were bought with my own silver. Consider yourselves lucky as my family.”

“I see clearly now—you don’t want to help me. Fine, I won’t leave you a single jin. I’ll find others. Keep dreaming.”

After a restless night, dawn arrived. Su Yunhai was exhausted, feeling like he’d lost a few pounds of fat. But rest was out of the question.

Ignoring the glare of the Su family, he immediately ordered his sons to haul the livestock and carts to the village threshing ground. The meat was all loaded on the carts.

Shen Shuli hadn’t expected the old Su family to be so greedy, shamelessly reaching out their hands. Given her father’s nature, if they hadn’t been so brazen, he might have shared some with his brothers. But her father detested those who demanded unjustly.

This old couple’s demands were meant to favor the other two sons. Her father couldn’t bear such injustice.

Moreover, half of these supplies were her rightful share. The old Su family refused to recognize her, trying to seize what was hers. What a ridiculous notion!

At the threshing ground, Su Yunhai immediately assigned tasks to his three sons.

“Eldest and second sons, tell your wives and children to rest. You three brothers go ask around—who has time to help us cure the meat? For every hundred jin cured, they’ll receive one jin as payment, plus a guaranteed twenty jin as a bonus.”

The Su brothers were worried their large stock of meat would spoil and, despite their exhaustion, rushed to find helpers. But no one was around.

Seeing their parents’ dark circles and weary faces, Shen Shuli promptly offered them a cup of spiritual spring water.

“Mom, Dad, drink this quickly. There’s still a heavy workload today,” she urged.

The couple didn’t hesitate and drank it down in a few big gulps.

“I’m feeling revitalized,” Su Yunhai said, wiping his mouth and returning the cup to his daughter.

Putting the cup away, Shen Shuli asked, “Mom, Dad, are we really going to set off with so many livestock and carts hauling all this meat?”

“I even bought two mules and some carts specifically for this trip, and now we’ve got so many more. Truly, the fastest way to grow strong is through battle.”

Su Yunhai sighed, still unsure how to manage the livestock. One thing was certain: he wouldn’t let the ungrateful Su family benefit.

“While no one’s around, put some meat into the storage space. It would be a waste to turn such fresh beef, donkey, and horse meat into jerky or preserved meat.”

Shen Shuli loved those meats and wasted no time, storing the most precious beef into the space. She also packed some donkey and horse meat, totaling about a thousand jin.

Fortunately, the meat was spread out evenly among ten carts, each carrying a modest amount, so nothing seemed amiss.