TFS – Chapter 81 Spring

The fruit trees on the mountain had been planted, and the distribution of rice and sorghum seeds had begun. Every household was busy with spring plowing. This year, people seemed more energetic than ever, as if they weren’t just planting seeds but scattering silver across the land, expecting to harvest even more silver in the autumn.

Tang Chunming had once said that they were never short of money, and it wasn’t just empty talk. Not only had he not needed to touch the silver ingots and banknotes stored in their chests, but just the income from selling grain seeds during this period was enough to cover all his expenses for the year.

Though Tang Chunming managed the household accounts, he wouldn’t let Li Feng go out and embarrass himself without money. With ample funds in his own hands, he also made sure that Li Feng’s purse was never empty, replenishing it whenever needed. As for the third member of their household, Elder He, Tang Chunming knew that giving him silver directly would be futile—Elder He wouldn’t accept it. He had secretly asked Li Feng and learned that Elder He had his own savings. So instead, he found other ways to take care of him, such as making sure he had good clothing and food. Even Chen Mama, who helped around the house, could see that the couple treated Elder He with the respect and care due to a senior family member, and thus, he too was devoted to him.

When Elder He mentioned wanting good tea, Tang Chunming readily agreed. He had Li Feng clear a patch of land on the mountain, waiting for tea saplings to arrive for planting. Elder He also enjoyed tending to medicinal herbs, so Tang Chunming had taken care to acquire seeds and grow them in his special space. The herbs cultivated there were of even higher quality than those watered with the spring’s mystical waters. In the process, he even obtained some ginseng seeds, which excited him so much that he immediately planted them in his space, eagerly anticipating the day he could harvest aged ginseng.

Ginseng was an incredibly valuable resource. In modern times, a wild ginseng plant over a hundred years old would fetch astronomical prices. Even in this era, it was exceptionally rare. He still vividly remembered how, when his life was hanging by a thread upon first arriving in this world, Doctor Hu had given him a few thin slices of ginseng. That ginseng had only been a few decades old, yet it had cost over two taels of silver—back then, the expense had nearly broken his heart.

Although money was no longer a concern now, having some well-aged ginseng stored at home was always a good precaution. He firmly believed it would come in handy someday. After all, it would be foolish to wait until an emergency arose to go scrambling for it—time waits for no one.

Li Feng and the household helpers had spent several days planting crops. Aside from the few inconspicuous acres of land they originally owned in the village, they had also cleared some land at the foot of the mountain behind their house to plant sorghum, soybeans, and peanuts.

Once again, Pingshan Village was enveloped in a misty spring rain. Looking out from the house, the distant green mountains seemed like an ethereal paradise. Elder He also enjoyed gazing at the mountain scenery through the window, sipping on a small cup of wine while chewing on some dried meat. Meanwhile, little Ah Lin recited the Three Character Classic in the background. These peaceful, simple days were truly priceless.

After spending so much time running around managing the fields and the mountain, Tang Chunming found it a bit unsettling to suddenly have free time. He quietly admitted to himself that he was simply born to be busy. Fortunately, the letters and books sent by Rong Yue provided him with a way to pass the time. Most of the books in Elder He’s room were medical texts, and the miscellaneous ones had long been taken away and read through. Elder He had once mentioned that those miscellaneous books were ones he had accidentally brought along without realizing it; if he had checked more carefully, he probably wouldn’t have brought them at all. But reading medical books? Tang Chunming shook his head—he had absolutely no interest.

Even after leaving, Rong Yue still remembered what Tang Chunming had said. After gathering a collection of books and items, he sent someone to personally deliver them to Pingshan Village. Receiving such a large package made Tang Chunming very happy.

Rong Yue’s letter was quite long. Knowing that Tang Chunming wanted to see the world beyond, he described in detail the places he had visited recently—their customs, local specialties, and even amusing incidents that had occurred between merchants. It made for an entertaining read. Friendship required mutual effort, so as he gazed at the misty scenery outside, Tang Chunming ground some ink and unfolded a sheet of paper to write a reply to Rong Yue.

Meanwhile, Li Feng went to the kitchen to fetch steamed eggs for little Ah Sen. At this stage, the child could already eat foods beyond just goat’s milk. Seeing Chen Mama still busy in the kitchen, he said, “With the rain these past two days, there’s been less work to do around the house. Once you’re done here, you should head home early.”

Chen Mama was stacking firewood in the stove when he heard this. He dusted off his clothes and smiled. “Alright, once I finish up here, I’ll head back. If you need anything, just come to my house and call me over.”

“I will,” Li Feng nodded before carrying the bowl out of the kitchen.

Watching him leave, Chen Mama couldn’t help but feel envious of this household and the couple within it. Li Feng was a thoughtful and attentive husband, taking on many of the household chores himself. He had seen him washing Ah Sen’s diapers more than once. Meanwhile, Ming Ge’er was a capable earner. Every time Jinji Restaurant came to collect vegetables, he would wake up early to help pick them. While the villagers often speculated about how much money he made selling vegetables, Chen Mama knew the truth—it was far more than they guessed. However, his son had advised him to keep anything he saw or heard to himself. Speaking carelessly could displease the master and cost them a good job. He understood this well and was deeply grateful for the opportunity.

The moment little Ah Sen saw his father enter with his special bowl, he flailed his arms wildly in excitement. Ah Lin, who had just finished reciting the Three Character Classic, blushed and teased his younger brother, calling him a little glutton. Even the three dogs—Xiaohua, Xiaohei, and Xiaodai—who had been staying indoors due to the rain, perked up and wagged their tails eagerly at their master, Li Feng.

Xiaohua, the largest of the three dogs, noticed that its little master was about to fall off the bed in his excitement. It gently nudged Ah Sen back onto the bed with its head, remaining calm even when the child grabbed its ears in a messy grip.

Seeing this, Li Feng laughed. Their dogs had been raised to be exceptionally intelligent. He suspected it had something to do with the mystical space. Even their horse, Jingfeng, had become noticeably more perceptive.

Li Feng quickly set down the bowl and picked up Ah Sen. The moment he did, Ah Sen, who had been tugging at Xiaohua’s ears, immediately let go and beamed at his father. Xiaohua, relieved, slunk to the side, drooping its ears—its little master had quite the grip, and it still stung.

Tang Chunming had also noticed Ah Sen bullying Xiaohua. This little troublemaker! He put down his brush and said, “Let me feed him.”

Li Feng shook his head, still holding Ah Sen in one arm while skillfully feeding him spoonfuls of steamed egg with the other. “You focus on writing your letter. I’ll feed him.”

His handwriting wasn’t as good as Ming Ge’er’s, so all correspondence with Dingzhou Prefecture was now handled by Tang Chunming. He was well aware of his own shortcomings and wasn’t bothered by them. Ming Ge’er’s knowledge far surpassed his—after all, he had studied for over a decade! In Li Feng’s eyes, that was no less impressive than a scholar’s education. Having such a knowledgeable and capable husband made him feel incredibly proud.

Although each family member was engaged in their own tasks, the atmosphere remained warm and harmonious. Elder He, caught up in the excitement, decided to spread out some xuan paper under the window and start painting. He had been raised as a nobleman in his youth, and while he wasn’t a master of the four arts—qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting—his skills were certainly enough to impress Tang Chunming. That was precisely why Tang Chunming insisted on having Elder He teach Ah Lin. Otherwise, he feared that without proper guidance, Ah Lin’s development might go astray. Even if Ah Lin could learn just a fraction of Elder He’s skills, it would be enough for him to carry himself well in the future.

Elder He painted a scene of children playing with dogs. Naturally, the children in the painting were Ah Lin and Ah Sen, who were currently playing with Xiao-Dai. The three family dogs also made their way into the artwork. Once the painting was completed, Tang Chunming immediately claimed it and hung it up in his room—after all, Elder He was truly a master.

The rain had yet to stop, but an unresolved conflict within the Zhao family had finally erupted into the open, becoming the talk of the entire Pingshan Village.

The Zhao family’s internal strife had little to do with Tang Chunming in his current position, yet it was impossible to completely sever ties. The root of the issue, after all, still involved him. First, there was the long-standing, albeit unspoken, conflict between him and his Third Granduncle. Second, his leadership in guiding the villagers of Pingshan Village toward newfound prosperity had created a stark divide. When profits reached a certain magnitude, even family ties could be disregarded. In this case, it was particularly frustrating for the other members of the Zhao family, as they were watching a lucrative opportunity slip away solely because of Third Granduncle’s interference.

By the time the conflict had escalated to the point where the entire village was aware, even the village head could no longer ignore it. Braving the rain, the village head made his way to Li Feng’s house. After accepting the cup of hot tea offered by Li Feng and letting the warmth drive away the damp chill of spring, he finally sighed and got to the point.

“The Zhao family has already gone so far as to elect a new clan leader. They only informed the bedridden one after the fact, and that was only after confirming with Physician Hu that Uncle Zhao’s condition had improved. It seems they were at least somewhat worried about pushing him to the brink. But the moment they broke the news, even though his health had been improving, his condition took a turn for the worse again. I went to check on him before coming here… Sigh, I really don’t know what to say about the situation.”

The village head let out another sigh as he recalled the scene at Uncle Zhao’s house. His sons, at least, were still dutiful—none had abandoned him. The bed was kept warm, and someone was always there to prepare his medicine. Yet the village head couldn’t understand why the old man insisted on making things so difficult, driving a wedge between himself and his descendants. If his children truly hardened their hearts and only maintained surface-level respect to avoid gossip, would he regret his stubbornness when it was too late?

“He probably won’t let it go that easily,” Tang Chunming mused. “At least not until Zhao Laosan gets his results from the autumn imperial exams. He won’t give up control before then. But his children can’t afford to wait that long, let alone the other members of the Zhao family.”

Tang Chunming’s side of things, however, had tangible and immediate benefits—results that would be seen as early as this autumn. But the opportunity itself wouldn’t last that long. The village head and the clan elders had already set clear deadlines for investments into the winery. Once the spring plowing was over, the initial shareholders and their stakes in the business had to be finalized.

“You were right, Ming Ge’er. That old man is unbelievably stubborn—there’s just no reasoning with him.” The village head shook his head in exasperation. He couldn’t understand why that old man had such a strong bias against Ming Ge’er. There were plenty of households where a ger was the head of the family, and many of them were extremely capable. Ming Ge’er wasn’t even the most outstanding example—take Master Rong, who had previously visited Pingshan Village, for instance. Now he was truly impressive. Besides, the village head had already come to terms with it: as long as Li Feng didn’t mind, then any outside opinions were completely unnecessary. And from the looks of it, Li Feng himself was more than happy with the arrangement.

It was a shame, really. Uncle Zhao had once been a highly respected elder in the Zhao family, but as the family itself had lamented, he had only grown more foolish with age.

“Even Uncle Zhao’s own sons and grandsons had no objections to electing a new clan leader. With only him holding out in protest, there’s nothing he can do to stop it. The Zhao family is about to open the ancestral hall for the official proceedings. But right now, their biggest concern is whether or not you’ll allow them to invest in the winery. Of course, they don’t dare to approach you directly just yet, so they sent me as their middleman instead.” The village head gave a wry smile.

Tang Chunming chuckled softly. When Sixth Uncle had first hinted at the Zhao family’s movements, he and Li Feng had already mentally prepared themselves for this moment. The temptation of profit was bound to be stronger than an old man’s stubborn pride. He had known this day would come. In fact, deep down, he had been looking forward to it—he wanted to see that rigid old man experience the consequences of turning against his own kin. He wanted him to feel the same isolation and helplessness that he himself had once endured.

That was why, after discussing it with Li Feng, they had decided not to reject the Zhao family outright—except for Uncle Zhao and his immediate family. As long as it wasn’t them, they would allow other Zhao family members to invest. However, they would have no decision-making power in the winery. That had to be made clear—the authority lay with the Li family and those who held the majority shares.

When Tang Chunming conveyed his stance to the village head, the latter let out a deep sigh, full of emotion. “Ming Ge’er, you truly have a generous heart. I was worried before coming here, afraid that you’d be angry at me for speaking on the Zhao family’s behalf. But now, you’re practically repaying their grievances with kindness. After this, who would dare say anything against you?”

Tang Chunming felt a little embarrassed by the praise and smiled sheepishly. In truth, his intentions weren’t so noble. First, he simply wanted to spite Uncle Zhao and his family. Second, the Zhao family was quite large and had intermarried with other families in the village, meaning they weren’t an isolated household. If he pushed things too far, the advantage he had worked so hard to gain might diminish. Instead, by presenting himself as the magnanimous one, he could win over more hearts. Just as the village head had said—if anyone dared to criticize him in the future, he could take a firm stance without losing the support of the majority. After all, the entire village had witnessed how things had played out—he had never wronged the Zhao family. It had always been the other way around.

After the village head left, Tang Chunming turned his head to look at Li Feng. Li Feng stepped forward and pulled him into an embrace. “This is good. As for everything else, don’t let it weigh on your heart.”

To Li Feng, Ming Ge’er was still too softhearted, too kind. If it had been him, he wouldn’t have been nearly so forgiving. Back then, aside from Sixth Uncle, none of the Zhao family had stood by Ming Ge’er. So why did they think they could now benefit from him?

But it was fine. Ming Ge’er could remain as he was—kind and generous. As for everything else, Li Feng would handle it. If anyone dared to go too far, he had plenty of ways to deal with them.

The matter with the Zhao family quickly came to an end on Tang Chunming’s side. The Zhao family members were naturally grateful for Ming Ge’er’s generosity. They even sent someone to deliver gifts to Li Feng’s house as a token of appreciation before coming again with the village head to sign a contract and purchase seeds. Of course, Tang Chunming kept a copy of the contract for himself.

For Tang Chunming, the issue with the Zhao family was settled, but within the Zhao family itself, tensions were far from over. Not that it had anything to do with him—it was they who had come to him for help, not the other way around. He hadn’t created their internal conflicts.

The continuous spring rain finally came to a stop. After sending out a letter he had written to Rong Yue, Tang Chunming was eager to head into the mountains with Zhang Xiu to gather mushrooms. He couldn’t help but think about how pitiful he had been the previous year—pregnant and restricted from doing anything. Now, he could finally move around freely and have some fun.

“Ah Lin, stay home and keep Grandpa company. Mother is going into the mountains to pick mushrooms. When I get back, I’ll make chicken and mushroom stew for you. It’ll be so delicious you’ll want to swallow your tongue!” With his basket secured on his back, Tang Chunming gave Ah Lin a few words of instruction before cheerfully setting off with Zhang Xiu.

Zhang Xiu chuckled as he recalled how last year, Tang Chunming had stared longingly outside, wanting to go out. Now, with two kids of his own, he still had such a playful nature. But it was a good sign—it meant he truly wasn’t bothered by the recent drama with the Zhao family.

Even Xiaohua, the dog who had been cooped up due to the rain, was full of energy. He trotted excitedly beside his master, eager to prove his worth now that he had the chance to go out.

They were heading to the mountain behind their house. Li Feng had already scouted a few good spots beforehand and told Tang Chunming about them, so there was no need to wander around aimlessly. Li Feng was also concerned about his safety—at least in their own back mountain, with Xiaohua accompanying him, he could feel at ease. Despite having a gentle-sounding name, Xiaohua had grown into a strong and imposing dog. He had also become quite fierce when needed, thanks to Li Feng’s intentional training. He often took his hunting in the mountains, and now, he was even more formidable than when they had encountered wolves last winter.

On their way, they ran into Shen Fulang, who immediately turned back home. A short while later, he returned with a basket of his own and joined them.

With companions by his side and Xiaohua as their loyal protector, Tang Chunming finally got his long-awaited adventure. Though his foraging skills weren’t as refined as Zhang Xiu’s or Shen Fulang’s, making his harvest smaller, he was still delighted—after all, gathering the mushrooms himself made them all the more meaningful. Even Xiaohua had a successful outing, catching two wild rabbits.

Spring in the mountains was full of edible wild plants. Tang Chunming took every opportunity to experiment with new dishes at home—stir-fried Chinese toon with eggs, shepherd’s purse dumplings, Malantou (Indian Kalimeris), bitter greens, and tender goji shoots. His family enjoyed the seasonal feast immensely.

And of course, there was no forgetting bamboo shoots. He and Li Feng dug up a good amount, using them for various dishes and even pickling some into sour bamboo shoots. That tangy, crunchy flavor was something he wouldn’t soon forget.

These rural joys were something no magical space could ever provide.

At the same time, however, Tang Chunming’s internal energy cultivation remained utterly stagnant. This meant he had no chance of taking control in bed anytime soon. Each time Li Feng thoroughly ravished him, inside and out, he could only bite his blanket in frustration. Why was it that he, the actual owner of the spatial dimension, received no help from it in cultivating his inner strength, yet Li Feng, an outsider, benefited so much?

With his improved internal energy and regular consumption of food from the space, Li Feng was visibly changing—his old battle scars from the northern front were fading, and even his skin had become noticeably smoother.