"Great! We can go play again!" Bai Fenghuan jumped up with joy.
Qin Wang smiled at Bai Fenghuan. She was just a child, only thirteen or fourteen years old, and it was natural for her to love playing.
At 1 PM, over three hundred tables were set up at Li Family Village.
The leader, deputy leader, fish stall workers of the Jinyu Gang, and tenant farmers from Qingniu Market all came to pay their respects.
Qin Wang and Bai Fenghuan followed behind Dr. Bai into Li Family Village.
Qin Wang had already scouted the places where Li Laocai had hidden silver—his burned bedroom and behind the latrine. He was just waiting for the right moment to dig out the silver.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, five days had passed.
Early morning.
[Martial Arts: Taizu Long Fist (Beginner)]
[Progress: (201/800)]
[Effect: Agile footwork, proficient in both long and short-range attacks, strong explosive power, adept in close combat, can achieve minor success in two months.]
[Skill: Medical Skills (Beginner)]
[Progress: (2/800)]
[Effect: Proficient in traditional medicine, basic understanding of pulse diagnosis and medical principles, diligence can make up for lack of talent, can achieve minor success in one year.]
"Finally, my medical skills have begun."
Qin Wang looked at his progress panel with satisfaction.
Recently, after eating the golden-winged red carp, his physical strength had increased several times. He no longer looked frail and weak; although he still appeared thin, his muscles were firm, and his bones were becoming more robust.
His strength had increased several times, and Qin Wang felt that his current strength exceeded that of an average adult male.
"It's time to dig out Li Laocai's 1350 taels of silver and head to the county town."
Qin Wang checked today's intelligence on his panel and planned accordingly.
The intelligence showed that three days ago, after finishing Li Laocai's funeral, Zheng Kecheng had taken Li Chunxia back to the county town, leaving Li Family Village completely abandoned. No one dared to go there during the day, let alone at night.
Qin Wang had confirmed this in the past three days.
No one visited Li Family Village.
With a small hoe and a bag, Qin Wang avoided the night watchman and headed to Li Family Village.
Soon, he entered the ruins of Li Family Village. There was no sound around; Qin Wang tightened his clothes, put on a hat, and looked around carefully. He reached the latrine of Li Family Village.
According to the intelligence, there was 500 taels of silver buried one zhang (about 3.33 meters) east of the latrine.
Qin Wang estimated that 500 taels of silver weighed about 40 pounds. Digging this was more manageable; too much would be hard to carry.
He started digging with the hoe, stopping occasionally to listen for any sounds around.
When he dug about three feet deep, he felt the hoe hit something hard. Carefully, he removed the surrounding soil and found a three-foot-large clay jar in the pit.
The jar was sealed with clay. Qin Wang broke the seal with the hoe and saw the silver inside gleaming in the faint light.
"Indeed, it's silver! The intelligence was accurate!"
Qin Wang looked at the silver, filled his bag, restored the ground to its original state, covered it with bamboo leaves, and left with the silver in the dark.
An hour later.
Qin Wang made his way home, taking many twists and turns.
He locked the door, bolted it with an iron rod, went to the kitchen, and counted the silver by the firelight.
"Exactly 500 taels! I've struck it rich!"
Inside the bag were forty ten-tael silver ingots and a hundred one-tael silver pieces shaped like steamed buns. Qin Wang buried 400 taels of silver ingots under the kitchen floor and wrapped the 100 taels of small silver pieces in a cloth.
"I'll get the remaining 850 taels from under the bed tomorrow night."
Qin Wang saw it was almost the third watch (11 PM to 1 AM). The remaining 850 taels weighed about 68 pounds, and carrying it all at once would take a lot of time. Small vendors in Qingniu Market got up early, so being discovered wouldn't be good.
The next noon.
A slender young girl in a blue dress, carrying a small bundle, stood at the door of the ramshackle house with a worried look on her face.
"Xuemei! Is it really you!"
At that moment, the door of Li Yunhai's house opened, and a woman in her forties came out, holding a young boy. She looked surprised at the girl.
"Auntie, do you know where Wangzi went?"
Qin Xuemei looked at Xiao Yan with deep concern in her eyes.
"Xuemei, after you left for the Chen family in the county, your brother entered Baicaotang to work as an apprentice. He should be there now."
Xiao Yan said.
"Thank you, Auntie. I'll go check Baicaotang!"
Qin Xuemei handed a piece of candy to the boy and headed to the market.
Baicaotang.
Qin Wang was organizing medicinal herbs when Bai Fenghuan walked in and said, "Big brother, there's an older sister outside looking for you."
"Looking for me?"
Qin Wang was puzzled and put down the herbs, walking outside.
As he stepped out, he saw a delicate young girl standing at the door. She was very thin, her face showing signs of hardship, carrying a small bundle. She looked at Qin Wang with large, delighted eyes.
"Wangzi!"
Qin Xuemei ran over and grabbed Qin Wang's hands, looking him up and down.
"Sis, you're back! I was planning to visit you soon!"
Qin Wang also looked at Qin Xuemei.
His sister was still as thin as ever. It seemed she hadn't had a good time at the Chen family for the past two months.
"I asked for leave to come back and see you, then I'll return."
Qin Xuemei's eyes briefly showed a hint of sadness, but she smiled brightly.
"Xiao Qin, it's not busy today. You can go home with your sister and take a day off."
At that moment, Dr. Bai's voice came from the side.
"Thank you, Grandpa Bai!"
Qin Wang thanked Bai Mingliang and left with Qin Xuemei. On the way, he bought some groceries.
"Wangzi, you look so much better after two months."
Back home, Qin Xuemei pinched Qin Wang's arms and chest, her eyes shining. She was genuinely happy to see her brother getting better.
"Yes, I eat three bowls of rice every day at Dr. Bai's place."
"How are things at the Chen family? Are you doing alright?"
Qin Wang asked, looking at Qin Xuemei.
"I'm fine. Look, I brought you some silver. With this, you can build a house and spend wisely." Qin Xuemei opened her bundle and handed it to Qin Wang.
"So much? Where did you get this silver?"
Qin Wang saw twenty one-tael silver pieces in the bundle.
He knew.
His sister sold herself to the Chen family as a laundry maid. She wouldn't have any money except to barely survive. How did she get this silver?
"I saved the young master of the Lin family while doing laundry at the Chen family's place. The old lady of the Lin family gave me 20 taels of silver to thank me. I took leave to bring it back to you. I'll stay home for two days before returning."
Qin Xuemei said while busying herself with cooking, repeating the story she had prepared beforehand.