Poisonous Peasant 'Concubine' Ch 42 - Hyacinth in Bloom

Chapter 42 — Planning For The Future

“Xiao Wu, are you going to practice calligraphy or practicing martial arts?”

Ling Wen had just left the house and, after a while, he was finally able to calm down. Now that Daddy was awake, they no longer had to go outside to search for wild vegetables. Thinking of how Daddy often mentioned wanting them to pass the imperial examination and become scholars in the future, Ling Wen decided to practice calligraphy in the backyard to Daddy’s expectations as soon as possible.

What Ling Wen didn’t know was that Ling Jingxuan was not the kind of rigid person he thought he was. If he had intended for them to follow the path of the imperial examination, he would not have only suggested that they become scholars. To him, a scholar was equivalent to finishing middle school. His requirement wasn’t excessive—he simply didn’t want them to be illiterate in the future. Whether they went down the path of the imperial examination later on would be entirely up to them, and he would respect their decision.

“I want to practice martial arts. I’m going to protect you and Daddy, so no one can bully you anymore.”

Xiao Wu shook his head. Unlike Ling Wen, he was completely innocent and naive. But compared to other children, he was also mature for his age. Though they were twins, his older brother had always been the one to take charge. He had grown up watching Ling Wen’s back. Whenever village children bullied them, it was always Ling Wen who stood in front of him, protecting him, so he never had to suffer. Now that Daddy was better, their family would improve. Daddy had even taught them both to practice martial arts and recognize characters. But compared to writing, Xiao Wu was more eager to learn martial arts. It was because he wanted to protect his beloved Daddy and Brother.

“Alright, let’s bring some tea to the backyard. It’s too hot to practice martial arts in this weather, so you’d better not overdo it.”

Ling Wen gently stroked his younger brother’s face, feeling heartache for him. He then took Xiao Wu to the kitchen to bring a large pot of tea before heading to the backyard. The two brothers had no idea that disaster was about to strike.

Ling Jingxuan’s home was quite secluded, at least a mile from the village. It took time to go back and forth. The group of women couldn’t move as quickly as the men, so they hadn’t arrived yet. On the mountain, Ling Jingxuan and Ling Jingpeng had already finished gathering wild grapes, and when Ling Jingxuan returned, the two brothers exchanged a smile. Their youthful faces were tinged with a faint blush, yet there wasn’t a trace of exhaustion. After all, compared to the huge temptation of selling a jar of jam for one or two silver, what was a little effort?

“Heh, Brother, why are you cutting your own clothes to wrap up stuff again? Aren’t you afraid Xiao Wen will nag you again?”

Ling Jingpeng laughed when he saw his older brother holding two huge bundles and noticed he was missing most of his clothing. He remembered how Xiao Wen had scolded him the last time.

“Huh? You think I’ll die if you don’t remind me?”

Ling Jingxuan glared at him in frustration. He had clearly seen Xiao Wen notice him cutting his own clothes last time, yet Xiao Wen didn’t stop him. He had even thought that… but now that they were free, Xiao Wen had been going on and on about how he didn’t cherish his things, wasting them, etc. It had driven him crazy, and now the thought of it made his head ache.

“Haha, it’s fine. But Big Brother, what’s in these bundles?”

Seeing his older brother about to get annoyed, Ling Jingpeng quickly changed the topic, trying to avoid making him upset. He focused his attention on the two bundles. The mountain had many things, and Ling Jingxuan was a man of good taste. Besides wild fruits, he had also gathered various mushrooms and fungi, which were delicious. Ling Jingpeng had been planning to ask him how to identify these things for a long time.

“Of course, it’s good stuff. Come here and see. This is raspberry. I found a big raspberry bush ahead, full of ripe red fruit. The mildly sour, sweet taste is perfect for making jam as a substitute for wild grapes. I’ve checked carefully, and there are plenty of smaller raspberry bushes nearby. In a couple of days, we’ll dig them up and plant them in the yard. Then, we won’t have to risk going up the mountain for them next year. And this,” he said, unwrapping the first bundle, “is wild bayberry. Unfortunately, its peak season is in May, so most of them have already fallen off. I only managed to gather this small amount. But this has great medicinal value. If you make wine with it, it can not only quench thirst but also improve digestion, stimulate appetite, and prevent heatstroke. We’ll come back earlier next year to gather more. For now, we can take these and brew some wine to drink.”

When Ling Jingxuan spoke about his new discoveries, he seemed almost like a treasure hunter sharing his precious finds. The two fruits were both vividly red, and their tastes were similarly sweet and sour. However, their uses, appearances, and medicinal values were different. Ling Jingxuan explained that consuming raspberries long-term could even help with impotence and infertility—something the ancient world greatly feared. Later, when used to make jam, it could offer an extra selling point.

Ling Jingpeng was absolutely stunned by his older brother’s knowledge. Ling Jingxuan’s medical expertise provided him with a distinct advantage, allowing him to identify and make use of many valuable plants. It was clear how much Ling Jingpeng admired his brother.

“Ahem, so what’s this then?”

Finally managing to suppress his shock at his older brother’s vast knowledge, Ling Jingpeng cleared his throat and forced himself to calm down. He had a feeling that their family was about to make a fortune soon.

“These are wood ear mushrooms and various types of fungi. It’s not really mushroom season, so it’s good that we found this much. By October, when the weather cools, there will be an endless supply of mushrooms in this mountain. We’ll work hard then, gather as many as we can, and take them to the market in the town. It’ll bring in some income.”

Even the smallest opportunity to earn money was valuable, and it required no investment. Why not seize it?

“Big Brother, how do you know so much?”

Ling Jingpeng asked casually, but Ling Jingxuan froze for a moment. Then, turning around to check on the grapes, he answered evasively, “You forget, I was once a student. The more books you read, the more you know.”

It was a typical excuse, but Ling Jingxuan himself felt embarrassed by it. He knew his little brother wasn’t as easily fooled as their younger sibling. It was hard to hide anything from him.

“Is that so? I’ve already filled two large baskets with wild grapes. Is that enough for you? If not, I’ll go up the mountain by myself and gather more. You stay home and wash them. Later, we’ll make the jam together.”

Unexpectedly, Ling Jingpeng didn’t ask any probing questions. Instead, while speaking, he began preparing to squat down and lift one of the bamboo baskets. Ling Jingxuan glanced at him suspiciously, but couldn’t detect a hint of doubt on his face, which made him wonder if he had missed something.

“Wait a moment, since we’re here, let’s cut some more wild grapevines to take back and plant. The ones I planted last time have all survived.”

Ling Jingxuan didn’t dwell on it for too long. It was a good thing that his younger brother didn’t suspect anything, right?

Thanks to the Crescent Moon Spring water, the wild pear tree branches and grapevines he had cut and planted in the yard a few days ago had all taken root. Not only did the Crescent Moon Spring attract fish, but it also promoted plant growth. From his observations, it had significant benefits for the human body too. The most obvious proof was the scar on Xiao Wu’s face. After only a few days of drinking and washing with the spring water, the injury was almost gone, something that even surprised Ling Jingxuan. Because of this, he was even more determined not to share the secret of the Crescent Moon Spring with anyone. Holding precious information could lead to trouble, and he didn’t want to invite unnecessary problems.

“They all survived? It’s only been a few days. Are you sure you’re not mistaken?” Ling Jingpeng paused for a moment and couldn’t help but look at him doubtfully. After all, he was a half-farmer. Wasn’t it hard to get fruit tree branches to take root?

“Heh, how could I be mistaken? Just trust me. In the future, I plan to buy all the land around the house and turn it into a farm orchard,” Ling Jingxuan said, clearing his throat a little awkwardly. He then swung his sickle, cutting thick branches. Ever since discovering the power of the Crescent Moon Spring, he had been planning to buy the surrounding land. After all, the area was mostly idle, and no one dared to come and settle there. The price probably wouldn’t be high either, but the village’s chief held a lot of power in the village, and thinking about having to deal with the so-called “Second Grandpa,” who was the village chief, made him uncomfortable.

“Buy land?” Ling Jingpeng was stunned again, then sighed lightly and took up his sickle to help cut the branches.

“What’s wrong? You can’t buy land now?”

Noticing the unease in his younger brother’s tone, Ling Jingxuan asked curiously, and Ling Jingpeng shook his head. “It’s not that… It’s just… Forget it. You know, Father and Mother never wanted me to talk to you about these things. I’m sure you’re aware that the Ling family looks down on you. When they forced you to the foot of Yuehua Mountain, they had no intention of letting you survive. Forget about the mysteries of the mountain; even the wild beasts in the area are dangerous enough to kill you. If they ever came down the mountain, the first to die would have been you. They wanted you dead. Back then, when Father and Mother went to Second Grandpa’s house to buy those three acres of land, they knelt there for a whole day and night. I still remember how, when they came back, they couldn’t get out of bed for several days. It was only after Grandma and a few uncles caused a scene at Second Grandpa’s house that he finally agreed to sell the land to us. The entire family of Second Grandpa still hates Father and Mother, and even Grandma and Grandpa have become colder and more spiteful toward them. If you really want to buy land, it’s not going to be easy.”

It was truly shocking: blood relatives who would rather see one another dead. Was it because he was a man who fathered a child without marriage? Did they really have to go this far?

Ling Jingxuan felt a deep disdain for all the Ling family members, except for Father, Mother, and his younger brother. To them, the precious family reputation was worth nothing in his eyes. With their values so different, it was best not to interact with them much. More importantly, he needed to think of a way to separate his parents’ household as soon as possible.

“It’s fine. Even if the village chief has great power, can he outmatch the County Magistrate? The land doesn’t belong to him. All he does is run errands and help with contracts. In the future, I’ll go straight to the county to buy land from the magistrate.”

According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, local approval was needed for small land transactions, but what if he were to buy thousands of acres? He was confident that, with money, he could buy anything.

“Go to the County Magistrate?”

Ling Jingpeng was baffled. How much land would they need to sell for that? Did he really think the Magistrate would personally handle a few acres of land?

“Heh, do you think I was joking when I said I’d buy up that patch of semi-saline land? Right now, it looks like I’m the only one who can grow anything there. The Magistrate will probably be grateful when I buy it. Once I grow something, the Magistrate’s credit will be huge. By then, who’s really in charge, him or me?” Ling Jingxuan paused his work and, half-jokingly, squatted down.

The vast semi-saline land in the Inner Sea area spanned thousands of hectares. If he could make it productive, he was certain that the Magistrate would be so grateful that he’d be willing to call him “father.” This was the real power of wealth. His current focus was on gathering money as quickly as possible, so that he could buy the land and hire workers to prepare for everything before the seawater reversed.

“Can you really grow crops there?!”

If Ling Jingxuan’s recent actions had stunned him, this revelation filled him with excitement and anticipation. Deep down, he had a feeling that it was very likely.

“Mm, I have some ideas, but it’s too early to talk about it now. Let’s head home.”

Ling Jingxuan said, as he knew it was all just talk for now. When the time came and his plans came to fruition, he wouldn’t need to explain anything to anyone.

“Huh? Oh, okay?”

Without receiving a definite answer, Ling Jingpeng was left in a daze. However, as they each took a basket to carry, and Ling Jingxuan grabbed the thick branches tied together, Ling Jingpeng suddenly snapped out of his trance. He quickly stuffed both bundles into his older brother’s arms, grabbing the branches himself and walking ahead. Out of sight from Ling Jingxuan, his youthful, slightly tanned face broke into a smile. He truly believed that if anyone could make it happen, it was his older brother.

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Translator: LazyHermitGal