He started by killing his abusive father, and from then on, he embarked on the road to wealth.

Chapter 41 The Two Kids' Thoughts

"Has Ah Li made up her mind?"

Meng Ali had already made up her mind. She raised her head and said, "Ali wants to be a hunter and go hunting in the mountains so that my family can have meat to eat every day!"

Meng Fuqing said, "But my elder sister can hunt, and now our family has meat to eat every meal."

"Oh, right." Meng Ali deflated instantly, continuing to furrow her brows and ponder deeply.

Suddenly, he thought of something, glanced cautiously at Meng Fuqing, and stammered, "Big sister, I've thought of something. I... I want to study."

Meng Ali had heard countless times from the village elders saying things like, "If only your father focused on his studies," and "Supporting your father's education is a waste of money."

His mother had said that scholars were very capable, but his father was an "unusual" scholar who went astray. As a young child, he wondered what kind of person a person who devoted themselves to studying would become. He wanted to become a "capable scholar" so that his mother and sisters would no longer suffer.

Meng Fuqing asked patiently, "Why?"

Meng Ali mustered her courage and said, "Ali is better than Father. What Father can't do, Ali can do! Ali wants to make sure no one dares to bully Mother, Eldest Sister, and Second Sister!"

Even Meng Fuqing was surprised by Meng Ali's answer. The fact that the three children of the Meng family did not turn out badly under Meng Shaoyuan's violent treatment was entirely due to Shan Qiyu's careful guidance.

Shan Qiyu is literate. In his spare time, he would write a character on the ground and teach them how to read it. Then, he would tell them a short story based on that character. After he finished telling the story, he would let them hold a stick and trace the character on the ground.

Learning to read was the only thing that allowed them to relax from their busy work and the oppressive force of Meng Shaoyuan's fists.

Because Meng Shaoyuan wanted Meng Ali to learn more characters, but didn't want to teach him himself, he wouldn't lose his temper at this time.

"When you're a little older, your eldest sister will send you to school. You and your second sister can learn to read with your mother first, how about that?"

Meng Ali stood there dumbfounded. He hadn't expected his older sister to agree so easily, and then he felt embarrassed. "Studying costs so much money..."

"So Ali has to help her mother and sisters. Once things are better at home, we'll have money to send Ali to school."

Meng Ali nodded earnestly, like a chick pecking at rice. He knew how hard his mother worked to save money, but his father asked for money very easily. Every time his father bought wine, his mother would stay up all night embroidering for half a month. Every penny the family earned was hard-earned.

Seeing that she didn't need to fight for it at all, Meng Ranran felt ashamed of her petty thoughts. A warm feeling came from her head. She looked up and her older sister touched her head, saying, "I'll call you tomorrow."

As soon as Meng Fuqing stepped out of the house, she met a pair of eyes glistening with tears.

Shan Qiyu slowly approached, raised her hand and hugged Meng Fuqing into her arms, "Qingqing, what would I do without you?"

It was a little cold in Shan Qiyu's arms, suggesting he had been standing outside for a long time.

Meng Fuqing lowered her eyes to hide the complex emotions within them.

Undeniably, she developed a fondness for this family and felt a deep sense of kinship from them.

But after learning that war might break out in the future, she wanted more than just family ties; she wanted people's hearts, their trust, and unconditional trust and following no matter what decisions she made.

Before going to sleep, Meng Fuqing began to nurture a ginseng seed anew.

A few days ago, she tried to see how much a ginseng could grow after exhausting her wood-elemental energy. Now, a ginseng that is about ten years old is lying in her space.

It took her wood-elemental energy three days to fully recover. Fortunately, vines are a type of superpower, and manipulating them requires very little wood-elemental energy; otherwise, it would have been quite troublesome.

This time, she didn't dare to exhaust her energy directly. After stimulating the birth, she went to bed. Tomorrow, she not only had to go to Doctor Zheng's house, but also to the village chief's house to inquire about the Lin family.

Early in the morning, the rooster crowed like an octet, accompanied by the clucking of the hens, the quacking of the ducks, and the honking of the mules.

Meng Fuqing lay on the bed, his eyes lifeless.

She miscalculated; she should have killed the chickens and ducks and stored them in her spatial storage, but it was too late.

It was still dark outside. Shan Qiyu was feeding the chickens, ducks, and mules. Seeing that the mules were eating the hay with relish, she added some beans. Having chickens, ducks, and livestock at home was something many people would rather die for, and she was very happy.

There are just too many chickens and ducks, and they're pooping everywhere. She can't stand it, so she needs to pen them up quickly.

Meng Fuqing also got up early, and when she walked out of her room, she still looked tired.

As soon as I entered the courtyard—'splat'.

She looked down at her feet, her expression indifferent. "Great, I've won the lottery."

Having overcome even the challenge of using a dry toilet and having witnessed others fall into one, Meng Fuqing calmly wiped his shoes on the ground and went to boil water to wash up as usual.

I ate two mutton buns and drank a bowl of porridge for breakfast, and then it was dawn.

She took Meng Ranran and Meng Ali out to gather firewood to aid digestion, as they needed to put up the fence this morning.

After hurriedly building the fence, Meng Fuqing took Meng Ranran to the village chief's house. Before they could even knock, the door was opened and Meng Wan'er came out.

"What brings you two here? Come in quickly!"

Meng Fuqing stood at the door and asked, "Is Grandpa Village Chief home?"

“Grandpa isn’t home. He just went to Doctor Zheng’s house,” Meng Wan’er whispered to Meng Fuqing. “Yesterday, Grandpa and Doctor Zheng brought back three men. One of them was delirious from a high fever, and we don’t know how he is today.”

Meng Wan'er is just like that; once she loses her prejudice against someone, she becomes warm and generous.

Meng Fuqing nodded, "Then I won't go in. I'll take my sister to see Doctor Zheng."

"Ah, Ranran is going to become Doctor Zheng's apprentice? That's wonderful!"

Meng Ranran felt a little shy and called out softly, "Sister Wan'er." She wondered when her older sister had become so close to Sister Wan'er.

Meng Wan'er also really wanted to go to Doctor Zheng's house; she wanted to see what the commotion was like. So she said, "Qingqing, may I go with you?"

Meng Fuqing nodded indifferently.

The three walked towards Doctor Zheng's house, and after they left, Meng Linlang emerged from behind a tree.

She bit her lip, watching the three figures disappear into the distance, feeling increasingly panicked.

She and Meng Wan'er were the best friends in the village, not only because they were about the same age, but also because other girls in the village were less knowledgeable, while Meng Wan'er was not only well-informed but also had a good personality. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the two of them were best friends.

Now Meng Wan'er is also going to be taken away by Meng Fuqing.

Will everything she owns be taken away by Meng Fuqing in the future? Meng Linlang dared not think about it.

Wait a little longer, one more month. In another month, she will definitely ruin Meng Fuqing's reputation.

***

When the three arrived at Doctor Zheng's house, the first thing they saw was Xie Jin standing under the eaves with a strange man.

The two were talking in hushed tones when they heard the noise and immediately looked over at them.

Four sharp gazes startled Meng Ranran and Meng Wan'er, causing them to take a step back. Meng Fuqing then said, "We've come to find the village chief."

Xie Jin's icy expression instantly melted away. "So it's you. Village Chief Meng is inside. Do you need me to call him out?"

The stranger standing to the side, the scarred man who had changed his appearance, Mu Feng, gasped and his eyes darted between the two men.

There were patients inside, so it wasn't appropriate for them to go in. Meng Fuqing readily accepted his help, saying, "Thank you for your help. Since we have a chance to meet again, don't forget to pay me back."

Xie Jin chuckled, "Of course I won't forget."

Mu Feng immediately started coughing. He turned to the side and asked in a low voice, "No, young master, do you still need to borrow money?"