Chapter 10: Show Off

No matter what, Li Zhen was an official hundred-household commander appointed by the court, so I couldn’t truly poison him to death in front of so many people.

After drinking the water, Li Zhen led his group of soldiers away in a disheveled, filthy state.

Once Li Zhen left, the crowd around the courtyard gradually dispersed. However, everyone had witnessed Li Zhen’s humiliating state that night, and within three days, the news that a hundred-household commander like Li Zhen had knelt before a lowly soldier like me would spread throughout Poplar Fort.

It would undoubtedly ruin his reputation!

After Li Zhen and the onlookers had all left, Commander Zuo looked at Yu Chengfeng with a hint of admiration in his eyes and said, “You must be careful. Li Zhen is spiteful and holds grudges. After being humiliated by you today, he will surely find a way to take revenge.”

“Thank you for the warning, Commander. I have a clear conscience and walk a righteous path. I’m not afraid of his schemes and traps,” Yu Chengfeng replied.

Commander Zuo pondered for a moment. It seemed fine, but hearing it come from Yu Chengfeng’s mouth felt somewhat off. After a moment’s thought, he advised, “Try not to go hunting in the next few days. A tiger has been spotted nearby, and a hunter was already killed up in the mountains.”

The mountains near Poplar Fort were tall and densely forested, home to many animals. Large carnivores from other areas often roamed through, and the most dangerous among them was the tiger.

Among the fierce beasts that appeared nearby, bears hibernated during winter, wolves traveled in packs but didn’t climb trees, while only tigers moved swiftly, climbing trees and crossing rivers with ease.

Once wild animals tasted human flesh, they would remember it and specifically prey on people.

Every time a man-eating tiger appeared near Poplar Fort, a tiger-hunting team was formed to eliminate the beast.

Yu Chengfeng nodded. The day’s hunt had yielded far more than he expected. He wouldn’t need to go hunting for quite some time and could instead focus on experimenting with new crafting techniques to improve his life in this world.

Seeing that he understood, Commander Zuo led the others away.

Yu Chengfeng turned and entered the house to find An Ning’s worried eyes upon him.

“Are you alright?” An Ning hesitated for a long moment before speaking.

Hearing this, a warm current surged through Yu Chengfeng’s heart. The pain in his cheek eased considerably.

“It’s nothing. They tried to frame me but failed,” Yu Chengfeng said, patting his chest. “Keep eating your meat porridge. When you’re done, just let me know. You’re physically weak, so let me handle the housework for now.”

With that, Yu Chengfeng went to fetch water and planned to chop some firewood in the courtyard.

Though he was a chemistry teacher in his past life, he had devoted all his free time to physical training and learning sanda (Chinese kickboxing). His physical condition had been excellent.

The original owner’s body was emaciated and hollowed out by alcohol, but as long as he maintained a protein-rich diet and consistent exercise, Yu Chengfeng was confident he could restore himself to his former level.

Today’s events taught him a truth: in this world, having a sharp mind was not enough—you had to have fists too.

Yu Chengfeng began his workout by carrying water. He treated the water buckets as weights and used steady steps and breathing on the round trip to simulate aerobic exercise.

Though exhausting, this method could quickly improve lung capacity and endurance. After filling his own water tank, he also filled the widow Wang’s.

By the time he finished, Yu Chengfeng was dizzy, breathless, and trembling in his shoulders, arms, and legs.

The original owner’s physical condition was truly abysmal.

Pushing open the kitchen door, Yu Chengfeng saw that An Ning had already cleaned the dishes. Smiling, he walked to the bedroom and found her sewing cotton-padded clothes with fabric and cotton he had bought. However, the clothes looked too large to be for her—more likely for him.

“Why is this size? Didn’t I say to make one for yourself first?” Yu Chengfeng asked.

An Ning took a few cautious steps back onto the kang bed, clearly frightened, before replying, “I saw your padded jacket was worn out, so I thought I’d make you one first. There should be enough fabric and cotton left.”

Yu Chengfeng noticed her hands trembling—she was clearly scared.

He stepped forward, holding her hands gently. “Don’t be afraid. I told you I won’t hit you anymore. Make one for yourself first. After you finish yours, make one for me. If the fabric and cotton aren’t enough, go buy more—I have silver.”

He pulled out the remaining silver coins and pressed them into An Ning’s hands.

An Ning was overwhelmed with emotion and tried to refuse. When the original owner was alive, many times he had beaten her for refusing to give him money for drinking. The worst time, he had beaten her unconscious.

Since then, she dared not touch a penny of the household money.

“Take it. From now on, all the household money will be in your hands. Buy whatever you want. If you see clothes or jewelry you like, just buy them,” Yu Chengfeng said, placing the silver in her hands and enclosing her small hands with his large ones to stop her from refusing.

Feeling the warmth of his hands, An Ning’s eyes moistened, a wave of bittersweet emotion flooding her senses.

He truly has turned over a new leaf. He’s genuinely treating me well now!

He said he would make sure I have meat at every meal and even entrusted me with the household money!

Heavens above! Have you heard my prayers?

While An Ning lowered her head in silence, Yu Chengfeng took that as her consent and went outside to chop firewood.

The firewood he bought were large logs that needed splitting.

Yu Chengfeng wielded the axe with steady, methodical strokes. If anyone from the army had seen him, they would be greatly surprised—his chopping technique was the standard but most effective military chopping method.

It was also one of the fastest ways to build arm strength.

By the time he finished splitting the entire pile of firewood, night had fallen. His arms ached unbearably.

By experience, he knew he would be sore all over by morning.

In the kitchen, An Ning had already prepared dinner. Normally, they didn’t eat supper because of poverty.

Not just their household—most families in Poplar Fort didn’t make an evening meal.

Thus, the smoke rising from Yu Chengfeng’s home was conspicuous, almost as if flaunting their newfound prosperity.