The morning mist clung to the West River like a shroud.
Li Wei stood in the center of his pasture, the dew soaking through his straw sandals. Beside him sat Yellow. The puppy, now slightly fuller in the belly thanks to the scraps from the table, looked up at Li Wei with adoring eyes.
"Yellow," Li Wei said, his voice dropping an octave, becoming firm. "Guard."
He pointed to the mobile coop where the chickens were just beginning to stir.
Yellow tilted his head. *Guard? Is that a game?*
Li Wei didn't expect the dog to understand complex commands immediately. The system had unlocked **[Basic Guard Dog Commands]**, but it required practice. He picked up a stick and threw it near the coop.
"Guard!"
Yellow bounded after the stick, yapping happily.
"No," Li Wei sighed, rubbing his temples. "Not fetch. Guard. You are a soldier, not a clown."
He walked over, gently pushing Yellow into a sitting position near the coop's door. He held a treat—a dried strip of sweet potato—above the dog's nose.
"Sit. Stay. Guard."
Yellow's eyes locked onto the sweet potato. He sat.
"Good boy." Li Wei gave him the treat. "We'll work on it."
***
**The Gate of Thorns**
The priority for the day was security. Qin Hu's warning about the riders had stuck in Li Wei's mind like a splinter.
Qin Hu was currently sitting on a large rock near the entrance of the pasture, his injured leg stretched out. Despite his condition, he radiated an aura of authority. He held a long, straight stick he had found, using it to point and direct.
"The entrance is a choke point," Qin Hu shouted, his voice carrying over the wind. "If you just leave a gap, anyone can walk in. You need a gate. A heavy one."
Li Wei wiped the sweat from his forehead. "We don't have iron for hinges, Big Qin."
"Then build a pivot gate," Qin Hu grunted. "Use a heavy log. Drive it into the ground as a post. Attach the gate to it so it swings on the post itself. No iron needed. Just muscle and wood."
Li Wei's eyes lit up. "A pivot gate. Simple. Strong."
He called over Li Qiang and Li Jun, who had come to help for the morning.
"We're building a gate," Li Wei announced.
"Another project?" Li Jun groaned, but he picked up a saw. "Fine. But you owe me a drink when we're rich."
They selected a thick, fallen locust tree trunk for the main pivot post. It was heavy, requiring all three brothers to haul it to the entrance gap of the Dead Hedge.
"Dig deep," Qin Hu ordered from his perch. "Half the height of the gate goes into the ground. Otherwise, the wind will tear it down."
They dug. The soil was rocky, resisting every inch. By noon, their hands were blistered, and their shirts were soaked. But the post was set.
They built the gate frame from lighter willow branches, lashed together with the tough vines Li Hua had gathered. They attached the frame to the pivot post using wooden pegs and leather strips Li Wei had scavenged.
"Ready?" Li Wei panted.
"Push."
The gate swung. It creaked, a deep, groaning sound, but it moved. It was sturdy, tall, and covered in thorns woven into the lattice. It looked like the entrance to a beast's lair.
"Close it," Qin Hu commanded.
Li Wei pushed it shut. The gate latched with a heavy wooden crossbar. It was solid.
"Not bad," Qin Hu nodded, a rare glint of approval in his eyes. "Now, even a horse would have trouble ramming that down."
**[System Notification: Security Upgrade Complete.]**
**[Reward Unlocked: Basic Guard Dog Commands (Level 2) - "Alert" and "Hold".]**
***
**The Tax Collector**
Just as they were about to break for lunch, the sound of hooves thudded against the dirt path.
Li Wei froze. He looked at the ridge. Three riders were approaching. They weren't galloping, but they moved with a purposeful, lazy arrogance.
"Riders," Li Wei whispered to Qin Hu.
Qin Hu's face hardened. He grabbed his crutch and pulled himself up, moving to stand slightly behind the gate post, hiding his face in the shadow of the thorns. "Stay calm. Don't show fear. Let them talk."
The riders stopped at the edge of the river path. They wore the dull blue livery of the Qingyang Town Yamen. The leader, a thin man with a weasel-like face and a long mustache, sat atop a gray mare. He looked at the reclaimed land, then at the Dead Hedge, and finally at the "Moving Castle" coop sitting in the middle of the green field.
"Well, well," the leader drawled, his voice nasally. "What do we have here? I thought this land was wasteland."
Li Wei stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "Officer. I am Li Wei, son of Li Dazhong of Willow Village. We are... clearing the land."
"Clearing it?" The officer dismounted, his boots squelching in the mud. He walked forward, eyeing the lush clover. "It looks like farming. And that..." He pointed to the coop. "That looks like a strange beast. What are you keeping in there?"
"Chickens, Officer," Li Wei said. "Just chickens."
"Chickens?" The officer laughed, looking at his two subordinates. "He builds a fortress for chickens?"
He walked up to the newly built gate. He pushed it. It didn't budge.
"Sturdy," the officer muttered, his eyes narrowing. "You know, Li boy, this land is technically the Magistrate's property. Reclaiming it without a permit... that's usually a crime."
Li Wei's heart beat faster, but his face remained placid. "Village Chief Zhang gave us permission to clear the weeds, Officer. We are just trying to be useful. The land was full of thorns; now it is green. Surely the Magistrate prefers green fields over thorns?"
The officer sneered. He walked around Li Wei, looking him up and down. He was looking for something to exploit. A bribe. A mistake.
"And who is that?" The officer pointed his riding crop at Qin Hu, who stood silently by the post, his face obscured.
"A... a relative," Li Wei said smoothly. "He was injured in the fields. He's resting."
The officer stared at Qin Hu. Qin Hu slowly raised his head. His one good eye locked onto the officer's gaze with a chilling, predatory stillness. It was the stare of a man who had killed before.
The officer flinched. He felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He instinctively stepped back.
"Right. A relative," the officer coughed, looking away. "Well. Even if the Chief allowed it, the Magistrate needs his due. If you are raising livestock here, you owe a grazing tax. And a land improvement tax."
"Of course," Li Wei bowed again. "I am a law-abiding citizen. How much is the tax?"
The officer rubbed his fingers together. "For... ten chickens? And the land... Let's say... two hundred copper coins. A year. Payable now."
Two hundred coins. It was a massive sum. More than the family had in savings. But it was also a reasonable amount for 'protection'. If he refused, they could trample the field and kill the chickens as 'unregistered stock'.
"I don't have that much on me, Officer," Li Wei said honestly. "But I will have it soon. Give me until the harvest festival. I will pay the tax at the Yamen."
The officer scoffed. "The harvest festival? That's three months away. How do I know you won't run?"
Li Wei pointed to the coop. "I have invested everything here. My family works this land. I am not running. And..."
He walked over to the mobile coop. He reached inside, feeling under the hay in the nesting boxes. He felt something smooth, warm, and oval.
He pulled it out.
It was a light brown egg. The first one.
"Look," Li Wei said, holding it up. "My chickens are laying. I have goods."
The officer blinked. "They're laying? Already? In the spring?"
"They are special chickens," Li Wei lied smoothly. "I will sell these eggs. I will pay the tax. Here."
He walked over and pressed the egg into the officer's hand. "A gift. Fresh from the nest. Taste the quality."
The officer looked at the egg, surprised by the gesture. He hadn't expected the boy to be so bold.
"Hmph. One egg," the officer muttered, pocketing it. "Fine. Harvest Festival. Two hundred coins. If you're late, I'll burn this thorn fence down myself."
"We will be there," Li Wei promised.
The officer huffed, turned, and mounted his horse. "Let's go. Nothing to see here but weeds and chickens."
The three riders turned and galloped away, kicking up dust.
***
**The Aftermath**
Li Wei let out a long, shaky breath. His legs felt weak.
"You handled that well," Qin Hu said, hobbling over. "You didn't bow too low, and you didn't stare too hard. You gave him a way out without losing face."
"I gave him an egg," Li Wei said, looking at his empty hand. "Our first egg. I wanted to give it to Mother."
"It was a small price to pay for keeping the field," Qin Hu said seriously. "But now you have a deadline. Two hundred coins."
"I know," Li Wei turned back to the coop. "But we have the eggs."
He reached back into the coop, checking the other nesting boxes.
One. Two. Three. Four.
Four eggs in one day. From twenty chickens. It was a miracle. The system's nutrition plan was working.
"Chen'er!" Li Wei called out. His brother came running from the river where he had been hiding.
"Are they gone?"
"Yes. And look." Li Wei showed him the four eggs.
"Wow!" Li Chen gasped. "So many!"
"This is our currency now," Li Wei said, his eyes shining. "We sell the eggs. We save the money. We pay the tax. And we keep the rest for seed."
He looked at the vast, empty riverbank. "And next year... we buy a cow."
***
**Family Celebration**
That evening, the Li family gathered. The atmosphere was tense due to the tax visit, but the four eggs on the table brought a spark of hope.
"Two hundred coins..." Li Dazhong frowned. "That's robbery. But at least they didn't take the land."
"It legitimizes us," Li Wei said. "If we pay the tax, the land is ours in the eyes of the Yamen. No one can dispute it."
"And the eggs?" Zhao Lan asked, looking at the precious ovals. "Are we selling them?"
"Not yet," Li Wei said. "Tonight, we eat one."
"Eat one?" Li Hua's eyes widened. "But it's worth money!"
"We need to taste our product," Li Wei said firmly. "We need to know if it's good. Mother, can you make an egg custard? Just one egg, mixed with water and a pinch of salt? Steam it."
Zhao Lan nodded. "I can do that."
The simple dish was prepared. A small bowl of steamed egg custard, silky and smooth. There wasn't enough for everyone to have a bowl, so Li Wei had Li Mei divide it into small cups for the grandparents and the children.
Li Wei took a spoonful.
The texture was delicate, like tofu. But the flavor... it was rich, savory, with a faint sweetness that store-bought eggs never had. The yolk was deep orange, a sign of the high protein clover they had eaten.
"This..." Grandfather Li smacked his lips. "This tastes like the eggs I ate when I was a boy. Before the droughts."
"Good ingredients make good food," Li Wei said. "Our chickens eat the best grass. This is premium stuff. We won't sell this for cheap."
He looked around the table. "From tomorrow, I will take the eggs to the town market. I will sell them to the restaurant or the rich households. We will not sell to the street vendors. We sell high."
"How high?" Li Jun asked.
"Five copper coins per egg," Li Wei said.
"Five?!" Li Jun choked. "The market price is two!"
"The market eggs are pale and tasteless," Li Wei said confidently. "Ours are golden. If they don't buy, I eat them myself. I won't undersell my hard work."
He stood up. "I need to prepare the packaging. And tomorrow... I need to talk to the steward at the best restaurant in town."
**[Quest Completed: The First Eggs.]**
**[New Quest Unlocked: The Gourmet's Approval.]**
**[Objective: Sell eggs at a 100% premium in Qingyang Town.]**
**[Reward: System Unlock - "Basic Poultry Disease Prevention."]**
Li Wei looked at the empty bowl. The sweetness lingered.
The first step on the long road to wealth had been taken. It was a small step, involving eggs and mud and thorns, but the direction was clear.
Tomorrow, the ranch would officially open for business.