The morning sun had barely crested the hills when Chen Yuan began his new project.
While the rest of the household was still rubbing sleep from their eyes, Chen Yuan was in the corner of the backyard, next to the sheep pen. He had dragged out three large, cracked clay jars that had once been used for pickling vegetables in better years.
"San Lang, what in the world are you doing?"
Liu Shi stood at the kitchen door, holding a ladle. She watched her son mixing sheep dung, soil, and ash in a large wooden basin with a look of utter confusion.
"Mother, I'm making fertilizer," Chen Yuan said, not stopping his work. He used a wooden shovel to turn the mixture.
"Fertilizer?" Liu Shi frowned. "We use the night soil for the fields. Why are you playing with sheep dung? It smells!"
"This is different," Chen Yuan explained, wiping sweat from his brow. "Raw dung burns the roots. But if we ferment it—let it 'cook' in the sun with straw and soil—it becomes gentle. Powerful. It makes crops grow twice as fast."
He looked at the mixture. To the naked eye, it was just dirt and manure. But to the System, it was a chemical equation.
**[Compound Creation: Fermented Organic Fertilizer.]**
**[Ingredients: Sheep Manure (Nitrogen rich due to Ryegrass diet), Wood Ash (Potassium), Topsoil (Microbes).]**
**[System Optimization: Adjusting pH balance. Accelerating fermentation process.]**
**[Estimated Completion: 3 Days (Normally takes 20 days).]**
"I am making 'Black Gold', Mother," Chen Yuan said with a smile. "Just wait."
Liu Shi shook her head, muttering about boys and their strange ideas, and went back inside.
By mid-morning, the first batch was packed into the jars, sealed with mud caps, and placed in the sunniest corner of the yard.
"That looks like work for a farmhand, not a boss."
Chen Yuan turned to see Xu Tie leaning against the gate. The veteran had walked down from the hill to stretch his legs.
"Brother Xu," Chen Yuan greeted. "How are the sheep?"
"Full. They're lying down, chewing cud. That grass of yours is potent," Xu Tie walked over, sniffing the air near the jars. He recoiled slightly. "Smells like a battlefield latrine."
"The smell goes away once it's fermented," Chen Yuan assured him. "I need to sell this. The grass money is steady, but small. I need a lump sum if I want to buy a calf before winter."
Xu Tie nodded. He understood strategy. "Where will you sell it? Farmers here trust their own night soil."
"True," Chen Yuan agreed. "Farmers are stubborn. But... doctors aren't."
"Doctors?"
"There's a medicine hall in town, 'Benevolent Hall'," Chen Yuan explained. "They grow expensive herbs. Ginseng, Angelica. These herbs are delicate. Raw dung kills them. They need clean, powerful soil. I'll sell it to them as 'Medicinal Soil'."
Xu Tie's lips twitched. "You have a tricky mind, boy. Good."
* * *
Three days passed.
The sealed jars sat in the sun, generating a low, internal heat. When Chen Yuan cracked the mud seal on the first jar, there was no foul stench. Instead, a rich, earthy aroma wafted out—the smell of damp forest floors and healthy land.
"It smells... like dirt?" Chen Hu asked, scratching his head. He had just returned from the fields. "Expensive dirt?"
"This is the smell of money," Chen Yuan said. He scooped out the dark, crumbly substance. It was light and fluffy, perfect for root development.
He packed the fertilizer into fifty small hemp bags—sacks he had scavenged from the village dump and washed thoroughly.
"Second Brother," Chen Yuan called out. "I need your help carrying these to town."
"Again?" Chen Hu groaned, though he was already reaching for a carrying pole. "My shoulders are still sore from the hay."
"I'll buy you a bowl of noodles this time," Chen Yuan promised. "With meat."
Chen Hu's eyes lit up. "Lead the way!"
* * *
The county town was bustling.
Chen Yuan and Chen Hu walked through the streets, attracting a few stares due to the smell of the bags, though it wasn't unpleasant.
They stopped in front of 'Benevolent Hall'. It was a respectable establishment with a medicinal smell of herbs drifting from inside.
"Wait here," Chen Yuan told Chen Hu. He grabbed a sample bag and walked inside.
The interior was cool and quiet. Rows of small drawers lined the walls, labeled with the names of herbs. Behind the counter stood an elderly man with a wispy beard, grinding herbs with a stone pestle.
"Greetings, Shopkeeper," Chen Yuan bowed politely.
The old man looked up, adjusting his spectacles. "What is it? Sick? Or buying?"
"Neither," Chen Yuan said. He placed the small bag on the counter. "I am here to offer a business opportunity."
He opened the bag, revealing the dark, rich soil.
"Shopkeeper, I know that growing high-quality Angelica and Ginseng requires extremely clean, nutrient-rich soil. Common field dirt carries pests and diseases. This..." Chen Yuan pointed to the bag. "This is sterilized, fermented 'Spirit Soil'. It has been processed to ensure no root rot, and it maximizes the absorption of medicinal Qi."
The Shopkeeper paused. He looked at the soil with a critical eye. He reached out, took a pinch, and rubbed it between his fingers. It was crumbly, not sticky. It smelled fresh.
"Spirit Soil?" The Shopkeeper scoffed, though his hand lingered on the substance. "Where did you get this?"
"I made it," Chen Yuan said honestly. "Using a secret fermentation method passed down... from a wandering monk." (Lying was becoming easier, a necessary skill in this world).
The Shopkeeper hummed. "We do have trouble with root rot in the seedling trays. The soil from the mountain is too acidic." He looked at Chen Yuan. "How much?"
"I have fifty large bags outside. I will sell them for... fifty copper coins per bag."
"Fifty?!" The Shopkeeper slammed his hand down. "That is robbery! Dirt for fifty coins? Ten coins, take it or leave it."
"Shopkeeper," Chen Yuan didn't flinch. "Try it. Take one bag for free. Use it on your weakest seedlings. If they don't perk up in two days, I will never come back. If they do, you pay me forty coins per bag for the rest."
The Shopkeeper narrowed his eyes. He looked at the confident young man, then at the soil.
"You have a sharp tongue, boy. Fine. Bring them in. I'll give you fifteen coins now as a deposit. If your 'Spirit Soil' works, I'll pay the rest. If it fails, you owe me for the bag."
"Deal."
* * *
Chen Yuan and Chen Hu hauled the bags into the shop's storage room. Chen Yuan walked out with a small pouch of silver—fifteen coins as deposit, plus the promise of more.
"Let's go get those noodles," Chen Yuan said, patting the pouch.
They found a small stall on the side of the street. Chen Yuan ordered two bowls of beef noodles. The cost was steep—four coins per bowl—but the look on Chen Hu's face when the steaming broth and slices of thin beef were placed in front of him was worth every coin.
"Eat," Chen Yuan said.
Chen Hu didn't need to be told twice. He slurped the noodles loudly, the grease coating his lips. "This... this is the life," he mumbled with his mouth full.
Chen Yuan ate slowly, savoring the taste. It was salty and fatty, far richer than the watery porridge at home.
As they ate, a group of men walked past the stall.
They wore rough leather vests and carried clubs at their waists. They didn't look like merchants or farmers. They had an air of arrogance and violence.
Chen Hu paused, his noodles halfway to his mouth. He lowered his voice. "San Lang... those are the Lin Family guards."
"Lin Family?" Chen Yuan asked, his senses alert.
"The butchers," Chen Hu whispered. "They control the meat market in town. If anyone wants to sell pork or beef, they have to pay a fee to the Lin Family. They are brutal. Last year, a farmer tried to sell a pig privately; they broke his legs."
Chen Yuan watched the men. They were laughing, shoving pedestrians out of the way.
"Interesting," Chen Yuan murmured. "So, the meat trade is monopolized."
He looked down at his beef noodles.
"Brother Hu," Chen Yuan said. "Finish eating. We have a schedule to keep."
* * *
Two days later, the Shopkeeper from Benevolent Hall arrived at Willow Village.
It caused a sensation.
A fancy carriage from the town stopping in a poor village was unheard of. The villagers gathered around, whispering and pointing.
Chen Yuan was on the hill when Little Stone came running up, panting.
"Boss! Boss! A rich man is looking for you! He has a carriage!"
Chen Yuan's heart rate spiked. *Did the fertilizer work? Or is there a problem?*
He walked down the hill. Xu Tie followed silently, his staff in hand, his eyes scanning the crowd for threats.
At the entrance of the village, the Shopkeeper stood by his carriage, looking impatient.
"Young man!" the Shopkeeper called out as soon as he saw Chen Yuan. "You are a genius! A true genius!"
The villagers gasped. *Genius? San Lang?*
The Shopkeeper rushed forward, grabbing Chen Yuan's hands. "The Angelica seedlings! The ones that were yellowing? They turned green overnight! Green! And the roots... they are drinking the soil like water!"
He pulled out a heavy pouch from his sleeve.
"Here! The remaining payment! Two thousand copper coins!" (Actually 35 coins x 50 bags = 1750, plus he added a tip for quality).
Chen Yuan took the heavy pouch. It was heavy. He had to use two hands to hold it.
*Two thousand copper coins. That's two taels of silver!*
"Shopkeeper, you are too generous," Chen Yuan said, beaming.
"I need more!" the Shopkeeper demanded. "Can you make more? The head of the guild wants to see this soil. If you can supply the entire Medicine Guild..."
Chen Yuan's mind raced. This was a massive opportunity. But he was limited by raw materials.
"I can," Chen Yuan nodded. "But I need time. The fermentation process is delicate. I can supply another hundred bags next month."
"Good! I will send a cart!" The Shopkeeper clapped his hands, overjoyed.
As the carriage drove away, the village fell silent.
The neighbors looked at Chen Yuan with new eyes. Not as 'San Lang the oddity', but as 'Chen Yuan the rich man'.
Chen Dazhong, who had been watching from the edge of the crowd, walked over. He looked at the pouch in Chen Yuan's hand.
"Two taels?" he asked quietly.
"Two taels," Chen Yuan confirmed.
The weight of the coins felt like the weight of destiny.
"Father," Chen Yuan said, looking his father in the eye. "The tax is covered. We have surplus."
He looked towards the East Hill.
"Now, we buy the cattle."
* * *
That evening, the Chen family ate dinner with a rare feeling of security.
The atmosphere was light. Even Wang Shi was humming a tune as she served the rice.
"We have money for the tax," Chen Dazhong announced, putting down his chopsticks. "And we have money for Ming's tuition."
"And for a calf," Chen Yuan added.
"Still the calf?" Chen Shan asked. "You have a steady income from the grass and the soil. Why risk it on an animal?"
"Because," Chen Yuan said, "Grass and soil are side businesses. The soil will run out if we don't expand the livestock. The livestock needs to grow. A sheep gives birth once a year. A cow... a cow can pull a plow, give milk, and give birth. It is the foundation of a ranch."
He stood up.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to the large cattle market in the Prefecture City. I need a specific kind of cow. A mother cow."
"I'll come," Xu Tie's voice came from the doorway. He usually ate on the hill, but tonight he stood at the threshold. "Cattle markets are dangerous places for a boy with a fat wallet. And I know horses. Cows aren't that different."
Chen Yuan nodded. "Thank you, Brother Xu."
"Prefecture City..." Little Ming breathed, his eyes wide. "Third Brother, bring me a book? A dictionary?"
"I'll bring you a whole set if I can," Chen Yuan laughed.
As the family retired for the night, Chen Yuan lay on the *kang*, staring at the ceiling.
He had crossed the first threshold. Survival was guaranteed. Now, the real game began.
He opened the system interface.
**[Funds: 2,500 Copper Coins (approx 2.5 Taels).]**
**[Target: Breeding Cow (Local Yellow Cattle).]**
**[Projected Cost: 3-4 Taels.]**
*I'm still short,* Chen Yuan thought. *But I have enough for a down payment or a young calf. Or... maybe I don't need a perfect cow. I need a survivor.*
He closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, the search for the first cow of the Great Dynasty Ranch would begin.