I Pampered Twin Sisters During a Famine and Built a Self-Sufficient Empire with Wives and Wealth! - Chapter 4:

Chapter 4:

Standing by the wall crack, Xu Changnian fumed as he listened. He no longer even felt cold. He really wanted to smash those two bastards’ heads in with a brick.

Inside were Liu Ermazi and Lai Dou—scoundrels who used to fool around with his former self. Especially Liu Ermazi, who was rotten to the core and treated the old Xu like an idiot. The wine they were drinking now had been traded for using the winter food he tricked the old Xu into stealing from home!

As for the Shen sisters? 

Their involvement was clearly premeditated. 

From Xu Changnian’s perspective, picking up two wives sounded like a good thing. But did that bastard not know the Xu family’s situation? 

If the two sisters hadn’t been understanding, and had instead been sharp-tongued troublemakers, they’d have latched on to the Xu family and never left—turning the place upside down.

Now that they were inside the door, there’d be no getting rid of them. 

They’d ruin everything. He had to teach those two bastards a lesson and take back the remaining wine. 

That was Xu family property.

Xu Changnian rubbed his chin with his index finger. Rushing in to snatch it would only cause a fight and delay things.

Just as he was thinking, his eyes shifted… In the locust tree near the village entrance hung a wasp nest the size of a watermelon.

Perfect.

“Hey! Someone dropped some silver under the locust tree—over two taels, easy! Anyone missing something?” Xu Changnian called out, pinching his throat to disguise his voice, then grabbed a handful of stones and quickly hid.

Two taels of silver? Liu Ermazi and Lai Dou’s eyes nearly popped out.

In Anping County, during normal years, 1 kilogram of Millet cost around 4–5 copper coins. This famine year, it had surged to 8 or 9 coins per kilogram. Two taels of silver equaled 2,000 coins—enough to buy over 200 kilograms of Millet and even a few kilograms of meat. Wouldn’t that make for a great winter?

Clatter— Forget drinking. The two of them shoved and tripped over each other as they dashed toward the tree.

Who cared about brotherhood? How much was that worth?

“Where’s the silver?” 

“Who dropped it?” 

“You dare trick Grandpa Liu? Come out! I’ll beat you to death!”

Kicking and scrambling, they reached the tree. But there was nothing.

They’d been duped.

And could they take that lying down? Of course not. Hands on their hips, they started yelling at the top of their lungs.

Whoosh—

A stone flew past their heads.

Liu Ermazi looked toward the source—his mouth froze in place.

Buzzzzz—

A massive swarm of wasps burst out from the nest that had just been hit, charging straight at Liu Ermazi’s pockmarked face.

“Help—help!” 

“Lai Dou, you bastard! Wait for me—ahhh!”

A dense swarm of wasps chased the two scoundrels, who screamed and ran, disappearing down the road.

“Serves you right! Sting ‘em good!” Watching the two bastards flee, Xu Changnian finally let out a long breath of relief, feeling clear-headed and refreshed.

He slipped into Liu Ermazi’s house and made his way to the drinking table. The wine jar still had about half left. He lifted it and took a deep swig. The rice wine brewed with Millet was cloudy and weak, but one mouthful warmed his entire body.

But something didn’t feel right. 

There was only half a jar? According to his memory, there had been three or four full jars two days ago.

He searched the house and finally found the rest hidden beneath a pile of firewood—two small jars, each barely the size of a palm. All that wine, exchanged for over 50 kilograms—of Millet, and now only this remained?

Those two bastards had really taken their share. Xu Changnian made a note to settle this with them later.

He took the jars, carefully avoided the wasp nest, and headed toward Xiaoyue Mountain.

Once outside the village with no one around, Xu Changnian activated the Information System. A mini-map like a GPS appeared in his mind. It clearly marked the rabbit’s location—about 1,000 meters from the village entrance.

With a definite distance, the trip became easier. He broke it into smaller goals: first 100 meters, then 300 meters, finally a 500-meter sprint.

This kind of mental trick worked well. The trip no longer felt unbearable.

Soon, he reached the foot of the mountain. Before his eyes stretched a withered landscape. Xiaoyue Mountain was blanketed in yellow decay. The southern slope near the village was already barren. Luckily, the county had prohibited logging. Otherwise, in just a few more years, Xiaoyue Mountain would’ve turned into a dead wasteland.

Cluck cluck cluck— The sound of a Hungry Wild Chicken?

He looked up toward the source of the sound. Sadly, he wasn’t capable of catching it yet. When he got home, he’d find a chance to ask the old man.

Xu Tielin had been a hunter for over a decade. His experience in catching wild chickens was solid.

“Yes!” Xu Changnian grinned. “Good thing I have the system’s mini-map. Without it, even if you told me there was a rabbit here, I’d be searching half the day.”

Following the system’s guidance, he quickly reached the location and spotted the fat, fluffy white rabbit. It was stiff and frozen solid, but still heavy in the hand.

It must’ve been adorable when alive. It would definitely be delicious once stewed.

[Host successfully collected Frozen Rabbit. EXP +10.]

[New intel is being updated, please wait patiently…]

On his way back, the system prompt sounded in his mind. Experience points gained.

He could level up the system by accumulating EXP!

Luckily, the reward was generous. Earning 100 points didn’t seem too far off. Currently, he had access to three intel choices per cycle. What new features would come later? More options? Expanded intel coverage?

As he walked back, Xu Changnian’s thoughts wandered freely.

“Yo, Brother Nian! Where’d you strike it rich? Rabbit and wine?” 

“Why don’t you come over? My wife makes amazing rabbit stew.”

Just before reaching the village, he ran into Zhao Si carrying firewood.

Zhao Si’s first reaction was disgust—he clicked his tongue and started to avoid him. But then he caught sight of the fat rabbit in Xu Changnian’s hand and the two jars of wine.

Well now, that changed everything. He immediately grinned and greeted him warmly.

“Brother Zhao, I heard your family’s grain stores are pretty decent this year. Can you two finish all that by yourselves? Lend me some, will you?” Xu Changnian squinted at him. After thinking for a moment, he remembered who he was.

If you want to eat my rabbit and drink my wine, then I want your grain.

“Get lost— Lend you grain so you can trade it for booze? You wastrel! That fat rabbit—how could he…”

The moment Xu Changnian spoke, Zhao Si snapped out of it and brushed past him without a second glance.

As he walked away, he kept turning his head back.

That rabbit really was fat…

In this famine year, in Qingshan Village, only the village chief’s household and the Xu family could afford meat during holidays. For everyone else, even having wild vegetable porridge was already a luxury.

As Xu Changnian returned to the village and passed Liu Ermazi’s house, he paused, curious.