Chapter 180: Tree = Balance

“No—”

Yan Yu’s drawn-out wail, combined with her dramatic gesture of clutching her chest in feigned sorrow, was too much for Li Xuemei to bear.

How had she given birth to such a daughter? Why was she always so ridiculous?

“If it wishes to leave, then let it leave. I shall send it away, beyond the myriad worlds…”

Yan Yu suddenly let out another “Ah—!”

Li Xuemei was startled.

The performance continued: “But then, it decided not—to—leave—after all!”

Her tone was one of deep lament and nostalgia.

“What can I do? What should I do? How should I ever face it again???”

A string of rhetorical questions built up the emotion.

“Of course, I shall cherish it! Love it! Continue to dote on it! Hahaha…”

A sudden shift in mood.

The scene went from exaggerated sorrow to sheer comedic absurdity.

Li Xuemei looked at her daughter as if she were staring at a lunatic.

Words could not describe it!!!

Speechless, yet with a touch of relief.

Thankfully, her husband wasn’t home. Otherwise, the father-daughter duo would have instantly staged an entire drama.

She’d have had a feast for her eyes!

“Trees! Selling trees! Planting trees!” Yan Yu muttered to herself.

Li Xuemei didn’t know whom to thank, but her daughter had finally returned to normal.

“Uncle isn’t home today, ahahahaha!” Yan Yu clutched her belly and burst into laughter.

Li Xuemei: …

That’s right, Old Yan had said he’d be busy at the yamen today.

“My dad’s off making charcoal again! Hahahaha!” Yan Yu bent down to scoop up the cat and gave it a thorough rub. “Even the heavens are helping me!”

Li Xuemei: It was just a coincidence.

Everyone was busy. They worked in the fields every day, never had a moment’s rest.

After a full day’s labor, they would collapse into bed and forget even the most important of dates.

“Mom, is there anything you want? Look at that whole forest—this time, we have plenty of trees! Why don’t we clear out everything on the store shelf?!”

Yan Yu got herself all excited.

“Yes! Buy everything! See what they all are! They only give us a picture when we buy things—what’s the point if we can’t touch or test them out? And there’s no unconditional return policy either…

Mom, Mom, let’s buy everything! And a full set of Thousand Gold Prescriptions! Ahh, the feeling of having a surplus balance is simply amazing!”

She hadn’t even bought anything yet but was already indulging in the euphoria.

Who could resist such temptation?

As long as there were enough trees, she could empty out the entire platform!

Li Xuemei, ever the rational one, remained calm. “The hand-copied books can be bought in full. It’s most likely an entire set of Thousand Gold Prescriptions. Once we collect them all, we can find an opportunity to legitimize them.

Fragrant soap and charcoal are both very useful to us. But, Xiaoyu, the hand-copied books are extremely expensive—2,000 per volume. Have you calculated how many trees you’d need to sell?

To avoid drawing attention, you must keep going deeper into the forest. If the connection shortens or suddenly cuts off like last time, don’t be too greedy. Ensure we get the books first, then buy a few bamboo scrolls.

The same logic applies to the store shelf items.

If the balance allows, we can buy anything we haven’t tried before to check them out.”

Yan Yu nodded. “Let’s rank our priorities: hand-copied books → bamboo scrolls → food, meat, seasonings →

And only then, miscellaneous items.”

“Bamboo scrolls should be pushed further down the list,” Li Xuemei added. “They aren’t an urgent need for us.”

Yan Yu thought about it and agreed.

With their plans settled, the mother-daughter duo followed the cat as it led Yan Yu to find her father.

Yan Lao’er and the Qi family brothers were preparing for a big job.

They drove an ox cart loaded with water.

They had traveled a fair distance from the village, with dense forest obscuring their view. Everywhere they looked—trees, trees, and more trees.

Luckily, Yan Lao’er never lost his sense of direction.

“We’ll clear a space here first. From now on, this will be our charcoal-burning site,” Yan Lao’er announced.

Since Yan Lao’er had spoken, there was no need to hesitate. Time to get to work!

The Qi brothers each swung an axe.

Thick, thin, tall, short—down they all went.

From now on, this land would be theirs.

Yan Lao’er wasn’t idle either. Though he worked slower, he steadily chopped away.

The Qi brothers didn’t pick and choose their trees, but he did—targeting the thinner, easier ones to fell, keeping up a good pace.

By the time Yan Yu arrived, they had already cut enough wood and were sorting through it.

The thick, sturdy logs were chopped to half a zhang (about 1.5 meters) tall to serve as central supports.

All the other logs were cut to match that length and arranged tightly in a circle.

The thinner branches were set aside—Yan Lao’er wouldn’t let them go to waste.

He said that once they had gathered enough of these slender logs, they could bind them into wooden rafts, which would give them a place to rest during work.

“Father!” Yan Yu called out.

Yan Lao’er turned his head. “What are you doing here?”

Yan Yu winked at him.

Yan Lao’er winked back, then casually walked over and ruffled her hair. “Where have you been rolling around? You’ve got grass in your hair.”

Yan Yu: That’s a terrible excuse. Do I look like someone who rolls around on the ground?

But now wasn’t the time to argue.

“Mom says don’t stay out too late. Tomorrow morning, go buy some meat and vegetables.

She says if you go early, there’ll be more vendors, and the produce will be fresher—maybe even cheaper.

Also, a few bowls at home broke, so pick up some good ones.”

Yan Lao’er scratched his head. That’s all?

“Tomorrow morning?”

“Yes, first thing in the morning!”

Yan Yu looked up at the sky, but the dense forest blocked even a sliver of moonlight.

“Dad, what day is it today? I’ve been so busy I lost track.”

Yan Lao’er answered reflexively, “Today’s the… fourteenth!”

And then it hit him—my god, that meant after midnight, it would be the fifteenth!

He locked eyes with his daughter, their minds instantly syncing.

Yan Yu: Dad, the platform is coming online!

Yan Lao’er: Crap! I almost forgot! Got it! Got it!

Yan Yu: Sell trees, plant trees, Dad!

Yan Lao’er: Leave it to me!

Yan Yu: And the Qi brothers…

Yan Lao’er: I’ll handle it!

“Dad, I’m heading back now,” Yan Yu said.

Yan Lao’er nodded. “Be careful, watch your step.”

Yan Yu hummed in acknowledgment, hugging her cat as she walked back.

Yan Lao’er rejoined the work.

Three massive dirt piles, nearly as tall as a person, stood ready.

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.

The four of them had become quite skilled—mud coating, air vents, and fire-starting, all done swiftly.

“This should do it. No need to leave too many people behind. Qi Da, I’ll take Qi Si and Qi Wu back first. You stay for the first half of the night, and I’ll switch with you at midnight.”

Qi Da nodded. “Alright.”

Qi Si chimed in, “Brother Yan, I can take the midnight shift instead.”

Yan Lao’er waved him off. “No need, I have to go to the city early. Leaving from here is a bit closer.

You guys get some rest—tomorrow, we’re heading up the mountain. The beam wood is our priority; we can’t afford delays.”

Qi Si and Qi Wu obediently followed him home.

On the way, Yan Lao’er was already calculating what preparations to make before the platform opened again.