Chapter 112: Innate Talent

Yan Huaiwen watched his little niece run off into the distance before flattening the notebook in front of him.

He slowly and deliberately ground the ink and carefully wrote down:

Twelve taels and two hundred wen.

Two thousand nine hundred and forty-six wen.

Although the first amount wasn’t personally earned by his brother, he had indeed handed it to him.

After much contemplation, he chose not to add anything further.

This was good enough.

To others, these were merely simple numbers, but to him, they held a completely different significance.

Choosing a different path from his past life meant that many people and events could no longer serve as references—it was a fresh start.

The unknown was unsettling, yet having family by his side made life surprisingly sweet.

His days were no longer stagnant, no longer a dead, lifeless pond.

In the distance, his little niece’s carefree laughter rang out.

Around her were children of all ages. Even the little girls had copied her boyish attire, so at first glance, the group seemed to be entirely made up of boys.

She was proudly showing off her small pouch.

Inside was the ten wen he had just rewarded her.

The children’s exclamations of amazement only heightened his mischievous little niece’s delight. Her triumphant expression faintly reminded him of a young yan Lao’er…

A quiet smile crept into Yan Huaiwen’s usually serene gaze.

—

Qi Da, Qi Si, and Qi Wu didn’t know how they had lost control, but before they knew it, they had not only devoured their meals in silence but had also eaten far more than they should have…

Thinking back, all they could recall was Yan Lao’er’s effortless way of slicing meat, throwing in vegetables, and the repeated command to eat, eat, eat.

Now, the horse meat they had brought was completely gone. The last wild vegetable had been swallowed, and even the steamed buns had been eaten down to the last crumb.

The three brothers didn’t know how to face Yan Lao’er.

They fidgeted awkwardly for ages but couldn’t get a single word out.

Yan Lao’er was still in a daze!

He swore he hadn’t skimped on preparations.

Two entire baskets!

Sure, the pot took up some space, but how much room could wild vegetables, steamed buns, and seasonings take?

He knew exactly how much meat he had packed—at least ten pounds!

And now it was all gone, down the stomachs of these three brothers, without a hint of struggle…

“Well, uh… let’s not waste the broth. We should all drink it,” Yan Lao’er finally found his voice.

If they couldn’t eat their fill, at least they could fill up on liquid.

Seeing the three of them remain motionless, he knew they had finally realized how much they had eaten and were feeling self-conscious.

“No point carrying it back—it’d be too heavy. Come on, come on, we’re all brothers here, no need to be shy. I didn’t bring any bowls, so let’s just drink straight from the pot.”

Drinking straight from the pot? Seriously?

Yan Lao’er: Absolutely! Why not?!

In the hands of the Qi brothers, the pot suddenly seemed much smaller.

When it was his turn to drink, he made the excuse that it was too spicy and only took sips from his bamboo flask instead.

Meanwhile, Qi Da, Qi Si, and Qi Wu took turns gulping from the pot, emptying it completely.

Yan Lao’er asked, “Are you guys full now?”

“Full! Definitely full!” Qi Si quickly answered.

Qi Wu nodded vigorously, patting his stomach. “Stuffed!”

Qi Da simply grinned. “Yep!”

Yan Lao’er looked at their faces.

Yeah, right! Like hell I believe you!

He seriously wanted to ask Qi Mama what on earth she had fed these three growing up.

Coarse wheat pancakes? How did she manage to raise them into such insatiable eaters?!

What kind of family could support three bottomless pits like this?!

Yan Lao’er was at a loss for words.

Qi Wu suddenly asked, “Brother Yan Lao’er, which tree should we chop first?”

Qi Da and Qi Si grabbed their axes, looking eager and ready.

They were brimming with energy!

If Yan Lao’er so much as pointed, they would cut down a tree without hesitation.

Yan Lao’er said, “I’ve thought about it. Let’s not go for the thick ones. The size from last time was just right. Besides, we don’t have enough baskets. How about we head back for now?”

Huh?

Now the Qi brothers understood—Yan Lao’er had brought them out just to feed them some meat.

The three burly men were overwhelmed with emotion.

Qi Da, the softest of the three, turned his head away and sniffled.

“Brother Yan Lao’er… why are you so good to us?!” Qi Si’s voice trembled, carrying a hint of tears. “We’ve never eaten this much before.”

Qi Wu was speechless for a long time before stepping forward and hugging Yan Lao’er.

“Brother Yan Lao’er!”

Qi Si followed suit, then Qi Da…

That triple hug nearly crushed Yan Lao’er.

“Alright, alright!” He gasped for breath as he wriggled free. “You guys can’t be doing this! Do you even realize how strong you are?!”

Seeing their hesitation, his heart softened again.

Just listen to Qi Si’s words—these poor guys…

It wasn’t their fault they were born with huge appetites.

“We have skills, we can earn money, and we can hunt. Life will only get better from here.”

“Honestly, if I’d known earlier that you three could eat this much and were always hungry, I wouldn’t have been lazy these past few days. I’d have gone into the woods every day to get more food!”

“That settles it then. From now on, the four of us will head into the forest together. Whatever we can hunt, we eat!” Yan Lao’er declared determinedly.

Sorry, wild animals, but my brothers’ stomachs take priority!

The three simple-minded men nodded enthusiastically.

Qi Wu asked, “Brother Yan Lao’er, when do we start? Our bamboo crossbows aren’t as good as Hu Da and Hu Er’s. Should we ask them to come along?”

Yan Lao’er shook his head without hesitation.

Call them? No way.

With Hu Da and Hu Er’s accuracy, if they joined in, these three would barely get any meat!

“Hu Da and Hu Er can hunt just fine on their own. If we tagged along, it would be them helping us, not the other way around. We need to rely on ourselves—we can’t just take advantage of them.”

“By the way, tell me—how strong are you guys exactly? I need to get an idea.”

How were they supposed to answer that?

Qi Si said, “Brother Yan Lao’er, we’re not really sure…”

Qi Wu suddenly remembered something. “I can lift a fully made coffin by myself.”

“I can too,” Qi Si quickly added.

Qi Da had never carried a coffin, but he had carried grain.

Back when Qi Si and Qi Wu were still little, he used to carry all the milled flour home by himself, without using a cart.

“I can carry six or seven bags of wheat.”

Good grief!

Good grief!

Yan Lao’er’s mind was flooded with “good grief”!

These three must be the legendary Innate Divine Strength types!

He thought for a moment, his expression turning serious.

“Are you afraid of large wild animals? I’m talking about ones weighing several hundred pounds.”

Smaller prey was actually harder to catch—their accuracy with bamboo crossbows wasn’t great, and wild animals in the mountains were incredibly agile.

Larger animals, on the other hand, were less likely to flee immediately. Some were even aggressive enough to charge, which meant a higher chance of taking them down. If the Qi brothers could fight them head-on, the rewards would be immense.

He dared to suggest this because he had seen the Qi brothers wield their wooden clubs before—the sound alone was terrifying.

Once, they had smashed a branch to splinters and even left a dent in the ground. The memory was still vivid in his mind.

“No fear! Just need to swing a few extra times.”

“The clubs need to be thicker.”

“So they don’t break.”

Yan Lao’er watched them earnestly discussing wooden clubs and fell into deep thought.

They would need to use Maomao when hunting.

The biggest challenge would be keeping these three from noticing anything unusual.

This required careful planning.

He absolutely couldn’t let them find out!