Chapter 125: A Clear Mind

Yan Yu had her own judgment.

Without the suppression of the bamboo crossbows, how could they have safely made it here, continuously emptying out the bandit dens?

Her eldest uncle was absolutely right—charging in headfirst was just plain stupid.

They needed to be thorough, ensuring the survival of their people. If they didn’t have enough intelligence, it would be frustrating.

Wisdom and strategic thinking weren’t things people were born with; they had to be learned.

But… learning was kind of hard.

It didn’t align with her life plans.

Charging forward recklessly might actually suit her better.

The enemy was strong—stronger than them!

The enemy was numerous—even more than them!

Time to mobilize the whole village.

Yan Yu even started training the children.

Just defending their little village should… be possible, right?

That was the short-term plan.

As for the long-term plan…

What long-term plan? In a few years, her eldest uncle would become an official and keep rising in rank. Why should she bother planning anything?

Lying flat was great, and her uncle’s backing was even better!

Her mind was at ease!

Yan Yu ran back to find her father.

She needed to keep an eye on his private stash—it was all part of her reserve funds.

For that, she was willing to contribute her meager strength.

Yan Lao’er was drowning in numbers.

Seeing his daughter felt like seeing a lifesaver.

“Daughter, come take a look—I’ve written everything on the ground.”

Yan Yu nodded approvingly. Good work. With a swipe of her foot, all the markings disappeared.

The ground had been covered in calculations of pig brains, pig hearts, pig lungs… Yan Yu skipped over those.

They had sold quite a bit of pork. Thanks to Yan Lao’er’s reminder, people were now aware of the need to store meat.

The rough salt and seasonings they had scavenged from the bandit dens were too little to divide up individually, so they were all being used for communal meat curing.

Some families had bought as much as fifteen pounds, while others only managed two or three.

Altogether, 237 pounds of pork were gone in an instant.

The copper coins that Yan Lao’er had set aside came in handy, avoiding any hassle with making change.

That was his years of shopkeeping experience at work.

Always keep change handy!

There were still over a hundred pounds of wild boar meat left, not counting bones—just the meat.

Yan Yu had already thought it through and spoke quickly:

“With the sold and remaining meat, there’s around 400 pounds total. To keep it simple, our family will take 100 pounds.”

“The pig offal has all been traded to the Qi family for flour. We also got pig pancreas and a good amount of fat to render lard. The Qi family should make up for that with ten more pounds of meat. All the bones go to us, and we won’t bother Uncle Luo’s family—they’re off the hook.”

“That way, we only take the silver from selling our own meat, while the rest of the money and meat go to the Qi family. How’s that?”

Yan Lao’er: “No problem! I was overthinking it before. This is exactly how the numbers should be worked out—about right.”

“Especially that last ten pounds of meat and the bones you asked for—haha, smart! This way, the Qi family won’t feel like they’re taking advantage of us.”

“But daughter, your Uncle Luo really cleaned those bones this time—so clean that even dogs would cry if they saw them.”

Yan Yu swiped her foot over the markings again.

“Since water is easy to find right now, let’s boil a few big pots of bone broth. We won’t charge for it—anyone who wants some can come and get it. The leftover bones can be ground into bone meal like before and mixed into feed for the mules and donkeys.”

Squeezing every last bit of value from the wild boar.

Yan Lao’er hesitated. “If we do that, the disaster victims will swarm in.”

“Let them come,” Yan Yu said confidently. “These late-arriving refugees didn’t see us fighting the bandits. This is a chance to show them we’re not to be messed with.”

“They can travel with us, but at a distance—it’s better for both sides.”

“We eat the meat, and they get a taste of the soup.” Yan Lao’er was deep in thought. “I should still check with your eldest uncle—I’m not entirely sure.”

Yan Yu nodded. “Of course. Dad, go ask. If it’s not feasible, we’ll just keep it for our own people.”

Either way, no waste.

“Alright, I’ll head to the Qi family first, then go see Uncle Luo. Are you coming with me or going back?”

“Dad, of course I’m coming with you! I’m your dear little cotton-padded jacket!” Yan Yu cupped her cheeks and batted her eyes cutely.

If it were Li Xuemei, this act wouldn’t work on her at all.

But with Yan Lao’er, it was foolproof. Just two words—very effective.

“Haha! Let’s go!”

Yan Lao’er took his daughter’s small hand, reliving a rare moment of her childhood cuteness.

When they arrived at the Qi family, Yan Lao’er boasted a bit, telling the three Qi brothers, “Let my daughter explain it. I taught her—let’s see if she gets it right.”

Qi Da, Qi Si, and Qi Wu had no objections.

The Qi family’s matriarch, Qi Da’s wife, and their two daughters all gathered around, curious to hear.

Teaching kids to talk business and manage affairs—parents had probably always loved doing this, from ancient times to now.

Yan Yu had no choice but to start explaining.

After settling the exchange of money and meat, the Qi family was surprised by how much they had received.

They thought it was too much—after all, they now had flour, meat, and copper coins.

But after comparing with Yan Lao’er, it seemed fair.

After all, Yan Lao’er had sold for an even higher amount.

The final conclusion: hunting was really profitable!

And hunting wild boars? Even better!

The three Qi brothers felt their blood boiling, eager to rush into the mountains every day to pick fights with wild boars.

Yan Lao’er broke into a cold sweat.

“Brothers, listen to me—we still have a long journey ahead. We can’t just keep running into the mountains. We’ll have plenty of time later. We’ll take things as they come—you won’t always find wild boars every time, haha!”

Spare the wild boars—they had it hard enough in the mountains.

The Qi brothers laughed and nodded, readily agreeing.

No problem—they’d follow Yan Lao’er’s lead.

“Oh, by the way, if you have time, could you make some water containers? We’ve got several more mules now, so we can add a few more carts. But instead of just carrying people and goods, I think carrying water would be more useful. Who knows what lies ahead? If water becomes scarce, we’ll need to be prepared.”

Qi Wu: “Sure, I’ll make a few.”

“They don’t need to be pretty or round—just hold water. Any shape will do.” Yan Lao’er added.

He figured square containers might be easier to make than round ones.

Qi Wu grinned. “Got it!”

Yan Lao’er always understood him—never demanding fine craftsmanship, just practicality.

Father and daughter then went to see Uncle Luo, where Yan Lao’er slipped him a small bag of seasonings.

Uncle Luo was overjoyed, grinning so wide his gums showed. He walked them out, repeatedly promising that if they ever needed his butchering skills again, they should call on him—he’d handle everything perfectly.

Yan Lao’er reassured him multiple times before Uncle Luo reluctantly let them go.

Yan Yu wiped nonexistent sweat from her brow. “Uncle Luo is too enthusiastic! But honestly, who else would we go to? He’s the only one who knows how to butcher properly.”

Yan Lao’er nodded. “Uncle Luo is smart. With so many refugees, there’s bound to be other butchers among them. By locking down this role early, he ensures we won’t look for anyone else in the future. A few kind words and smiles are a small price to pay for securing a stable client.”