Xu Chang and Yan Aini did not eat much meat, only continuously drank the meat broth, leaving all the meat for the children and the elderly.
Xu Fan watched this and silently placed a large, succulent chicken leg into each of his parents' bowls.
"Father, Mother, you eat too. In the future, our family will have so much meat we won't be able to finish it."
Xu Chang looked at the chicken leg in his bowl, his eyes welling up again. He no longer refused and began to eat heartily.
It was as if he was swallowing all the hardship and hunger he had endured over the years.
From the inner room, the intermittent voices of Grandpa Xu Jun and Grandma Zhuang Yunlan could be heard.
"Old woman, this meat broth... it's truly delicious."
"Yes... Heaven has opened its eyes. Our Fan'er has grown up, he's become promising..."
After drinking the meat broth, the two elderly people felt a warm current rise from their stomachs, and the chronic ailments that had accumulated over the years seemed to loosen slightly. Grandpa Xu Jun's originally cloudy eyes even showed a hint of vitality.
"This... this soup..." Xu Jun looked at the bowl in surprise.
He only drank a few sips of the soup, but he felt his whole body filled with strength.
The entire family ate heartily during the meal.
After the meal, Xu Fan put away the remaining wild rabbit and the two processed furs.
These would be the capital for tomorrow.
He sat in the courtyard, watching the afterglow of the setting sun spread across his family's contented faces.
This was just the beginning.
[You attempted to protect your family's dignity, unlocking a new skill: Intimidation (Beginner 0/100)]
[Intimidation proficiency +1]
Xu Fan looked at the new skill on his panel, paused slightly, then smiled.
The unlocking methods of this Golden Finger were truly varied.
Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten.
For the first time, the Xu Family's small courtyard was not filled with its usual silence and despair, but with vibrant life.
In the kitchen, Yan Aini was humming an off-key tune, using borrowed coarse grains mixed with the leftover meat broth from yesterday to cook a fragrant pot of porridge.
In the courtyard, Xu Chengbo was holding a kindling knife, diligently imitating Xu Fan from yesterday, carving wooden sticks.
The younger children were not idle either; the sensible Xu Huining led her younger siblings in sweeping the fallen leaves from the courtyard.
Even the most playful Xu Jielang, like a little adult, diligently stacked the firewood neatly.
After breakfast, Xu Fan tied the cleaned wild rabbit and the two intact furs with grass rope and said to his mother, who was clearing the dishes: "Mother, my second brother and I are going to the town to sell these things, and then buy some salt and grain to bring back."
"Going to town?" Yan Aini's movements paused, and a worried expression appeared on her face, "Fan'er, the town is far, the road is difficult to travel, and... those merchants are very shrewd. I'm afraid you two will be taken advantage of."
Xu Chang, standing nearby, frowned and said, "Yes, why don't you wait for Father to go with you?"
"Father, you and Mother stay home and take care of Grandpa, Grandma, and my siblings." Xu Fan shook his head, "There's still a lot of work in the fields. Chengbo and I can go; don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
He looked at the eager Xu Chengbo, who straightened his back and patted his chest, promising, "Father, Mother, don't worry! I will protect Big Brother!"
Xu Chang looked at his two sons, one steady, the other vibrant. In a trance, he felt as if he had already grown old.
This family, without him realizing it, had already been propped up by his eldest son.
He was silent for a long while, finally nodding. He pulled a few polished copper coins from his embrace and placed them in Xu Fan's hand.
"Take these, on the way... buy a bowl of water to drink."
These were the only few coins left in the family.
Xu Fan did not refuse and accepted them.
The two brothers bid farewell to their family and set off on the road to Qingyang Town.
From the village to the town, it was over twenty li of mountain road.
Previously, this stretch of road was an insurmountable chasm for the hungry Xu Fan.
But now, with his Farming skill reaching proficiency, his stamina and endurance far surpassed what they once were, and he felt light-footed as he walked.
Xu Chengbo, on the other hand, although excited, still lacked stamina and began to pant heavily not long after they started walking.
"Big Brother... you... how are you not tired at all?" Xu Chengbo leaned on his knees, gasping for air, his face full of disbelief.
"Even if we're tired, we still have to walk. The faster we walk, the sooner we can go and return." Xu Fan slowed his pace, "From now on, every morning, you'll run a few laps around the village with me, and your stamina will naturally improve."
"Mm!" Xu Chengbo nodded heavily, looking at his elder brother's tall figure with eyes full of admiration.
Along the way, they encountered many villagers also heading to the market.
Everyone's attitude towards the Xu brothers was much friendlier, and some even came forward to greet them, asking what they were carrying.
Upon learning it was a wild rabbit, they all showed envious expressions.
"Xu Family's Eldest Son has truly become promising!"
"Yes, the Xu Family's days will get better now."
These words made Xu Chengbo's chest puff out even further.
For the first time, he felt what it was like to be proud.
After walking for nearly two hours, the outline of a town built with bluestone finally appeared on the horizon.
Qingyang Town.
Compared to the village's poverty and isolation, this was undoubtedly another world.
On the wide bluestone streets, people came and went, and traffic flowed like water.
On both sides of the street were rows of shops: restaurants, tea houses, cloth shops, rice merchants... hawking, shouting, and bargaining sounds filled the air.
Xu Chengbo was dazzled, nervously following behind Xu Fan, whispering, "Big Brother, there are so many people here."
"Stay close, don't get lost."
[You are observing the market, attempting to understand business logic, unlocking a new skill: Commercial Acumen (Beginner 0/100)]
[Commercial Acumen proficiency +1]
This skill came at just the right time.
Xu Fan did not rush to sell the goods he was carrying, but instead took Xu Chengbo on a leisurely stroll through the market.
He saw that those selling firewood and mountain goods were mostly concentrated at the market entrance, and their prices were the lowest.
Further inside, specialized fur shops or restaurants offered higher prices for wild animal .
He also saw dedicated apothecaries buying medicinal herbs, with various herb charts and prices displayed at their entrances.
Xu Fan silently noted all of this.
After walking for about half an hour, he had a general idea.
He led Xu Chengbo past the scattered small vendors and walked towards a moderately sized restaurant deeper in the market.
Yingxian Restaurant.
The restaurant's waiter saw the two brothers in their coarse linen clothes, carrying a bloody wild rabbit, and showed a look of disdain. He reached out to stop them: "Go, go, beggars go elsewhere, don't dirty our shop's threshold!"
Xu Chengbo's face instantly flushed red.
Xu Fan's expression remained unchanged; he simply lifted the wild rabbit and furs he was holding: "We are not beggars; we are here to sell wild animal . What, does your Yingxian Restaurant open for business and still drive customers away?"
The waiter was startled and then carefully examined the items in Xu Fan's hand.
The wild rabbit was quite large, and its fur was cleanly and completely processed; it was clearly a good product.
"Wait here." The waiter's attitude softened slightly, and he turned to go into the shop.
A moment later, a fat manager wearing a silk gown and sporting a handlebar mustache walked out.
He squinted his small eyes, sizing up the Xu brothers, his gaze finally settling on the wild animal .
"Good stuff." The fat manager weighed the rabbit in his hand and then flipped through the furs. "For this rabbit, I'll give you thirty coins. For this hide, I'll give you twenty coins. Fifty coins in total, how about it?"
"Fifty coins?" Xu Chengbo, standing nearby, couldn't help but exclaim.
In his opinion, fifty coins was already a huge sum, enough to buy dozens of catties of coarse grain for the family.
The fat manager's smile widened when he saw his reaction.
However, Xu Fan shook his head.
"The manager is joking."
His words, however, made the smile on the fat manager's face freeze.