Xie Yuan lifted his head and saw a man with a fleshy face walk in.

The man wasn’t actually fat, just that his cheeks carried a mass of flesh. Coupled with his crooked mouth, the corners of which were perpetually downturned, he looked incredibly menacing.

In truth, there was no need to look up. Just from hearing that muffled voice, as if he were chewing on something, and that brutish tone, everyone in the village knew who it was.

Xie Yuan straightened up, speaking with a hint of caution.

"Second Brother Zhang? What brings you here?"

"Hmph, it’s about what I told you before!"

Zhang the Second glanced at him sidelong.

"Winter is coming again. It’s not going to be easy for a lonely orphan like you. My big brother found a job for you in the county town. You said you needed to think about it. Have you made up your mind? What’s the word?"

Xie Yuan’s brows furrowed subconsciously.

’This again?’

’Why are they so dead set on dragging me to the county town? What are they really after?’

"Second Brother Zhang, what kind of job is it that you need me for? I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it."

Zhang the Second waved his hand dismissively and said casually,

"It’s nothing difficult. You’ll just be a page at the master’s estate. Wiping tables, sweeping floors, serving tea, and pouring water—anyone can do it.

"It’s a rare opportunity. That master is very wealthy. Even the servants in his house get to wear cotton-padded jackets and eat meat.

"Look at you, wearing a single layer of clothing, all sallow and gaunt. How are you going to get through the winter? I’m only thinking of giving you this chance because we’re from the same village."

Xie Yuan had been sweating from chopping wood, so he’d taken off the cotton-padded jacket he had borrowed from Wang Lei. He was now wearing just a single layer of clothing.

Hearing Zhang the Second bring this up, he felt a surge of anger.

’Damn it, weren’t you the one who had your lackeys snatch my clothes?’

’Wait, his tone... it sounds like he knows about it...’

’Could he have ordered them to do it?’

In an instant, Xie Yuan connected the dots.

After he lost his older brother’s care, it was only natural for a thin, solitary boy like him to be bullied by the village ruffians.

But all these ruffians were Zhang the Second’s men, and the daily bullying seemed to have started right after he rejected the previous offer...

’Is he taking it out on me?’

’No, it’s more like he’s trying to make my life impossible so I’ll have no choice but to accept his proposal!’

Xie Yuan’s thoughts raced.

’A page in a master’s house?’

’Isn’t that just a lowly servant, the kind that has to sign a bond of servitude?!’

’Fuck, he’s trying to sell me?’

Xie Yuan’s fists clenched, and he fought back the urge to split this crooked-mouthed bastard’s head open with his axe.

Being a servant, bound to a master, with no freedom. As someone from a modern, free society, how could he ever endure that?

Never mind his past life; even here, there was a saying: "Better to be a beggar than a house slave."

Once you signed a bond of servitude, you could be whipped by your master and still have to kneel and thank him for the "reward."

Xie Yuan, who had never knelt to anyone in two lifetimes, had no intention of being so debased.

He fell silent for a moment before saying in a low voice:

"Second Brother Zhang, I’m a timid person. I’d be scared to even meet the master in the city, and I’m afraid my hands would shake and I’d drop his teacup. I’m more comfortable staying here in the village."

Zhang the Second’s brow knitted instantly, a cold glint in his eyes.

"Yuanzi, I’m doing this out of the kindness of my heart. Why can’t you tell what’s good for you? Tell me, how are you going to survive the winter like this? We’re from the same village; I don’t want to stand by and watch you freeze or starve to death!"

Xie Yuan pressed his lips together, turned, and went back into the house to put on the cotton-padded jacket.

"Thank you for your concern, Second Brother Zhang. I have clothes to wear."

Zhang the Second’s eyes widened.

"How can that be? Where would you get another... oh. I haven’t seen you wear that jacket before, have I?"

The moment Xie Yuan heard that, he knew his earlier suspicions were all true.

He lowered his head slightly, hiding the fury in his eyes.

"I recently chopped down an Iron Yang tree and traded it for some clothes and food. I can get by now."

He didn’t say he had borrowed it from Brother Shitou’s family, to prevent Zhang the Second from going to cause trouble for them.

Only then did Zhang the Second look around the yard and see that it was indeed covered in stacks of Iron Yang firewood.

He was stunned for a moment, then frowned.

"You can actually fell an Iron Yang tree?"

Xie Yuan kept his eyes downcast.

"Yes."

Zhang the Second’s face hardened. He took a step forward, his brows raised menacingly.

"Yuanzi, think it over carefully. Are you sure you’re not going? I went through a lot of trouble to find this job for you. It’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss."

THWACK.

With a dull thud, Xie Yuan raised his axe and brought it down, violently splitting an Iron Yang log in two.

The two pieces of wood flew apart, and splinters even shot onto Zhang the Second.

Zhang the Second instinctively stopped in his tracks, his expression a mix of shock and suspicion.

’What the hell was that?’

’Iron Yang wood is that hard, and he can split it with that kind of force?’

Xie Yuan held the axe, looking calmly at Zhang the Second.

"Second Brother Zhang, I’m doing just fine chopping wood. I can support myself. As for your kind offer, I appreciate the thought."

Zhang the Second was silent for a long moment, then a cold smirk appeared on his face.

"Well now, Yuanzi, you’ve really grown some skills. Fine, I won’t press the issue today. But I advise you to think about my proposal again. We’re doing this for your own good.

"I’ll be back in a while. If I can’t persuade you, then you can just wait for my brother to come!"

After Zhang the Second left, Xie Yuan tossed his axe on the ground, sat down on a stack of firewood, and let out a frustrated sigh.

’Why is this Zhang the Second so fixated on me?’

It wasn’t unheard of for a local tyrant to want to sell an orphan boy for a bit of commission.

But most of the money from selling himself would still go to him. If Zhang the Second wanted to steal that money, it would be human trafficking, and the authorities would definitely get involved.

He had already shown a very firm attitude, which had clearly made Zhang the Second hesitate. But he still told him to reconsider at the end?

Xie Yuan was puzzled.

Honestly, if he had just threatened to make his life miserable, that would be understandable. Why was he so insistent on making him a page?

Xie Yuan couldn’t figure out the real reason. But he knew that the more they insisted, the more impossible it was for him to go.

’Zhang the Second seemed intimidated by that swing of the axe, but he’s a big, burly guy who’s trained in fighting with his brother. If we really fought, I’m not sure I could win.

’Even if I could beat him, there’s still Brother Zhang. He’s a true Martial Artist. If he really calls Brother Zhang back...’

Overcome with frustration, Xie Yuan swung his axe fiercely.

’The only way is to become a Martial Artist myself... I have to save up money as fast as I can and find a master at a martial arts school in town or the county. Even if I’m just a nominal disciple, as long as I learn the basic stances, with my ability, I might be able to pick something up...’

He took a deep breath and shot to his feet.

’Get a grip. Just worrying about it is useless.’

Xie Yuan slapped his cheeks, swung his axe, and set about finishing the Iron Yang logs in his yard.

After packing the well-chopped firewood, he shouldered his basket and went door-to-door in the village.

This time, he wasn’t trading for goods, only for Copper Coins.

After making his rounds and finally selling all the Iron Yang wood, Xie Yuan returned home, counted his earnings, and sighed faintly.

’Half an Iron Yang tree for one hundred and twenty Copper Coins. And most of that was bought by the village chief and Zhu Dongming. No one else wanted any...’

He had heard that the cheapest martial arts school in town required a "tea ceremony" fee of at least ten taels of silver to enroll.

A rough conversion would be ten strings of cash, or ten thousand coins. Not even counting the exchange rate loss between silver and copper, that would require forty Iron Yang trees.

’This is going to be tough.’

Xie Yuan took a breath. Relying on Chopping Wood alone would be far too difficult.

But he had no intention of giving up. On the contrary, he felt even more motivated.

’The more wood I chop, the more trees I fell, the more my ability will progress. Saving money should get faster and faster later on.’

If he got discouraged and stalled, then all hope would be lost.

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Xie Yuan picked up his axe again and headed for the forest on the hillside.

This time, however, just as he was getting into his stance in front of a tree, he suddenly heard a snide voice from behind him:

"Well, well, if it isn’t our master woodcutter, Yuanzi."

The day after he refused Zhang the Second, trouble came knocking.