Chapter 21: The Charm of Engineering Time!

If I remember correctly, yesterday Scholar Liu said he was going into town to buy supplies......

But last night, it seems he didn't come back?

Could he have taken the silver and run away?

Du Shanü, carefree, chewed on a tree root, brushing her teeth while calculating.

A Chou couldn't attend to much, merely sidling up to her and once again repeating what happened yesterday:

"Miss Du, please take the master with you."

"The master's eyesight is poor now, and my head occasionally aches; I truly cannot take the master on a long journey. I only beg your compassion, for the sake of the common people, to spare the master's life."

"In any case, taxes here are heavy and making a living is hard; with your skills, you can settle anywhere......"

Du Shanü rinsed her mouth again and shifted her feet to the side.

A Chou moved a bit closer, lowered his voice, and pleaded:

"If you take the master away, I'll help you kill someone—okay?"

Du Shanü couldn't hold back and coughed sharply:

"Cough, what the heck???"

How did a few words turn into talk of killing?

She's a lone widow, with no grudges before and no enemies now—who would want to kill?

Perhaps A Chou thought she was moved, and he grew even more humble:

"When I served as a Fifth Rank Official, I was mediocre in the classics, law, calligraphy, mathematics, the three histories, and the medical examinations; only the martial arts exam was barely a skill of mine..... otherwise I couldn't have saved the master."

"In that case, if you have enemies, I'll help you kill them; if you have none, I'll help you find one......"

A Chou kept saying more and more.

Du Shanü was still shocked to learn that being a servant required studying so many things, and even among servants there were those who specialized poorly......

But hearing the end, she really couldn't hold back and clenched her fists:

"Why would I go looking for enemies for no reason!"

Don't keep sending all sorts of unlucky people her way, hey!

Isn't this just bullying her because she's honest!

Don't let her foul mouth fool you—before crossing over, she was a plain‑living person who could only read melodramatic novels in the dark at night......

Forget it!

Du Shanü gritted her teeth and instructed:

"If you're idle, go draw a map of the Nine Provinces—that's the important thing."

A Chou stared for a moment, then suddenly understood, and walked off elated.

Du Shanü knew he had misunderstood, but she didn't explain, merely watching him leave with a calm composure.

She stood with hands behind her back, her breath deep and far‑reaching, but before she could become profoundly mysterious, she was interrupted by the Ouyang father and son, who had grown visibly exhausted from two days of labor.

Ouyang Yan was still of an age bearing lingering charm, but these days of nonstop toil had left his brows and eyes worn, revealing a hint of brokenness:

"Miss Du, you've set us father and son to work; we're willing to share your worries, which is nothing much, and we also manage the household and receive guests......"

"But why do your relatives and neighbors keep coming to borrow cooling ointment!"

"We rose before dawn this morning, and now it's mid‑morning; seventeen or eighteen villagers have come to the door to buy goods, yet not a single one has paid......"

Village neighbors are not like ordinary customers.

In ordinary trade, you take what's due; receiving cash brings a pleasant feeling.

But among neighbors, you always have to sell on favor.

Today's villagers buying goods are mostly because yesterday Zhao Dashen and Wang Sanshu made money, so they wanted to try buying a little themselves; being short of cash, they first take on credit, intending to pay after selling.

Thus, Du Shanü didn't say much, only saying:

"I actually intended to borrow their money on purpose—no problem."

Du Shanü never forgot for a moment that her home was still just a broken thatched hut!

The cooling‑ointment business is as profitable as ten thousand percent; the more the neighbors borrow, the more they owe. After the farming season ends, when they have no work, Du Shanü can produce this 'ledger', go to each person, solidify foundations, hire labor to build houses, and construct moats......

Thus, the villagers needn't repay the money, and she can employ relatively cheap labor—isn't this a win‑win?

Du Shanü remained calm; the Ouyang father and son exchanged a glance, then Ouyang Yan suddenly twisted his fingers and bit his lip, saying:

"All right, then we father and son will follow Miss Du......"

The widower lowered his head, revealing a slender, fair nape.

Ouyang Yan looked as if he were about to weep:

"As long as we can help Miss Du, even if we suffer more now, it's......"

Du Shanü grew a little impatient and disliked this roundabout way of speaking; she waved her hand and said:

"Your two jobs are the hardest; I'll decide to give you fifty cash each day as a subsidy for work—okay?"

"If there's work, go do it; no need to stand here putting on airs for me—others may buy your act, but I don't, and I just find it annoying."

"Furthermore......"

Du Shanü frowned, her gaze moving from Ouyang Yan to Ouyang An behind him:

"A real man! What's there to be shy about!"

"Though your son is only palm‑sized in talent, you ought to set an example for the little one! Never mind plucking the moon from the ninth heaven or catching turtles in the five oceans—don't put on the airs of a concubine!"

Ouyang An, suddenly called 'palm‑sized', said: "......"

Ouyang Yan, suddenly told he had the airs of a concubine, said: "......"

The father and son's faces both showed an indescribable expression; they glanced at each other and understood the look in each other's eyes——

"'Father, this young miss seems like a blockhead......'"

In this world, there actually still exists such a person who doesn't understand romance......

Then we......?

... Go work!

Two father-son pairs came, two father-son pairs left.

When they came, they were fidgety; when they left, they were desolate.

Du Shanü actually finally became satisfied, turned back to look for Leitie.

Leitie built a forge beside the house these past two days for smithing, the forge opening faces east, to take advantage of the wind.

The bellows were made by him overnight using a piece of old wood board and ox hide sewn together; the appearance is rough, but pulling it works smoothly.

The flame turned from red to yellow, then from yellow it showed a blue tint.

He inserted all the iron taken off the farming tools into the charcoal fire, staring at the iron gradually softening, the edges emitting an orange-red light.

When the hammer was swung up, a clanging sound scattered below the slope.

He hammered down blow after blow, the muscles of his shoulders and back rose and fell with the motion, his sweat-soaked short clothes clung to his flesh, revealing a broad outline.

The iron bar went from square to flat, from thick to thin.

Sweat seeped from the corner of his forehead, trickling down his cheeks; he didn't wipe it, just kept turning over looking at the iron lump, checking when the timing was right, then inserted it back into the furnace.

Leitie worked so hard he forgot himself, and on the ground already lay several pieces of finished iron:

The outline of the crossbow arm, the rough blank of the trigger mechanism, and several narrow arrow grooves.

Du Shanü looked for a while, picked up the objects on the ground, and began trying to assemble——

A groove was chiseled at the front end of the crossbow arm, the arrow groove was inserted into it, and fixed with rivets.

The trigger mechanism was fitted with three stages, each aligned with an arrow groove.

The bowstring was made by twisting ox sinew; Du Shanü pulled it, and it became tight.

Finally she placed the three arrow shafts onto it, the arrow nocks caught in the trigger mechanism, she lifted the Yuanrong crossbow, aimed at the wild grass on the slope not far away, and released the trigger!

Peng——!!!

A muffled bang, the bow limbs snapped back, the three arrows almost simultaneously left the string, flying past grazing the grass tips.

The arrowheads plunged into the soil on the slope, only hearing a 'pu' muffled sound, the arrow shafts sank straight into the soil, only three tufts of tail feathers remained exposed, emitting a terrifying whistling sound.

This sound startled everyone; Leitie put down his hammer, limped out the door to check.

Inside, A Chou, who was drawing a map, was also startled; he quickly ran to the slope and squatted down to check.

He pulled out one; the arrow shaft was covered in wet mud, the hole dark and deep, its depth unfathomable.

This, this is what?

Compared to ordinary bows and arrows, it seems somewhat different?

No, not just different, but the power is worlds apart!!!

A Chou trembled holding the arrow; Du Shanü held the crossbow mechanism, came behind him, casually brushed off the dust on her body, and said nonchalantly:

"Earlier I seemed to have forgotten to mention one thing...... I didn't plan to escape."

"Not only that, whoever comes to kill me, I will kill them."

?? Chinu is coming, Chinu is coming——!!!