The hailstorm was made up of ice pellets! They came pouring down from the sky, as large as pigeon eggs!
Accompanied by that deafening thunderclap, fierce winds swept dense hailstones across the entire marketplace like weapons hurled down by heavenly soldiers.
“Crack! Bang!”
The street instantly descended into chaos. The townspeople screamed and scattered in all directions, scrambling beneath the eaves for shelter.
The scar-faced thug was the first to suffer. The short knife he had just raised above his head became the perfect target.
“Clang!”
A large hailstone, carried by the wind, slammed directly into the blade.
The tremendous impact instantly split the skin of the thug’s palm, sending blood pouring out. The short knife flew from his hand and landed in the crack between the stone slabs at his feet, its handle still vibrating violently.
Then, the wooden frame of a vegetable stall that had been knocked over by the strong wind came crashing down.
“Bang!”
It landed squarely on the scar-faced thug’s back.
“Ow!”
The thug screamed as he was knocked face-first into the muddy water filled with hail and rotten vegetable leaves.
Everything had happened far too quickly, and far too perfectly.
From the moment Lu Yuan declared that “heavenly thunder would punish” the thug to the thunderous roar, the hail striking his knife, and the wooden frame collapsing on him, barely any time had passed.
In this deeply superstitious ancient world, such a coincidence was nothing short of divine punishment in the eyes of the onlookers.
“It’s a miracle! The heavens have shown themselves!”
The three thugs following the scar-faced man were scared out of their wits.
They looked at Lu Yuan, who stood calmly beneath the eaves without even the corner of his clothes getting wet, as though he were a terrifying deity descended to earth.
“Please spare us, immortal master! We won’t dare do it again!”
The thugs scrambled over, dragged the scar-faced man to his feet, and fled the street screaming in terror beneath the hailstorm, not even bothering to retrieve the knife.
A disaster that had seemed inevitable was thus dissolved without a fight, all because of a sudden bout of extreme winter weather.
Under the eaves, Lin Erniu’s mouth was wide enough to fit a fist inside.
He stiffly turned his head and looked at Lu Yuan, who remained as calm as ever. He even lowered his breathing, afraid that he might disturb this divine brother-in-law who could supposedly command the wind and rain.
The hailstorm came quickly and disappeared just as quickly.
After less than the time it takes to burn a single incense stick, the clouds dispersed and the winter sunlight once again spilled across the stone-paved road.
The manager of Yipinxiang Restaurant, who had been hiding behind a doorway the entire time, watched everything unfold.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurried over to Lu Yuan, his attitude considerably more respectful than before.
“Sir… you truly are a divine man!”
The manager not only did not reconsider buying the fish, but actually took out another string of copper coins from his sleeve.
Together with the money he had already paid, he respectfully handed everything to Lu Yuan with both hands.
“These two fish were agreed upon at four hundred and twenty copper coins.”
The manager’s face was covered in a flattering smile.
“I have decided to round it up. I’ll give you five hundred copper coins! The extra eighty are simply my way of making friends with you, Sir!”
“If you ever acquire any other rare goods in the future, just bring them to Yipinxiang. I guarantee you’ll receive a fair price!”
In this era, a scholar capable of predicting celestial phenomena was someone even the county magistrate would treat with respect. Spending eighty extra copper coins to establish a connection was an excellent investment.
Besides, the manager had a feeling that this man would achieve great things in the future.
Lu Yuan did not refuse.
He reached out with both hands and firmly accepted the five strings of neatly threaded copper coins.
They were heavy enough to make his wrists sink slightly.
This was the first time since arriving in ancient times that Lu Yuan had truly held the currency of this era in his hands.
The cold copper coins clinked against one another, producing a crisp jingling sound.
For someone from his previous life who had been accustomed to digital payments, this tangible weight actually gave Lu Yuan an unprecedented sense of security.
These five hundred copper coins were their lifeline, the hope for his unborn child, and the first foundation upon which he would establish himself in this unfamiliar era.
To protect this hard-earned warmth, he would have to work desperately to earn more money and eventually gain greater power.
“Thank you, Manager. You may keep the wooden bucket as well.”
Lu Yuan gave a slight nod, his demeanor calm and composed.
The manager repeatedly cupped his fists in gratitude before calling his workers over to happily carry the fish-filled bucket into the restaurant.
The townspeople passing by looked at the five heavy strings of copper coins in Lu Yuan’s hands with eyes full of envy.
But after witnessing the “heavenly punishment” just now, no one dared approach him and cause trouble.
“Let’s go, Second Brother. We need to buy some things.”
Lu Yuan tucked the money into his clothes and patted Lin Erniu, who was still standing there in a daze.
Only then did Lin Erniu snap back to reality. He quickly shouldered the empty basket and hurried after Lu Yuan.
As he looked at Lu Yuan’s back, his expression had completely changed. He no longer saw him as a frail brother-in-law. Instead, he looked at him as though he were a deity descended from heaven.
“Brother-in-law… what did you just do? Can you really make Heaven send down hail?”
Lin Erniu stammered as he asked.
Lu Yuan chuckled and patiently explained, “Second Brother, I don’t know any magic. It’s called ‘predicting weather by observing the clouds.’”
“I noticed those black clouds in the northwest earlier. They looked like an anvil, so I knew there would definitely be a sudden rainstorm and hail. I merely borrowed the authority of Heaven to frighten those men.”
Lin Erniu scratched his head, only half understanding.
But deep down, he didn’t believe this nonsense about “observing clouds” at all.
How could anyone predict the weather so accurately just by looking at clouds? How could he even calculate the exact moment the hail would fall?
Surely this was some kind of immortal technique known only to scholars!
With the five hundred copper coins in hand, Lu Yuan took Lin Erniu straight to the grain shop and cloth store in town.
“Shopkeeper, give me five jin of your finest white rice. This year’s harvest.”
Without hesitation, Lu Yuan chose refined grain.
White rice was expensive, costing ten copper coins per jin. Five jin cost fifty copper coins.
Next, he bought an entire forty-jin sack of brown rice.
Brown rice was cheaper, at five copper coins per jin. It was also the staple food of ordinary farmers.
Forty jin cost two hundred copper coins—enough for the entire Lin family to eat their fill for more than half a month.
After buying the grain, Lu Yuan went to the general store and spent thirty copper coins on one jin of high-quality brown sugar.
Brown sugar was good for replenishing blood and energy. He specifically bought it to help Qingyue recover after giving birth.
Finally, the two arrived at a cloth shop.
“Shopkeeper, give me two jin of newly spun cotton, and cut me one bolt of the softest fine cotton cloth.”
The cloth-shop owner immediately smiled broadly and came forward to greet him.
Cotton production was low in ancient times, so it was quite expensive.
“Good customer, please wait! The new cotton is sixty copper coins per jin, and the fine cotton cloth is sixty copper coins per bolt. That’s one hundred and eighty copper coins altogether!”
When Lin Erniu heard the price, he sucked in a sharp breath and stamped his feet in distress.
“Brother-in-law! Cotton is way too expensive! Couldn’t we just buy some scraps and stuff them with reed fluff when we get home? Wouldn’t that work?”
As Lu Yuan counted out the copper coins, he firmly shook his head.
“Second Brother, this money cannot be saved. Qingyue is about to give birth. A newborn baby’s skin is extremely delicate. Reed fluff is coarse and prickly. It could hurt the baby.”
“Besides, Second Sister-in-law is pregnant too. The white flour and cotton are also for her health and for preparing for the baby.”
“Money is meant to be spent. As long as we have our people, if the money is gone, we can earn more.”
Hearing these words, Lin Erniu’s eyes grew hot.
His brother-in-law not only cared about his own sister but had even considered his wife’s pregnancy. How could he not be moved?
Of the five hundred copper coins, a total of four hundred and sixty were spent on their purchases.
Only the final forty copper coins remained in Lu Yuan’s possession for emergencies.
On the way home, Lin Erniu carried the basket, now filled to the brim and weighing more than sixty or seventy jin.
Yet instead of feeling tired, he felt as though he had endless strength.
Inside the basket were fine white flour, life-saving brown rice, soft cotton, and sweet brown sugar.
These were all things the Lin family had never even dared dream of having, not even during the New Year.
Although Lu Yuan had only recently recovered from a serious illness, his heart was filled with hope, making his steps considerably lighter.
His mind repeatedly brought up Qingyue’s sallow little face.
If that foolish wife of his saw this fine cotton cloth and brown sugar, and realized that he could truly support the family, how happy would she be?
At the thought, Lu Yuan could barely feel the cold on his body anymore.
The two men chatted and laughed as they walked through the lingering snow, striding confidently back toward Qingshui Village.
From a distance, the Lin family’s dilapidated earthen walls were already clearly visible.
Lu Yuan was just about to quicken his pace when—
“Crash!”
A tremendous noise suddenly came from inside the Lin family courtyard.
It sounded like some heavy ceramic vessel had been smashed violently against the stone floor.
Immediately afterward came his mother-in-law Wang’s furious voice, trembling with tears.
“Get out! This is my home! You heartless beasts!”
The smile on Lu Yuan’s face instantly froze.
His eyes suddenly turned cold.
Something had happened!