Three options.
Chen Nuo first ruled out going up the mountain.
The reason was simple: the notoriety of the Exotic Beasts and venomous snakes was too great. He didn't want to take the risk. The most he would do was have Chen Li lead people to continue hunting on the periphery to supplement their supplies.
As for fishing and buying grain, he felt they could be pursued at the same time.
First, he had to go ask his grand-uncle about the money situation.
...
"Money... I'm afraid we don't have enough."
The grand-uncle told Chen Nuo the approximate amount of money they had in the clan's reserves.
"This money is enough to pay the grain tax, but it's nowhere near enough to buy more grain."
"..."
'As expected.'
'No matter where you are, money is always a huge problem!'
"Ah Nuo, if it comes to it, we could borrow..."
He didn't get to finish.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
Chen Li came running over in a hurry.
"Clan Leader, Grand-uncle."
"Speak."
"Every... every village! They've all had reduced yields!"
Chen Li said, his expression panicked.
"Alas, the worst has come to pass," the grand-uncle sighed.
'Borrow?'
'Out of the question.'
'The other villages probably have their own hands full.'
'Everyone must be scrambling for a solution right now.'
"Grand-uncle, I need you to arrange for people to prepare for the autumn harvest."
"As for the shortfall in grain, it's not as if we won't survive the winter. If we set aside enough seed grain, the remaining food plus those oyster mushrooms will be enough. We can slowly figure something out before the spring planting," Chen Nuo decided.
"I suppose that's our only option."
Silence fell in the ancestral hall.
...
「Time passed slowly.」
During this time, besides handling clan affairs, Chen Nuo continued to hone his body, familiarizing himself with his Trait Secret Technique: One Element Heavy Blood.
He didn't let up for a single moment.
For he knew full well where the true foundation of power lay in this world.
Through his efforts, he had now successfully developed several practical applications for One Element Heavy Blood.
"HAH!"
With a sharp cry, he unleashed a powerful, heavy kick against a stone slab. Stone chips flew everywhere as the entire large slab was forcefully shattered into pieces.
Then he threw another fierce punch.
Like a falling sledgehammer, like a cracking whip, it slammed violently into a tree.
CRACK!
The bark splintered, revealing a deep indentation surrounded by a web of fine cracks.
The faint, dark red glow on his fist and foot quietly receded.
A kick and a punch.
These were the applications of the Secret Technique he had developed so far.
By suddenly channeling One Element Heavy Blood while throwing a punch or a roundhouse kick, he could achieve an instantaneous boost in power, catching an opponent completely off guard.
His movements were a blur of feints and real attacks, making them difficult to read.
Moreover, when facing an enemy, he could also use it to bolster his defense and reduce damage.
It was a technique for both offense and defense.
The only problem was, perhaps... it was very hard on his shoes.
Chen Nuo looked helplessly at his shoes, his toes already peeking through a hole.
THWAP!
Sister La had already walked over, a stern look on her face, and gave him a light swat.
"Hehe."
Chen Nuo chuckled sheepishly.
Sister La took his ruined shoes, tossed him a new pair, and then returned to the house with the broken ones to mend them.
This wasn't the first time this had happened.
'Can't be helped,' he thought. 'You have to practice these things to see how they work.'
'And if there are any flaws, it's best to correct them in time.'
"Alright, that's enough training. Brush all that dirt off yourself and get ready to eat."
His mother called out from the kitchen.
"Alright!"
...
「The fifteenth day of the eighth month.」
The autumn harvest began.
Spring plowing, summer weeding, autumn harvest, winter storage.
The autumn harvest was a season of reaping. For those who toiled in the soil for a living, harvest time was the best time of the year, second only to the New Year.
Even though the yields were reduced, everyone harvested the crops with great enthusiasm.
They had no choice.
The very lives of their families depended on these crops!
Chen Nuo also went out into the fields.
Even though he was the Clan Leader, he still had to go down and work the land.
Of course, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Farm work, in these times, wasn't some despised occupation. Quite the contrary, if someone couldn't even handle farm work, they would be considered lazy and averse to labor, earning nothing but scorn from others in the countryside.
The upper class was not included in this, of course.
It had to be said...
Aside from improved stamina, the most immediate benefit of his Martial Arts Training was how much easier farm work became.
With steady, powerful breaths, Chen Nuo did an entire morning's worth of work in just a short time. He didn't even straighten his back, which didn't seem to ache in the slightest, and his hands never stopped moving.
The people around him were dumbfounded.
Their gazes, as they looked at Chen Nuo, were filled with admiration.
'What a capable man!'
However, some of the more mischievous old women and young wives taking a break were watching Chen Nuo's hips, nodding from time to time in approval.
After admiring his hips, they would then glance over at Sister La, who was working beside Chen Nuo.
They exchanged glances, as if communicating in some sort of encrypted language.
All with strange smiles on their faces.
There was a hint of vulgarity in their expressions.
Forgive the use of the word "vulgar" to describe these women, but their expressions at that moment were indeed...
Still, they didn't dare start any idle gossip or tell any raunchy jokes.
He was the Clan Leader, after all. Angering him would bring more trouble than they could handle.
"What are you looking at?!" Sister La snapped, looking up.
Her gaze was menacing.
The old women and young wives instantly sat up straight, all pretense of ease gone.
It was common knowledge that the women of Chen Nuo's family were not to be provoked.
And now that Chen Nuo was the Clan Leader, that fiery woman was even less of a person to cross.
"Hmph."
Sister La snorted coldly, then immediately went back to harvesting grain, her movements nimble and swift.
Not far away, Chen Yong was also working hard.
And he worked with a ferocious intensity.
With him, however, the old women and young wives had far fewer reservations, teasing him with one raunchy joke after another.
Their laughter was completely unrestrained.
Unfortunately, Chen Yong didn't understand any of it. He just thought they were playing around and paid it no mind.
As noon approached, his mother and women from other families started coming out to the fields, bringing lunch.
Then it was back to work in the afternoon.
The work lasted all day.
They couldn't return home until nightfall.
...
The first day of the autumn harvest came to an end.
Chen Nuo and Sister La walked back, talking and laughing.
Just then, Chen Li walked over, carrying a roe deer on his shoulder.
"Clan Leader, this is for you."
Instead of immediately taking the deer, Chen Nuo sized up the high-spirited Chen Li, a smile spreading across his face.
"Good, very good."
'Looks like he's finally gotten over it,' Chen Nuo thought. 'I've gained another capable subordinate.'
Chen Li smiled, embarrassed, and offered the roe deer again.
Chen Nuo took it. Beside him, Sister La glanced at the deer. It had just been bled and was still fresh.
"Well, Clan Leader, I'll be on my way. I still have some other game to deliver."
"Alright. Be careful on your way."
As he watched Chen Li leave, Sister La suddenly nudged him. Her tone was tinged with delight. "Being Clan Leader is pretty great, huh?"
Chen Nuo smiled.
'This is just one of the minor charms of power and prestige,' he thought.
"Let's go. We'll see how this roe deer meat tastes."
"Mhm."
The sky grew dark.
Under the cover of night, it seemed that on this day, everyone in Chen Manor ate a little better.