The rooster hadn't even crowed when Li Wei woke up.
His body, still adapting to the rigors of this era, ached from the hard earthen bed. But his mind was sharp, buzzing with the possibilities of the day. He quietly dressed in the rough hemp clothes that were standard for village men, tying a rope belt around his waist.
In the dim light of the early morning, he checked the small cloth pouch hidden under his pillow. Thirty-eight copper coins. It felt heavy, not just in weight, but in hope. This was his seed capital.
"You're up early."
Li Wei turned to see his father, Li Dazhong, stepping out of the main house, tightening his own belt. The older man looked at the sky, judging the time.
"The market in Qingyang Town is a fifteen li walk," Li Dazhong said, his voice raspy from sleep. "If you want to go, we leave now. I need to be back by noon to help your uncle with the irrigation ditch."
Li Wei blinked. He hadn't expected his father to accompany him. "Father, you don't have to—"
"I'm going to town to sell the baskets your mother wove," Li Dazhong interrupted, picking up a bundle of bamboo baskets from the corner. "If you're spending money, I need to see what you're buying. If you buy sick birds and bring them to my house, I'll throw them in the river."
It was a gruff way of showing support, but Li Wei understood. In this family, resources were scarce. A mistake wasn't just a loss; it was a step closer to starvation.
"I understand," Li Wei nodded. "I won't let you down."
***
**The Road to Qingyang Town**
The journey was an eye-opener. In his past life, fifteen *li* (7.5 km) was a short drive or a jog. Here, on muddy, uneven dirt roads with holes deep enough to twist an ankle, it was a trek.
Li Dazhong walked with a steady, economical gait, his calloused feet seemingly immune to the sharp stones. Li Wei, stuck with the weaker constitution of the original body, struggled to keep up. His breath came in short puffs, and sweat soaked his back despite the cool morning air.
"Stop panting like a dog," Li Dazhong glanced back, not breaking stride. "You burn too much energy that way. Breathe with your steps."
Li Wei took the advice, syncing his breathing. *In... out... in... out.* It helped. He realized how much he had to learn about living in this body. He wasn't a salaryman in an air-conditioned office anymore. He was a farmer.
As they walked, Li Wei observed the land. The system was active in his mind, overlaying his vision with subtle data points.
*[Soil Analysis: Low Nitrogen. Compacted Clay. Poor drainage.]*
*[Vegetation: Wild sedge. Low nutritional value for livestock.]*
"Father," Li Wei asked, gesturing to the barren hillsides they passed. "Why does no one farm on those slopes?"
Li Dazhong scoffed. "Too rocky. Water runs off before it soaks in. Only weeds grow there. The Landlord tried once, spent a fortune on labor, and harvested nothing but stones. It's cursed land."
*Cursed land,* Li Wei thought. *Or... untapped pasture.*
The system chimed softly in his head.
*[Target Area Identified: West River Wasteland. Potential for Ryegrass cultivation: High (with irrigation adjustment).]*
Li Wei filed that information away. First the chickens, then the land. Patience.
***
**Qingyang Town**
By the time they reached Qingyang Town, the sun was higher, and the streets were waking up. It was a bustling hub compared to Willow Village. The smells of fried dough, spices, and livestock manure mingled in the air.
For a commoner, the town was a place of opportunity and danger. Li Wei noticed the distinct separation: commoners walked the sides of the streets, keeping their heads down, while men in silk robes or guards on horses occupied the center.
"Stay close," Li Dazhong muttered, gripping his basket tighter. "Watch your purse."
They made their way to the livestock section—a noisy, chaotic corner of the market filled with the squawking of chickens, the squealing of pigs, and the lowing of cattle.
The poultry vendors were loud, shouting boasts about their stock.
"Finest hens in the prefecture! Lay an egg a day!"
"Healthy roosters! Strong as an ox!"
Li Wei stood back, letting his father sell the baskets at a nearby stall. He closed his eyes for a second, accessing the **[Basic Poultry Raising Knowledge]** provided by the system.
*Keywords flooded his mind: Vent check. Feather quality. Comb color. Alertness. Leg strength.*
He wasn't looking for the biggest birds. He was looking for the healthiest *chicks*.
He walked past the fancy stalls with painted cages. They were too expensive. He moved to the edge of the market, where a sun-burnt old farmer sat on a stool, smoking a pipe. In front of him were three bamboo baskets containing fluffy, cheeping yellow chicks.
These were "run of the mill" stock. The farmer wasn't shouting; he knew his birds were average.
"How much?" Li Wei asked, crouching down.
The old farmer opened one eye. "Four cash per chick. Three for ten cash."
Li Wei did the math. He had 38 coins. If he bought 12, it would cost 40. He didn't have enough. He needed money for feed, too.
"I'll take ten," Li Wei said calmly. "But I get to pick them."
The farmer shrugged. "Pick whatever you want. They all look the same."
But they weren't the same.
Li Wei rolled up his sleeves. He reached into the basket. The chicks were panicked, scurrying around. The farmer watched with mild amusement, expecting the young boy to just grab the cutest, fluffiest ones.
But Li Wei moved with purpose. He didn't look at the fluff. He looked at the legs and the vent.
He picked up one chick. *Legs thin, shaking. Discard.*
Another. *Feathers dull. Eyes cloudy. Discard.*
He picked up a third. It was smaller than the others, but it pecked at his finger aggressively. Its eyes were bright, like black beads. Its legs were sturdy, standing firm on his palm. He checked the vent area—clean, no pasting.
"This one," Li Wei muttered.
He spent the next fifteen minutes meticulously sorting through the baskets. The farmer's amusement turned into a raised eyebrow.
"Young man, you pick like an old hen herself," the farmer commented. "You're leaving the big ones."
"The big ones are lethargic. They'll be the first to get sick when the weather turns," Li Wei replied without looking up, his focus absolute.
He selected ten chicks. All small, but feisty. Active. Clean.
He placed them in his own small bamboo basket, which he had slung over his shoulder.
"Thirty-three coins," Li Wei said, counting out the money. He had saved 5 coins by bargaining hard. "I'll take that bag of bran you have there for the remaining five coins."
The farmer blinked. "The bran? It's stale."
"It's fine for chicks," Li Wei said. He needed the feed. He couldn't rely on the family's grain stores.
The transaction was made. Li Wei walked away with ten future layers and breeders, and a small bag of bran, having spent his entire life savings.
***
**The Weight of Responsibility**
As he walked back to meet his father, Li Wei stopped by a book stall. It was a modest setup, selling cheap paper and second-hand primers.
He saw a book: *The Three Character Classic*.
He touched the coarse paper. He thought of Li Chen, his ten-year-old brother. Li Chen was smart, sharper than anyone in the family, but he couldn't attend the village school. The tuition was two taels of silver a year—an astronomical sum.
Li Wei clenched his fist around the empty money pouch.
"In this world, money is dignity," he whispered.
"Done?" Li Dazhong's voice came from behind. He had sold the baskets for a handful of copper coins—far less than the labor put into them.
"Yes, Father." Li Wei showed him the basket of chicks.
Li Dazhong peered in. "Small."
"They'll grow," Li Wei promised.
"Hmph." Li Dazhong turned. "Let's go home. You have work to do."
***
**The Coop**
Back in Willow Village, the afternoon sun beat down on the Li family courtyard.
Li Wei didn't rest. He went to the woodpile behind the house. It was a pile of scrap wood, rotten planks, and twigs.
"Wei'er, what are you doing?" his sister Li Hua asked, watching him drag a rotten plank. "Building a coffin for those chicks?"
"A coop," Li Wei corrected, wiping sweat from his brow. "It needs to be warm and dry. And safe from rats."
He had no nails. He had to use vines and strips of bark to lash the wood together. His hands were soft, unaccustomed to the rough bark, and soon blisters formed.
It was painful. It was frustrating.
*In the past life, I would just buy a coop online,* he thought, gritting his teeth as a splinter drove into his thumb.
*[System Notification: Beginner Construction Knowledge - Basic Wooden Structures.]*
Suddenly, the blueprint of a simple, sturdy coop appeared in his mind. He saw how to joint the wood, how to slope the roof to shed rain, how to create a predator-proof latch.
He sat back, breathing heavily, and studied the mental blueprint.
"You put the support beam there... and weave the twigs tight..." he muttered.
For the next four hours, the family watched as the "useless" third son worked like a man possessed. He didn't complain. He didn't stop for water. He sawed wood with a rusted, dull saw. He dug a drainage trench around the coop site.
By sunset, a structure stood in the corner of the yard. It wasn't pretty. It was a patchwork of scrap wood and mud. But it was solid.
Li Wei placed the chicks inside. He mixed the bran with water and a bit of chopped wild vegetable he had found on the road, creating a mash.
The chicks chirped, rushing to the food.
Li Wei squatted outside the coop, watching them eat. His hands were trembling, dirty, and bloodied from the splinters.
Li Dazhong walked over, inspecting the structure. He kicked the base. It didn't budge.
He looked at the drainage trench. "You dug this?"
"Water kills chicks if they get wet," Li Wei said, his voice hoarse.
Li Dazhong looked at his son—really looked at him. He saw the sweat, the grime, the determination.
He didn't say "good job." He just grunted.
"Bring them inside the kitchen tonight. It's too cold. The coop floor needs straw."
Then, he walked away.
Li Wei smiled. In his father's language, that was high praise.
"Wei," a soft voice said.
Li Mei, his eldest sister, came out with a bowl of hot water and a clean rag. "Wash your hands. Mother kept a bun for you."
She looked at the chicks. "They are cute. Do you think they will lay eggs?"
"I know they will," Li Wei said. He looked up at the darkening sky. "And soon, this coop will be too small. We'll need a bigger one. And then... a barn."
Li Mei smiled gently, shaking her head. "You always dream big, little brother. Just keep them alive first."
Li Wei washed his hands, the cool water soothing his blisters.
He had taken the first step. It was a small step, ten chicks in a scrap-wood coop. But it was his.
Tomorrow, he would start on the feed. The bran wouldn't last. He needed to find better grass.
**[Daily Quest Completed: Build Shelter.]**
**[Reward: Basic Forage Grass Identification (Level 2) - Identifying high-protein wild legumes.]**
Li Wei's eyes gleamed. The system was pushing him.
"One step at a time," he whispered to the chicks. "We're going to make it."