Five copper coins weren't many, but they seemed like a lot when Jiang Ping'an took them out.
Jiang Ping'an was fourteen years old. His parents had passed away, leaving him unable to farm or work, yet he was able to produce five copper coins.
This surprised Li Min greatly.
"I found the money my parents hid in the ground," Jiang Ping'an had already made up a reason.
"Take this money and wait to pay your taxes," Li Min said.
He knew the other party hadn't paid their land tax yet, and if they couldn't pay next time, those bastards would really kill someone.
"No, there's still some at home."
Jiang Ping'an placed five copper coins on the table, then walked to the stove and took four steamed buns from the pot.
"Four copper coins can buy eight steamed buns, and I'll give you a rabbit leg too."
Li Min wasn't sure if the other party had any extra money. If not, this might be Jiang Ping'an's last few days of life.
So Li Min handed a dried rabbit leg to the other person.
"Thank you, Uncle Li." Jiang Ping'an didn't refuse. He hadn't eaten rabbit meat in a long time; he usually ate roasted grasshoppers.
Jiang Ping'an happily went home with the food in his arms.
Back home, he locked the wooden door, sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), ate steamed buns while observing the treasure basin, and occasionally threw in a few copper coins to test it.
But nothing came of it.
A day passed just like that. It was probably yesterday when Jiang Ping'an put the remaining six copper coins in, and a flash of light appeared.
"They're here!"
Jiang Ping'an sprang up with a whoosh, looking excitedly into the bronze basin.
A huge pile of copper coins appeared!
Jiang Ping'an counted them; sixteen.
He threw in six, but only got ten copies.
Jiang Ping'an guessed that this treasure basin could only replicate one thing at a time, and could replicate it ten times.
The condition for copying is that it can only be copied once a day.
Even so, Jiang Ping'an was already very satisfied.
He hugged the bronze basin and wept bitterly. If only the secret of the bronze basin had been discovered sooner, his mother wouldn't have died from exhaustion, and his father wouldn't have been eaten by a tiger while hunting in the mountains.
After crying for a long time, Jiang Ping'an wiped away his tears, put away the bronze basin, and headed to the town.
With this bronze basin, we'll never lack money again. Right now, we have nothing at home, so we'll go to town to buy some rice, flour, and seasonings.
Life is moving in a positive direction.
"Brother Ping'an, where are you going?"
Li Yueyue, who was playing in the mud, saw Jiang Ping'an walking out of the village and asked in her childish voice.
"I'll buy you candied hawthorns later when we go to town." Jiang Ping'an rubbed Hu Niu's little head, in a cheerful mood.
"Candied hawthorn!" Li Yueyue's big eyes suddenly lit up.
She had eaten one of these before; it was sweet and sour, and very delicious.
But she immediately shook her head, "Brother Ping'an, we can't waste money."
Children in the countryside mature early; although she was only eight years old, she already understood many things.
"Don't worry, your brother has plenty of money now." Jiang Ping'an smiled. Since his parents passed away, Hu Niu was the closest person to him.
"Then... then if you buy her back, Tiger Girl will be your wife," Li Yueyue said innocently, blinking her eyes.
Jiang Ping'an was both amused and exasperated. Did this little girl even know what a wife was?
He set off for town, bought some rice, flour, and seasonings, and of course, he didn't forget to buy candied hawthorns.
"Young man, are you all alone? Don't go out and wander around anymore. There are bandits around now, and they often rob people on the road. Not long ago, Xiaoxi Village was wiped out by bandits."
"The world is in chaos, bandits roam freely, oppressive government is as fierce as a tiger, and the people are suffering terribly. It's truly a difficult time."
The old man selling candied hawthorns couldn't help but say a few words when he saw that Jiang Ping'an was young.
"Thank you for reminding me, sir."
Jiang Ping'an didn't take it seriously, humming a folk song as he returned to the village in his straw sandals.
The straw sandals were a bit uncomfortable, and it took more than an hour to see the outline of the village.
"When I have money, I'll buy those cool boots, and maybe I can even live in town."
He began to imagine the wonderful life ahead, and felt extremely happy.
But as he approached the village, a foul, fishy smell hit him.
Who's slaughtering a pig?
Jiang Ping'an walked into the village and was completely dumbfounded. The rice and flour in his hand fell to the ground, and he stared blankly.
Corpses, corpses everywhere! Blood stained the village, flames burned, and women were disheveled.
"How...how could this happen!"
He suddenly remembered something and ran frantically toward Li Min's house.
Inside the room, Li Min lay on the floor with a large gash in his stomach, from which blood trickled.
"Uncle Li! What happened?!"
Jiang Ping'an was shocked and quickly dropped what he was holding to help press the wound.
"Bandits...bandits...help...help me take care of...Tiger Girl...well...well."
After saying that, Li Min's head slumped down, and he breathed his last.
Jiang Ping'an's heart skipped a beat. Li Min, whom he had seen that morning, was suddenly gone forever.
He quickly ran to the well, where a wooden board covered it. He lifted the board and looked down.
Li Yueyue was sitting on the wooden tub, shivering, when the lid above her head was lifted, startling her.
When she saw it was Jiang Ping'an, she burst into tears, crying, "Brother Ping'an! There are bandits!"
Jiang Ping'an pulled Hu Niu up, and when Hu Niu saw her father had passed away, she cried even harder.
"Why, why is everyone bullying us! Soldiers and bandits, why are they all bullying us!"
Li Yueyue's shrill voice was like steel needles piercing Jiang Ping'an's heart, causing him suffocation and heartache.
Jiang Ping'an clenched his fists, his face filled with resentment and anger.
Yes, why are they being bullied? Why has the world become like this?
Why is it that the saying "good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished" that parents talk about simply doesn't exist?
Jiang Ping'an couldn't understand it. He didn't know how to comfort Li Yueyue, so he could only pick up the candied hawthorn on the ground and hand it to her.
Li Yueyue looked at the candied hawthorn in her hand and hugged the other person tightly.
"Something seems to have happened in this village... but there are still survivors."
A voice suddenly rang out in the sky, and Jiang Ping'an abruptly raised his head.
Upon seeing the image above, his eyes widened immediately.
Several women dressed in gorgeous Taoist robes floated in the air.
God...a god!!
Are these gods? They can actually fly!
Jiang Ping'an was so shocked he couldn't speak, and Li Yueyue stopped crying in fright.
A woman stepped forward and pressed down on Jiang Ping'an's head.
"His talent is average, and he's getting old, so his path of cultivation is limited."
She pressed down on Li Yueyue's head again, and after a moment, her eyes widened.
"A natural water elemental root! What incredible talent!"
The woman was overjoyed. "Little girl, shall I take you to cultivate?"
"Are you...are you gods? Can you revive my father?" Li Yueyue asked timidly, burying half her face in Jiang Ping'an's arms, her voice choked with sobs.
The woman shook her head. "We cannot resurrect the dead, but if you cultivate, you will never have to worry about food and clothing again, and you will be able to wipe out the murderers who killed your father."
Hearing that she could avenge her father, Li Yueyue gripped the candied hawthorn tightly, "I will avenge my father!"
The woman hugged Li Yueyue and said with a smile, "With your talent, as long as you embark on cultivation, you will definitely be able to take revenge."
As she spoke, she and her entourage took to the air, preparing to depart.
Li Yueyue suddenly shouted, "You haven't brought Brother Ping'an yet!"
"His talent is average; you two are from different worlds," the woman said.
"No! I want to be with Brother Ping'an! I'm not going to cultivate anymore! Let me down!"
Li Yueyue struggled desperately. Jiang Ping'an was now the closest person to her, and she didn't want to leave him.