The roof of the "Big House" was the final hurdle of the spring. In the Great Yan Dynasty, a house without a roof was merely a ruin in progress, but a house with a ridgepole was a statement of permanence.
Under the guidance of the mason Zhang He and the silent, watchful eye of Qin Zhan, the Lin brothers had spent the last two weeks hauling heavy cedar beams from the lower slopes. These weren't the flimsy saplings used for their old hut; these were ancient heartwood, dense and smelling of resin.
"On three!" Lin Da roared, his chest gleaming with sweat. "Lift!"
With a collective groan, the main ridgepole—the 'spine' of the family—was hoisted into place atop the rammed-earth walls. As it settled into the notched grooves, a cheer went up from the gathered family. Even the village elders, who had once whispered of "demon-dirt," stood at the perimeter of the property, nodding in reluctant approval.
Lin Yan watched from the ground. The house was a masterpiece of "Slow Burn" engineering. The walls were two feet thick, the cellar was deep and cool, and the high ceilings would allow the heat of the summer to rise and escape.
"Mother," Lin Yan said, handing Zhao Mei a red ribbon. "Tie the blessing. The house is closed to the sky."
As his mother tied the silk ribbon to the beam—a traditional gesture to invite prosperity—Lin Yan felt the System hum in the back of his mind.
> [Infrastructure Milestone Reached: The First Homestead]
> Reward: 1x 'Thermal Regulation' Blueprint (Under-floor heating ducts) & 1x 'Wild Horse' Tracking Perk.
> Note: The scent of prosperity is drawing eyes from beyond the village.
>
The Call of the High Grass
With the house secure, the focus shifted. The small backyard patch was no longer enough for the growing flock of 'Silk Sheep' and the nursing mountain goat. The four sheep had already stripped the local clover bare.
"We can't keep them in the pens anymore," Lin Yan told his brothers over a lunch of coarse bread and the last of the salted rabbit. "The spring melt has reached the middle ridges. The 'Star-Grass' is blooming. If we want the wool to be top-grade, they need to eat the high-altitude greens."
"But the middle ridges are 'No Man's Land'," Lin Er cautioned, tearing off a piece of bread. "There are wolves. And the Black Pine forest is... strange. People say the 'Silver Ghost' haunts the trails there."
"The 'Silver Ghost' is just a horse that hasn't met its master yet," Lin Yan said, a glint of modern ambition in his eyes. "And as for the wolves... we have Qin Zhan."
The soldier, who was leaning against the doorway cleaning his nails with his broken blade, didn't look up. "One man cannot guard a flock in the open. We need dogs. Real ranch dogs."
Lin Yan nodded. He looked at Strider, the scruffy cur they'd rescued. The dog was loyal, but he was a hunter, not a herder. "We'll train them as we go. Tomorrow, we move the herd."
The First Migration
The "migration" was small—just four sheep, a goat, and her kid—but to the Lin brothers, it felt like a military campaign. Lin Yan led the way, carrying a staff and a pouch of the 'System-Refined Salt' to keep the animals focused. Lin San and Strider worked the flanks, while Qin Zhan brought up the rear, his eyes scanning the treeline.
As they climbed, the world of Stone Creek Village fell away. The air became thinner, sweeter, smelling of melting snow and crushed pine needles.
"Look at the grass," Lin Yan whispered.
The middle ridge was a sea of emerald. This was the 'Alpine Pasture' he had been dreaming of. It wasn't the bitter, yellowed grass of the valley. This was Timothy Grass and Wild Rye, thick and lush.
The sheep immediately began to graze, their heads buried in the greenery. Lin Yan felt a profound sense of peace. This was the "Cowboy" life—not the dusty plains of the West, but the rugged, vertical frontier of the East.
The Silver Ghost Appears
On the third night of the mountain camp, as the fire died down to glowing embers and the sheep were huddled in a natural rock corral, a sound echoed through the Black Pine forest.
It wasn't the howl of a wolf. It was a high, piercing whinny that sounded like a bugle call.
Qin Zhan was on his feet in a second, his hand on his sword. Lin Yan sat up, his 'Wild Horse Tracking' perk suddenly flashing red in his vision.
"Something's coming," Qin Zhan hissed.
Out of the darkness of the pines, a figure emerged. At first, it looked like a patch of moonlight moving through the trees. Then, the shape solidified.
It was a stallion. He was massive, his coat a shimmering, metallic silver that seemed to catch the light even in the shadows. His mane was long and tangled, and his hooves struck the rocky earth with the sound of hammers.
> [Target Identified: 'The Silver Ghost' (Wild Stallion)]
> Breed: Ancient Ferghana/Draft Cross.
> Status: Alpha.
> Potential: Grade S (Legendary Foundation Sires).
> Warning: High Aggression. Cannot be taken by force.
>
The horse didn't attack. He stood at the edge of the firelight, his nostrils flared, scenting the air. He looked at the tame sheep, then at the humans, and finally, his gaze settled on Lin Yan.
There was an intelligence in those eyes that was unsettling. This wasn't just an animal; it was the king of the ridge.
"Don't move," Qin Zhan whispered, his voice trembling—not with fear, but with awe. "That's a 'Heavenly Horse.' I haven't seen one that size since the General's personal mount."
Lin Yan slowly reached into his belt. He didn't pull a rope. He didn't pull a weapon. He pulled out a small, compressed block of 'Mineral-Honey Salt'—a high-tier reward he'd saved for a moment like this.
He placed the salt on a flat rock and backed away slowly.
The Silver Ghost tossed his head, his silver mane flying like a banner. He stepped forward, his movements fluid and powerful. He sniffed the salt, then took a tentative lick. His ears flickered. He looked at Lin Yan once more—a long, measuring stare—before turning and vanishing back into the black pines as silently as he had appeared.
"He'll be back," Lin Yan said, his heart hammering against his ribs. "He's tasted the ranch. Now, he just needs to decide if he wants the man."
The Return of the Scholar
While the brothers were on the mountain, the "Big House" back in the village received its first official visitor.
Lin Xiao, the youngest brother, returned from the academy with a heavy expression. Beside him was a carriage bearing the crest of the County Education Bureau.
"Big Brother!" Lin Xiao called out as he saw Lin Yan descending the trail the next morning. "The Head Examiner is here. He heard that the Lin family has built a 'House of Knowledge' without a single brick."
Lin Yan wiped the mountain dust from his face. The "Slow Burn" was over. The regional powers had finally noticed that the Lins weren't just farmers—they were innovators.
The examiner, an elderly man with a sharp gaze, stepped out of the carriage. He looked at the rammed-earth walls, then at the irrigation ditches Lin Yan had begun to dig, and finally at the sheep being led down the trail.
"I was told I would find a family of lucky peasants," the Examiner said. "Instead, I find a fortress of logic. Tell me, Lin Yan... who taught you to build like this?"
Lin Yan stood tall, the scent of the High Pastures still clinging to his clothes. "The land taught me, Excellency. I just listened."