“The wild boar was driven here by everyone. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and shot it by accident. So the credit cannot go to me alone. The boar belongs to the whole village.”
Li Chen shook his head as he spoke.
“Brother Chen, what you said at first might be true, but the rest is wrong. What do you mean by accident? Everyone saw those two arrows. They were divine, like piercing a willow leaf from 100 meters away. And we were blinded by greed, thinking we had caught two small piglets by luck. Who would have thought we’d lure out such a massive boar instead? We nearly caused a disaster and several people were injured. If you had encountered that boar alone, you would have handled it just fine. So this boar is yours. Stop refusing, or it means you look down on the men of our village!”
Xu Jiang shook his head and spoke with firm conviction.
“The village head is right. Brother Chen, the boar is yours! We haven’t even thanked you properly yet. How can we shamelessly claim it belongs to the whole village?”
The villagers around them responded loudly in agreement.
Seeing that he could no longer refuse, Li Chen nodded. “Fine. Since everyone agrees the boar is mine, then I have the right to decide what to do with it, correct?”
“No problem!”
The village men burst into laughter.
“Then carry it down the mountain and distribute it by household.”
Li Chen raised his hand slightly to calm them.
“What?” Everyone stared at him in shock.
This was an enormous wild boar. If carried to Pingyang County City, it could fetch a considerable sum of money. And he was just going to divide it among the entire village?
“Brother Chen, you mustn’t. This…”
Xu Jiang spoke urgently.
But Li Chen waved his hand. “Uncle Xu, I’ve made up my mind. That’s settled. As for how to divide it, you decide. I only have one request. Give me all the bones. I have some use for them.”
Seeing how resolute he was, Xu Jiang could say no more and nodded heavily. “All right, Brother Chen. We’ll do as you say.”
He turned to the villagers, emotion surging in his chest.
“Last year there was a severe drought and famine. This year, before the autumn harvest even came in, war broke out again. You all know what kind of days we’ve been living. How long has it been since any of you ate meat? You know better than anyone. Now Brother Chen is giving us such a huge wild boar, and he doesn’t even want the meat, only the bones. What kind of kindness is that? No matter old or young, if you still call yourselves men, from this day forward, if anyone dares show even the slightest disrespect to Brother Chen, I, Xu Jiang, will be the first to object! Do you hear me?”
“Absolutely! Brother Chen has done a great deed and accumulated great virtue. Whoever dares look down on him again isn’t even human!”
The man surnamed Zhou, whom Li Chen had saved from the boar’s tusks, was the first to shout.
The other village men echoed him excitedly. The way they looked at Li Chen was no longer filled with disdain, but with respect and gratitude.
Li Chen nodded inwardly. The village customs were simple, and the people were sincere. These were people worth befriending.
Then something occurred to him. He turned to Xu Jiang and said, “Uncle Xu, I’ve heard the fighting at Beiyan Pass is intense. I’m almost twenty. I don’t want to be dragged to the front lines as cannon fodder. So let everyone know that if anyone asks about this wild boar, just say I shot it by blind luck. Is that all right?”
Xu Jiang laughed heartily and patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Brother Chen. Everyone will keep your secret as a Divine Archer.”
Then he turned to the other men. “You heard him. If you don’t want Brother Chen sent to the battlefield, then don’t go spreading nonsense. Otherwise, I won’t let you off.”
“That’s right. I saw him shooting wildly and just happened to hit it by luck.”
“Haha, exactly. Brother Chen just stumbled into good fortune this time.”
“Many thanks to all of you. I still have to continue hunting in the mountains. Please look after my family.”
Without further delay, Li Chen cupped his fists to everyone, pulled the arrows from the boar’s body, and strode calmly back up the mountain, leaving behind a tall figure like a mountain itself.
“With Brother Chen’s archery skills, even if wolves or tigers come in the future, we won’t be afraid.”
One of the men sighed.
“Shh. Brother Chen prefers to keep a low profile. We can’t talk carelessly.”
Someone beside him reminded.
“We’re all our own people. What’s there to fear?”
The group burst into laughter.
“Let’s go down and divide the meat!”
Xu Jiang waved his hand.
The men responded loudly, some lifting the boar, others supporting the injured, and made their way down the mountain.
As they descended, they chatted curiously.
“Brother Chen used to be nothing but a good-for-nothing hooligan. How did he suddenly become so capable? It’s like he changed overnight.”
“Yeah. It’s like he’s a completely different person. It’s truly strange.”
Xu Jiang chuckled and said, “You don’t know the inside story. I heard that in a dream, Brother Chen received guidance from a heavenly deity, who said his bones were extraordinary and that if he turned over a new leaf, he would be granted a great fortune. Now it seems that fortune has indeed arrived. The boy has truly changed.”
“Blessed by a heavenly deity? Really?”
The crowd asked in astonishment.
“That’s what his maid wife, Xiao Wan’er, said herself. Could it be false? You all know she’s gentle and honest, never one to lie.”
Xu Jiang smiled.
It sounded unbelievable, yet the facts were right before them. They could not help but believe.
At that moment, down at the foot of the mountain, the women were waiting eagerly. Just past midday, under the blazing sun, they saw the village men struggling down the mountain path carrying the massive wild boar, each of them grinning as if it were the New Year.
“Oh my, it’s a wild boar! Such a huge one. It must weigh over 250 kilograms!”
Wang Caifeng spotted it first and cried out in excitement.
“We’re having meat tonight!”
The sturdy Zhou Jiao licked her dry lips and shouted joyfully.
The women could not wait any longer. They lifted their skirts and ran forward. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
When they got close and saw the enormous wild boar, their eyes filled with astonishment and delight. Yet some women, upon seeing their injured husbands, immediately began to wipe away tears.
“Father, this boar is so big. We’ll surely get a good share of meat, right?”
Zhou Jiao looked at the boar and happily asked the limping man Li Chen had saved earlier, her father Zhou Dahai.
“Of course. Good daughter, tonight I’ll have your mother stew extra meat for you.”
The limping man smiled. He had only gotten this daughter at the age of thirty and cherished her like the apple of his eye. Whatever good food there was, he always gave it to her first, which was why she had grown so stout. Everyone in the village knew this.
“Your daughter is already stout enough. If she eats more meat, she’ll never get married.”
Someone nearby teased, and the crowd burst into laughter.
“Who’s running their mouth? Believe it or not, I’ll tear your lips off!”
Wang Caifeng turned around and cursed angrily.
Then she turned to Zhou Dahai and said, exaggerating, “Since you’re back, I have something to tell you. That brat Li Chen beat your precious daughter today. He whipped her with a vine until she was covered in welts. When we get home, you must stand up for her.”
“Who beat her?” Zhou Dahai froze.
“That little hooligan Li Chen,” Wang Caifeng said bitterly.
“Why? Brother Chen isn’t that kind of person.”
Zhou Dahai frowned.
“Uncle Zhou, there’s been a misunderstanding. It was Xiao Jiao who cut the clothes Li Chen bought for his maid wife and refused to admit fault. Only then did Li Chen get angry and beat her…”
Xu Xiu’er spoke up from the side. Liu Jincui tried to stop her but failed, shooting her an unhappy glance. What was wrong with this child, meddling like this?
“Xiao Jiao, is what Xiu’er said true?”
Zhou Dahai stood still, his eyes darkening.
“Father, I didn’t do it on purpose… but he really did beat me. You have to help me teach him a lesson, beat him to death…”
Zhou Jiao clung to his arm and acted spoiled.
Before she could finish, a loud slap landed across her face, knocking her to the ground.
“Husband, are you crazy? If you’ve got the guts, go beat Li Chen. What kind of man hits his own daughter?”
Wang Caifeng cried out sharply, rushing to block him.
“An indulgent mother spoils a child. Get out of my way. Today I must beat this wretched thing.”
Zhou Dahai, like an enraged lion, shoved Wang Caifeng aside, grabbed a tree branch, and began lashing Zhou Jiao, cursing as he struck.
“You wretched girl! Why would you do something so vile? And you want me to beat Brother Chen? Do you even know that just now Brother Chen shot and killed this wild boar and saved my life?”
Her shrill wails mixed with his furious scolding echoed along the entire mountain path.