◎Wild Boar◎
After the intense and bustling autumn harvest, farming households had barely rested for two days when officials from the county government, carrying large knives at their waists, began making rounds through the villages. Beating gongs and drums, they urged everyone to pay this year’s taxes.
The village was filled with cries of despair. Although this year had been a bountiful one, each household, with over a dozen mouths to feed, relied solely on their small plots of land. After paying the taxes, what remained was barely enough to scrape by, forcing families to tighten their belts. The appearance of the officials brought no joy, but what could anyone do? No matter how unwilling they felt, they had to bow their heads.
The large knives at the officials’ waists were not for show. Anyone who dared complain in their presence would be like an old man hanging himself—simply asking for death.
The imperial court had only enjoyed a semblance of stability for about twenty years, and the county government’s practices still carried traces of those chaotic times. Officials and bandits were sometimes indistinguishable.
The Wei family, however, paid their taxes promptly, unlike other households who wished to keep their grain at home for even a moment longer, as every moment it remained was still their own.
After handing over their grain, the Wei family was pulled aside by villagers who asked how much grain they had left, whether it would be enough for the year, and why they had been so quick to pay. Some even remarked that the Wei family didn’t seem to have harvested much this year…
The Wei family was among the poorest in the village, and every year after tax collection, people loved to chat with the father and son. Life, after all, was all about comparisons. If someone felt their own family was struggling, they could always look at those worse off.
And of course, that meant the Wei family—so poor they could bleed urine.
Old Man Wei would sigh and shake his head without a word on this day every year, and everyone automatically assumed that his family would once again have to dig for wild vegetables and gnaw on tree roots in the mountains to fill their bellies.
Many in the village whispered privately, saying, “If they’re so poor they can’t even afford food, why bother buying cloth?” They had seen the Wei family’s brief moment of glory and thought they were just putting on a show of face, secretly starving themselves.
These words were only muttered in private. Regardless of whether the father and son had enough to eat, at least they had never stretched out their hands to borrow grain from other villagers over the years. So, people thought, let them do as they pleased—it had little to do with anyone else.
Now that the grain had been harvested and the taxes paid, the crying and cursing were over, and life had to go on. Country folk never truly had time to rest. After the tax collection frenzy passed, the men returned to the fields, the women gathered with neighbors to collect firewood or dig for wild vegetables in the mountains, and only the mischievous children ran around the village, jumping and playing without a care in the world.
Over the past two days, a few children would occasionally run up to the Wei family’s fenced yard. If they were lucky enough to find Wei Dahu not at home, they would dash into the yard, and Old Man Wei would go inside to fetch some wild fruits that Wei Dahu had picked from the mountains for them to eat.
But if they encountered Wei Dahu at home, they would scatter in fright, screaming and running away in all directions.
Tomorrow was Wei Dahu’s wedding day, and relatives from his mother’s side had been arriving one after another, bringing fresh vegetables or eggs as gifts.
Back in the day, Old Man Wei had come down from the mountains to marry a girl from the Chen family in the village. The Chens were a prominent clan in Dahe Village, having lived there for generations, and thus held considerable influence in the village. Old Man Wei’s smooth settlement in the village was largely due to the Chen family’s efforts.
As for how he managed to marry a Chen girl, it was entirely because he had saved her life in the mountains.
After that ordeal, the Chen girl seemed to go mad, insisting on marrying this mountain hunter and refusing to listen to anyone who tried to dissuade her.
Although the Chen family did not particularly like Old Man Wei, they held Wei Dahu in high regard.
Wei Dahu's maternal grandfather and grandmother had passed away one after the other in recent years. His two uncles and their wives usually did not visit unless there was a reason. Now that Wei Dahu was about to get married, his two uncles and aunts sent their children over with some food and had them stay at the Wei household to help with preparations.
Uncle Chen (Eldest) had three children: the eldest Chen Dashi, the second Chen Ershi, and the youngest Sanhua. Uncle Chen (Second) had two children: the eldest Chen Daya and a younger son named Chen Sanshi, following the naming pattern of his two older cousins. Chen Dashi, Chen Ershi, and Chen Daya were already married and had children of their own. The only ones left were Chen Sanshi, who had begun looking for a marriage match this year, and his younger sister Sanhua, who was only thirteen.
Sanhua was usually quite afraid of her cousin Wei Dahu and would never willingly go to the Wei household for trivial matters. But now, with her brothers by her side, she felt braver and showed some of her usual lively demeanor from home.
Old Man Wei brought out some pastries to treat them, smiling as he said, "Thank you for coming to help."
The siblings called him "Uncle" and quickly replied that it was no trouble. Chen Dashi said with a smile, "Our parents are concerned about you, Uncle, and asked us to come lend a hand."
Sanhua was not as sensible as her brothers. She reached out and picked up a pastry, taking a small bite. The sweet but not overly rich treat melted in her mouth, and she widened her eyes in surprise—it was so delicious!
"If Sanhua likes it, have some more. Your cousin Dahu bought these in town yesterday, so they're still fresh," Old Man Wei said, smiling kindly at the young girl.
Sanhua shyly nodded while holding the pastry but didn't dare reach for another. She remembered she was here to help, and such delicious pastries must not be cheap.
"Uncle, where is Cousin Dahu?" Sanhua asked, looking around the courtyard. Apart from her brothers tidying up the bamboo scattered on the ground, she didn't see the groom who was to be married tomorrow.
Chen Sanshi carried a bundle of split bamboo strips to the back of the house. Since the courtyard needed to be cleared for the banquet tomorrow, he also asked, "Yes, Uncle, where is my cousin Dahu? I haven't seen him."
"Your cousin Dahu went up the mountain to try his luck, hoping to hunt some game to add a meat dish to the table tomorrow," Old Man Wei said, squinting as he glanced toward the back mountain. Layers of peaks were hidden in the mist, and dense, towering trees blocked the sky. Apart from the vast blue sky, all that met the eye was an endless expanse of dangerous forest.
The mysterious deep mountains held not only abundant resources but also many perilous moments where life hung by a thread.
Food and danger always coexisted.
The Chen brothers helped tidy up the courtyard and also repaired the fence. Despite her young age, Sanhua was quite capable. She went to the kitchen to clean up and called her eldest brother over to help organize the messy pile of firewood.
Wei Dahu had spent the past two days cutting a lot of firewood, preparing for the kitchen fires on his wedding day.
While the siblings were busy, the wives of Chen Dashi and Chen Ershi also finished their household chores and came over with their young children to help. They swiftly wiped down the stove, organized the dishes, and arranged the vegetables like radishes and greens needed for the next day. They also brought the eggs into the house.
Eggs were valuable items and couldn't just be left in the kitchen. If some shameless person happened to pass by and stole a few, it would be infuriating.
Old Man Wei, with his lame leg, couldn't do much heavy work, so he was entrusted with looking after the children. He held Chen Ershi's little girl in his arms, while Chen Dashi's two boys sat on either side of his legs. The two toddlers, with runny noses, nibbled on snacks, their tiny teeth gleaming as they giggled happily.
The courtyard was bustling with activity when suddenly, a commotion came from behind the hill. Sanhua happened to be standing near the backyard and turned her head at the sound, immediately letting out a startled scream: "Ah—"
Pig, pig, pig…
Wei Dahu strode over, carrying a wild boar weighing over two hundred catties on his shoulder and holding two pheasants in his hands, showing no sign of strain. With a few leaps, he jumped down from the small slope in the backyard. As he passed Sanhua, he couldn't resist teasing her: "Your eyeballs are about to fall out. Better pick them up."
Everyone inside and outside the house gathered around at the noise. Chen Sanshi, especially excited, rushed to Wei Dahu's side to help him unload the wild boar from his shoulder. "Such a huge wild boar! How did you manage to hunt it, Dahu?! You're incredibly lucky!"
Wei Dahu tossed the wild boar to the ground. The two pheasants in his hands were still alive, so he casually handed them to his two older cousins. Rubbing his shoulder, he grinned and said, "I waited all night and caught it when it came out to forage. There were two more nearby."
Then, with a raised eyebrow at Chen Sanshi, he boasted proudly, "Hunting these things is easy. They're stupid as hell."
"You rascal, only you could say something like that," Chen Dashi laughed heartily, patting Wei Dahu on the shoulder. Noticing the bulging muscles on his arm, he gave them a squeeze—they were as hard as rocks. "You really haven't wasted that strength of yours. It's downright enviable."
"Tomorrow's feast won't be lacking now," Chen Ershi squatted down, trying to lift the wild boar. Seeing how effortlessly Wei Dahu had carried it, he wanted to give it a try, only to be met with Sanshi's loud laughter. "Second Brother, you've never beaten Dahu in a contest of strength since we were kids. Why haven't you given up yet? You can't lift that wild boar."
Chen Ershi, annoyed, reached out to smack him.
Wei Dahu glanced at his two sisters-in-law standing at the kitchen door and said to Chen Dashi, "Elder Brother, give the two pheasants to the sisters-in-law to prepare. Later, Sanshi can go call our uncles and aunts over. We'll have lunch at my place today."
Chen Dashi immediately refused. What kind of household would invite so many people to eat on an ordinary day, without it being a festival or special occasion? No family did such a thing.
Wei Dahu's words didn't carry much weight, but Old Man Wei, as the elder, had the final say. "Listen to Dahu. Go call your parents over for a meal. We've just harvested the grain, so it's a good chance to taste the new rice. Tomorrow's feast will be busy enough, and we still have to slaughter the pig later. There'll be plenty of meat tomorrow, so let's keep the pheasants for our own family to enjoy."
With the elder's words, Chen Dashi didn't dare refuse again. He could only send Chen Sanshi home to fetch their father and eldest uncle, leaving the decision to them.
No one knew about the series of grumbles and complaints that erupted when Sanshi went home to call everyone. Meanwhile, the two sisters-in-law happily boiled water to scald the pheasants for plucking. Privately, away from the brothers who were busy cleaning the wild boar in the courtyard, they whispered to each other: "A household really can't do without a woman. Look at how Uncle and Dahu live—eating new rice as soon as the grain is harvested, not even blinking at two pheasants, and even telling us to steam egg custard for the kids. No wonder people in the village love to gossip behind their backs. Uncle and Dahu only care about the meal in front of them, never thinking about whether there'll be food to fill their bellies in the future. This is just…"
How on earth do they manage to live like this?!
They had been married into the Chen family for several years, yet their uncle's family had never once come to their door to borrow grain. With the way they lived, how on earth did they manage to get by?
The two of them couldn't figure it out, and in the end, they could only shake their heads and sigh, thinking that Dahu had the skill to hunt wild boars. Relying on the mountains, at the very least, they could forage for food to fill their bellies.
But if this family wanted to thrive, they still needed to take a wife!
The four brothers were bustling about in the courtyard, busy as bees. Wei Dahu, being a hunter himself, could handle all the tasks a butcher could do. With swift and nimble hands, he split the wild boar into two halves—legs, head, tail, and two racks of ribs… The cleaver clanged as he chopped, his technique so practiced that even Chen Dashi joked that he could become a butcher.
The Wei family had made thorough preparations for tomorrow's wedding, but over at the Qian household, things were a bit quieter.
Tao Hua, the stepdaughter brought over by her stepmother, had never been treated well in the Qian family.
Chef Qian's lack of harsh treatment toward her was already the greatest kindness she could expect. Her two sisters-in-law had never shown her a friendly face. As for her marriage, aside from Zhao Sufen and Qian Gouzi, who were genuinely saddened, the others were more preoccupied with the expensive pastries locked in the cabinet, the fine wine, and the good cloth…
That night, Tao Hua tossed and turned, hardly noticing how time slipped away until the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
A knock sounded on her door, and her mother's voice came from outside: "Tao Hua, it's time to get up and prepare for your wedding."
【Author's Note】
Everyone has a responsibility to protect wildlife. All events in this story are fictional; please do not equate them with reality.