In the kitchen, firelight flickered, sending up wisps of smoke.
This rooster weighed nearly ten jin. After plucking and bleeding it, there were still seven or eight jin of meat.
Even though Second Aunt Chu hadn’t eaten chicken in many years, her cooking skills had hardly rusted at all.
With one chop, she split the chicken in half, then cut it into small pieces with a rapid series of clicks.
She added some mushrooms and wild greens, then put it all into the iron pot to stew.
Chu Qing cheerfully added firewood beneath the pot, making the flames burn bright and strong.
She also collected the wild chicken’s beautiful tail feathers, planning to make a shuttlecock to kick.
Soon, the aroma of chicken filled the entire room.
Second Uncle Chu, who had been silently swallowing his saliva, suddenly slapped his thigh.
He hurriedly locked both the courtyard gate and the house door, even shutting the windows tightly.
Seeing how anxious he looked, Chu Xun was puzzled.
He asked, “Second Uncle, why are you locking the door? The room is going to get awfully stuffy.”
Second Uncle Chu snorted smugly. “Our stewed chicken smells so good that the aroma has probably already spread to all the neighbors.”
“What if they shamelessly come into the house and just stand there watching us while we eat? What then?”
So that was it. Chu Xun suddenly understood.
He gave Second Uncle a thumbs-up.
“You really do have a trick up your sleeve, Second Uncle. Otherwise, we’d have to share a few pieces of meat later.”
Second Uncle Chu said proudly, “That’s why they say the older generation has experience.”
Looking at his family in the warm, harmonious atmosphere inside the house, a trace of warmth flashed across Chu Xun’s face.
He walked into the kitchen and said with a smile, “Second Aunt, is the chicken ready? I’ll take half of it to the village head later.
If it weren’t for the village head giving me the bow and the map today, I wouldn’t have been able to catch any prey.”
Seeing Chu Xun come in, Second Aunt smiled from ear to ear. “It’s ready. I’ll just ladle out half for you to take to him.”
When she went into the city to do hard labor, she had actually felt a little resentful toward this nephew.
Everything had been fine, and then he fell gravely ill; all the money the family had saved over the years was spent away, and even the land was mortgaged off.
But when she came back, Chu Xun first said he wouldn’t read those expensive books anymore and wanted to go hunting in the mountains.
Second Aunt had first felt regret, but then she was happy.
If he didn’t study, the family wouldn’t have to spend so much silver anymore, and they’d have one more person working. That killed two birds with one stone.
At this rate, if the whole family pitched in, they would definitely make it through the famine year.
As for hunting, she didn’t think one could learn anything about hunting from books at all. She hadn’t taken Chu Xun’s words seriously.
But when Chu Xun really came back with a hare and two wild chickens…
Second Aunt Chu’s gaze toward Chu Xun changed completely.
It was a brand-new look, mixed with indescribable shock, delight, and relief.
Her good nephew really had skills!
So the books weren’t read in vain; he had really learned something!
She swore that from now on, she would never again complain about how much silver Chu Xun had cost the family over the years, and she would never bad-mouth her good nephew again.
The moment the lid was lifted, the rich golden broth surged out of the pot with a mouthwatering fragrance.
The fragrance even drew Second Uncle Chu in from outside the kitchen. So fragrant!
Second Aunt Chu took a clay basin and, without the slightest stinginess, ladled out half the chicken.
She also poured in three generous ladles of fragrant broth, filling the basin to the brim, with a thick layer of oil glistening on top.
She handed it to Chu Xun and said readily, “Hurry and take it to the village head. He helped us a great deal, so we should thank him properly.”
Chu Xun looked at his Second Aunt in surprise, as if he didn’t recognize her.
His Second Aunt was good in every way, except that she loved to haggle and was a little stingy.
Especially with herself… she hated to eat well or dress well.
She gave everything to Second Uncle and the two younger ones.
Today, since life was a little better, she had unexpectedly changed her ways and become so generous.
But his emotional look faded at once, replaced by speechlessness.
Second Aunt smiled and said, “Once he eats the chicken you bring him, he’ll be too embarrassed to ask for the bow back.”
“You’ll be able to keep it every day. If he dares ask for it back, you can bring up today’s bowl of meat.”
Second Aunt, you… Chu Xun covered his face.
The village head, the old man, had never planned to take it back in the first place.
Besides, he had already planned to bring some meat over.
Taking the steaming clay basin, Chu Xun carried it to the Old Village Head’s house.
…
At the Old Village Head’s home, there were only him, his wife, and their fourteen-year-old granddaughter Bai Jiaojiao.
His son worked as a minor constable in the city yamen, while his daughter had married into the neighboring village.
With the village head’s position, the family’s life wasn’t exactly strained.
But at most, their millet porridge was a little thicker than other families’, and they only occasionally got to eat some noodles.
At the moment, they were gathered around a small table for dinner.
Bai Jiaojiao, whose nose was the sharpest, was the first to lift her head and say in surprise, “Grandpa, I think I smell meat! It smells so good!”
She looked sweet and well-behaved, with a cheerful and lively personality.
If it weren’t for the famine year, she would probably have been married off long ago.
The Old Village Head gave her a glare and tapped his chopsticks.
“If you want meat, don’t point at me, this lame old man. When autumn harvest comes, I’ll have your father come back and cut some meat.”
The village head’s wife also laughed. “Jiaojiao is practically going crazy from craving meat. Find a husband and get married, then you can eat meat every day.”
Bai Jiaojiao stood up and stamped her feet. “I’m not looking for a husband! There really is a smell of meat. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and smell it carefully.”
Seeing that his granddaughter didn’t seem to be talking nonsense, the Old Village Head wrinkled his nose and sniffed carefully.
He said in surprise, “There really is a smell of meat. Which family has struck it rich?”
Just then, Chu Xun’s voice rang out: “Village head, I’ve come to bring you something.”
Leaning on his cane, the Old Village Head slowly stepped outside and looked in surprise at the steaming clay basin in Chu Xun’s hands.
“Xunzi, this is…”
Behind him, Bai Jiaojiao swallowed hard, staring fixedly at the basin in Chu Xun’s hands.
Her instinct and sense of smell told her there had to be a full basin of meat in there.
So fragrant. She wanted to eat it so badly!
Chu Xun smiled and handed the clay basin to the Old Village Head. “This is a wild chicken I hunted in the mountains today. I had it cooked and brought it over so you can have a taste.”
As he spoke, he lifted the wooden lid, and at once the rich aroma of meat filled the area around the Old Village Head.
“This…”
The Old Village Head stared in disbelief at the basin of chicken, his old eyes widening like brass bells.
“Didn’t I only give you the bow today? You went into the mountains hunting this afternoon? And you actually caught a wild chicken?”
Chu Xun pressed his lips together and smiled faintly. “Just luck. I also have to thank you, Village Head, for giving me the bow and the map. You keep this basin of meat. I’m in a hurry to get back, so I’ll be going first.”
Before the Old Village Head could ask again, Chu Xun turned and left.
The moment he was gone, Bai Jiaojiao, who had long been unable to restrain her saliva, immediately stepped forward.
She grabbed the Old Village Head’s arm. “Grandpa, Brother Xun gave this meat to us! Hurry and put it inside. If it gets cold, it won’t taste as good!”
The Old Village Head came back to his senses and looked at Chu Xun’s fading figure in the distance.
He murmured, “Xunzi has really grown into a man. He can read, he can hunt… rare, so rare…”
Seeing that her grandfather was ignoring her, Bai Jiaojiao took advantage of his distraction.
She quietly reached out, grabbed a piece of chicken, and, without caring that it was hot, stuffed it straight into her mouth.
She ate happily, only feeling the flavor sink into her bones.
Even the broth on her fingers, she couldn’t help but lick clean with her pink little tongue.
If Chu Xun saw that, he would surely praise her for having extraordinary talent at licking things.
What was Grandpa muttering about? Brother Chu Xun is a scholar. Isn’t it normal for him to have skills?
Still, Chu Xun is really getting more and more handsome. He can read, he can hunt, and he even brought me chicken.
Hehe, I kind of want to marry him now.
Then Bai Jiaojiao took the chicken from the Old Village Head’s hands and hurriedly carried it into the house.
“Girl, don’t drink it! The chicken soup is too hot!”
“Hiss, hiss, hiss, so hot! My tongue is cooked! Waaa~”
…
『PS: Bai Jiaojiao stuck out her pink, tender tongue, licked her lips, and said, “Brother, did you send me a lot of gifts to urge more updates?”』