“Big brother, let’s hurry and go. With this pig dead, who knows whether it will attract other beasts?”
Chu Qing said, looking at the two people whose heads were almost touching.
Only then did Qin Yue’er realize that she had been staring too intently.
She quickly turned her head away, afraid that Chu Qing would notice something.
Her reputation was not exactly good.
If she ended up dragging Brother Xun into this, she would really feel awful.
As long as she could quietly stay by his side, that would be enough.
Chu Xun, on the other hand, did not think that much. He patted his shoulder and stood up, saying:
“We can go, but we have to drag this wild boar away. If we sell this meat, it’ll be at least eighty wen a catty!”
That was the meat price Chu Xun had seen the last time he went to the county seat.
Pork might smell fishy and rank, but in a famine year, that was the price.
Having meat to eat was already good enough. Who could still complain that it smelled bad?
Didn’t they see that even rice was selling for thirty wen?
Pork for eighty wen a catty!
That terrifying price left Qin Yue’er and Chu Qing staring blankly, unable to believe it as they looked at the wild boar lying in the distance.
This wild boar looked like it weighed at least three hundred jin!
If they hauled it to market, how many copper coins would that be?!
While the two of them were still stunned, Chu Xun opened the shop.
He spent fifteen Shop Coins on a boning knife, about a foot long, with a broad back and thick blade, sharp beyond compare.
Then he spent another three Shop Coins on a roll of rope.
After that, he told the two of them:
“You two rest for a bit. I’ll cut some branches to lay under the wild boar, and later we’ll use the rope to drag it out.”
Qin Yue’er and Chu Qing answered and sat down where they were.
Chu Qing was still a little curious about where big brother had just pulled the rope from.
But Qin Yue’er had already withdrawn her gaze and was no longer surprised.
Because she knew about Chu Xun’s ability to hide things away.
Back when she had been with him before, he had silently pulled something that big out from under his neat robe!
It had almost scared her to death.
Very soon, Chu Xun used branches and rope to make a simple wooden sled and tested it. It was sturdy enough.
Then he had the two women help steady it.
He then used all his strength to drag the wild boar’s bulky body onto the sled.
Only when he turned the wild boar over did Chu Xun see that its rump and hind legs were covered in bite wounds and bloodstains.
No wonder it had gone so crazy and attacked people on its own.
It had already been injured, which was why it had become so ferocious.
For a two-hundred-jin wild boar to suffer such heavy injuries, it looked like they could no longer stay in the woods.
After that, Chu Xun carried the rope on his back and had Chu Qing help Qin Yue’er as the three of them hurried out of the woods.
With the sled covered in dense branches and leaves, pulling it downhill through the woods was very easy.
Before long, the three of them had left the woods.
The women at the foot of the mountain were still waiting for Chu Xun.
They were afraid that today they still would not find out how he had managed to bring back so much prey.
Very soon, they saw Chu Xun and the others from afar.
“Hey, hey, hey, they’re out! Chu Xun and the others are coming out!”
“Quick, go ask him. We can’t let him get away.”
A group of aunties hurriedly crowded forward.
But when they got closer, they were all dumbfounded. They stood frozen in place, mouths wide open, so shocked that not a single word came out.
There was Chu Xun, a rope over his shoulder, dragging a fierce black wild boar behind him.
Several arrows were stuck in the wild boar’s back and belly, and blood was still flowing nonstop.
The scene was like an explosion, blasting straight into the faces of the aunties.
All of them cried out at the top of their lungs:
“My goodness! That’s a wild boar! Such a huge one, how long would it take to eat that much meat!”
“What eating? If he sells it for money, it’ll fetch at least dozens of strings of cash! The eldest son of the Chu family really has skill!”
“All the good luck runs into him. He goes into the mountain for less than a shichen and catches several wild chickens and hares. Then he goes into the woods to look for someone and ends up bringing back such a huge wild boar. What kind of luck is that!”
“That’s skill! If your son ran into a wild boar this big, he’d probably already have been gored to death.”
“…”
The crowd buzzed noisily, everyone talking at once.
Some were envious, some were jealous.
Some even wanted to step forward shamelessly and ask Chu Xun for some pig’s blood and pig skin.
Chu Xun, meanwhile, simply let go of the rope, frowned, and shook out his sore arm.
This wild boar was truly heavy.
Even going downhill had drained him completely.
Right now, he did not have a single ounce of strength left to drag it back.
Chu Xun looked at Chu Qing and said, “Little sister, go home and call Second Aunt. Ask her to borrow a cart from the village head’s house so we can haul the wild boar back.”
Qin Yue’er sensibly sat down by a tree nearby to rest.
When they came out of the woods, she had let go of Chu Qing’s arm and kept a not-too-close, not-too-far distance from Chu Xun.
After all, in the villagers’ eyes, she was still that White Tiger-cursed jinx.
Qin Yue’er did not want the villagers to think that she was especially close to Brother Xun.
Chu Qing nodded, then quickly ran home.
This was a whole wild boar.
With it, forget about repaying debts, they could even have a wonderful New Year at home.
After Chu Qing left, the group of women, who had long since lost their patience, immediately crowded up and surrounded Chu Xun, firing questions at him like a string of firecrackers.
“Chu Xun, now you have to tell auntie properly which area you hunted the game in, right?”
“Exactly. We’re all fellow villagers. You have to help us out.”
“My family hasn’t had enough to eat lately. People are practically starving. If you tell us where you got the game, auntie will have my man catch some and split half with you, all right?”
“…”
Facing the crowd of questions from the aunties,
Chu Xun pointed to the outskirts of the old forest where he had gone in the afternoon.
“I found the game in that area. Lately, there may be beasts like tigers and brown bears in the old forest, so the game have all run to the outskirts. You’d better not go up the mountain to hunt lightly.”
What?
Just going around the very edge of the woods and you can get that much game?
The women all looked utterly unconvinced.
If game were that easy to catch, then who would still work so hard and come here to dig wild vegetables?
As for Chu Xun’s talk about tigers, brown bears, and danger in the mountains, they were even less willing to believe it.
“Auntie was even thinking of introducing a wife to you. Why won’t you tell auntie the truth? How could game be so easy to catch?”
“Exactly. Fine if you won’t tell us where the game gather, but don’t lie to us and say there are tigers up there.”
“There haven’t been tigers in these mountains for years. If you don’t want the villagers to go hunting and steal your game, just say so. Why fool us women like this?”
After that, the group, all carrying dissatisfaction toward Chu Xun, went off on their own to dig wild vegetables.
Honestly, they had waited here for half a day for nothing.
This eldest son of the Chu family was stingy too, always playing little tricks.
When they got back, they would have their men make bows and arrows.
They would go into the woods in a group, and they did not believe anything would happen!
Listening to the women’s gossip,
Chu Xun only gave a cold laugh and shook his head, completely unconcerned.
Let them not believe him if they wanted.
He was telling the truth anyway.
If their men ran into trouble on the mountain, that had nothing to do with him.
Good advice cannot persuade the doomed, and compassion cannot save those who seek their own ruin.
Then Chu Xun went over to Qin Yue’er and gently massaged her ankle.
His warm big hand moved back and forth over her fair ankle, making Qin Yue’er blush uncontrollably.
“Brother Xun, my injury is fine. Don’t rub it anymore. It’s not good if someone sees.”
Chu Xun smiled carelessly and said, “What are you afraid of? We’re not doing anything shameful. Besides, if your ankle doesn’t heal, how are we supposed to… right?~”
“Brother Xun~”
Qin Yue’er could not handle such blatantly teasing words. Her ears turned bright red.
She could only lower her head, cover her face, and curl herself up like a shy little quail.
Seeing how adorable she looked,
Chu Xun laughed loudly and was just about to say something else when…
The rumble of a cart suddenly came from far away.
And then Second Uncle’s booming voice rang out: “Xunzi! Second Uncle is here! Where’s the pig?! Is the pig still here?!”