The thug who was beaten thought that the person beating him was Hua Daniu, so he not only didn’t dare to fight back but also didn’t dare to shout for help. He just obediently curled up and covered his head while enduring the beating.
Once Hua Zizhou had vented his frustration, he tossed aside the stick and turned to leave at a leisurely pace. He’s confident that the bastard wouldn’t dare to chase after him. In fact, the thug was currently huddled in the stinky ditch and groaning.
Seeing Hua Zizhou approach, Qu Qing and Hunter Jiang quickly crouched down, hiding in the grass and not moving a muscle. After Hua Zizhou had walked a bit further, they stood up from the grass, exchanging complicated glances in silence as they followed him.
Along the way, both of them seemed to have a lot to say, but in the end, not a single word was spoken. When they reached the entrance of the house, Hunter Jiang patted Qu Qing on the shoulder before walking inside first.
The gesture seemed to say: ‘Brother, take care!’
When Hua Zizhou saw them coming in from outside, he felt a bit strange. Before he could ask, Qu Qing, feeling somewhat guilty, said, “I just went outside with Brother Jiang to take care of something. Did you just get back?”
Hua Zizhou also felt a little guilty and evasively replied, “Ah, yes.”
After that, they all tacitly agreed not to bring up the incident again.
That night, Hunter Jiang used the thatch that Qu Qing had dried over the past few days along with a blanket to sleep in the nearby room for the night.
The next day, the adults got up early to start processing the wild boar. They heated up boiling water, scalded off the pig hair, set aside the pig’s legs for ham, and divided the meat into pieces. They dealt with the internal organs and put everything in a large pot to simmer, filling the air with an enticing aroma that even woke up the two sleeping children.
When they were halfway through the processing, the three of them realized that the salt and soy sauce, as well as other seasonings, were all gone, and there were no green onions, ginger, or garlic either. This resulted in the meat being fragrant but lacking in flavor.
“This… what should we do? I don’t know if anyone in the village sells salt. If we could buy some other seasonings, that would be even better. I just happen to have a little money on me,” Qu Qing said, feeling somewhat troubled. Hunter Jiang replied, “I know where to get some seasonings. I have a feeling we might need a lot, so would you like to come with me to get some?”
Hua Zizhou and Qu Qing exchanged glances, curious about how he planned to acquire what they needed, especially since he seemed so confident. They nodded, “Sure, we can help out. When do we leave?”
“There’s no need to rush. We should at least fill our stomachs first,” Hunter Jiang said, looking very relaxed.
So, they made a pot of stewed meat with the remaining seasonings. This luxurious act made Hua Zizhou and the little Mao’er feel as if they were in a dream. Qu Qing was used to such things and didn’t realize just how extravagant pork was in this era, so he felt no pressure while eating.
Hunter Jiang noticed this and said, “You are my son’s lifesavers, which makes you my lifesavers as well. To be honest, I’m very grateful to you. This son is all I have in this life, if I lost him, I really wouldn’t know how to get by. When the villagers thought I was dead and you couldn’t even feed yourselves, you were still willing to take in my son and truly cared for him. So, what I’m doing now doesn’t amount to much. I hope you don’t harbor any resentment.”
Jiang Zhu nodded continuously at this. In fact, during his stay at Qu Qing’s house, he truly believed that his father was dead, and he had gradually come to see this place as home. He noticed how well Qu Qing and the others treated him.
“And I also heard from Brother Qu that you’re facing some difficulties right now. The grain you planted won’t be ready until autumn, and you have no solution for your food situation in the meantime, right?”
Seeing that Qu Qing didn’t deny it, Hunter Jiang continued, “Actually, I have something to ask you. Although I’m a hunter and when the season is good, I don’t have to worry about food and can even eat meat every day. If luck is bad, and the season is not right, it becomes difficult to eat, especially in winter.
So… I was thinking, if you don’t mind, we could help each other out. During the busy farming season, I can help you with the fields, and when it’s not busy, I’ll go hunting. If the season is bad, I can stay here and have a meal with you. But don’t worry, once I save enough money to buy two plots of land, I won’t trouble you anymore. I’ll also build my own house nearby soon and won’t disturb you for long. I hope you don’t mind.”
Qu Qing didn’t hesitate at all and agreed right away. On one hand, he liked Jiang Zhu, who was a good kid, and on the other hand, most of the food at home still came from Hunter Jiang’s house. He could be considered to be holding on to Hunter Jiang’s leg now. Feeling grateful, how could he refuse?
Moreover, he realized that when father Jiang and his son appeared, they brought him good luck. If he hadn’t met them, Qu Qing didn’t even know if he would have been able to eat meat in the past month or two, let alone get through the food crisis.
In a way, they could be considered each other’s benefactors.
So, the matter was happily decided just like that.
After everyone was full and satisfied, they collectively patted their bellies. Hunter Jiang wiped his mouth, stood up, and said to everyone, “Now that we’re full, how about we take a stroll in the village?”
Qu Qing and Hua Zizhou exchanged glances, and Qu Qing asked, “Should we bring the two little ones along?”
“Of course! Let’s take them out to broaden their horizons. Can I borrow your sickle?” Hunter Jiang picked up the sickle, and before Qu Qing could agree, he tucked it into his waistband.
Qu Qing felt something was a bit off—why did they need to bring a sickle when going out for a walk so early in the morning?
Seeing that everyone else had already followed, Qu Qing had no choice but to go along.
On the way to the village, Hunter Jiang spoke earnestly to everyone, “I feel sorry for my son. When I first came here, I thought that if I got along well with the villagers and tried to please them by often giving them meat, I could establish a foothold and integrate into this village. But now I realize I was wrong. Just trying to please others is useless, without some incidents, you can’t truly see a person’s heart.”
Seeing that his father seemed sad, Jiang Zhu stepped forward and took his hand, saying, “Father, it’s okay. It’s all in the past.”
Hunter Jiang patted his son’s head, saying, “Son, I used to tell you to endure if someone bullied you, or else you’d be disliked by the villagers. But now, I’m telling you I was wrong. Good people get bullied, and good horses get ridden [1]“Good horses get ridden” is a metaphor meaning that those who are too kind, obedient, or compliant are often taken advantage of by others. Just like a well-behaved horse is ridden more … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3338693_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3338693_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. From today on, if someone slaps you, you must return it tenfold!”
Jiang Zhu asked, “What about returning eighteen slaps [2]“Returning eighteen slaps” is an exaggerated way of saying to respond to an offense with significant retaliation, much more than what was originally done. It means not only defending … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3338693_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3338693_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });?”
Hunter Jiang replied, “That works too.”
Qu Qing felt inexplicably that this conversation was a bit dangerous, but when he turned to see Hua Zizhou next to him, he had a look as if it were perfectly normal, he thought that maybe he was just overthinking it.
The sun had just risen and was still low in the sky, most families were still making breakfast. Some diligent villagers had already gone out to the fields. Hunter Jiang, along with Qu Qing and the others, had only just entered the village when they quickly attracted the attention of the villagers. Many people stood on the village road with bowls in hand, eating noodles while curiously watching them.
When Hunter Jiang met the villagers, he greeted them warmly and said that he had hunted a pig and had too much meat to finish, so he was planning to sell some at ten copper coins per pound. The villagers could also trade for goods like firewood, rice, and salt—anything that could be used. If someone had nothing to offer, he could also provide a pound of meat for three days of work when he started building his house.
The villagers reacted enthusiastically, exclaiming happily that it was great news, and some had already started to head home to think about what they could trade for the meat.
A few nosy villagers asked, “Hunter Jiang, weren’t you robbed? How come you’re not bothered at all?”
Hunter Jiang laughed and patted the sickle at his waist, saying, “I’m just about to find someone to settle the score.”
“Oh my!” the onlookers exclaimed, finishing their breakfast and excitedly running off to tell everyone they could—friends, family, and even neighbors.
It was odd that the villagers led such boring lives, so when something like this happened, it easily ignited their desire to watch the drama unfold.
Of course, not everyone had time to gossip. Some were still carrying hoes and heading to the fields, planning to ask others about the situation later. It was a coincidence that while on the way to the fields, they happened to run into Aunt Hua, so they teased her:
“Aunt Hua, you’re about to face disaster, and you’re still going to the fields? You’ve done something wicked, and now Hunter Jiang is coming with a sickle to settle accounts with your family. Aren’t you going to hurry back and check?”
Aunt Hua spat and said, “You wicked fool, what nonsense are you talking about? What wicked thing have I done? You better watch out, if you keep saying such things, you might have a child without a belly [3]“you might have a child without a belly” is an insult or curse, wishing misfortune on someone’s family, implying they may have an unhealthy or incomplete child. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3338693_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3338693_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });!”
The person being scolded let out a “hey” sound, his eyes filled with sympathy and disdain, showing no anger at all. As he walked forward, he muttered, “Good and evil will eventually be rewarded, the heavens will repay. If you don’t believe it, look up and see. Who has the heavens spared? Some people, who know if they’ve lost their homes, still have the leisure to scold others. They might as well hurry home, at least they could save a pot or a bowl…” After saying that, he turned and walked away, carrying his hoe on his shoulder without looking back.
At this moment, although Aunt Hua was cursing loudly, she was actually already panicking inside. Once she could no longer see that person’s shadow, she quickly ran home, thinking of her several children still at home, her heart nearly stopped from beating because of fear.
When she finally reached the village, her home seemed fine, but in the center of the village, a crowd had gathered around one family’s house.
Aunt Hua managed to push her way through the crowd to see what was happening, and her heart immediately sank.
That house was indeed one of those who had robbed Hunter Jiang. Inside, Hunter Jiang wasted no time and immediately started smashing things. The onlookers, seeing the sickle at his waist, didn’t dare approach. The family inside was a complete mess. The mother of that family was crying and begging Hunter Jiang to spare them.
A child who was pushed aside saw Aunt Hua and was about to make a ruckus, but her fierce expression silenced him. Trembling with fear, Aunt Hua hurried away to find her family for help—she absolutely could not let her own home be smashed like this!
Qu Qing carefully protected the two children nearby, looking in with shock and disbelief.
He realized that everyone around him was more ruthless than anyone else. Jiang Zhu who tried to set a house on fires, Hua Zizhou who beat people in the middle of the night, and Hunter Jiang who brazenly smashed things…
In the end, he picked up the still soft and cute Mao’er, feeling relieved while thinking, at least you and father are of the same kind.
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