Xu Feng gently pushed the door open and casually tossed the bled chicken into the courtyard. As he opened the wooden door, moonlight poured into the modest room. In the darkness, a pair of bright eyes met his—this silly wife of his had waited up all night without sleeping.
“Why didn’t you sleep? Didn’t I tell you not to worry?”
Xu Feng walked forward and gave her a gentle pinch on the head. Her soft, silky hair felt smooth beneath his fingers.
“I was scared… scared that after I fell asleep, you’d…”
Lin Xiyue didn’t finish her sentence, but Xu Feng already knew what she was afraid of.
He cupped her small head in both hands and leaned in to gently bite her cheek.
“Did it hurt?”
Lin Xiyue nodded with a pitiful expression, and a tear rolled down like a pearl. It wasn’t clear whether it was from exhaustion or from Xu Feng teasing her.
“If it hurts, that means it’s not a dream. Your man went up the mountain last night and brought down a deer! I’ll head to the Village Chief’s place soon to divide the meat. You should sleep for a while—staying up late isn’t good for the baby, you hear?”
She had just been surprised that her husband had hunted a deer, but the moment he mentioned that staying up late could hurt the baby, she panicked. She obediently lay down, closed her eyes, and didn’t even ask about the deer.
It was summer, and this was the coolest time of the day. Xu Feng gently covered her belly, closed the door, and went straight to the Village Chief’s home.
Xu Shoushan was the Village Chief’s son and had learned his hunting skills from his father. On the way back, Xu Feng had asked why they didn’t use guns. In this era, while not every household had one, hunters typically did.
Shoushan replied that he wanted to, but none of them had good aim, and bullets were also scarce.
No wonder—if they had guns, there wouldn’t have been a deer for Xu Feng to kill.
By now, the sky was turning light. People didn’t sleep in during this era.
News that the Village Chief’s son had killed a deer had already spread, and many villagers had gathered to join the excitement.
Of course, not all were there to gawk. With meat so scarce, some hoped to trade what little they had for a small portion to satisfy their cravings.
From afar, Xu Feng could already see smoke rising—that had to be the Village Chief’s house. They were probably already boiling water to remove the fur.
Truthfully, Xu Feng was feeling excited. This wasn’t just a hunk of venison—it was the start of a better life.
“Well, now! What a rare sight—up early, are we?”
The sarcastic voice came from Xu Qiang, Aunt Li’s eldest son. He had come to see the commotion and maybe mooch a bowl of deer blood. If nothing else, he planned to shamelessly tag along the next time Shoushan went hunting.
His words made it obvious to everyone he was mocking Xu Feng for being a lazy freeloader who only knew how to eat and loaf around.
Like mother, like son—always stirring up trouble. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“Shut that stinking mouth of yours. With breath that foul, no wonder you still can’t get a wife.”
Xu Feng wasn’t the type to back down, not even if things turned physical.
“You’re just…”
Xu Qiang was halfway through his insult when he choked up. After all, Xu Feng actually had a pretty wife. Since he couldn’t win on that front, he switched tactics.
“Everyone brought something, and here you are, empty-handed just to enjoy the show? Coming for free meat? Don’t even think about it!”
At least Xu Qiang had brought a pack of cigarettes and passed one to each of the hunters.
Xu Feng didn’t argue. Sooner or later, they’d all be slapping their own faces from embarrassment.
Onlookers thought Xu Feng was too embarrassed to keep arguing and burst into laughter.
Xu Qiang puffed himself up like a rooster, proud and smug.
Aside from being 1.8 meters tall, looking rugged and handsome, and having a pretty wife—what else did Xu Feng have? What was he, really?
Being poor was shameful.
Xu Feng ignored the mockery and squeezed through the crowd into the courtyard.
At 1.8 meters tall, he easily drew attention. But when people saw it was that infamous lazy freeloader, no one even bothered to greet him.
“Xu Feng, there you are. Someone in the village wants to trade for the deer pelt and antlers. I told them it wasn’t mine, but they didn’t believe me. Now that the owner’s here, you can talk to them.”
As soon as Shoushan spoke, the courtyard went quiet for a moment.
What was going on? That deer belonged to this slacker?
Everyone knew Xu Feng was useless—good for nothing but drinking and beating his wife.
And now they were being told that this very man had silently killed a deer?
If someone else had said it, they wouldn’t have believed it even under torture.
But it came from Xu Shoushan himself—no one would joke about something like this.
Everyone who had mocked Xu Feng just moments ago now felt the sting of shame slapping their faces.
The deer belonged to him, and they dared to come empty-handed?
Especially Xu Qiang—his eyes were practically burning with jealousy.
“No trade. When I have time, I’ll go into town and see if I can exchange them for something worthwhile.”
These villagers were only here to take advantage. This was Xu Feng’s first step to building a better life—he wasn’t about to waste it.
“That’s fine. It’s yours anyway. The skinning’s not done yet, so it’ll take a while.” Get faster updates on g.com.
Xu Feng wasn’t in a rush. After all, he’d already been up all night—what was a few more minutes?
During that time, no fewer than three groups approached Xu Feng asking if he would sell the antlers or the pelt. He refused them all.
After a while, the Village Chief, Xu Li, had skillfully finished butchering the deer.
Xu Feng had underestimated the size—it was close to a hundred jin. They ended up with about seventy jin of meat, three jin of organs, and over three jin of deer blood.
Each of the six hunters got over ten jin of meat and half a jin of deer blood. As for the organs, the three hunting dogs got one jin each.
“Xu Feng, this is yours. Make sure to return the bamboo basket!”
The Village Chief was highly respected in Xu Village, and not without reason. Knowing Xu Feng’s family was poor, he gave him premium cuts—deer ribs and hind leg meat—which would fetch more if traded.
Xu Feng wouldn’t let him down.
He reached into the basket and pulled out a large chunk of meat. “Village Chief, I haven’t thanked you for helping me find such a good wife. You have to accept this piece.”
The meat he handed over was at least two jin—worth a decent amount of grain.
“Hmph!”
Village Chief Xu Li let out a surprised grunt. “Is this really the Xu Feng I know?”
As the Village Chief, he knew full well what a scoundrel Xu Feng used to be.
For years, he’d regretted marrying Lin Xiyue into that household. But what was done was done—even he couldn’t meddle in family matters anymore.
When his son told him about what happened last night, he’d wondered if he was imagining things.
Now, seeing it for himself, he realized—the brat had really grown up.
“No joke. I’ve finally realized just how much of a bastard I used to be. It’s all thanks to your past guidance.”
Xu Feng’s words were completely sincere.
“Good, good! A prodigal son who returns is worth more than gold. Just treat your wife well from now on and that’s all the thanks I need.”
The old Village Chief truly felt comforted.
Xu Feng didn’t argue. He simply tossed the meat into the Chief’s arms.
To the bystanders, it looked foolish—why give the Village Chief free meat when his family already had plenty? Why not give it to them instead?