Song Xiaoyu wanted to tell her brothers that there was no need to run at all. It was only a black bear, and she was fully capable of dealing with it herself.
Unfortunately, the moment danger appeared, Song Wen had scooped her onto his back and sprinted away as if his life depended on it. No matter how much she wanted to get down, she never found the chance.
Xiao Wang had been secretly watching the commotion from the thicket. To her surprise, the three siblings disappeared in the blink of an eye. Holding her two children by the hand, she was still searching for them when she suddenly turned and saw the siblings being chased by a roaring black bear.
The sight nearly scared her out of her wits.
Her lips trembled uncontrollably, and she had to swallow several times before she could force out a shout.
“A-Wen! A-Wu! Take your little sister and run! Don’t let that black bear catch you!”
Although the relationship between the second and first branches was far from close, she still didn’t want to see three children end up as a bear’s meal.
Her shrill cry immediately drew the attention of the villagers digging wild vegetables nearby. The moment they saw the black bear, every one of them turned pale with fear.
Some of the more cowardly villagers instantly began blaming the siblings.
“Those children from the first branch are courting death! Going into the deep woods wasn’t enough, they even provoked a black bear and led it out here!”
“Exactly! If someone gets hurt because of this, it’ll be entirely their fault!”
“What were they thinking? Do they really believe a few half-grown children can hunt a black bear?”
“Three reckless little fools! Let’s see how long they last before the bear swallows them whole!”
Every word reached Song Xiaoyu’s ears.
She sneered inwardly.
People who wanted to see her make a fool of herself hadn’t even been born yet.
“Brother Wen, put me down! Let’s get behind that boulder. I have a way to deal with the bear!”
Song Wen nodded grimly.
The situation was critical, but he trusted his little sister.
The three siblings quickly ducked behind a large boulder about waist-high and concealed themselves.
Song Xiaoyu secretly took a syringe filled with anesthetic from her medical space.
The syringe was no larger than a finger, making it easy to hide in her palm.
At that moment, the villagers were still scrambling in panic. Unable to decide on a target, the black bear roared furiously and spun around in agitation.
Taking advantage of the moment it turned its back, Song Xiaoyu moved like a shadow.
With silent steps, she slipped behind the bear and drove the needle deep into the back of its neck.
Many villagers had not yet managed to flee down the mountain. From their perspective, it looked as though Song Xiaoyu had simply struck the bear once and knocked it flat.
Everyone froze in disbelief.
“Look!”
“The Song family’s little fool just killed a black bear with one punch!”
Song Wen rushed over anxiously and grabbed his sister’s hands, checking them over.
“Little Sister, are you hurt?”
Song Xiaoyu shook her head and crouched beside the beast.
The bear was still breathing.
Not dead yet.
Without hesitation, she pulled the woodcutting axe from Song Wu’s basket, raised it high, and brought it down with a decisive chop.
Fresh blood splattered across the snow.
Several adults immediately covered their children’s eyes, afraid the gruesome scene would give them nightmares.
“Brother Wen, Brother Wu, the bear is dead. Bring the hemp rope over. We need to figure out how to haul it home.”
Song Wen and Song Wu were only eighteen and seventeen years old. Even working together, it took tremendous effort just to roll the massive bear onto its back.
Their father had never taught them hunting. Song Beichen had always hoped his sons would focus on studying and one day pass the imperial examinations, so they knew nothing about handling prey.
After estimating its size, Song Xiaoyu concluded that the black bear weighed over three hundred catties.
Her heart nearly burst with excitement.
She had struck gold!
An adult black bear was valuable from head to toe.
Its fur could be made into winter clothing that wealthy nobles would pay a fortune for. The bear paws, gallbladder, bones, and meat could all be sold for considerable sums.
At that moment, Wang Daquan, the village chief’s son, happened to be nearby.
He stepped forward and helped show them the proper way to secure the bear.
His maternal uncle had once been a hunter and, having no sons of his own, had passed all his knowledge down to Wang Daquan.
The young man was two years older than Song Wen, with a sturdy build and a kind disposition.
“Brother Wen,” he said warmly, “the three of you carrying this thing alone will be exhausting. I’m heading in the same direction anyway, so I’ll help you take it back.”
“Thank you, Brother Daquan!”
Song Wen quickly expressed his gratitude.
The villagers stared at the enormous black bear in amazement.
Normally, even encountering a wild boar or wolf was enough to terrify them. A beast of this size was something few had ever seen up close.
Gathering her courage, Xiao Wang stepped forward and forced a smile.
“Xiaoyu, Wen’er, Wu’er, you’re all still children. How can you possibly carry such a heavy bear? I’ll go fetch your Uncle Beihai right away!”
Song Xiaoyu immediately cut her off.
“There’s no need, Aunt ie Wang. Our branch has already separated from the family. Since we hunted this bear ourselves, we can carry it back ourselves.”
Seeing the siblings preparing to move the bear, Xiao Wang’s eyes darted anxiously.
Such a large black bear was worth a fortune.
How could she let it slip away?
Plastering on an even friendlier smile, she stepped forward and blocked their path.
“You children are still growing. What if you injure yourselves carrying something this heavy? Let Auntie Wang help.”
Song Xiaoyu laughed coldly.
“Auntie Wang, why must you always speak such unlucky words? Every time you open your mouth, you either curse me or my brothers.”
She folded her arms and continued.
“Besides, I’ve already made myself perfectly clear. This bear belongs to our family. If you help carry it back, people might mistakenly think you contributed to the hunt and deserve a share of the profits.”
Her words struck directly at Xiao Wang’s true intentions.
The surrounding villagers immediately looked at her with strange expressions.
Xiao Wang’s face alternated between green and white.
Humiliated and furious, she snapped,
“Fine! You ungrateful girl! I was only trying to help. Since you think I’m after your bear, then carry it back yourselves!”
With that, she turned away.
But her eyes remained fixed on the massive black bear as the siblings hauled it down the mountain.
The jealousy in her heart nearly drove her mad.
That bear was worth so many taels of silver.
If only her husband had learned hunting from his elder brother back then, that fortune could have belonged to their family instead.
No.
She absolutely could not allow the first branch to keep all the profits for themselves.
Meanwhile, Song Xiaoyu knew exactly what was going through her second aunt’s mind.
Greed had already taken root.
Once Xiao Wang returned to the old Song family home, there would undoubtedly be another round of trouble waiting for them.
But now that the branches had officially separated, there was no reason whatsoever for anyone else to lay claim to the fruits of their hard-earned labor.