By the time Gao Yang and his men had left, Xing Zhaozhao had already carried the wild boar back to the cellar on the other side of the door.
After pulling out the exquisitely crafted crossbow bolts embedded in the boar and carefully storing them aside, Xing Zhaozhao recalled the clothing and weapons of the uncle and nephew she had encountered on the other side of the door, along with their companions. The level of craftsmanship was clearly vastly different from that of her current time.
She had no idea what place that was.
Or, to be more precise, what time that was.
But for her, it was indeed a tremendous opportunity.
Besides the wild boar, she might be able to bring back other things from there.
Thinking of this, Xing Zhaozhao couldn’t help but feel eager to try again.
Next time she went, she would venture down the mountain to see if the town was still there and, if so, what it had become.
However, at the moment, Xing Zhaozhao was troubled by the sight of the several-hundred-pound wild boar before her.
A wild boar of this size absolutely could not see the light of day.
Catching a small pheasant or a rabbit was one thing, but with a boar this big, it wouldn’t be up to her alone to decide what happened to it. At most, she’d get a few pounds of meat, and after all the effort she’d put into hauling it back from the other side of the door, she couldn’t bear to part with it.
Moreover, even though it was autumn, this much meat wouldn’t keep for long. With only her and her two children at home—the nursing baby hardly counted—they couldn’t consume much of it. It would be better to secretly sell it for some money to save. Aunt Hao’s son, Jianguo, worked at the recycling station and knew many people; he should be able to find a way.
But how should she explain the origin of the wild boar to Aunt Hao?
She couldn’t very well tell her it had appeared out of thin air in the cellar, could she?
Even though that was pretty much what had happened.
After much deliberation, Xing Zhaozhao decided to let the wild boar stay in the cellar for a day. Tomorrow, when Aunt Hao came again, she would tell her that she had found the boar while taking a walk in the mountains—it had crashed into a tree and died, and she had simply brought it back.
Whether Aunt Hao believed her or not was another matter.
Emerging from the cellar, Xing Zhaozhao prepared to sneak back to her room.
After all, she had slipped out secretly earlier, and if Aunt Hao caught her, she’d likely get an earful. It was better to lie low.
Unexpectedly, just as she closed the cellar door and was about to slip away, she heard Aunt Hao’s cold voice from behind.
“What are you doing here?”
Xing Zhaozhao froze instantly.
After a moment of silence, she turned to face Aunt Hao, forcing an ingratiating smile. “Auntie, weren’t you tidying up in the front? What brought you to the backyard all of a sudden?”
Aunt Hao glanced at the broom in her hand and knew exactly why she had sneaked out.
“If I hadn’t come to the backyard, how would I know that you, who were supposed to be resting in your room, disobeyed and sneaked out to clean the cellar?” Aunt Hao said, walking up to her and tapping her forehead in exasperation. “Why won’t you listen to advice? You’ve just given birth. If you don’t take proper care of yourself during postpartum confinement, do you really want to be plagued with illnesses when you’re old?”
Xing Zhaozhao forced a smile and said, “But this is my home. Seeing you, Aunt Hao, running around busy while I do nothing—I just feel too embarrassed.”
“Mingcheng got our eldest a permanent job at the scrap station and took our second into the Troops. I never felt embarrassed about that. Now that Mingcheng isn’t here, I’ve come to lend you a hand—why should you feel awkward? Or do you look down on me?” Aunt Hao glared at her, clearly annoyed.
Xing Zhaozhao quickly linked arms with Aunt Hao, smiling apologetically. “How could that be? I’m overjoyed—how could I possibly look down on you?”
“Then go back inside right now and rest properly,” Aunt Hao insisted.
“Alright, alright,” Xing Zhaozhao agreed hurriedly, preparing to lead Aunt Hao away.
They hadn’t taken two steps when Aunt Hao suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.
Xing Zhaozhao’s heart leaped. “What’s wrong, Aunt Hao?”
Aunt Hao sniffed the air. “Why do I smell blood?”
Xing Zhaozhao chuckled awkwardly. “I just gave birth to Xiao Hongling—the lochia hasn’t fully cleared yet.”
Aunt Hao shook her head. “No, that’s not it. It’s different.”
She sniffed around Xing Zhaozhao and soon spotted a dark red bloodstain on her shoulder.
Narrowing her eyes, Aunt Hao stared at her. “Where did this blood on your shoulder come from? Don’t tell me it’s lochia…”
Xing Zhaozhao fell silent.
Seeing her hesitate, Aunt Hao didn’t press further but instead followed her nose straight to the cellar.
Xing Zhaozhao had no chance to stop her.
As soon as Aunt Hao opened the cellar door, a strong smell of blood hit her.
Her eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of the large wild boar lying inside. She turned to Xing Zhaozhao, stunned. “Where did this huge boar come from?”
Xing Zhaozhao stammered, unsure how to explain.
“You sneaked up the mountain while I wasn’t looking? And ran into a wild boar? Are you hurt?” Aunt Hao asked anxiously, studying her closely.
Xing Zhaozhao stayed silent.
It seemed she didn’t need to come up with an excuse after all.
She quickly shook her head. “I’m not hurt. The boar ran into a tree and died on its own. I just used a bit of strength to carry it back.”
Aunt Hao couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “Do you think I’m a fool? That I’d believe such a story?”
Xing Zhaozhao said nothing.
She didn’t think Aunt Hao was foolish—but it seemed Aunt Hao had already convinced herself.
After carefully checking Xing Zhaozhao and confirming she wasn’t injured, Aunt Hao relaxed. Then, she looked at the wild boar with a mix of excitement and concern.
“Although the weather’s cool, this much meat won’t keep long,” Aunt Hao remarked, turning to Xing Zhaozhao. “What do you plan to do with it?”
Xing Zhaozhao replied honestly, “Keep some for our family, give some to yours, and I’d like to ask Jianguo if he can help find a way to sell the rest. We can split the money evenly.”
Aunt Hao shook her head. “You went through all the trouble to get it—why split it evenly? Just give him a small fee for his help. You’re raising three children alone, and Mingcheng is gone. You need to save up more. It’s settled—I’ll have Xiuning boil some water, and we’ll prepare the meat today.”
“Can you handle it alone, Auntie?” Xing Zhaozhao asked worriedly.
Aunt Hao shot her a glare. “Don’t tell me you’re going to help me. Your aunt comes from a butcher’s family—how could I possibly not manage? Later, just move this boar to the front yard and go back inside to lie down. Starting tomorrow, you’ll complete a full month of postpartum confinement. I’ll come by to keep an eye on you.”
Xing Zhaozhao: “…”
So she couldn’t go to that place for the time being?
Heart-wrenching.
That same day, Aunt Hao helped Xing Zhaozhao process the wild boar and had Hao Jianguo secretly sell it off.
After the sale, aside from giving Hao Jianguo his errand fee, Aunt Hao’s butchering fee, and Hao Xiuning’s assistance fee, the remaining money was all given to them.
Aunt Hao tried to return it but was refused by Xing Zhaozhao.
“If you don’t accept it, Auntie, I won’t ask for your help in the future,” Xing Zhaozhao said.
Aunt Hao had no choice but to accept.
Under Aunt Hao’s supervision, Xing Zhaozhao completed a full month of postpartum confinement and was finally “released from her sentence.”
It was already December by then.
In her previous life, Xing Zhaozhao had died on a cold night at the end of December.