“This medicine really works. I feel much better now.”
Shen Yuebai handed the canteen back to Shen Shuli, his eyes filled with gratitude.
“But how are we going to get all this game down the mountain? It would be such a waste to leave it behind.”
Shen Yuebai wasn’t the only one reluctant to abandon the haul. Not a single person there was willing to give it up.
Even the three of them together couldn’t carry a single wild boar.
Shen Yuebai had suffered serious internal injuries, Shen Shuli was only thirteen and didn’t have much strength, and Shen Ziqian could carry at most a hundred jin.
They couldn’t go down the mountain to call for help, either. If they left the game unattended, other animals would soon find it and tear it apart.
There was no good solution.
Shen Shuli had a spatial storage that could easily solve the problem, but she would never expose that trump card.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Yuebai said, “Ziqian, you and Ah Li go back down the mountain and find some people to help. I’ll stay here and guard the game.”
Knowing that his second uncle was injured, Shen Ziqian refused immediately.
“No. You’re injured, and it isn’t safe for you to stay here alone. You and Cousin go back. I’ll stay here.”
Shen Shuli shook her head and sighed.
“You two stay here and wait. Be careful. I’m faster, so I’ll go back and get people.”
She had only walked halfway down the mountain when she encountered a group of villagers heading up.
They were all relatives from the Shen clan—eight or nine people in total.
Shen Yuebai’s son, Shen Zitan, was among them. He had already seen Shen Shuli at home.
The moment he recognized her, he hurried forward.
“Cousin! We finally found you! Are you all right?”
His eyes swept over her from head to toe.
When he saw the large patches of blood on her clothes, his face instantly went pale.
“You’re injured!”
Shen Shuli quickly explained, “Don’t worry, I’m fine. This is just the blood of the animals. You came at just the right time. Second Uncle managed to hunt quite a lot this time. Help us carry everything down the mountain.”
Shen Zitan didn’t dare waste any time and immediately called for everyone to follow.
They moved quickly.
Seven wild boars, a muntjac, and a large haul of pheasants and rabbits were soon carried down the mountain.
It was a famine year, and Baishi Village was no exception. Nearly every household was running out of food.
To avoid attracting the attention of the villagers, the Shen family deliberately took a secluded path. By the time they returned, darkness had already fallen, allowing them to transport all the game back to the Shen residence without anyone noticing.
After lunch, Shen Yuehua immediately took her eldest brother, eldest sister-in-law, and second sister-in-law into town in a bullock cart to investigate the situation.
When she returned and discovered that Shen Shuli and Shen Ziqian still hadn’t come back, Shen Yuehua immediately panicked.
She hurriedly told Old Master Shen and Old Madam Shen that the two of them had probably gone deep into the mountains to look for her second brother.
Old Master Shen jabbed his finger at his daughter’s forehead and scolded her for being reckless.
He immediately went to find his younger brothers in the village and asked them to gather the men of the family to search the mountains.
“They’re back! They’re back!”
Shen Yuehui, the eldest son of the Shen family, had been standing at the foot of the mountain watching the trail.
When he saw the group returning, he hurriedly called out to the family.
Then he quickly opened the courtyard gate so everyone could carry the game inside.
The Shen family were completely stunned when they saw the courtyard packed with wild boars.
They knew exactly what Shen Yuebai was capable of.
There was no way he could have brought back so many wild boars by himself.
“Second Brother, what… what happened? How did you end up with so many wild boars?”
Old Master Shen beckoned his second son over.
Everyone else perked up their ears, equally curious.
“Hehe, Father, I only killed two of these wild boars myself. The rest were all thanks to Ah Li.”
Shen Yuebai was an honest and straightforward man, so he immediately told everyone what had happened in the mountains.
“Father, if my niece hadn’t arrived in time to save me, I probably would’ve died when the herd surrounded me.”
Just thinking about that dangerous moment still left Shen Yuebai shaken.
The entire courtyard fell silent as everyone listened to his account, their hearts in their throats.
When they learned that this granddaughter who had been switched at birth had saved Shen Yuebai, everyone turned toward Shen Shuli with gratitude and curiosity.
“Ah Li, what a good child. Thank goodness you saved your second uncle. Grandmother doesn’t even know how to thank you.”
Old Madam Shen’s eyes reddened with emotion as she took Shen Shuli’s hand and thanked her repeatedly.
She had only two sons and one daughter in her entire life.
If her granddaughter hadn’t arrived in time, she might have lost one of her sons.
How could she not be grateful?
“Grandmother, it was just a coincidence. I happened to be there, so of course I had to help.”
Shen Shuli answered modestly before glancing at her mother.
Old Madam Shen knew perfectly well that her granddaughter was only being polite.
The mountains were enormous. How could such a coincidence possibly happen?
She must have been worried about her uncle and deliberately gone after him to save him.
Who would have thought that this granddaughter, newly reunited with the family, would save her son almost immediately?
That was an enormous debt of gratitude.
Shen Yuehua caught the look in her daughter’s eyes and understood that Shen Shuli didn’t like being surrounded by people she barely knew.
She quickly changed the subject.
“Mother, we’d better figure out what to do with all this meat.”
“The weather is so hot that it could start to spoil overnight. We also need to be careful. If the other villagers find out about this, some of them might get greedy.”
“We’ll need you and Father to decide what to do with everything.”
Old Madam Shen’s attention immediately shifted.
She turned to her husband and left the decision to him.
Old Master Shen thought for a moment before turning to Shen Shuli and asking quietly,
“Ah Li, I’d like to give one of the wild boars to your second great-uncle’s family as thanks for helping us search the mountain and carry the game down. What do you think?”
At least five of the wild boars had been killed by Shen Shuli herself.
No one had the right to decide how to distribute them without her permission.
Her grandfather had asked her politely rather than simply making the decision himself, which satisfied her.
She nodded without hesitation.
The main reason was that wild boar meat was notoriously tough and didn’t taste particularly good.
If they had been talking about mutton or beef, she definitely wouldn’t have agreed so generously.
“Whatever you think is best, Grandfather.”
Shen Shuli smiled and nodded.
Old Master Shen breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been afraid of upsetting his granddaughter.
There was simply too much meat, and if they didn’t deal with it quickly, it would spoil.
Besides, he intended to make it up to her in other ways. He wouldn’t let her suffer a loss.
“Second Brother, I’m giving your family one wild boar as thanks for your help today. Deal with it all tonight.”
“Whether you want to eat it, preserve it, or sell it, do everything here at my house. There’s no need to carry it back and forth and risk attracting attention.”
Old Master Shen called out to his younger brother.
Shen Huaikang immediately waved his hands and firmly refused.
They had only helped out a little. They hadn’t done anything significant.
How could they possibly take an entire wild boar?
Wouldn’t that be shameless?
He was already calling for his children and grandchildren to leave when Old Master Shen reacted quickly.
He hurried over and locked the courtyard gate.
“Just do as I say. I know your family doesn’t have any extra grain left. Once this meat is processed, it’ll be enough to help you get through quite a while.”
Shen Huaikang couldn’t help wavering at those words.
He knew his own family’s situation better than anyone.
If the drought continued like this, they really wouldn’t last more than a few days.
Seeing his younger brother’s expression soften, Shen Huai’an quickly continued,
“Come into the main room with me. There’s something important I need to tell you.”