14
Carrying the newly found little wild boar cub and leading Dahuang, He Tian encountered villagers working in the fields again as she returned to the village.
Seeing the little wild boar cub in her arms, the villagers didn’t find it particularly strange. But when their gaze shifted and they noticed the other animal was a little tiger cub, that was indeed rare. “Where did that come from?”
It couldn’t have been caught, right? With such a small tiger cub, the mother tiger would surely be never far away. Trying to catch it would probably mean ending up in the mother tiger’s stomach.
He Tian said, “I found it.” To be precise, it was indeed found.
Dahuang would grow up eventually, and everyone would come to know. There was no hiding it, and no need to.
Hearing she had found them, the villagers assumed she had stumbled upon both the tiger cub and the wild boar cub together. They were amazed and envious. “What luck!”
Indeed, what luck—could just anyone pick up a tiger cub? Even finding a little wild boar cub depended on luck.
“Make sure to keep your door shut at night.” A village kindly advised her. “The sow and the mother tiger might come looking for their cubs.”
Someone was offering a well-meaning reminder and He Tian accepted the kindness, sincerely thanking them.
Hearing these was a tiger, many villagers came out to see the excitement. He Tian was eager to get home and didn’t linger in conversation.
Behind a jujube-red gate of a square courtyard on the road He Tian had to take from the village entrance.
“Is she gone yet?”
“She’s far away now.”
Receiving the definite answer, Mrs. Li, holding her right wrist which was swollen high, stepped onto a stool, peered over the wall, and indeed saw He Tian’s retreating figure.
Her gaze fell on the little tiger cub at He Tian’s feet, and Mrs. Li’s venomous expression was overtaken by greed and envy.
That little wench, her luck was just this good!
Not only was her health getting better and better, and she’d found a wild boar cub, but now she’d even piked up a little tiger!
If those two animal cubs were theirs, once they grew up, how much money could they sell them for!
The more Mrs. Li thought about it, the more jealous and hateful she became.
“Hiss…”
Too caught up in her emotions, she jolted her hand hitting the injured area. Mrs. Li’s face immediately paled. The pain also reminded her of what that little wretch He Tian had done to her. The venom in her eyes almost solidified.
As long as that little wretched died, not only would she not have to return the two-tael deposit, but she would also get the remaining eight taels, and those two animal cubs would be hers, along with the three wolf pelts from yesterday, all of it would be hers!
Sensing a very malicious stare fixed on her, He Tian, just about to turn a corner, suddenly whipped her head around.
Mrs. Li, who had been staring at He Tian with venomous hatred: “….”
She was genuinely frightened. Instinctively stepping back, she forgot she was standing on a stool and fell straight down.
Screams and shouts erupted, chaos ensuing.
He Tian cast another cold glance at that now-empty wall top before turning and heading home.
As expected by He Tian, Liu Erniang had a restless night and sat at the door at dawn, eagerly looking forward to something.
Seeing her daughter back safely, a trace of color finally returned to her pale face.
“You must be tired.” Liu Erniang said, not asking how the sales went or how much money she got. She simply urged her daughter to rest. “Go lie down in the house and get some rest.”
Not to mention the time and energy spent going back and forth, but selling goods at the ghost market meant barely any sleep after midnight. This trip had been truly exhausting.
“I’m not tired.” He Tian said, supporting her as they walked inside. “The wind picked up in the morning. Why did you come out? What if you caught a chill?”
“Since when am I so delicate?” Liu Erniang said with a smile. “You go rest now, listen to your mother.”
“I’m really not tired,” He Tian put down her backpack and showed her the things she had bought. “I also brought you a candied hawthorn, Mother. After you take your medicine, eat one, and it won’t taste so bitter.”
Liu Erniang was happy but also felt a pang of sadness. “Mother won’t eat it, you keep it for yourself.”
Could medicine ever be as bitter as her life had been?
But she didn’t say this to her daughter. Mostly, she just felt for her daughter and wanted to save the treat for her.
“I already had one on the way back, and there’s another one here. This one I specially bought for you.” As she spoke, He Tian took out the breakfast she had bought for Liu Erniang and went to the kitchen to heat it up.
Heating up ready-made food was very simple. She added water to the pot, placed the tofu pudding in a bowl to steam, and heated one meat bun and one steamed bun for Liu Erniang.
Liu Erniang only then noticed the little wild boar cub with black and brown stripes that had appeared in the yard.
“Found it on the road,” He Tian replied while tending the fire in the stove. “Actually, it was Dahuang who was clever enough to find it in the grass.”
Liu Erniang really didn’t know what to say, and finally just remarked, “The house is getting lively now.”
With one little gray rabbit, one little tiger, and now this little wild boar cub added to the mix, it would be a lie to say it wasn’t lively. In just this short while, the yard had become a chaotic scene of rabbit hopping and pig squealing.
Dahuang would chase the little gray rabbit for a while, then pounce on the little wild boar cub, using his larger size and species advantage to bully the other two relentlessly.
At first, Liu Erniang was worried Dahuang, having tasted meat, might eat them. But after watching for a while, she realized he just thought it was fun and was playing with them.
As she watched, Liu Erniang unconsciously found her brows and the corners of her mouth softening, her expression becoming much gentler.
The food heated up quickly. While Liu Erniang was eating, He Tian told her in detail how much money she had made at the ghost market, and how much she had spent on medicine and purchases.
Finally, she offered the remaining one or two taels of silver for Liu Erniang to keep.
“You keep it,” Liu Erniang pushed it back. “Your mother is old. You’ve grown up now and have your own judgment. From now on, you should hold onto the family money and manage things.”
So, He Tian took it back.
After Liu Erniang finished her meal, He Tian watched her take the new medicine Doctor Qi had prescribed. Only then did she clean up the pots and bowls and prepare to cut some meat to feed Dahuang.
Seeing his food bowl brought out, Dahuang immediately stopped chasing the little gray rabbit and the wild boar cub and trotted over eagerly to eat.
Noticing that the little gray rabbit wasn’t nibbling on that unknown grass anymore, He Tian went to check and, sure enough, the small amount of grass she had cut the day before yesterday was all gone.
And there was no food for the little wild boar cub at home either.
He Tian drank two bowls of water, found a sickle, and said, “I’m going up the mountain to cut some of that grass the little gray rabbit likes to eat, and also cut some pigweed. I’ll be right back.”
Liu Erniang wanted to tell her not to work so hard and to rest, but seeing the little gray rabbit and the little wild boar cub staring longingly at Dahuang eating, she had to relent. “Alright, come back soon, and don’t go too deep.”
The grass rabbits ate and pigweed were both common; you didn’t need to go deep into the mountain to find them.
He Tian agreed, slung her empty backpack over her shoulders, took her tools, and headed out. Naturally, she locked the main door from the outside.
With Dahuang around, she wasn’t too worried.
Although he was only a little over two months old, when he got fierce, he was quite useful. An ordinary adult wouldn’t fare well against him.
Thinking this, He Tian felt that picking up Dahuang had indeed been very useful. When he got bigger, he would definitely be excellent at guarding the house.
Pigweed was everywhere, but the unknown grass the little gray rabbit liked was a bit harder to find. He Tian searched for a while before finding a small patch. The little gray rabbit had a big appetite, so she cut down the entire small patch, tied it up with vines, and also cut a large bundle of pigweed.
On her way down the mountain, passing by a bamboo grove, she spotted some bamboo shoots poking out of the ground. She dug up quite a few before heading home.
After feeding the little gray rabbit and the little wild boar cub, He Tian washed her hands and prepared to make dinner.
Having walked all the way back from the county town and then gone up the mountain to cut grass for the two little cubs, He Tian was indeed hungry now.
Even though it wasn’t yet noon, she didn’t plan to wait.
“You must be hungry,” Liu Erniang said, handing He Tian the bun she hadn’t eaten that morning. “Have this to tide you over.”
He Tian didn’t take it.
Liu Erniang insisted, “I had a bowl of tofu pudding and ate a steamed bun. I really can’t eat any more.”
So, He Tian took it and ate it.
Although it had cooled down a bit, it was still very tasty.
“This morning I bought rice at the grain and oil shop, and also a piece of cured meat. How about we make fresh bamboo shoot and cured meat soup, and some cured meat rice?” He Tian asked Liu Erniang as she peeled bamboo shoots.
“Good, good, good,” Liu Erniang said with a smile. “Everything is good. Whatever you make is good.”
But when she had all the ingredients ready and was about to start cooking, He Tian ran into a problem.
The previous couple of days, cooking had been simple. It was either chestnut porridge or chestnut stewed chicken—simple one-pot meals. One stove and one pot were enough. But today, with both soup and rice to make, one stove wasn’t sufficient.
The family used to have a small pot, but it had broken a while ago. With no money to buy a new one, and since their meals were simple, one pot had been enough, so they hadn’t replaced it. Actually, having just one stove wasn’t a huge problem, but He Tian wasn’t entirely satisfied because she wanted to be able to cook a couple more dishes for each meal.
As she washed the rice, she mentally calculated that she would need to get another pot.
The kitchen wasn’t big, so building another stove was out of the question. She didn’t know how to do it anyway, and it would require hiring someone. The best solution, like before, would be to get a small pot and make a simple clay stove. It would be convenient and easy.
Yao Yao’s journal had recorded how to make a clay stove. It wasn’t difficult. After eating, she could first make the clay stove and let it dry.
Because she wanted some crispy rice, He Tian decided to make the soup first.
She boiled water in the pot, scalded and cleaned the cured meat, then cut it into thin slices and set it aside.
She sliced the bamboo shoots. Heated oil in the pot, and once the oil was hot, added the cured meat first, stir-frying until the fat turned transparent and released its oil. Then she added the bamboo shoots and stir-fried. After seasoning with a little salt, she added water directly. Once the water boiled, she let it simmer for a while. The result was an incredibly flavorful cured meat and bamboo shoot soup that was simply delightful.
She ladled the soup out and left it on the stove to keep warm with the residual heat, then washed the pot to prepare the cured meat rice.
The cured meat rice was even easier to make.
Especially for He Tian, who had already cooked several meals, it posed no challenge at all.
She put the washed rice into the pot, added water up to one knuckle above the rice, along with a little salt and lard. Finally, she evenly spread the sliced cured meat over the rice, covered the pot, brought it to a boil over high heat, then reduced the heat to low and let it simmer for about two quarters of an hour.
Just before it was done, she added a handful of chopped bamboo shoot cubes, turned off the heat, and let it steam.
The savory aroma of the cured meat, mingled with the fragrance of the rice, was so strong it could travel for miles.
After simmering, the cured meat sizzled and released its oil. The lean meat showed clear muscle texture, and the fatty parts were translucent and shiny. The rice grains were distinct and glistening, and with the color and fragrance of the bamboo shoot cubes, it was incredibly appetizing just to look at.
He Tian finally understood why Yao Yao liked keeping a journal so much. If she had so many delicious things to eat every day, she would record them too.
Liu Erniang also praised He Tian’s cooking skills, saying the cured meat rice was delicious. Although she still couldn’t eat much, that didn’t stop her from complimenting He Tian.
The cured meat and bamboo shoot soup was easier for Liu Erniang to digest, so she drank a large bowl. Since she wasn’t very hungry, she only ate half a bowl of the cured meat rice.
So, the remaining nearly whole pot of cured meat rice and most of the basin of cured meat and bamboo shoot soup were, as usual, finished off by He Tian.
She had bought two pieces of cured meat in total, and used one for this meal.
Eating the fragrant cured meat rice, He Tian thought to herself, she really needed to make more money. With money in hand, whenever she wanted to eat something, she could have it right away.
She didn’t care about living conditions or clothing, but when it came to food, if it was delicious, she wanted it all.
The strongest warrior, He Tian, who had always been indifferent to money, for the first time developed an urgent desire to earn some.
After lunch, Liu Erniang, who was insistent on her daughter getting a good rest, frowned when she heard He Tian was still planning to go up the mountain. “What’s so urgent that it has to be done today? Can’t you just take a good rest?”
He Tian smiled at Liu Erniang. “I’m not tired. We don’t have enough stoves at home, and I want to make a clay stove. That’ll make cooking easier in the future. It’s light work. I’ll just go to the foot of the mountain to dig up some yellow mud and cut a few handfuls of dry grass. I’ll be right back.”
Unable to persuade or stop her, Liu Erniang could only let her go with resignation.
After digging up the loess and returning, He Tian sat in the yard mixing the mud with dry grass. She looked around, then at the three little cubs who had already started playing together, and thought, she needed to build a pigsty.
Dahuang couldn’t be penned in, but the wild boar cub and the little gray rabbit needed to be contained, especially the wild boar cub. It definitely wouldn’t do to leave it loose.
Liu Erniang didn’t disagree with this idea, but she strongly opposed He Tian building the pigsty today.
“Once you finish making the clay stove, you have to listen to me and lie down to rest. Otherwise, I won’t take my medicine.” Liu Erniang was so distressed she became agitated.
He Tian had no choice but to agree.
After mixing the loess with dry grass, He Tian looked at Dahuang, who had tired himself out from playing and was lying in the sun at her feet. She thought to herself, she’d make it in the shape of a tiger, with the long tiger tail serving as the chimney.
The small clay stove would be used frequently, so He Tian made it very carefully. The size definitely couldn’t be Dahuang’s current size; that would be too small and inconvenient to use. It would be about the size of a three-month-old tiger—not too big, not too small, just right for daily use.
Although it was her first time making a clay stove, He Tian seemed to know how without being taught, and she finished it quickly.
She picked up the sleeping Dahuang and held him next to the finished clay stove for comparison. Satisfied, she nodded. It really wasn’t bad. After drying it in the sun for a while and then baking it with fire, it would be ready to use.
She placed the tiger-shaped clay stove in the yard to dry and was about to measure the yard to mark out the pigsty when Liu Erniang insisted she go back inside to sleep.
Although she wasn’t very tired, her body was still weak. Soon after lying down, He Tian fell asleep. When she woke up, she felt something tickling her cheek. Turning her head, she saw Dahuang had somehow jumped onto the bed and was curled up beside her head, sleeping soundly.
He Tian pushed him, moving him a little farther away.
The push woke Dahuang up, and he came back to rub against her again. He Tian couldn’t help but laugh at his nuzzling. “Alright, alright, that’s too ticklish. Stop rubbing.”
Dahuang didn’t understand. Hearing He Tian laugh, he thought she liked it and kept rubbing vigorously.
Finally, He Tian grabbed him under his front legs and lifted him up.
Dahuang, who had been enjoying the play, tilted his head in confusion, his ears twitching.
A smile crept onto He Tian’s deliberately stern face. Unable to bring herself to scold him, she simply put him down. “Go play.”
It was getting dark, so she needed to prepare dinner.
Noticing Liu Erniang preferred soupy foods, He Tian decided to cook some white rice porridge for dinner, stir-fry bamboo shoots with the cured meat, and steam a few of the morning’s steamed buns. Simple, nutritious, and delicious.
She also made herself two pans of crispy rice using the porridge. After another satisfying meal, He Tian felt that her body would recover quite well before too long.
Indeed, people needed to eat more food grown from the earth, food full of vitality.
After autumn, it got dark earlier each day. It was still dusky when they ate, but by the time they finished, it was completely dark. It wasn’t good to do much at night, and it would worry Liu Erniang. Besides, having gone into town for the ghost market the previous night, neither she nor Liu Erniang had slept well. Tonight, they would go to bed early.
The little gray rabbit and the little wild boar cub hadn’t had enough playtime yet. The two cubs were running around the room, but finally, Dahuang picked them up one by one and carried them to their own nest to sleep, bringing peace and quiet.
He Tian found it amusing. “Dahuang will definitely be a great helper in the future!”
So young, and he already knew how to help manage the household, and did it so methodically.
Liu Erniang also smiled. “He’s truly very smart, very intelligent.”
As a reward, He Tian patted Dahuang’s head several extra times.
But she never imagined that the very Dahuang she had just praised would bring her such a huge surprise when she woke up.
Perhaps because the past few days had been rich and nutritious, He Tian slept especially soundly. Even in her sleep, she could feel the slow process of recovery throughout her body.
Immersed in sleep and bodily recovery, He Tian vaguely heard some noise.
It sounded like the door opening.
But after it opened, there was no other sound. Probably just the wind, He Tian thought, eager to let her body recover quickly, so she didn’t get up to check—she also didn’t sense any danger.
After an unknown amount of time, she heard a very faint, muffled sound.
It sounded like… like something dragging something heavy, moving with difficulty.
Still sensing no danger, He Tian ignored it.
Slowly, the sound grew closer, until there was a loud, nearby thump!
He Tian’s eyes opened, and she immediately sat up to go check.
As soon as she reached the main room door, she froze.
How was the door open?
She quickly walked to the yard—the main gate was open too.
Her brows furrowed. She turned back to check the house. Nothing was missing, and there were no signs of an outsider having entered… no, wait, Dahuang was gone.
She immediately went out. Before she even reached the main gate, she saw Dahuang, rear end in the air, backing up, his four paws digging into the ground as he strenuously dragged something into the house.
He Tian: “?”
She walked over quickly. When she saw clearly the “thing” Dahuang was using all his might to drag home, He Tian, who had never panicked even in the face of death, changed expression instantly.
He had dragged a person home.
The moonlight was clear, falling on the figure. Seeing his face clearly, He Tian’s brow twitched slightly.
It was a very young, handsome, delicate face of a boy.
**
Dahuang: I brought home another good thing again! Praise me [star eyes]