For a moment, everyone inside and outside the courtyard was stunned, the scene so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Dozens of pairs of eyes stared at Xiao Ying in disbelief, as if looking at some kind of monster, unable to believe what had just happened.
What had this woman just done?
She had actually taken down five burly men in an instant, beating them black and blue. How had she managed that?
No one had ever noticed she had such skills before. If she were truly this capable, how could she have ended up in such a miserable state?
The crowd recalled how she had dealt with Wang Ergou yesterday and couldn’t help but feel a chill, gaining a clearer understanding of her combat prowess.
This woman was definitely not normal.
“Ouch…”
“Ow…”
Scarface and the others were still groaning in pain, unable to get up even after quite some time. Some were in so much agony that tears and snot were streaming down their faces.
“You can get lost now.”
Xiao Ying said indifferently, not giving these people a second thought. She then casually picked up the wild rabbits, pheasants, and other items and headed into the house.
Chen Xinghai and his sister immediately snapped out of their daze and rushed over to help her, their eyes shining brightly, almost bursting with excitement.
Their mother was amazing, truly amazing!
Their eyes were filled with admiration, and the pent-up anger in their chests finally dissipated, leaving them feeling refreshed and relieved.
“Let’s go, hurry up and go!”
Scarface grimaced in pain, gritting his teeth as he struggled to his feet. He glared at Xiao Ying’s retreating back, his face twisted with malice.
Damn it, what was wrong with this woman?
How infuriating! He would definitely get his revenge!
The other thugs also wore dark expressions, wishing they could tear Xiao Ying limb from limb.
How hateful! They had never suffered such a humiliating defeat in their lives. This woman deserved to die!
Yet, in the end, none of them dared to confront her again. They pushed through the crowd and quickly slunk away in disgrace.
The villagers felt they had witnessed something extraordinary and immediately began discussing it animatedly. It was truly unheard of for loan shark enforcers to be beaten up by a village woman.
Was Xiao Ying really that bold? Wasn’t she afraid they would seek revenge?
“Has this vicious woman lost her mind? How dare she provoke the loan shark’s men?”
“Exactly! Heh… I think she must have been hit in the head one too many times. Just wait until the loan shark’s men come for revenge.”
“Hard to say. Do you all remember that wild boar from earlier?”
At these words, everyone suddenly remembered that Xiao Ying had been carrying a wild boar when she returned earlier, and their expressions shifted once again.
Just then, Xiao Ying walked out again, followed by the two siblings.
“The show’s over. Why are you still here?”
Xiao Ying frowned. These people had all stood by and watched the children get bullied without lifting a finger to help.
She didn’t exactly hold a grudge, but she certainly didn’t have any goodwill toward them either.
Those with thinner skins, feeling chastised by her words, quickly left.
Others, with thicker skin, remained rooted to the spot, clearly eyeing the wild boar.
“Elder Sister Xiao, are you selling this wild boar?”
The question came from Chen Ming, the second grandson of the village elder Chen Qingfu.
Chen Ming was around the same age as Xiao Ying and was generally a decent person, though he had previously looked down on her.
However, after witnessing her actions yesterday and today, his opinion had shifted somewhat. Especially regarding the wild boar—it wasn’t something just anyone could hunt.
At the mention of the wild boar, some villagers who had already left slipped back, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Meat was in such short supply these days. Pork in town cost twenty-five wen per pound, and few families could afford it.
Even for families like Chen Ming’s who owned an ox cart, buying meat was only possible once every ten days or half a month.
Now, right before their eyes lay a wild boar. Though its meat wasn’t as tasty as domesticated pork, it was still meat—who would want to miss out?
Chen Xinghai and his younger sister both widened their eyes in disbelief, staring at the wild boar, then at Xiao Ying.
Did their mother actually hunt this wild boar?
They couldn’t help but silently gasp, their hearts surging with shock.
That was a wild boar!
They knew this mother of theirs was capable, but wasn’t this a bit too much? She had actually hunted a wild boar, and such a large one at that!
Even the most experienced old hunter in the village had never bagged a boar this big.
There was even a family in the village that had suffered one death and one injury after encountering a wild boar, becoming a cautionary tale.
And yet their mother had not only hunted a wild boar but carried it back herself.
“Mother… you’re truly amazing.”
Chen Xinghai’s cheeks flushed slightly, whether from excitement or bashfulness.
He rarely interacted with villagers and had never praised anyone like this before, let alone a mother who was still a stranger to him.
Xiao Ying laughed. “This is amazing?”
Chen Xinghai nodded seriously—in his heart, this was already extraordinary.
The rabbits and pheasants earlier had thrilled him, but now he was completely stunned. How long would all this game last them?
He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he and Xingyun had eaten meat—they had completely forgotten the taste.
Though his wariness toward Xiao Ying hadn’t fully faded, he was gradually accepting and even admiring her.
“Mother really is incredible!” Chen Xingyun exclaimed excitedly.
“Just lucky today.”
Xiao Ying nodded, her expression softening, even revealing a slight smile.
She turned to Chen Ming. “It can be sold, all at market price.”
If it could be sold in the village, she saw no need to haul it to town.
Delighted, Chen Ming immediately said, “Wild boar fatty meat is 18 coppers per jin, lean meat 16 coppers. Bones and offal are just a few coppers. I’ll take two jin of fatty meat and two jin of lean meat first.”
So troublesome? Xiao Ying frowned.
“Forget it. We’re all fellow villagers. Let’s make it 16 coppers for all meat, 5 coppers for bones, and 2 coppers for offal.”
“Sister Xiao is generous.” Chen Ming was even more pleased—the price was genuinely low. “But there’s no butcher in our village. We’d probably have to hire one from the neighboring village.”
Xiao Ying waved her hand. “No need. I’ll do it.”
Everyone was startled—she could butcher too?
Xiao Ying naturally could. In her previous life, when her strength was still low, she often hunted fierce beasts to exchange for spirit stones.
Since selling fierce beasts in parts was more profitable, she would gut and segment them after each hunt.
Wasn’t butchering a pig the same?
Chen Xingyun immediately fetched a kitchen knife, though it had many nicks.
Xiao Ying didn’t mind. With one fierce chop, she severed the boar’s head, making several onlookers shudder.
The wild boar was like clay in her hands, molded and shaped as she pleased. In no time, it was neatly divided into sections—clean and efficient.
Blood pooled on the ground, and she deliberately collected half a basin, offering it freely to anyone who wanted it.
Then, she cut portions according to the villagers’ requests. Chen Xinghai specially borrowed a scale and stood by, weighing each piece.
As for the boar’s bristles? What? That wasn’t her responsibility, but she lowered the price by one copper anyway, and none of the villagers objected.
Xiao Ying’s commotion drew more and more villagers to the yard, with nearly every household sending someone to buy meat.
Those with money, like Chen Ming, bought four or five jin in one go.
Those without, like the village’s Chen Widow, only bought one jin of offal and shamelessly asked for a bowl of blood.
Her father-in-law Chen Afu, mother-in-law Chen Zhangshi, and her elder brother’s wife Liu Lan had also come.
Chen Zhangshi’s family lived quite far from hers and hadn’t known about the thugs causing trouble. By the time they found out and came over, Xiao Ying had already driven the thugs away.
Hearing that she had hunted a wild boar and was selling pork, their first reaction was disbelief.
It wasn’t until they saw it with their own eyes that they had no choice but to believe.
Now, let’s talk about Chen Afu’s family.
Chen Afu and his wife had four children: three sons and one daughter.
They were Chen Jin, Chen Enke, Chen Tong, and their twin sister Chen Hui.
The eldest, Chen Jin, married Liu Lan and had two sons and one daughter. Their eldest daughter Chen Daya was already married, and their two sons were named Chen Daniu and Chen Erniu, aged 15 and 11 respectively.
The family was generally honest and dutiful, except for the eldest daughter-in-law Liu Lan, who was somewhat gossipy and sharp-tongued.
The second son, Chen Enke—the original host’s husband—was initially named Chen Yin. After he started studying, his teacher, recognizing his talent, helped him change his name to Chen Enke.
The third son, Chen Tong, was the most capable in the family. He was smooth and sociable, well-liked by everyone.
Having learned some arithmetic, he worked as an accountant at the famous Manxiang Yuan in town, earning one tael of silver per month.
Because of this, both he and his wife Zhou Lihua thought highly of themselves. Zhou Lihua looked down on everyone else and was very lazy at home.
They had one son and two daughters. Their eldest daughter, Chen Xiaohe, was 12 years old but already dreamed of marrying into a wealthy family.
Their son, Chen Xiaobao, was 10 years old and had been raised to be selfish and cruel, often bullying his siblings.
The youngest, Chen Xiaolian, was more sensible and only 7 years old.
As for the youngest child, Chen Hui, she married Liu Muji, the town carpenter. Living a comfortable life, she was also proud and difficult to deal with.
Needless to say, the original host had a poor relationship with this entire family, largely due to her own actions. The elderly couple and the eldest son’s family had secretly subsidized her quite a bit.
“I want one jin of meat,” said Chen Zhangshi when it was her turn, her expression strange.
Even now, she couldn’t believe that this malicious woman had actually hunted a wild boar.
To her surprise, Xiao Ying directly cut off a hind leg and handed it to her without even having Chen Xinghai weigh it. With the bone included, it was probably seven or eight jin.
“Mother has subsidized us so much over the years—how could we take your money?”
Chen Zhangshi and the other two were stunned. No charge? Was she really that kind? And she even expressed gratitude?
The three of them felt they no longer recognized the person before them and even suspected she had some ulterior motive.