I Crossed Over with My Enemy, Only to Find Him Running the Empire - Chapter 62

Chapter 62: The Hunt

Wu Ya had no real concept of hunting, but the words “entering the mountains” made him someone accustomed to city life a bit apprehensive. He couldn’t directly object, so he could only give a vague grunt of assent.

Early the next morning, as the sky was just beginning to turn grey, Wu Duofu set out with his two sons.

He specifically had Wu Tiezhu shoulder a hunting fork that had barely ever been used, while he himself carried several rope snares. He also had Wu Ya carry an empty, tattered old wicker back-basket.

The three of them didn’t head straight for the mountains behind the village. Instead, they intentionally took a long detour halfway around the village.

Sure enough, Wu Laoqi, a villager who had gotten up early to collect manure, saw them and asked curiously, “Brother Duofu, why are the three of you heading out so early? What are you up to?”

Wu Duofu immediately stopped in his tracks and let out a heavy sigh, his face clouding over with worry. “Sigh, what else can we do? Times are hard at home! That injury Old Fourth took a while back drained us dry. With deep winter approaching, the whole family can’t just stare at each other and drink the northwest wind, can we? We’re heading into the mountains to try our luck, see if we can catch a stray roe deer or something to trade for salt and oil money.”

As he spoke, he patted Wu Ya’s shoulder and raised his voice slightly, as if afraid others wouldn’t hear him. “I’m also taking Tieniu out for a walk to teach him the craft of foraging in the mountains. This boy’s bones are weak after his illness; he needs the exercise!”

Hearing this, Wu Laoqi nodded repeatedly, looking at Wu Ya with approval. “Tieniu has truly grown up. Brother Duofu, you are blessed; your son knows how to strive.”

Only then did a small smile appear on Wu Duofu’s face. He sighed and complained a bit more before leading his sons toward the mountain.

Along the way, whenever he encountered a villager, he performed a similar act, successfully crafting the image of a struggling old father forced into the mountains to make a living.

Only when they had walked far from the village and were surrounded by no one did Wu Duofu straighten his back, the sorrow on his face vanishing instantly.

He called out to his two sons, “Alright, let’s find a spot sheltered from the wind to rest our feet. When the sun gets higher, we’ll just set a couple of empty snares for show, then head back at dusk.”

The honest Wu Tiezhu simply said “Oh” and went to find a spot. Wu Ya curled his lip inwardly; exactly as expected.

…

Shortly after Wu Duofu and his sons left, Mrs. Wei also got busy.

She nimbly cleared the manure from the pigpen, piled it onto the heap outside the courtyard, and then hurried back inside to wash her hands. She said to Zhang Jinhua, who was sewing shoe soles, “Mother, I heard Canghai say yesterday that the ink sticks at the academy are almost used up. I’ve finished moving the manure, so I’ll head over to bring him some money to buy more.”

Zhang Jinhua, still immersed in the joy of the “ancestral manifestation,” didn’t think much of it and waved her hand. “Go on then. Go and come back quickly; don’t be late for the midday meal.”

With permission granted, Mrs. Wei hurried out the door.

At the academy, it happened to be the break between classes.

At a glance, she spotted her eldest son, Wu Canghai, who looked refined and scholarly in his green cloth robe.

“Canghai!” Mrs. Wei waved from afar and called her son over to a leafless old locust tree beside the academy.

“Mother, why are you here?” Wu Canghai was somewhat surprised.

Mrs. Wei glanced around to ensure no one was paying attention, then immediately grabbed her son’s arm and poured out all the messy things that had happened at home recently like beans from a tube.

From Wu Tiesheng stealing money for “fertility medicine,” to Third Uncle Wu Tiegen stealing money to gamble, to the in-laws enforcing family law amidst chaotic beatings, and finally to how she had achieved great merit by discovering that jar of silver in the vegetable garden.

“…You tell me, your grandmother usually looks so shrewd, yet she let her son steal money to gamble! Now it’s fine; we dug up silver left by the ancestors, so the family is well-off and stewing such a large pig trotter. But even though your mother achieved such merit, your grandmother only stuffed a single tale of broken silver into my hand treating me like a beggar!

Your father is a ‘sawed-mouth gourd’ [silent type]; he didn’t fart a single word! That silver should have been shared more with our Eldest Branch! You are the genuine scholarly seed of the Wu family, the one who will earn official rank in the future! They have money but won’t spend it on you, instead letting a worthless son steal it to gamble…”

The more she spoke, the angrier she became, her spit nearly flying into Wu Canghai’s face.

Wu Canghai listened quietly, his brow furrowed slightly.

He didn’t care much for the sordid affairs of his second and third uncles, but he was exceptionally sensitive to the discovery of silver in the vegetable garden.

“Mother,” he interrupted Mrs. Wei’s complaints with the characteristic caution of a scholar, “you say that silver was left by ancestors? What was it stored in? What did the silver look like? Were there any markings on it?”

Mrs. Wei was stunned by her son’s questions. She had been too caught up in the excitement; how could she have noticed such details?

“It… it was just in an old ceramic jar, all black and dingy. Silver is just silver—bright and white. There were some broken pieces and some silver corners. Markings? I didn’t seem to notice…”

A flash of disappointment crossed Wu Canghai’s eyes, but his doubts deepened.

He mused, “If the ancestors truly buried silver, it would likely be in ingots. Being buried for a long time, the luster wouldn’t be so bright, and there might be stamps on them. Burying it randomly in a vegetable garden in a common ceramic jar also seems a bit strange…”

He felt that this matter was fishy and wasn’t as simple as his mother described.

Ancestors burying silver? The Wu family had been poor peasants for generations; where would they get surplus wealth to bury? And why bury it in a vegetable garden? Why not bury it at the ancestral graves?

Mrs. Wei, however, didn’t think that far. She carefully took a small cloth bundle from her bodice and pressed it into Wu Canghai’s hand. “This is what your grandmother rewarded. Take it. Don’t be too frugal at the academy; eat what you should, buy brushes and ink when needed. Don’t let people look down on our family.”

Wu Canghai felt the weight of the single tale of broken silver, still warm from his mother’s body, but his heart felt heavy.

He accepted the money and nodded. “Thank you, Mother. I understand. You should keep an eye out as well.”

Mrs. Wei took it as her son caring for her. She nagged him a few more times about studying hard to bring honor to the Eldest Branch, then hurried away as it was getting late.

Wu Canghai stood under the locust tree, watching his mother recede back, then looked down at the silver in his hand, his brow tightly knit.

That jar of silver had appeared too suddenly, and too coincidentally.

No matter how one looked at it, it didn’t seem right.

…

The sun rose higher, but the cold in the forest didn’t dissipate much. Instead, because of the walking, a thin layer of sweat broke out. When the wind blew, it felt icy.

Wu Duofu led his two sons through the mountains for the whole morning. Forget a roe deer; they didn’t even see a single rabbit hair.

The snares they set were empty, and the hunting fork had become a burden.

Wu Duofu’s expression grew darker and darker. He hadn’t truly expected to hunt, but with zero harvest, it would be hard to maintain the lie upon their return.

Wu Ya was walking until his legs felt like jelly, keeping a constant watch on the ground for fear of stepping on something or encountering a venomous snake.

Just then, there was a rustle in the dry grass nearby, and a grey-furred wild rabbit suddenly bolted out!

“A rabbit!” Wu Ya shouted instinctively.

Wu Duofu and Wu Tiezhu’s spirits surged!

Wu Duofu reacted extremely quickly, taking the hunting bow from his back and knocking an arrow polished to a shine. He didn’t care about precision; he just fired at the fleeing grey shadow!

Whiz—Thud!

The arrow seemed to graze the rabbit’s hind leg. The rabbit stumbled and let out a pained cry. It didn’t fall immediately but dragged its injured leg, tumbling down the earthen slope in a few hops.

“Hit! Quick, after it!” Wu Duofu was overjoyed and hurriedly called his sons.