Making A Fortune Through Hunting To Support My Wife - Chapter 10

The wok grew hot. Song Yu drizzled a circle of oil along the edges, the cold oil met the heated metal, sizzling and sending up plumes of steam.

Xu Jing stood up, peeked into the pot, and said with a smile, “Put a little more in.”

Song Yu looked up at her, pursed her lips, and remained silent. However, her movements remained steady and unhurried as she scooped another spoonful of lard and added it to the wok.

The Song family was better off than the Xu family, but even they wouldn’t dream of “wasting” this much oil on a single meal the way Xu Jing was doing.

But this wasn’t the Song house. Although she was married to Xu Jing, in reality, she wasn’t truly a member of the Xu family yet, and naturally, she had no right to overrule Xu Jing’s decisions.

Seeing her behaving so obediently, Xu Jing felt a sense of comfort. The corners of her lips curled up, and her voice softened. “Don’t worry, I’ll take the responsibility for it.”

Noticing that Song Yu still hadn’t spoken and the atmosphere in the room was somewhat heavy, Xu Jing decided to change the subject by talking about her hunting trip today.

“Wulong Mouth, do you know it? I’m not sure if you’ve been there, but the villagers say it’s where the mountain goats are. I actually heard them bleating there…”

Hearing the narration, the hand Song Yu used to slice the mushrooms paused for a brief second before continuing the motion.

The sounds of Song Yu cooking in the kitchen, blended with Xu Jing’s soft-spoken storytelling, felt exceptionally harmonious within the smoke filled room.

With the oil smoking hot, the previously chopped green onions, ginger, and garlic were tossed in, sautéing until fragrant.

The pheasant, drained and chopped into chunks, was tumbled into the seasoned iron wok. Steam erupted as the chicken pieces combined with the hot oil, searing with a loud sizzle.

Once the chicken was stir-fried until the skin was tight, golden, and slightly charred, the moisture cooked out and only glistening chicken fat remaining. Xu Jing added another bundle of firewood to the hearth, her throat bobbing slightly.

As expected of a pure, wild pheasant, just the smell alone was incredibly fragrant.

Song Yu took a ladle of hot water from the side boiler and poured it into the wok. Then, unhurriedly, she added soy sauce and other seasonings before layering the rehydrated mushrooms on top.

The boiling water, mixed with the sauce, just barely covered the chicken and mushrooms, bubbling vigorously. The scent of chicken, savory sauce, and earthy mushrooms intertwined, filling the entire kitchen.

Xu Jing took a deep breath, her eyes brightening. “It smells amazing. You really know how to season this; I’m looking forward to the finished dish even more now.”

Although Song Yu didn’t reply, her lips couldn’t help but curve upward.

The evening meal consisted of the fragrant braised chicken with mushrooms, stir-fried water celery, a few pieces of toasted grain flatbread, and a pot of coarse grain porridge.

Xu Jing thought she would have to go call Grandma Xu to eat, but to her surprise, before the dishes were even on the table, Grandma Xu was already waiting in the main room.

Since it was late, an oil lamp had to be lit in the central hall. There was a bit of oil in the dish, but not much, the flame was a tiny bud of light, illuminating only a small radius and leaving the rest of the room in deep shadow.

“Jing’er, did you catch this chicken in the mountains?” Grandma Xu asked, picking up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks as if asking casually.

In truth, when the smell of meat first wafted from the kitchen, Grandma Xu had almost rushed in to demand if they were slaughtering the family’s livestock. But she quickly realized she hadn’t heard a single squawk of distress. She kept a tight watch on the animals, every night she counted them. She was the one who locked the gate to the chicken run, and all three hens and two roosters were accounted for.

Xu Jing looked at Grandma Xu with a hint of surprise, swallowed her food, and nodded. “Yes. I had good luck and caught three.”

Since Grandma Xu was willing to use her nickname, it meant her anger had subsided significantly.

Guessing what the old woman wanted to say, Xu Jing continued: “Grandma, just eat the chicken. Regarding the money we owe, I told Second Great Uncle that I would pay it back within seven days.”

Xu Jing’s words blocked any further interrogation. Grandma Xu felt choked up for a moment. Her drooping eyelids lifted slightly as she glanced at Xu Jing, saying coolly, “Suit yourself. Your heart has grown bold anyway, this old woman can’t control you anymore.”

Xu Jing knew this was Grandma Xu’s way of relenting. Her expression relaxed, and she gave a smiling “Mm-hmm.” Grandma Xu looked away, finding the girl’s cheerful look irritating, and focused on her food.

The meal ended smoothly without further ripples.

The Journey to Town

When it came time to sleep, Xu Jing instinctively walked toward the spot where Song Yu used to sleep and lay down. Though there were straw mats on the ground, it was nothing like a bed, hard and uncomfortable. Xu Jing vowed that sooner or later, she would build a large house with spacious rooms and sleep comfortably in a proper bed.

Song Yu returned after finishing the chores. Seeing Xu Jing on the floor, she pursed her lips, said nothing, and climbed onto the bed quietly. Lying on the flat mattress, she closed her eyes and turned her back to Xu Jing, eventually drifting off to sleep.

The next morning’s breakfast was freshly toasted grain cakes, a small dish of pickles, and thin porridge.

After eating, Xu Jing shouldered a basket of Poria cocos (Fu Ling) and went to the village entrance to wait for Old Man Liu’s ox cart. On market days, he would take villagers to the bazaar for two wen per person.

While two wen seemed small, farming families found money hard to come by. Many preferred to carry their own loads and walk rather than spend the coins.

Xu Jing’s savings, plus the money from selling the rabbits, had totaled over eighty wen. However, she had recently visited the blacksmith to order custom iron arrowheads and bought tools for bow-making, spending about forty wen. She had roughly thirty wen left, enough for the fare. She needed to be quick, she wanted to trade for a better bow and get deeper into the mountains where the bigger game lived.

As Xu Jing was leaving, she saw Song Yu standing at the door as if waiting for her. “Is something wrong?”

Song Yu pursed her lips and nodded slightly, pulling a prescription from her sleeve. “My medicine is almost gone. Could you please take this to the Baicao Hall in town and get three doses for me?”

Along with the paper, she handed over a string of copper coins.

Xu Jing glanced at the money and the prescription. Since meeting her, Song Yu’s health had seemed fragile, often accompanied by a nighttime cough. Searching the original host’s memories, she realized even the previous “Xu Jing” didn’t know exactly what was wrong with her.

Seeing Xu Jing hesitate, Song Yu thought she was unwilling. She pursed her lips and started to withdraw her hand.

Xu Jing snapped out of it and offered a gentle smile. “Buying medicine directly isn’t as good as having a doctor see you for a proper diagnosis. Why don’t you come to town with me?”

Song Yu froze, a flicker of hesitation appearing on her brow. “But the house…”

“Grandma is here to watch the house,” Xu Jing interrupted. “Let’s go. If the house needs any needles or thread, you’re the one who knows what to pick.”

Without waiting for a rebuttal, Xu Jing called out to Grandma Xu that Song Yu was coming along. The refusal at the tip of Song Yu’s tongue was swallowed back down.

On the Ox Cart

The morning breeze of early summer was still quite chilly. When they reached the village entrance, a few villagers were already waiting.

Old Man Liu arrived shortly with his cart. Several young women were already seated, chatting and laughing.

“Uncle, my wife and I are going to town. Sorry for the trouble,” Xu Jing said, handing over five wen, two for each person and one for the heavy basket.

As she boarded, the whispers among the women began.

“Oh, a new face today. Who is she? Quite pretty, never saw her before. A new bride?”

“Don’t you know? That’s the wife of Jing’er from the foot of the mountain.”

“Oh, the ones in debt? She looks decent, but she’s so thin. Might be hard for her to bear children, and look at those clothes…”

The voices dropped as Xu Jing sat down next to Song Yu. Song Yu’s body stiffened. She tried to keep her distance, but the swaying of the cart caused her to bump into Xu Jing repeatedly.

“Young couples really do have the best feelings, look at them sitting so close,” one middle-aged woman teased.

“Jing’er, why did you hide your wife at home for so long? Scared someone would steal her?” another laughed.

Xu Jing saw Song Yu’s face turn a deep shade of crimson, her ears glowing like rubies. Xu Jing shifted her body to block the prying eyes and smiled. “Aunts, please stop. My wife is shy, she can’t handle your teasing.”

“Look at her protecting her already!” they laughed.

However, the mood soured when a woman named Mrs. He spoke up. “Jing’er, I heard you’ve been getting quite close to the Scholar from the Li family. Is that true?”

The laughter stopped instantly. The air grew tense. Mrs. He’s son was a classmate of the Li scholar and they famously did not get along.

Xu Jing’s smile vanished. “Auntie, you can eat whatever you want, but you shouldn’t say whatever you want.”

Her cold tone silenced the cart. Though the chatter eventually resumed, the harmony was gone. Finally, the ox cart reached the entrance of the town.