Making A Fortune Through Hunting To Support My Wife - Chapter 13

There were no paths in the forest, and Xu Jing was unfamiliar with the inner regions of Mount Dayue. Not daring to wander aimlessly, she retraced her steps exactly as she had come.

Even so, on her return journey, she encountered numerous snakes, insects, rats, and ants, and even managed to kill a passing badger along the way.

The mountain forest at night was only more treacherous and terrifying than during the day.

Before the sky turned completely dark, Xu Jing found a spot where the vegetation was relatively sparse. She gathered a good amount of dry wood and lit a bonfire.

A bonfire could ward off wild beasts, but it also easily attracted biting insects.

Even though Xu Jing had added insect repelling powder to the fire and applied it to her own body, she was still bitten in several places, and the sensation was far from pleasant.

She casually ate some toasted dry rations, took a few sips of water, and used her special ability to set up a perimeter of defensive tripwires around her before quickly falling asleep.

This was a skill honed in the post-apocalyptic world, as long as she confirmed a certain level of safety in her surroundings, she could fall asleep instantly, even in dangerous environments.

Of course, her sleep was light. If a predator stepped on the tripwires, Xu Jing would wake up instantly and enter a combat-ready state.

The night passed without incident, though it was hard to sleep soundly.

Just as dawn broke and the light was barely enough to see the path, Xu Jing continued her journey, dragging the slaughtered wild boar.

She needed to rush back to Dayue Village, get the family’s flatbed cart, and take this boar to the market to sell as soon as possible.

Otherwise, once the villagers came out, it wouldn’t be good if they saw her with a hunted wild boar.

Xu Jing didn’t want to expose her current situation to the villagers yet. Behind the Wang family women’s clamoring for money, there were bound to be others pulling the strings.

She didn’t know who the opponent was, but she intended to catch them by the tail.

Thinking of these matters, Xu Jing moved quickly. Once she reached the outer edge of Mount Dayue, her pace quickened even more.

While passing the section with the steep cliffs and stone walls, she actually spotted a familiar figure.

It was Wang Hu.

Wang Hu stood before his messy but empty traps, his brow furrowed and his expression grim.

His carefully designed traps had caught no prey, nor had they caught the thief, his catch had been stolen once again.

The only slightly better news was that, judging by the paw prints, the stolen prey this time seemed to be a mountain fox.

Mountain foxes had little meat, only the pelt was worth some money, and even then, only an undamaged one fetched a good price. A damaged pelt would see its value cut in half.

Looking at the traces of the triggered trap, the fox that set it off likely didn’t have a very good pelt anyway.

Since the thief hadn’t made much money, it felt to Wang Hu as if the thief hadn’t taken much from him, a thought that provided a strange sense of consolation.

Hearing a noise, Wang Hu looked toward the sound.

He saw Xu Jing, and more importantly, he saw the large half of a wild boar she was dragging behind her.

Wang Hu’s pupils constricted in surprise. As an experienced hunter, he knew how difficult it was to hunt a wild boar in these woods.

As his gaze swept over it, he immediately noticed the arrow wound in the boar’s eye, the stab wound in the neck, the piercing wound in the belly, and the rope marks on its four limbs.

To hit a boar’s eye with an arrow required exquisite archery.

To stab a boar in the neck required decisive, swift methods and great courage.

And to pierce the thick hide and flesh of a boar’s belly required an unerring judgment of both strength and timing.

Looking at those clean wounds and the professional way the boar had been handled, it was hard to imagine this came from an ordinary farm boy who hadn’t hunted much.

“Brother Wang? You’re here too.”

Xu Jing naturally noticed the messy traps beside Wang Hu and sensed his previous displeasure, knowing his prey had been stolen again.

However, she wouldn’t point out his wound directly, so she greeted him with a smile.

Wang Hu suppressed the suspicion in his eyes, his expression returning to normal as he gave a slight nod.

“Yes, just came to see if anything was caught in the pits,” he said, before pivoting the topic to the boar Xu Jing had caught. “There aren’t many wild boars in the outer area. Did you go to the inner circle?”

Wang Hu knew the locations of large prey in the outer area like the back of his hand, the boar Xu Jing caught was definitely not from there.

The inner circle had more prey, but it also had more predators and dangerous insects. Even as a veteran hunter, Wang Hu didn’t dare venture there alone.

Every time he went into the inner circle, he had to bring several skilled hunters with him.

Even then, hunters would often lose limbs or even their lives in the deep mountains due to various accidents.

This kid before him actually dared to go into the inner circle alone, came back in one piece without injury, and even dragged out a wild boar and some small game. He truly had heaven’s luck.

“Yeah, I was chasing some prey and accidentally ended up in the inner circle. Luckily my luck was good, and I brought back a wild boar.”

Xu Jing’s eyes were filled with a smile, her brow relaxed, and her tone carried a hint of subtle pride.

Wang Hu gave her a deep look, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

“There are many predators in the inner circle. You should go there alone less often in the future; you’re the only pillar of your household.”

Wang Hu thought of Xu Jing’s family situation and the rumors he’d heard in the village. It was hard to connect those malicious whispers with the disheveled but bright-eyed, capable youth standing before him.

He stared at Xu Jing for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

“This boar must weigh over two hundred catties, right? The Fuyunlai Restaurant in the county seat has a high demand for wild game from the mountains, and their manager offers fair prices.”

“Go to the back door of the restaurant and look for a handyman named Shuanzi. Mention my name, and he will help you find the head chef in the back courtyard to buy the boar from you.”

Xu Jing was delighted, knowing that Wang Hu was giving her a tip because he had a good impression of her as a junior.

Otherwise, Wang Hu had no reason to reveal his own sales channels, let alone let her use his connections.

As for the county seat, the original owner of her body had never been there, and it was much further away than the local town.

“Ah, Brother Wang, thank you for looking out for me,” Xu Jing cupped her hands with a smile. Her gaze then fell on the traps beside him, and she decided to return the favor. “Brother Wang, did that thief steal your prey again?”

“If you don’t mind, I have a way to catch that thieving scoundrel.”

Wang Hu didn’t agree, but he didn’t interrupt either.

Xu Jing’s eyes twinkled as she smiled: “Brother Wang, the next time you set a trap, call me over. I have to perform this method myself to make it work. We’ll definitely catch them red-handed.”

Wang Hu stared at her for a while before saying deeply, “Then I’ll have to trouble you. If it works, I would be most grateful.”

Wang Hu didn’t lack the game from those traps, but having the thief target only him was disgusting behavior. Since this trap was ruined anyway, he planned to set a new one.

Xu Jing simply set down the wild boar and helped Wang Hu work, secretly adding quite a few “extras” to the setup.

Wang Hu began to understand Xu Jing’s method, though he couldn’t say for sure how effective it would be.

They spent some time setting the traps and chatting, but Xu Jing felt it was worth the delay.

The Xu family home was at the edge of the village near the mountain. It was just dawn, and the villagers were still eating breakfast. This area was remote with few houses, and there were almost no pedestrians on the road.

When Xu Jing dragged the boar to her front gate, the door wasn’t even open yet.

It didn’t matter. The Xu family courtyard wall wasn’t high, less than two meters and was made of crude earth bricks. It could stop wild animals but not a person.

According to the original owner’s memory, this wall was built because Grandma Xu and the neighbor, Old Lady Zhang, quarreled and even fought constantly, leading the younger generations of both families to build their respective walls.

Xu Jing set down the items in her hands and on her back, took a running start, jumped, and easily vaulted over the wall into the yard. She then opened the gate from the inside.

After placing the boar and other small game in the yard and locking the gate, Xu Jing headed straight for the kitchen.

A fire flickered in the kitchen, and the sound of movement came from within.

Song Yu was busy working. Hearing footsteps and assuming it was Grandma Xu, she said without looking up, “Grandma, breakfast isn’t ready yet. There’s hot water in the small pot, go wash up first.”

Although Grandma Xu was nagging and harsh, making her unlikeable, the old woman was very clean. Her gray hair was always combed neatly and tied into a bun with a faded blue cloth ribbon, ensuring every strand was flat and tidy.

“It’s me. I’ll use the hot water first. Please tell Grandma that once I’ve changed my clothes, I’m heading to the county seat to trade this boar for money.”

Hearing this voice, Song Yu’s hand stopped while washing the rice. She looked up at the newcomer, a flash of surprise in her dark, clear eyes.

She had actually returned so quickly? And she claimed to have hunted a wild boar? Was she telling the truth? That was a fierce wild animal.

Seeing that she had finally reacted, Xu Jing’s lips curled slightly. she took out some wild green onions and wild leeks she had picked on the hillside and placed them aside with a smile.

“I had good luck and found some wild onions and leeks. I’ll buy some white flour later. How about we have dumplings for lunch?”

“Wild onion with pork, or wild leek fillings are both delicious. I’ve been craving them. Xiao Yu, is there anything you want to eat or buy? I’ll bring it back for you.”

After years in the apocalypse, Xu Jing simply craved good food.

Pork dumplings, leek dumplings, especially with that wild flavor. Xu Jing couldn’t remember how many years it had been since she’d tasted such things.

Seeing her smiling so warmly and casually, the heart that Song Yu had inexplicably held in suspense finally settled. Her expression remained neutral as she pursed her lips and shook her head slightly: “I don’t need anything.”

“Alright then, I’ll see what I find.”

Xu Jing didn’t mind her coldness, her smile remained gentle.

Song Yu didn’t know what she intended to look for and didn’t ask further.

Xu Jing took the hot water and her clothes to the inner room, locked the door, and bathed.

She was determined to buy land and build a new house eventually, this home was so poor it didn’t even have a washroom, forcing her to bathe in the living quarters.

Song Yu finished steaming the rice and washed the vegetables. Finally, she had a moment to step out of the kitchen.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw the plump, sturdy wild boar. Her eyes widened in surprise once more.

The Xu family had raised pigs before, but they were slaughtered for the wedding feast. They were nothing compared to this large wild boar in the yard.

Back in Qilitun, the young Song Yu had seen the village hunters bring back several wild boars.

Those boars were even larger than the one Xu Jing had caught, but the hunters had caught them with a group of strong young men, and some people were injured in the process.

Song Yu remembered this very clearly.

Because one of the injured men was her father, Song Dajiang.

While catching the boar, her father’s arm was scraped and swollen. Her mother was very worried, but her father was very happy.

Their household had contributed labor, so they received a good portion of pork.

It was an unexpected windfall. The Song family, who rarely ate meat, enjoyed a great feast because of it, even the little Song Yu.

Song Yu didn’t know how long she stood before the boar until a cry of surprise broke her thoughts.

“My goodness! Who put such a giant wild boar in our yard?” Grandma Xu exclaimed.

“Xu… Brother Jing hunted it. He’s back, changing clothes in the room. He said he’s going to the county seat later to trade it for money,” Song Yu said in a low voice.

She pursed her lips slightly, still feeling a bit awkward when addressing Xu Jing.

Grandma Xu’s face showed shock. She knew exactly how much “ability” her “grandson” actually had.

Thinking about the changes in Xu Jing over the past few days, her joy at seeing the boar faded slightly.

Grandma Xu didn’t let it show on her face, but her wrinkled smile flattened a bit. She glanced at the boar on the ground and snorted, “He’s certainly grown some skills.”

“When he comes out, tell him to put some dry firewood on the flatbed cart to cover it. This pig is too eye-catching. Then go to his uncle’s house and borrow their mule; it’ll save a lot of effort getting to the county seat.”

Ordinarily, if Xu Jing hunted a wild boar, she should show it off openly so the villagers would praise her.

But the Xu family owed money, a fact known to the whole village. If Xu Jing didn’t sell the boar quickly, the Wang family would come sniffing around, and it would likely become another round of village gossip.

“Also, remember to tell him to give the money to this old woman. Later, I’ll swallow my pride and go pay off the debt to the Wang family to settle that worry.”

Song Yu didn’t know how to respond.

Xu Jing, having finished washing and changing into old clothes, came out just in time to hear these words.

“Grandma, why should I trouble you with the Wang family’s business? I’ll handle everything. You can rest easy and leave it to me,” Xu Jing said with a grin, patting her chest.

“Besides, since they made such a big show of coming to demand payment, we should pay them back just as loudly. If we do it quietly, the villagers who don’t know might think we never paid them.”

“Wouldn’t that damage our reputation? Don’t you agree?”

If she didn’t make a scene, how could she follow the trail of the Wang women to catch the person pulling their strings?

Grandma Xu was annoyed by her smiling face but couldn’t argue back.

As long as Xu Jing didn’t do anything out of line, she could no longer use the old standards of filial piety to pressure her.

After all, the current Xu Jing didn’t fall for her old tricks anymore.

Left with no choice, Grandma Xu snorted and turned away.