Making A Fortune Through Hunting To Support My Wife - Chapter 14

For breakfast, they had salted vegetables with sautéed shredded cabbage, paired with a staple of mixed grain porridge.

Compared to gnawing on dry rations in the mountains, Xu Jing found the steaming bowl of porridge incredibly fragrant as she gulped it down. She wasn’t picky about food, though she figured white flour and polished rice would be even better. Unfortunately, her current family couldn’t yet afford such refinements.

Following the original owner’s memories, Xu Jing went to the home of “Old Uncle Xu” to borrow a mule to transport the wild boar. Old Uncle Xu’s compound was bright and spacious with tile roofed houses and many able-bodied men, clearly much wealthier than the Xu family’s dilapidated little yard.

Old Uncle Xu himself was in his late forties or early fifties, in the prime of his life and quite easygoing. Upon hearing that Xu Jing wanted to borrow a mule, he agreed readily.

“Jing-ge’er, going to the county seat? Your Brother Dashan knows the way well, how about I have him hitch the mule and take you?”

“Thanks, Uncle, but I’ll be fine on my own. It’s busy in the fields right now, and your family can’t easily spare the hands. I’ll bring the mule back as soon as I’m done,” Xu Jing declined his kindness.

However, Old Aunt Xu nearby wasn’t smiling. She pursed her lips and shooed the chickens in the yard, making pointed remarks at nobody in particular to vent her annoyance. A flash of embarrassment crossed Old Uncle Xu’s honest face as he waved his hand. “Ah, we’re kin. It’s just using a mule. You’ve become much more lively since you took a wife. Having a wife means having a home. Good, good.”

Leaving Old Uncle Xu’s, Xu Jing led the mule, hitched it to a cart loaded with dry firewood, and drove it toward the edge of the village. As she passed through, villagers were scattered about the fields doing farm work.

It was now late July, approaching August. The rice stalks were growing beautifully, tall and lush green. As the summer breeze rolled by, the adjacent paddies rippled like waves of green silk. Some villagers tending the rice called out a greeting when they saw Xu Jing passing with the mule. Being far off, Xu Jing simply waved back in response.

I haven’t been to the fields in a few days. The rice should be doing alright, shouldn’t it? Xu Jing thought, recalling her own family’s crops.

The Xu family’s land was managed by Grandma Xu and the original owner. Given Grandma Xu’s age, the heavy lifting fell to the original owner. Fortunately, it wasn’t the peak harvest season otherwise, with Grandma Xu’s temperament, she would have never allowed Xu Jing to go hunting in the mountains.

The rice here couldn’t compare to the rice on Earth in her past life. There were no high-yield hybrid seeds or chemical fertilizers, and the farming techniques were far less sophisticated. From what the original owner knew, the yield was likely only around 300 catties per mu. Even the most skilled farmers barely hit 400 nowhere near the 1,000 catty yields of the pre-apocalyptic era on Earth.

After taxes and basic expenses for food, clothing, and medicine, ordinary people could barely scrape by. In a disaster year or during major life events like funerals or weddings, a year’s labor might result in nothing but debt. Families with thin savings had to pinch every penny just to survive.

Lost in thought, Xu Jing drove the mule toward the county seat. The county and the town were in opposite directions, it took an hour and a half of driving the mule before the county gates finally came into view.

A county seat was indeed a county seat. Though the gates weren’t massive, they existed unlike the town, which had no walls at all. The entrance was bustling with people and guarded by soldiers.

Xu Jing paid the two wen entry fee and asked around until she found the “Fortune Comes” restaurant recommended by Wang Hu. Having a connection worked wonders, she wasn’t chased away and successfully entered the kitchen. After some haggling, she sold the wild boar for 4 taels and 3 mace. Including the jars, rabbits, and mountain fox, she earned a total of 4 taels and 8 mace.

The debt money was secured, and there was enough left for white flour. Xu Jing happily tucked the money away and celebrated by eating two large bowls of wontons at a roadside stall.

A Strange Guest

While Xu Jing was celebrating, back at the Xu house in Dayue Village, Grandma Xu had brought home a stranger.

“Sister Ge, there’s not much to offer, please make do,” Grandma Xu said, pushing the brown sugar water Song Yu had prepared toward the guest. She also offered a small plate of peanuts, broad beans, and wild fruits.

The peanuts and beans were from last year’s harvest, mostly sold, with a small portion kept for guests. As for the small, hard, rather ugly fruits, they were wild pears picked from the mountains, saved sparingly until now.

“Oh, I love peanuts and beans. Thank you, Elder Sister Xu,” Granny Ge said, taking a sip of the sugar water and popping a peanut into her mouth. Her eyes crinkled into slits as she laughed.

Grandma Xu’s usually harsh face squeezed out a smile. Resting her arms on the square table, she said, “As long as you like them. If you can drive away the ‘thing’ on Jing-ge’er, the Xu family will surely give you a generous reward…”

Outside the room, Song Yu’s hand froze as she held a ceramic jar of hot water. She lowered her eyes, hiding her emotions. She had a vague idea of why this guest had been invited.

The Shopping Spree

Xu Jing didn’t linger in the county seat. She promised Song Yu white flour dumplings for lunch, so she had to head back early.

She first went to a blacksmith to buy two large animal traps and three iron spearheads, costing 1 tael and 1 mace. Then she went to a cloth shop and spent 950 wen on half-bolts of three different colored fabrics. Passing a pastry shop, she bought 70 wen worth of cakes and malt sugar. At the general store, she bought two catties of coarse salt (40 wen), soy sauce (15 wen), a catty of brown sugar (50 wen), and two catties of clear liquor (25 wen).

Finally, at the butcher’s stall, she bought two catties of pork (60 wen) and two catties of leaf fat (90 wen), and five catties of white flour from the grain store (100 wen).

Loading the miscellaneous goods onto the cart, Xu Jing headed home with 2 taels, 3 mace, and 35 wen left.

“Money really doesn’t go far,” Xu Jing sighed. After setting aside the 2 taels and 2 mace to pay off the debt, she only had 135 wen left. Luckily, she had found a good hunting spot in the deep mountains, or life would be even harder.

The return trip was faster, and she arrived back at Dayue Village around noon.

As smoke rose from chimneys for lunch, Xu Hongcui was leaning against a wall idling. She spotted Xu Jing’s mule cart, covered with burlap and looking mysteriously bulky. Her eyes lit up as she greeted her with a smile. “Oh, Jing-ge’er! Borrowed the mule to go to town, eh? Bought so many things?”

Xu Jing’s impression of Xu Hongcui was only of her thick-skinned attempts to beg for food. She disliked her but didn’t show it. “Yes, went to the county for business. Sister Hongcui, your family must be cooking, right? Don’t let me keep you!”

Xu Jing raised her voice on the last part. Sure enough, Granny Zhang’s cursing drifted from the nearby house: “Hongcui! Hongcui! Where did you hide now? You lazy thing! You vanished right in the middle of cooking!”

Xu Jing chuckled at her little prank and drove the mule into the yard.

Entering the yard, she ran into Song Yu carrying a sickle to the vegetable patch. Before Xu Jing could say hello, Song Yu whispered, “You’re back. Grandma invited Granny Ge, the spirit medium, for a meal.” She cast a subconscious glance toward the main hall.

Xu Jing raised an eyebrow. Song Yu wasn’t one for many words; her opening up like this was notable.

“Granny Ge?” In the original owner’s memory, the woman was a spirit medium about the same age as Grandma Xu. Whenever someone in the village was “possessed” or “unlucky,” they called for her. Clearly, she was here for Xu Jing.

A flash of unreadable emotion crossed Xu Jing’s eyes, but she smiled. “Got it. I bought a lot in the county. Let me put these away and return the mule first.”

Song Yu looked at her, wanting to say more, but remained silent and headed to the garden.

Consulting the Spirits

After returning the mule and giving some malt sugar to Old Uncle Xu’s grandchildren, Xu Jing returned home and finally met Granny Ge.

The medium looked like any other village woman, hunched, dressed in coarse hemp, with skin like old tree bark. Only her eyes were different, bright and piercing, as if they could see right through Xu Jing’s soul.

Xu Jing frowned slightly.

“So this is Jing-ge’er? A handsome one, truly blessed. Elder Sister Xu, you have a bright future with this grandson,” Granny Ge praised, patting Grandma Xu’s hand.

“You always know what to say, Sister Ge,” Grandma Xu smiled, then turned to Xu Jing. “Jing-ge’er, you’ve been a bit ‘disturbed’ lately. I asked Granny Ge to take a look at you.”

“Disturbed? I’m perfectly fine,” Xu Jing said seriously. “Grandma, when the Wang family came over, you seemed quite disturbed. Perhaps Granny Ge should check on you instead.”

Grandma Xu’s expression soured. “What nonsense is this? Mind your manners!”

“Now, Elder Sister, don’t be angry. The child is just worried about you,” Granny Ge intervened. “Let me take a look.”

Xu Jing’s heart sank slightly. She stared at the old woman for a moment before forcing a smile. “I’m fine, what is there to look at?”

Granny Ge didn’t answer. She took out two sheep horns, muttered incantations, and tossed them onto the floor. Xu Jing turned to leave but saw Song Yu standing nearby, watching. She walked over to stand by her.

“Do you believe in this ‘consulting the divine’ stuff?” Xu Jing whispered.

Seeing Xu Jing’s fearless demeanor, Song Yu felt some of her own tension ease. She had noticed the change in this “Xu Jing,” but she preferred the current version. If this Xu Jing was a demon, she was a kind one who hadn’t harmed her. But would a demon be exorcised? Song Yu’s fingers curled tightly under her sleeves.

After three tosses, Granny Ge gathered the horns.

“Well?” Xu Jing asked curiously.

Granny Ge ignored her and turned to the anxious Grandma Xu. “It is both a blessing and a curse, a curse and a blessing. The child’s soul was indeed unstable, but rest assured. As long as the family stays harmonious and gets past the upcoming hurdles, you will both enjoy a life of fortune.”

Grandma Xu’s brow relaxed. “So… she isn’t possessed by something dirty?”

“Elder Sister Xu, all you need to know is that this is still Jing-ge’er. When people go through great upheavals, their temperament changes. She carries good fortune; you needn’t worry about her health.”

Grandma Xu muttered to herself, “I’m not worried about her health, I’m worried she’s becoming a rebel, ignoring the fields and letting her heart run wild…”

Despite her grumbling, she trusted Granny Ge’s skills. She told Song Yu to prepare lunch for the guest while the two old women continued their chat.

Xu Jing followed Song Yu into the kitchen.

“I bought white flour. I planned on dumplings for lunch, but since we have a guest, we’ll stir-fry the meat instead. I’ll save a portion for the filling so we can have dumplings tonight, though we’ll have to eat a bit less of them,” Xu Jing said, pulling the pork from the cupboard with a bright smile.

Song Yu gave a soft “mm,” washed her hands, and began slicing the meat. She wondered if Xu Jing knew that when she talked about food, her eyes lit up like a cat begging for treats.

It was… actually quite cute.