Making A Fortune Through Hunting To Support My Wife - Chapter 23

Xu Jing’s mind raced. After a moment of silence, she looked around to ensure they were alone before fixing her gaze on Song Yu.

“Xiao Yu, I can trust you, right?”

Unknowingly, Song Yu grew tense at this gesture. She pursed her lips and nodded slightly. “If you choose to trust me.”

“I’ll tell you a secret. I am actually a woman.”

Hearing this, Song Yu’s mind went blank for a moment. Failing to process it, she subconsciously asked, “Huh? What?”

Xu Jing, on the other hand, looked relaxed, even teasing. “I’m a girl, so you don’t have to worry about me doing anything to you. Look at how guarded you were before.” As she spoke, a playful glint danced in Xu Jing’s eyes.

Song Yu felt a strange mix of distress and complexity. However, if Xu Jing really was a woman, she truly had nothing left to guard against.

“What, you don’t believe me?”

“If you don’t believe me, I’m not going to take off my clothes, nor can I let you touch me to find out,” Xu Jing joked. “Not right now. But when we get home for a bath, I might let you come in and see for yourself, you know, to prove I’m not lying.”

Song Yu’s ears turned red. Bah! Who wants to touch her? This person was becoming increasingly bold and shameless.

Yet, this behavior made Song Yu believe Xu Jing even more. In such a situation, no man would ever claim to be a woman.

Suppressing her emotions, Song Yu nodded slightly. “Fine. I will keep your secret.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Xiao Yu. After all, wearing men’s clothes is more convenient in this world. In the future, if you meet your true love, just tell me. We can just get a divorce then,” Xu Jing said with a smile.

Song Yu pursed her lips and turned her head away, feeling a sudden urge to stop talking to her. But since the other woman was showing concern, she simply gave a small nod.

“By the way, can I sleep on the bed with you tonight? The floor isn’t nearly as comfortable.” Xu Jing stretched and asked casually.

Song Yu: “…Alright.”

Investigating the Enemy

After working in the fields for a while, Xu Jing told Song Yu she was heading out and made her way to the home of the Wang sisters-in-law (Big and Little Wang).

Song Yu watched Xu Jing’s retreating back, lowering her eyes to hide the emotions swirling within.

The Wang family lived in Dayue Village as well. Following her memory, Xu Jing arrived near their house. The family was large, with nearly twenty people across generations.

“They aren’t here. Did they go to find the person pulling the strings?”

Xu Jing’s internal “seed” ability did not sense the markers she had placed on the two women. She planned to sneak in to see if she could overhear where they went, or perhaps ask the neighbors.

Just then, two young daughters-in-law walked out of the Wang gate.

“The niece from her mother’s side is certainly different. Mother took Hongliu to town again, she must be buying things for her behind our backs. My husband is her son too, and I’m her daughter-in-law. How can she be so biased?” one complained bitterly.

The older one quickly pulled her aside, looking around nervously. “You know she’s her own niece. They share blood, and she’s married to the son. How can we outsiders compare?” She sighed. “Anyway, stop talking. If someone hears us gossiping about Mother, they’ll point fingers at us.”

The two stayed at the gate only briefly before heading out to the fields with their tools.

Xu Jing, eavesdropping nearby, thought to herself. Lucky me. She immediately turned back toward the town.

The Qi Manor Connection

Just as she hopped off the ox cart in town, Xu Jing intended to use her ability to track the Wang women. To her surprise, she spotted two familiar figures on the main road. She twitched her lips, what a coincidence.

She had reached the town before them. It seemed the two women had walked the whole way while she took the cart.

Following them from a distance, she noticed they didn’t linger in the market. They walked with purpose toward the residential district.

“Qi Manor?”

Looking at the plaque on the grand gates, Xu Jing realized the Wang women were visiting a wealthy family, though they entered through the side door.

Xu Jing searched the original owner’s memories but couldn’t recall any enemies named Qi. Most people she knew were poor, she had never dealt with the local gentry.

Curious, she approached the gatekeeper. After slipping him ten copper coins, his sour expression softened.

“Oh, them? They’re just poor relatives of the Third Young Mistress. Our Mistress is kind hearted, but those two are just leeches coming to suck her dry. They’ve got some nerve,” the gatekeeper sneered.

Xu Jing’s mind whirred. She began asking about this “Third Young Mistress.”

The gatekeeper gave her a wary look. “Why are you asking? We servants don’t know much about the masters’ business.”

Xu Jing smiled warmly. “I have a bit of a grudge with those two women. If they are close to the Third Young Mistress…”

Understanding her intent, the gatekeeper relaxed. “Those two are new faces. They’ve only been here once or twice. They aren’t ‘proper’ family, the Mistress is just being polite.”

Realizing she wouldn’t get much more from him, Xu Jing gave him a few more coins for his silence and left to investigate elsewhere.

The Third Young Mistress of the Qi family might not be the mastermind, but she was definitely the link. The Qi family was wealthy, owning hundreds of acres and several restaurants in Meihua Town.

The Third Young Mistress had been married into the family only two months ago. Word was she came from a common farming family, the Song family from Qili Village.

Surname Song? From Qili Village?

Xu Jing’s expression turned strange. Could it be that much of a coincidence?

A Shared Night and the Hunter’s Return

That night, Xu Jing finally moved from the floor to the bed.

“The bed is much better,” Xu Jing sighed with relief. She turned to Song Yu. “Xiao Yu, do you prefer the inner side or the outer side?”

“The inner side.”

Song Yu’s lips thinned. She still wasn’t used to the idea that the person in front of her was a woman. While Xu Jing had heroic features, her silhouette did possess a certain feminine softness. Perhaps her height and aura were simply so imposing that people failed to see it.

The two lay under separate blankets. Song Yu thought she would struggle to sleep, but before long, she drifted into a deep slumber.

A few days later, it was time for the hunt. Xu Jing headed into the mountains with Wang Hu, the Sun brothers (Sun Mu and Sun Lin), and a dark-skinned, cheerful young man named Qian Xin. They were searching for a tiger and a bear requested by a wealthy client.

By the fifth day, Song Yu was at the riverbank washing clothes with her friend Lu Ying. They spotted a woman named Qi Morong, a beautiful but tragic widow.

As Song Yu finished her laundry, she noticed a commotion at the Xu family courtyard. Villagers were gathered, whispering.

“They went deep into the mountains? Look at those injuries! Qian Xin looks terrible, and Sun Lin’s leg is covered in blood…”

“Where are Wang Hu and the older Sun brother? Did they not make it back?”

Song Yu’s heart sank. She rushed inside.

The Aftermath

Inside the house, a doctor was treating Sun Lin’s leg. Xu Jing was standing by, speaking in low tones.

“Are you alright?” Song Yu blurted out, ignoring everyone else. She scanned Xu Jing. Her clothes were torn in several places, but she didn’t see any blood.

Xu Jing blinked in surprise, then smiled. “I’m fine. It’s Brother Lin and Qian Xin who are hurt.”

“Sister-in-law, Brother Jing is the strongest in our group!” Qian Xin chirped, despite his pale face. “He only got a small scratch on his shoulder…”

Xu Jing glared at him, and Qian Xin immediately shut up.

“You’re hurt?” Song Yu’s eyes filled with worry.

Xu Jing’s heart softened. “It’s a minor injury. A little medicine and it’ll be fine.” She quickly changed the subject. “The others will stay for a meal once the doctor is done. Grandma and Aunt Lu are in the kitchen. I’ll need your help with things later.”

Song Yu felt a lingering worry, but seeing that Xu Jing was moving normally, she nodded. “You must be hungry after being in the mountains. I’ll go help in the kitchen and get you something to eat first.”

Watching the two of them talk, Qian Xin felt a wave of envy. He hoped that with the money from this hunt, he could finally marry a girl as kind and beautiful as Song Yu.

Xu Jing noticed Qian Xin’s silly grin and couldn’t help but let out a soft “tsk” of amusement.