Making A Fortune Through Hunting To Support My Wife - Chapter 24

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. Dr. Lin examined the wounds of the two men, bandaged and applied medicine to Sun Lin’s leg, and finally suggested that they both see a doctor in the county seat for a follow-up.

Under the busy efforts of Song Yu, Grandma Xu, and Mother Lu, the three men managed to clean themselves up and change into clean clothes. They soon sat down to a meal of dough drop soup with poached eggs made from white flour.

After a large bowl of hot soup, the three who had been gnawing on dry rations in the mountains felt instantly revived.

Qian Xin, the most talkative of the bunch, repeatedly praised the culinary skills of Song Yu, Grandma Xu, and Mother Lu.

“Oh, this isn’t my doing,” Mother Lu teased, glancing at Song Yu. “It’s all Xiao Yu’s handiwork. As soon as she stepped into the house, she started making food for Jing-ge, saying he must be hungry.”

“Young people these days… their relationship is just so sweet. Sister-in-law Xu and I didn’t even think of that, we were too busy boiling hot water.”

Mother Lu’s teasing made Song Yu’s cheeks flush. She subconsciously looked at Xu Jing, who flashed her a smile. Feeling awkward, Song Yu quickly looked away.

However, their interaction didn’t escape Grandma Xu’s notice. Her brow, already furrowed enough to crush a fly, tightened further. She let out a cold snort and looked away.

Seeing Song Yu’s red face, Mother Lu stopped teasing the young bride and changed the subject. She didn’t like Grandma Xu, but she liked Song Yu and the reformed Xu Jing. Previously, Xu Jing had helped her family earn nearly two taels of silver and had taught Wang Ergou a lesson on behalf of Lu Ying. Even though Lu Ying was just benefiting from Song Yu’s presence, Xu Jing had still stood up for her daughter and even sent chicken to their house.

Knowing Xu Jing’s family was in trouble, she had dropped her work to come help.

“By the way, Jing-ge, I heard Hunter Wang and Hunter Sun went into the mountains with you. Where are they?” Mother Lu asked, unable to suppress her curiosity now that things had settled.

“They went to the county seat first to deliver the prey,” Xu Jing replied briefly without elaborating. She then added, “Thank you for your help, Auntie. Stay and have lunch with us today.”

Mother Lu was startled. They went to deliver prey? Wasn’t the prey already in the courtyard? Realizing there was more to it, she didn’t pry further.

She waved her hands dismissively. “Oh, it was just a helping hand. How could I stay for a meal? Now that things are settled, I have chores at home. I’ll be going.”

Xu Jing insisted, asking her to stay and help cook for the group. Understanding Xu Jing’s intent, Mother Lu finally relented.

Later, Wang Hu and Sun Mu returned, accompanied by their respective wives. Sun Lin’s wife and Qian Xin’s mother, having heard the news earlier, also arrived.

The group took a wild chicken and a rabbit, each weighing three or four catties, and prepared stewed chicken with mushrooms and braised rabbit, supplemented by side dishes from Xu Jing’s house. Everyone ate until their faces shone with grease and their eyes were filled with smiles.

The Division of Spoils

After the meal came the main event, the money from selling the tiger and the brown bear.

Whether it was luck or misfortune, they had indeed hunted a tiger, but they had also cross paths with a brown bear drawn by the scent of blood. Sun Lin’s thigh had been bitten by the tiger, and Qian Xin had taken a blow from the bear, causing internal injuries. Neither would be able to hunt for a month or two.

“The tiger sold for 150 taels, and the bear for 110 taels. The buyer gave us 260 taels in total.”

Wang Hu pulled a stack of banknotes from his chest and placed them on the table. The sight made everyone in the room gasp.

“Good heavens… so much money, and in banknotes! I’ve never seen this much in my life,” Qian Xin stammered, his eyes fixed on the notes.

The Sun brothers didn’t speak, but their glowing eyes said everything. Wang Hu looked at Xu Jing, who remained the calmest despite having contributed the most.

“We were lucky that the buyer was generous and specifically needed a tiger. Plus, we didn’t damage the pelt,” Wang Hu explained. “Usually, a tiger only brings in a bit over a hundred taels.”

“Jing-ge did the most work, she killed both the tiger and the bear. As agreed, she takes 30%, the two Sun brothers share 35%, the lad Qian takes 10%, and the remaining 25% goes to me. Any objections?”

Everyone agreed. Qian Xin, who had only acted as a lure and assistant, was more than happy with his 10%.

“Take 5 taels from my share and give it to Brother Sun Lin and Xiao Qian for their medical expenses,” Xu Jing suddenly said. “We went into the mountains together, and they are the most injured. They’ll need money for recovery. Once they’re healed, we can hunt together again.”

Everyone looked at her in surprise. Sun Lin and Qian Xin were deeply moved. They had only known each other for a few days, but they had shared a life and death bond. They tried to refuse, but Xu Jing insisted.

Wang Hu laughed heartily. “Jing-ge is right. I’ll contribute 5 taels as well.”

In the end, the three uninjured hunters each gave 5 taels, totaling 15 taels for the injured pair’s medical fund. After selling the rest of the prey in the yard, two wild goats, three river deer, four rabbits, and three chickens, which brought in another 25.7 taels, Xu Jing’s final take was over 80 taels.

Including her previous earnings from selling medicinal herbs, her “little gold vault” now held over 87 taels.

Future Plans

Handing the money feels great, Xu Jing thought. The initial funds for a donkey cart, building a house, and buying land are ready.

She planned to replace their stale, moldy rice with 200 catties of fresh white rice, enough to last until the new harvest. She had had enough of moldy beans and rice husks. She also needed new bedding and fabric. The current quilts were thin, old, and the cotton inside was clumped, they wouldn’t keep anyone warm in winter. The rough kudzu clothes needed to be replaced with fine cotton.

She also planned to commission furniture from the village carpenter, Li, so it would be ready when the new house was built, likely after the autumn harvest when the villagers were free to provide labor.

As for the land, her wood element ability was recovering well, but it was still a bit taxing to accelerate plant growth. Once she had land, she could grow long term medicinal herbs. She wasn’t planning on becoming just a herb farmer, though, she wanted to go into brewing grain or fruit wine.

Back in her hometown before the apocalypse, the elders brewed grape wine and sorghum liquor. She knew how to do it, too. But since the apocalypse, she hadn’t had a single drop of alcohol.

Her thoughts drifted until a noise outside snapped her back to reality. She sighed. Buying orchards, large plots of land, and building a winery would require much more money. She was still “poor” in the grand scheme of things.

A Moment of Sincerity

The wound on her shoulder began to throb. She needed to change the dressing and get better medicine from the county pharmacy tomorrow.

Xu Jing took off her shirt and reached for the bandage, then paused. This broken house didn’t even have a copper mirror. She needed to buy one tomorrow so she could see what she was doing. Even in the apocalypse, she’d managed to find mirrors to treat her own wounds.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Dinner is ready,” Song Yu’s voice came from outside. “Grandma told me to come get you.”

“Go ahead and eat. I’ll be there after I apply my medicine.”

There was a silence before Song Yu spoke again. “…Let me help you.”

Xu Jing had been struggling to reach the wound, spilling powder on the floor. Having help was better, even if she didn’t want to trouble Song Yu.

“Then I’ll trouble you, Xiao Yu,” Xu Jing said, opening the door with a grin.

Song Yu: “…” Why is she smiling so strangely?

Since she had already revealed her secret to Song Yu, Xu Jing dropped her outer and inner robes completely. She wore only the white cloth binding her chest, exposing her arms and waist.

She crossed her arms and teased with a smile, “Now you’re sure I’m a woman, right?”

Song Yu’s cheeks flushed. She felt the urge to roll her eyes. Seeing she’d pushed enough, Xu Jing handed her the medicine bottle. “Here, thanks.”

“Lie on the bed, it’s easier,” Song Yu whispered.

As Xu Jing lay prone, Song Yu inspected the wound. There were several bloody gashes nearly half an inch deep, clearly from a large beast’s claws. The skin around them was red and swollen.

Xu Jing was actually quite fair. Excluding the sun-kissed tan on her exposed skin, the skin usually covered by clothes was white and clean. Under the dim yellow light, her back looked thin, her shoulder blades slightly prominent, creating a lean, almost elegant silhouette.

“What is it?” Xu Jing asked, sensing the hesitation.

“Nothing,” Song Yu replied softly. “It just looks frightening. It’ll take a few days to heal.”

“It only looks scary. It’s just a flesh wound,” Xu Jing said nonchalantly. With her ability, it would heal quickly as long as it didn’t get infected.

Song Yu remained silent, meticulously spreading the powder and wrapping the gauze tightly. Her warm fingertips occasionally brushed against Xu Jing’s skin, a sensation that seemed to cause a faint stir in her own heart.

“Finished.”

Xu Jing threw on her clothes and tucked them into her belt. “Thanks. It’s hard doing it myself.”

“It was no trouble,” Song Yu said. Xu Jing noticed that Song Yu sometimes used more refined language, especially around people like Li Xiuyun.

“Do you know how to read, Xiao Yu?”

Song Yu paused. “A little. How did you…”

“The way you talk is different from the other villagers. Just a guess,” Xu Jing smiled.

Song Yu looked down, hiding the emotions in her eyes as she thought of the person who had taught her. Before Xu Jing could say more, Grandma Xu’s voice boomed from outside.

“Food’s on the table! One goes to fetch the other and they both vanish? Are we eating or not?”

The two shared a look, they had both forgotten about dinner. Ever since Xu Jing’s “rebellion,” Grandma Xu had stopped trying to control her completely, though she still remained cranky and sarcastic.

As they entered the room, Grandma Xu’s face was still sour. “Eat.” She said nothing more and began stuffing her face.