Making A Fortune Through Hunting To Support My Wife - Chapter 29

The Song family was large. Even with a large rooster and two pounds of meat stewed with eggplant and green beans, it wasn’t enough for over ten people. Divided among them, each person barely got a few bites and that was at the men’s table where Xu Jing sat.

The dishes at Song Yu’s table were even fewer than those at the men’s table, the portion in each bowl was naturally even smaller.

Xu Jing found herself missing her own dilapidated thatched cottage, at least there, she had freedom when it came to eating.

After the meal, Mother Song and Song Yu stayed in the room to chat about family matters and do some embroidery. Meanwhile, Xu Jing went to the fields to help the third branch of the Song family with their labor.

Father Song, an honest and hardworking farmer, repeatedly insisted that Xu Jing didn’t need to help and should rest instead. His thinking differed from Mother Song’s, though the Xu family was currently down on their luck, as long as his son-in-law was willing to work hard and treated Xiao Yu well, they could slowly build up their savings, and life would eventually improve.

Unable to dissuade Xu Jing and with Song the Fourth chiming in to help. Xu Jing spent the entire afternoon in the Song family’s fields, swinging a hoe and dripping with sweat.

By mid-afternoon (around 4:00 PM), since Xu Jing and Song Yu needed to rush back to have the Mid-Autumn reunion dinner with Grandma Xu, Xu Jing prepared the donkey cart to leave the Song residence.

Watching the donkey cart depart, Mother Song’s eyes turned slightly red, though her heart felt a bit more at ease.

Song Chuan’er stood beside her, comforting her: “Mother, Third Brother-in-law is very good to Third Sister. You can relax now. Don’t cry anymore, it’ll hurt your eyes. Third Sister told me to keep an eye on you.”

Hearing her youngest daughter speak like a little adult, Mother Song reached out and patted her head. A faint smile appeared on her pale, sickly face.

“Listen to you, lecturing your mother. You’re quite the precocious one.”

On the donkey cart, Xu Jing sat on the shaft driving the vehicle. The curtain behind her was half-pulled to one side, allowing the cool autumn breeze to blow into the carriage and dispel the heat.

“The work in the fields this afternoon must have been tiring. Thank you,” Song Yu said softly, handing over a handkerchief.

She and Xu Jing were only husband and wife in name. Xu Jing didn’t actually need to work in the fields just to put her parents’ minds at ease.

Xu Jing turned her head and took the handkerchief naturally. It was made of fine cotton with stitched edges and an exquisite orchid pattern in the corner, clearly one of Song Yu’s personal items.

She wiped the sweat from her face and shook her head with a smile. “What’s there to thank me for? Your parents entrusted you to me. I have to make sure they feel reassured. Besides, this was part of our original agreement.”

At the mention of the “contract,” Song Yu averted her gaze from Xu Jing, lowered her eyelashes, and pursed her lips.

Since arriving at the Song house, Xu Jing had regained more fragments of the original owner’s memory. These included the first meeting between the original owner and Song Yu, the “accident” that brought them together, and the cold, defiant way the original owner had humiliated Song Yu during the return visit to her parents’ home in the past.

Xu Jing ignored her silence and continued, steering the conversation toward the topic she wanted to address.

“Speaking of the contract, Xiao Yu… that ‘accident’ before, it wasn’t actually an accident, was it?”

Xu Jing recalled the memory of the boat. Song Yu’s clothes had been disheveled, her face flushed, her expression anxious, and her steps unsteady. It was clear something major had happened.

Song Yu suddenly looked up at Xu Jing. From her angle, she could only see Xu Jing’s back and not the expression on her face. After staring at her back for a long time, Song Yu’s lips moved, and she finally gave a soft “mm-hmm” in affirmation.

“Do you know who set you up?” Xu Jing turned halfway, leaning casually against the door frame of the carriage, asking nonchalantly.

Song Yu hadn’t expected her to turn around. Her eyes met Xu Jing’s unreadable gaze. Like a startled bird, her pupils flickered. She gave a slight nod, confirming Xu Jing’s suspicion.

Xu Jing suddenly laughed, her tone certain: “It was your second cousin, Song Lian’er. The grudge between you cousins is quite deep.”

Hearing this, Song Yu was surprised that Xu Jing had guessed it, but she felt strangely relaxed, realizing it made sense. But how did Xu Jing know? Had she researched her history with Song Lian’er?

But Song Lian’er had already married into the Qi family. The girls in the village who were close to Song Lian’er didn’t know Xu Jing, and she hadn’t interacted with them…

Xu Jing looked at her steadily and provided the answer.

“The Wang mother and daughter-in-law came to the Xu house to demand debt repayment. They hadn’t asked for it for a long time, then suddenly they disregarded their relationship with Grandma and threw away all dignity to force us to pay, leaving no room for negotiation. That was very strange, wasn’t it?”

Song Yu looked confused. Xu Jing continued.

“Later, I observed them. After they got the money, they went to the Qi residence in the county town. I heard from the Qi family gatekeeper that they were ‘poor relatives’ of the Third Young Mistress. After some checking, I found out the Third Young Mistress is your second cousin, Song Lian’er.”

“It’s obvious she was pulling the strings from behind. The only connection our family has to her is you. Your grievances are not shallow.”

Song Yu’s body jolted. She had no idea Song Lian’er was involved in the debt collection incident. She pressed her lips thin, suppressing the emotions swirling in her eyes.

“Once I got to the Song house, I suddenly remembered what happened on that boat. Xiao Yu, the main reason you were able to marry me was because of that incident. Your second cousin was also there that day. So, reasoning backward, our ‘misunderstanding’ probably wasn’t a misunderstanding at all.”

“Well, there was a bit of a fluke. I happened to stumble into that situation. She probably didn’t design the trap for me. I likely replaced the person who was actually supposed to be caught with you.”

After hearing Xu Jing’s explanation, Song Yu locked eyes with her, her gaze filled with apology: “I’m sorry. I dragged you into this.”

“I didn’t say all this to hear an apology, Xiao Yu,” Xu Jing waved her hand, her expression turning serious. “Your second cousin may be in the Qi family’s inner courtyard, but the Qi family is a landowning family. They have far more resources than us villagers.”

“Of course, don’t worry too much. She’s still confined to the back courtyard, her reach isn’t that long. We just need to pay attention to anyone who has contact with her.”

This was the real point of Xu Jing laying everything out for Song Yu. It wasn’t about the urgency of “guarding against a thief for a thousand miles,” but simply knowing that there was someone harboring ill intent in the shadows who might act against them.

Ultimately, it was because they were too weak. If they were strong enough, they wouldn’t have to worry about such things. Of course, while Xu Jing’s personal abilities weren’t weak, their current social status and wealth were.

Listening to Xu Jing’s analysis, Song Yu gradually understood. She nodded gently. The “unspeakable secret” that had sat between them finally had a crack in it. When everything is spoken aloud, a secret is no longer a secret, but a shared experience.

Song Yu suddenly said, “The person she originally intended to trap me with… wasn’t you. It was Li Xiuyun.”

Xu Jing froze at the name. Remembering the original owner’s memories, she felt a metaphorical toothache.

The original owner, having been mocked and rejected by Li Xiuyun, had married the person Li Xiuyun liked out of spite, a classic “stealing the love” move. The kicker was that the original owner actually succeeded because she happened to run into Song Yu when the latter had no other way out.

It seemed that, aside from Song Yu, no one on that boat was a “good bird.”

As Xu Jing pondered, Song Yu remained silent. The atmosphere fell into a quiet lull, broken only by the rhythmic clip-clop of the black donkey’s hooves.

Suddenly, an old woman’s voice called out. “Hey! Is that Xiao Yu?”

Both of them looked toward the sound. They saw a silver haired but sturdy looking old woman standing by the roadside with a basket on her back, peering toward the cart.

“It’s me, Granny Gao. Why are you out here?” Song Yu leaned out to respond. Xu Jing slowed the donkey cart and pulled over.

“It really is you, Xiao Yu! This old woman isn’t blind yet,” Granny Gao said happily as Song Yu stepped down. Her gaze then landed on Xu Jing, full of scrutiny.

Song Yu glanced at Xu Jing and, suppressing her awkwardness, said softly, “This is my husband. We went to see my parents today.”

Granny Gao smiled at the two of them. “So this is Xiao Yu’s husband. When you got married, I happened to be visiting relatives, otherwise, I definitely would have come for a cup of wedding wine.”

She stopped teasing the young couple and pointed toward the mountain. “Old Master Gao sent word that he might be moving back. He asked me to find some people to help clean up the house.”

“That house is old. Even though I’ve cleaned it occasionally, it’s been empty. Without ‘human energy,’ I’m afraid pests might have chewed up parts we can’t see. It needs some refurbishing.”

Granny Gao was an outsider who had married a member of the Gao clan. She had unfortunately become a widow in middle age and had stayed in Qili Village ever since, raising her children with the help of the Gao relatives. The “Old Master Gao” she mentioned was Gao Kunqian, who had spent most of his life as a teacher at the Gao Clan School but had moved away a few years ago because of his only daughter.

Song Yu’s eyes flickered with a strange light at the mention of a certain woman. She nodded slightly. “I see. It’s a good thing that Old Master Gao is coming back.”

Granny Gao laughed. “Indeed. The old should return to their roots. I heard Qinglan is coming back too.” Halfway through, Granny Gao sighed. “Ai, speaking of which, Xiao Yu, you grew up with Qinglan. You’re several years younger than her and already married, yet she still hasn’t started a family. What is she thinking?”

“If Qinglan comes back and you two talk, you must help Old Master Gao talk some sense into her.”

A strange look crossed Song Yu’s eyes. She forced a smile. “Perhaps Sister Qing. Sister Gao has her own ideas.”

After a few more pleasantries, Granny Gao said, “Alright, I won’t keep you. You need to get back. Next time you’re in the village, this old woman will host you properly.”

The donkey cart finally left Qili Village and headed toward Dayue Village.

Xu Jing also knew of the Gao Clan School. Curious, she asked Song Yu, “You seem very familiar with Granny Gao. The Old Master she mentioned sounds like a teacher. Xiao Yu, is that who you learned to read from?”

Song Yu had just composed herself, but hearing Xu Jing’s question, her heart felt complicated. She suppressed her emotions and said, “No. When I was young, I was close with the Gao family sister. She was the one who taught me to read.”

“Oh,” Xu Jing nodded. “I see.”

Song Yu didn’t speak further, and Xu Jing remained quiet. Only the sound of the donkey’s hooves echoed on the road.

Before returning to Dayue Village, Xu Jing took a detour to the town. On the way, she encountered an old fisherman and bought a large fish from him, then stopped in town to buy two pounds of meat.

Just before the sky turned completely dark, the two finally arrived back at Dayue Village.