Making A Fortune Through Hunting To Support My Wife - Chapter 35

Xu Jing and the master hunter, Sun, led several strangers through the village, sparking curiosity among many villagers.

The villagers weren’t blind, one look at the strangers’ clothing and their overall aura told them these were people they couldn’t afford to provoke. Consequently, even the bolder ones simply watched from a distance, not daring to step forward to pry.

Only after Xu Jing and Sun had led the group out of sight did the onlookers dare to gossip.

“Where did Jing’er and Hunter Sun find such high-ranking connections? Those people behind them are clearly from wealthy families, they even have guards and servants.”

“The one in the middle wearing silk… doesn’t look like a young master. To my eyes, it looks like a lady? And the guards are women too. How strange.”

“It is a lady, use your eyes. Jing’er has really made it, building a house and now cozying up to a rich lady. You think…”

The villager speaking gave a suggestive smile that everyone understood.

A laborer who was helping build Xu Jing’s house couldn’t help but retort. “That can’t be right. Jing’er is very protective of his wife. He’s probably just acting as a guide. Don’t go making up nonsense. If that lady’s servants heard your slander, they’d be right to beat you senseless.”

“Hey, I was just talking…”

Ignoring the wild speculation of the villagers, Xu Jing’s group trekked toward the depths of Mount Dayue under the morning sun.

During the journey, introductions and conversations were inevitable.

The distinguished guest’s surname was Zhu. Her full name wasn’t revealed, so Xu Jing and the others addressed her as Officer Zhu. As Wang Hu had mentioned, she indeed had a military background and held an official rank in the camp.

Xu Jing was internally shocked. Good heavens, a female official of the Kang Dynasty is right in front of me?

She mused that if the imperial court was open enough to have female officials, the concept of “female households” (female headed households with legal standing) might not be far off. Perhaps they already existed, and she was just uninformed due to her isolation.

If she could establish a female household and reclaim her female identity… Xu Jing thought of Song Yu at home. This couldn’t be done yet, she had to investigate thoroughly and ask for Song Yu’s thoughts. She decided to start by gathering information from people like this who had access to government policies.

The female guard was also surnamed Zhu. Officer Zhu’s personal bodyguard. Xu Jing suspected she was a family servant who had been granted the master’s surname, as such a coincidence was unlikely otherwise. The middle-aged man with a purple toned complexion was surnamed Zhang, he asked Xu Jing and the others to call him Manager Zhang.

This Officer Zhu, being a military person, had a crisp and decisive personality. She was somewhat fastidious but clearly possessed a strategic mind. She was polite to commoners like them, lacking the arrogant air of typical aristocrats who shout orders at everyone. She could be described as approachable.

“Officer Zhu, once we cross that ridge ahead, we’ll be in the inner circle of Mount Dayue. There are venomous snakes and fierce beasts there, so please watch your step. Once we reach the area where deer herds are active, the chances of spotting them will be higher.”

Along the way, they encountered pheasants and hares. Whenever Officer Zhu felt inclined, she would take a bow and arrow from her servant and take a few shots. Her archery was exquisite, she rarely missed. Eventually, the servants and Xu Jing’s group would retrieve the prey.

Officer Zhu really did seem like she had come to Mount Dayue just to hunt.

However, Xu Jing still found it strange. While there were no large scale hunting grounds enclosed by the wealthy around the county, there were small private woods bought by gentry where goats and chickens were released for sport. For this mysterious Officer Zhu to bypass those safe areas and come to the dangerous Mount Dayue suggested something was amiss.

When an action doesn’t align with the obvious motive, there is usually a secret hidden within.

Xu Jing didn’t care about Officer Zhu’s schemes and had no desire to get involved. She played the part of a mute, acting as a simple, honest mountain guide.

Zhu Ci gave a faint “mm,” handed the bow back to the servant, and looked at Xu Jing.

“I see you are agile and quite capable. Why haven’t you joined the army? Compared to hunting in the mountains, fighting on the battlefield offers a much better chance to build a career and earn merit.”

Build a career? Xu Jing had killed enough zombies and people in the post-apocalyptic world. In this life, she only wanted to be a leisurely rich woman, collecting dividends and rent while living a comfortable life.

Xu Jing replied neither humbly nor arrogantly. “I am honored by your praise, Officer. However, I have an elderly grandmother to support and am the only son in the family. Having just taken a wife, if I were to go to war and something happened to me, my whole family would lose their means of survival.”

Zhu Ci paused her movement of wiping her hands with a handkerchief and nodded slightly. “I see. That is a pity.”

She sounded as if she truly regretted that Xu Jing couldn’t join the army to seek glory. Xu Jing smiled shyly and said no more. She planned to gather information about female households from the servant, Ping’an, or Manager Zhang.

The journey was smooth, with no encounters with wild boars or wolf packs. Around noon, the group found a suitable spot to rest, eat, and recover their strength.

Everyone carried portable dry rations like meat cakes. No one planned to cook a full meal, though they did roast two of the previously caught pheasants and hares as an extra treat. Officer Zhu was more refined, her roasted pheasant was sliced by her female guard and tucked into warmed dry bread.

This shared meal by the fire softened the awkwardness between the strangers. Xu Jing, wanting to pry for information, took the opportunity to be diligent and helpful to build rapport.

The servant’s name was Ping’an, a common, auspicious name for a servant but he was lively and talkative. After a few exchanges and a bit of help with the chores, they became acquainted. Manager Zhang, however, was tight-lipped, whenever Xu Jing tried to chat, he would deflect the conversation.

When Xu Jing and Ping’an went to retrieve some dropped gear, Xu Jing seized the chance. “Ping’an, your master’s archery is truly impressive. She’s much better than us hunters who live in these mountains.”

“If we had marksman skills like hers, we’d never have to worry about food or clothes again.”

Ping’an was initially wary when Xu Jing mentioned his master, but hearing that it was out of simple envy for her skills to provide a living, he felt a bit amused. He looks decent and speaks well, but in the end, he’s just a provincial hunter who can only see what’s right in front of him.

“My master’s archery is famous even in the military. She is known as a divine archer,” Ping’an said with pride.

Xu Jing smacked her lips in admiration. “If I could learn just a couple of moves from her, I’d definitely catch more prey.”

Ping’an thought to himself that his master wouldn’t take a student like him, maybe a soldier under her command at best. Recalling his master’s earlier words, he said, “Didn’t the Officer tell you to join the army? If you were under her command, you might actually learn some archery.”

Xu Jing waved her hand repeatedly. “Forget it. You know my situation. I’m the pillar of my house. I can’t just leave.”

Then, lowering her voice, she asked with a mix of curiosity and caution, “A few days ago at the bookstore, I heard some scholars saying the Emperor has reinstated female officials. Your master must be an official appointed by the Emperor himself, right? It’s wonderful that women can hold office now.”

Ping’an hadn’t expected this topic. His guard went up again, but since Xu Jing wasn’t cursing the idea like most, instead showing praise, he felt a bit of goodwill toward her.

His tone wasn’t harsh as he warned, “You shouldn’t pry into the Master’s business. It’s not for people like you to know.”

“I understand, I understand,” Xu Jing said, looking around nervously before gritting her teeth and continuing. “Actually, I have a female cousin. Her father is gone, and she lives with her widowed mother. They get by with the clan’s help, but they have some good farmland. If she marries out, she’ll lose the land. She wants to take a ‘matrilocal husband’ (bringing a husband into her home) to carry on the family line, but she’s afraid he’ll just steal the property.”

(There was indeed such a cousin, but Xu Jing wasn’t close to her. If anyone asked, she’d just say she was asking on her behalf.)

“Ping’an, you’re from the outside and are well-informed. Since the Emperor is recruiting female officials, surely he must provide them with some protection? For example, letting them be the ‘head of the household’ so they can make big decisions. Otherwise, even as an official, things would be inconvenient if they can’t be their own master.”

The Kang Dynasty did have laws for female households, but the conditions were harsh, there could be no living male elders and no male juniors in the family. Everyone had to be female.

The original Xu Jing and her grandmother technically met these criteria. However, the law was one thing, and reality was another. If the original Xu Jing revealed her true gender, the uncles in the clan would force her to marry off and have a nephew move in to “care” for the grandmother, effectively seizing their land and house. “Eating the orphaned household” was a common practice, and officials rarely bothered with “family matters.”

Ping’an looked at Xu Jing in surprise. He hadn’t expected such a deep question from a hunter.

He sighed. “The Emperor reinstating female officials is a special recruitment for the palace. It doesn’t have much to do with servants or commoners like us.”

“Your cousin would be better off taking a husband into the home and asking the clan brothers to keep an eye on things.”

Xu Jing sighed too, this time, with genuine disappointment.

The reinstatement of female officials was a matter for the upper class. It hadn’t trickled down to the common people yet. She supposed she would have to wait until those female officials gained real power and noticed these systemic constraints before the conditions for female households would be relaxed or protected by the government.

Having finished their conversation, the two gathered the items and hurried back to Officer Zhu, as they had been gone quite a while.

By late afternoon, the group finally reached the area where the deer roamed. They found a suitable spot to camp, and Xu Jing, Ping’an, and the others set up several tents, which would serve as their temporary home for the next few days.