Making A Fortune Through Hunting To Support My Wife - Chapter 4

The town of Meihua was about five or six li from Dayue Village, and the road was busy with villagers heading to the market.

Xu Jing panted as she pulled the cart along. After walking the whole way, she felt as though her worn-out straw sandals were about to give out, and the soles of her feet burned with pain. However, for Xu Jing, who was accustomed to the hardships and dangers of the apocalypse, this was well within her limit of endurance.

She took a deep breath, her desire to earn money deepening once more. At the very least, she wanted to stop eating coarse grains that scratched her throat and stop pulling a cart like a young ox!

Meihua was, after all, a small town. Compared to Dayue Village, which had few brick houses, it was much more prosperous and lively. As soon as she reached the edge of town, she heard the cries and shouts of vendors along the stone paved roads.

Xu Jing only had the thirty or forty copper coins that the original owner of her body had hidden away. She first went to the grain shop she remembered, exchanged the new rice on the cart for old grain, and asked the shop assistant to watch her cart while she explored the market alone.

The original owner didn’t have many memories of Meihua Town. Because of her identity, she avoided leaving Dayue Village whenever possible. All told, she had only been to Meihua Town about a dozen times, mostly to exchange grain, repair farm tools, or buy daily necessities like oil, salt, vinegar, and sewing supplies from the Chen family’s general store.

Xu Jing didn’t know if there were shops in Meihua Town that bought furs. If she were to make a living by hunting in the future, selling her prey would require some thought.

After walking around the modest town, Xu Jing visited the busiest and most chaotic markets, the messy river docks, and even lingered by the entrance of the largest restaurant in town.

She gained quite a bit of information. Xu Jing now had a clear idea of things, though she had only found two places convenient for handling her prey. One was the market, where she could set up a stall directly, but that required a fee. The other was the small taverns, though they also required an introduction from an acquaintance to accept goods.

She sold her rabbit at the market for thirty-five copper coins. As for the big restaurant, it wasn’t worth mentioning, she was nearly kicked out because she looked too shabby.

Xu Jing squinted at the sun. The scorching sun was high in the sky; it was getting late and the weather was heating up. Feeling that time was about right, she headed toward her final destination, the Li Family Blacksmith Shop.

While Xu Jing headed toward the blacksmith, she had no idea that debt collectors had arrived at her home. Her grandmother and her wife were currently being cornered by them. Well, in truth, only Grandma Xu was painstakingly trying to negotiate.

The Xu Family Courtyard

“Fugen’s wife, you’re speaking to your sister-in-law now,” Wangshi said, casting a reproachful glance at her daughter-in-law, though her eyes were light and held no real blame. Instead, she looked at Grandma Xu.

“Third Sister-in-law, my daughter-in-law has a quick temper. Don’t take it to heart, but this matter with Brother Lu is truly a weight on my mind…”

Thinking of the small amount of silver in the jar under her bed, Grandma Xu felt the truth of the saying “taking someone’s hand makes your own short.” She didn’t have her usual arrogance. Sitting in her chair, she felt as though she were sitting on needles, restless and nodding apologetically.

“Don’t say that. I know you and Hongliu are sensible people.”

But the family was indeed poor. If she had any spare money, she would have paid back her old friend long ago to avoid losing face.

As Wangshi continued her chatter, her daughter-in-law, Little Wangshi (who was also Wangshi’s niece), interrupted her, shouting loudly:

“Mother, you’re still speaking up for them! Jing-ge married a new wife and is living comfortably, while my poor brother-in-law has his eye on a girl and wants to start a family. As his mother, you have to fulfill his wish.”

“Paying back a debt is a matter of course. Even if the village elders were here, we’d be in the right!”

The mother and daughter-in-law sang in harmony in the Xu family hall. It was obvious to anyone that they had come today to cause a scene and get money.

The only “bystander” present, Song Yu, stood silently in the shadows of the hall, trying her best to minimize her presence.

Hearing Little Wangshi mention bringing in the village elders, the apologetic look on Grandma Xu’s face froze, and her expression darkened several shades.

It didn’t matter how much Little Wangshi made a scene at the Xu house at most, it would result in some gossip for the village busybodies to enjoy. Every household had its own troubles and had been the subject of gossip at some point.

However, if this matter was taken to the village elders or even the village chief, the Xu family would truly lose all face. If the old man came back, he would certainly blame her. Most troublesome of all, the main Xu clan might use this as an excuse to eye the few acres of land the family had managed to keep. This was something Grandma Xu would never allow to be touched, it was the thing she held most dear.

The Xu family didn’t have enough money. They either had to borrow more or use items as collateral…

Grandma Xu was about to ask Wangshi to wait a little longer, promising to pay back a few taels first and offering kind words, when her gaze inadvertently swept over a figure shrouded in shadow.

The Xu family had no money, but the new bride, Song Yu, had brought a decent dowry when she married in. Jing-ge was Song Yu’s legal husband; it was only natural for a wife of the Xu family to help ward off the family’s disasters.

As if sensing Grandma Xu’s gaze, Song Yu looked up and happened to meet Grandma Xu’s calculating eyes. Song Yu’s eyelids flickered, and she silently looked away.

Grandma Xu was satisfied with her granddaughter-in-law’s timidness. Only the timid were easy to control. Her heart felt much more settled.

“Sister, there’s no need to involve the village elders. It’s not that the Xu family won’t pay, it’s just that we are poor and have no silver. Even if the elders came, they would surely give us more time to pay you back.”

Grandma Xu looked at the two women. She laid out her position first, her tone becoming slightly more forceful. Seeing that the elder Wangshi stopped talking and the younger one was about to flare up, Grandma Xu softened her tone and began to explain her idea.

“How about I pay one tael of silver first to help with your emergency? Brother Lu’s family can scrape together a bit more and speak nicely to the girl’s family to delay things. There’s always a way to solve this.”

“As for the remaining silver…” Grandma Xu turned to Song Yu, her attitude becoming more gentle and kind than ever before.

“Xiao Yu, I know you are a good child, and you know the conditions of our Xu family. Originally, this was Jing-ge’s matter, but it just so happens she went to the market. You two are husband and wife, you are a member of the Xu family now. Today, I must trouble you to help the Xu family through this difficulty.”

Although Grandma Xu lowered her voice to speak to Song Yu, the hall was only so large. The people were close together, and no matter how much she lowered her voice, both of the Wang women heard her clearly.

The two Wang women exchanged a glance, everything was understood without words.

The task Song Lian’er had asked them to do was essentially accomplished. Wangshi was reluctant to offend her old friend, but for a simple trip to collect a debt, even if it cost her friend some face, to earn two taels of silver for free was a wonderful thing. Furthermore, they had heard that Song Lian’er had climbed a high branch this time. If their men could work under the Song family’s prestigious son-in-law, life would be much better. As for the broken down Xu family, who had no men to back them up, offending them was of little consequence.

Song Yu bit her lip, unable to find the words. For a moment, she said nothing. Grandma Xu’s soft expression darkened, and her old eyes stared at her, waiting.

Song Yu sighed inwardly. On the night she married into the Xu family, her heart had turned to ash, and she had accepted her fickle fate. Although today’s events weren’t exactly what she had predicted, they weren’t far off.

The fact that Xu Jing liked men had thrown a small pebble into her calm heart, creating a few ripples. But those ripples would likely be worn away by the hardships of the future.

“I…”

“I don’t agree.”

A firm, bright voice rang through the Xu family courtyard and into the cramped hall, reaching everyone’s ears.

The four women looked toward the sound. They saw a tall young person coming from the light, walking in with great strides, still carrying things that hadn’t been put down.

It was Xu Jing.

Stepping into the hall, Xu Jing immediately saw Song Yu at the side, Grandma Xu with a displeased expression, and the two Wang women looking strange.

“Jing-ge is back? Are the hoes and such all repaired?”

Grandma Xu spoke first, asking directly about Xu Jing’s primary task in town, while simultaneously shooting her a harsh, threatening look. This was the look Grandma Xu used to force the original owner into doing things she didn’t want to do.

Even though Xu Jing herself wasn’t afraid, the residual emotions in the body remained. A suffocating wave of fear rushed through her limbs.

Xu Jing’s body stiffened. Suppressing the discomfort, she didn’t even look at Grandma Xu, but walked straight to Song Yu’s side and stood there.

In truth, she didn’t know exactly what had happened. When she ran into her neighbor Lu Ying at the village entrance, Lu Ying had simply said with a cold face that something had happened at home and she should deal with it quickly. Lu Ying, Xu Jing knew, was a young girl who disliked the original owner but was soft-hearted.

As she entered the courtyard, she had overheard Grandma Xu asking Song Yu to help the family through the crisis. Combined with Grandma Xu’s usual behavior and her dislike for Song Yu, it was easy to deduce that Grandma Xu was up to no good and was trying to force Song Yu into something she didn’t want to do.

The fresh scent of soapberry drifted over, familiar yet strange. Song Yu felt slightly uncomfortable and looked up at the person next to her, meeting Xu Jing’s gaze.

Xu Jing’s eyes were dark brown and bright, slightly moist, like two peach blossoms. When she looked at someone with a smile, her eye bags were prominent and there seemed to be a faint, deep affection in her eyes, giving off a feeling like a spring breeze.

Song Yu was stunned.

The corners of Xu Jing’s mouth turned up as she gave her a reassuring smile. Then she looked away and turned toward Grandma Xu. Song Yu recovered, pursed her lips, and lowered her eyes to hide the flash of surprise within them.

“Grandma, naturally I followed your instructions and repaired them,” Xu Jing nodded with a smile, while at the same time sizing up the two strangers in the room.

Apart from the younger woman, whom Xu Jing didn’t know well, she had some impression of the elder Wangshi’s face. She remembered that she was an old friend of Grandma Xu and that Grandma Xu had borrowed money from her after the original owner’s incident.

Looking at the situation, had they come to collect the debt?

In a flash, Xu Jing deduced their intentions. Her face showed no sign of anything unusual, and she acted familiar with the elder Wangshi.

“Auntie Wang, you have time to come and chat with my Grandma today?”

The Wang and Xu families were not related by blood, but because the elder Wangshi was Grandma Xu’s old friend, Xu Jing, as a junior, addressed her accordingly.

The elder Wangshi’s mouth twitched. She naturally hadn’t come to chat; she had come to tear off the mask of friendship and find trouble.

The elder Wangshi didn’t speak, but the younger one couldn’t help herself. “You’re Jing-ge, right? Although I haven’t seen you much in the village. I’ve heard your famous name.”

“You went and borrowed money to marry a wife, while our Brother Lu is still a bachelor. He recently took an interest in a girl from a certain family and wants to get married. We don’t have enough silver at home, so naturally, we need to collect the money owed to us. We can’t let Brother Lu’s big day be delayed.”

In a few words, Little Wangshi stated their purpose.

Just as I thought, Xu Jing said to herself. It really was a debt collection. Her mind whirled as she pieced together the situation.

“You heard what your sister-in-law Hongliu said, right? Tell your wife to take out the money. Pay it back as soon as possible so people don’t laugh at the Xu family.” Grandma Xu spoke up from her seat.

Xu Jing was almost moved to angry laughter. So they had been forcing Song Yu to give money. But Song Yu was just a new bride who hadn’t been here long, they were eyeing her dowry.

“Grandma, you must be joking. Isn’t all the family money handed over to you? We don’t have any money on us. Besides, if Xiao Yu has money, that’s her dowry. If others found out the Xu family was forcing a granddaughter-in-law to use her dowry to fill a hole, that’s when people would really laugh at us.”

“If you have money, just give it to Auntie Wang and her daughter-in-law. Even if life is a bit bitter afterward, I will do my best to fulfill my filial duties to you.”

Xu Jing bluntly exposed the truth, tearing away the fig leaf the women were hiding behind.

Grandma Xu’s face turned ashen. This granddaughter was truly something else, instead of protecting her own family, she was speaking up for an outsider.

Usually, men “forgot their mothers once they had a wife,” but Xu Jing wasn’t a man, how could she “forget her grandmother once she had a wife”?

“Where would I have money? The little spare money the family had was all spent on arranging a wife for you,” Grandma Xu said with a darkened face.

Xu Jing didn’t argue. She nodded to the two Wang women. “Wait a moment, I’ll be right back.”

Leaving them with those words, she turned and went into another room.

The two Wang women looked at each other, unsure of what Xu Jing was up to. But it didn’t matter; they were determined to get money today. They couldn’t let the two taels of silver they were promised slip away. If the Xu family tried to play tricks and not pay, they would take the matter to the village elders and humiliate them once and for all.