Chapter 20 Wild Boar

Chapter 20 Wild Boar

“Uncle Lin!”

“Uncle Lin!”

Several village boys joyfully ran over, clamoring to deliver the news.

“Uncle Lin, Zhou Ye hunted a lot of game from the mountains—a wild rabbit, two pheasants, and a huge wild boar!”

“That boar is so fat and glossy, it must weigh at least 300 pounds!”

“More than 300! My dad said that boar looks like it’s 400 pounds!”

Sweetwater Village was poor; meat was only eaten during holidays. Only a few households raised pigs—some families had so many mouths to feed that they couldn’t spare any for themselves, while those with a surplus would share with others, often in exchange for grain or other goods rather than money.

Zhou Ye brought back such a large wild boar. The boar was barely breathing and wouldn’t last more than a day or two. It was certain to be shared among everyone for meat, and these boys were thrilled.

Lin Dashan and He Guixiang were shocked to hear this. They had thought something had happened to Zhou Ye in the mountains, but not only was he safe, he came back with a wild boar?

“Sister, we get to eat pork!” Lin Xiaopu cheered excitedly.

Lin Shu’s eyes also lit up at the news.

Pork! Her stomach was craving something fatty!

Zhou Ye, carrying a large, robust dark brown wild boar on his shoulder, a sack of mushrooms over his arm, and a wild rabbit and two pheasants tied at his waist, had just reached the edge of the village when he was surrounded by enthusiastic villagers offering to help with the boar.

Zhou Ye had carried the four-hundred-pound boar with ease, especially since he had eaten a plump roasted wild rabbit at noon, which had kept his energy up. But he didn’t refuse the villagers’ kindness. He unloaded the boar and let a few villagers help carry it to Uncle Lin’s place at the other end of the village.

Along the way, someone eagerly asked, “Brother Ye, can I get two pounds of boar meat? I’ll trade you some grain for it!”

Others interested in trading for meat also chimed in.

Zhou Ye replied calmly, “Folks, I’ll butcher the boar early tomorrow morning. It’s big, so our family will keep half. The rest of the meat, you all can split it up. You can exchange it for rice, cornmeal, beans, or even oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, pots, pans, or dishes.”

“How about firewood?” a man asked.

Zhou Ye politely declined, “Uncle, please understand, we have plenty of firewood at home, so we don’t need any right now.”

A villager laughed at the man, “With Zhou Ye around, with his strength enough to hunt a boar, why would he need help with chores like chopping wood or fetching water?”

Another woman added, “Whichever girl marries Zhou Ye in the future will be marrying into a good life; she’ll be set for life.”

The woman who spoke was immediately nudged by the man beside her, “What are you talking about? Uncle Lin’s daughter has returned, hasn’t she? Zhou Ye will surely marry her.”

The woman, rebutted by her husband, spat at him and muttered under her breath, “What do you know? With that girl’s fair skin, face whiter than snow and smoother than an egg, and her soft-spoken manner, how could she ever fancy a farmer like us? We may think highly of Zhou Ye, but that girl grew up in the capital—she’s seen better. Just wait and see, she’s bound to marry into a town or even the county seat…”

Zhou Ye had walked farther away, and he couldn’t make out the rest of the conversation.

His expression remained unchanged, as if completely unaffected.

He also thought of himself as a rough man—such a delicate girl would surely look down on a coarse farmer like him. So, he had never entertained the idea from the start. Besides, he had no intention of marrying. Lin Yao’s departure two years ago had suited him just fine. However, Uncle Lin and Auntie He had been really good to him, which he always remembered. He was willing to take care of them forever. As for the delicate girl from the capital, he would treat her like a younger sister, just as he did Xiao Pu. As long as she didn’t make trouble, he would try to fulfill any requests she made.

The boar was carried to the village end by the enthusiastic villagers, where Lin Dashan and He Guixiang were already waiting at the door.

That was one huge boar!

Lin Dashan looked at the boar, which took five or six strong men to carry, with shock and delight.

Wild boars in the mountains could gore you to death. Usually, villagers would steer clear of them when encountered. Who would have thought Brother Ye would hunt such a large boar in the mountains!

The villagers carried the boar into the courtyard, agreed to return early the next morning to help with the slaughter, and then left.

After the crowd dispersed, Lin Dashan and He Guixiang hurriedly asked Zhou Ye about his time in the mountains, while Lin Xiaopu and Lin Shu circled the boar, checking it out.

The wild boar was very different from domestic pigs—it had a large head, thick neck, thin tail, and a row of coarse bristles along its back, making it look mean. Not to mention, with its mouth open, its thick, curved tusks were fully visible.

The massive boar lay on the ground like a small hill, no longer struggling, but its abdomen still rose and fell, indicating it was still alive.

Lin Shu examined it for a long time but found no wounds, only bruises from hard hits on its side. She couldn’t help but glance at Zhou Ye.

Could it be that this guy’s strength was so great that he had ruptured the boar’s internal organs?

Lin Xiaopu: “Sister, it’s so big!”

Lin Shu: “Isn’t it? I’ve never seen such a fat wild boar. How did it get so plump? It’s just as big as a farm pig.”

Besides the boar, Zhou Ye had also brought back a wild rabbit and two pheasants. They decided to keep one pheasant to raise and sell the other pheasant, the rabbit, and the fresh boar meat in town the next day.

The sack he had taken was now full. Zhou Ye quickly opened it to prevent the contents from spoiling.

Lin Shu leaned over to look and was amazed—it was indeed packed with fresh wild mushrooms!

“Uncle, Auntie, we gotta spread these mushrooms out fast. If the weather holds these next few days, we should dry them so I can sell them in town.”

“Alright, alright!” He Guixiang responded, already fetching bamboo mats from the house.

Mushrooms would go bad fast and needed to be dried quickly for storage, or they would spoil.

While the others were busy spreading the mushrooms on the mats, Lin Shu’s eyes lit up with a sly look as she asked Zhou Ye, “Brother Ye, you’ve been busy for so long and haven’t had dinner, right? There’s food left in the pot. I’ll heat it up for you. Xiao Pu and I caught a lot of fish today—we’re not keeping them overnight, so I’ll cook them all for your meal! I’m quick at cooking fish; it won’t take long.”

Zhou Ye looked up and met Lin Shu’s smiling face—her eyes curved like crescent moons, bright and dark, reflecting his figure.

His eyelashes fluttered slightly as he replied, “You should rest. I’ll start the fire and warm up the food myself.”

A young lady from the marquis’ household wouldn’t know the first thing about rough work like lighting a fire or cooking.

“I said I’d take charge of the cooking. Brother Ye can assist me.”

He Guixiang laughed, “Let her be. A Shu caught a lot of fish today and said she wants to cook them for you herself.”

Lin Shu, already quick to act, went to the kitchen and scooped a full ladle of water. “Brother Ye, here, let me pour water for you to wash your hands.”

Zhou Ye glanced at her, then walked over and extended his rough, large hands—the dirt under his fingernails hadn’t been fully cleaned.

He subtly observed Lin Shu, but she showed no change in expression, calmly pouring the water without a trace of disgust.

“Brother Ye, wash up roughly for now. You can clean more thoroughly before eating.”

After that, Zhou Ye was tasked by Lin Shu with killing the fish, scaling them, and removing the innards.

Seventeen fish in total—aside from the one for Lin Yushu and three for their own meal, the remaining thirteen were all cleaned.

Zhou Ye couldn’t hide his surprise, “You caught all these fish?”

“Of course,” Lin Shu leaned closer and whispered, “From now on, Brother Ye won’t go hungry. I’ll find a way to make sure you never go hungry!”

The faint, delicate fragrance that accompanied her sudden closeness made Zhou Ye slightly uncomfortable, and he instinctively turned his head away.

Realizing what she meant, he quickly glanced at Lin Xiaopu, just in time to catch her guilty look. However, the little girl soon stuck her tongue out at him fearlessly.

She had told her sister in secret for Brother A Ye's own good—why should she feel guilty? She wouldn't feel guilty!

Zhou Ye looked helpless. Lin Shu had kept his secret for so long, but the moment this person arrived, she spilled everything.

After cleaning all the fish, the meat was sliced, the bones cut into pieces, and the heads were split in half.

Lin Shu had Zhou Ye do the physical labor, then took over the rest herself.

The fish slices were marinated with salt for a while. She heated a little oil in the pot, and the fish heads and tails were fried until fragrant. She scooped two handfuls of pickled vegetables from A-Niang's jar, chopped them, and stir-fried them in the pot. Water was added, followed by the fish bones. The soup was simmered until milky white, then the solids were removed and plated. There was so much that it filled three large plates.

With just the broth remaining, the previously sliced fish was added, parboiled, and then placed in a large clay pot. The rich broth was poured over it, and a handful of wild onions were sprinkled on top. Garlic and wild onion bulbs were minced and stir-fried with knotweed, then drizzled over as a sauce.

A large clay pot of pickled fish was brought directly to the dining table.

The pickled fish dish Lin Shu had carefully prepared was far more delicious than the one He Guixiang had made for breakfast. Lin Dashan and He Guixiang, who had already eaten dinner, found their mouths watering again from the enticing aroma.

When they saw the table full of fish, they were startled.

Had A Shu really cooked all the fish?

But since their daughter had caught them all, they didn’t say anything. Any leftovers could be kept cool with mountain spring water and would still be good to eat the next morning.

Just as they were thinking this, they heard their daughter call out to Zhou Ye, "Brother Ye, come quickly! All this fish is for you!"

Dinner tonight specially included dry-cooked rice. Lin Shu served two large bowls of reheated coarse rice and set out chopsticks. Besides the fish on the table, she had also picked out some wild mushrooms from the mushrooms Zhou Ye brought back and stir-fried them as an extra side dish.

Zhou Ye looked at the table full of fish, feeling quite honored.

Lin Shu sat across from him, cupping her chin in her hands, watching him with a smile as she urged, "Hurry up and eat!" After all, he needed to be full to get things done.

Zhou Ye, who had only been three-tenths full after eating a rabbit at noon, was already hungry. Without overthinking her intentions, he picked up his bowl and chopsticks and began eating heartily.

"Brother Ye, you’re not allowed to leave any leftovers. You have to finish it all."

Zhou Ye, knowing she was already aware of his situation and under her watchful gaze, ended up finishing the entire large pot of pickled fish along with several plates of fish heads and bones in a daze. Not a drop of the fish broth in the clay pot was left—it all went into his stomach.

Author's Note: