Chapter (5): The Great Hunter and the Two Wild Boars (Part 3)
The silent little house quickly saw the arrival of dinner time. Bai Li knew Xiao Han was awake, but he didn't go so far as to ladle the pheasant soup for him personally. If he became too submissive and virtuous all in a single day, it would only breed suspicion. Instead, he prepared the table for himself and the children. Once finished, he looked toward the three ge-er huddled in the corner of the house and spoke.
"Xiaofu, Xiaowu, come here. It's time to eat. Xiao Han, your soup is in the pot; go and serve yourself."
When the three ge-er looked at him with identical wide, startled eyes, Bai Li found the sight both amusing and adorable. However, he kept his expression stern and didn't let the amusement show.
"Are you three going to keep standing there?"
It was painfully clear how much they feared him. The moment those words left his mouth, Xiao Han whispered to the little ones to go eat, while he himself headed out to fetch his soup. They feared this man, but he was the master of the house. Even if he were to beat them, no one would dare intervene. Thus, they had no choice but to obey his every word.
As Bai Li ate alone at the table, he watched the three ge-er who had taken seats as far away from him as possible. He felt utterly helpless. It seemed it would take a long time to build any sense of intimacy with these three.
After the meal, Xiao Han washed the dishes. Even though Xiao Han was still ill, Bai Li allowed it. He worried that if he suddenly insisted on washing the dishes they had used, the three of them would be so terrified they might actually bolt out the door.
The hut was tiny, barely fitting a single heated brick bed—a kang—and a table. Sighing at the poverty of this life, Bai Li fell asleep thinking that he must find some significant prey tomorrow. Xiao Han and the little ones only dared to climb onto the kang once they were certain Bai Li was deep in sleep.
Xiaofu and Xiaowu clung to Xiao Han, whispering softly.
"Papa, Father gave us so much to eat today. He wasn't scary at all today."
"Will he give us more tomorrow?"
Xiao Han didn't want to crush their hopes, but he didn't want to lie either. "Papa doesn't know," he could only reply.
The little ones wanted to keep talking about their father's changes, but the dish of pheasant and bamboo shoots had been delicious, and for once, they had eaten solid rice instead of gruel. With their bellies full, they soon drifted off to sleep. The only one who couldn't sleep was Xiao Han.
Today, he had been given an entire pheasant's worth of soup. At first, he had been hesitant to eat, but under Bai Li's intense, watchful gaze, he had finished it all. At the time, he had even suspected Bai Li might have put something in the soup, but when nothing happened, he became even more confused.
Did Bai Li truly intend to give him an entire pheasant? And he had cooked it himself...
The thought made Xiao Han's heart race. A single pheasant could feed an entire large family, yet Bai Li had given it to him alone. This both worried and moved him.
Could his husband truly have changed? If so, he hoped with all his heart that his husband would stay this way forever.
The next morning, Bai Li woke early. The little ones were still on the bed, but Xiao Han was nowhere to be found. He dressed and went outside to find Xiao Han carrying water.
Xiao Han's fever had only slightly receded; his face was still flushed red from the illness. This appeared to be the final trip of water-carrying. How early had he been up? By Bai Li's estimate, it was only about seven in the morning. In his past life, Bai Li used to wake at seven for his morning run, so he was accustomed to rising at this hour.
He wanted to tell Xiao Han to stop, but seeing that the water vats were already full, he remained silent. Over the past few days, Xiao Han had been too ill to carry water, and yesterday, Bai Li had used nearly all the remaining supply for cooking. To someone from the 21st century, hygiene was a priority, so using plenty of water was natural. But he realized now that this had inadvertently burdened Xiao Han.
This won't do. I must dig a well at this house soon.
Without voicing that thought, he spoke to Xiao Han.
"There's some rice and leftover pheasant in the house. Make some meat porridge for yourself and the children. I'm heading to the forest."
Though Bai Li's face remained calm, his voice was light. This was a side of Bai Li that Xiao Han had never seen, and he wanted to say something. He had seen the supplies in the house but hadn't dared touch them without Bai Li's permission. Had he known Bai Li would allow him to cook, he would have started as soon as he woke, so Bai Li could have eaten something before heading out.
Xiao Han watched Bai Li's back for a long time as he departed with a basket and bow, his steps light and agile. Even after Bai Li vanished from sight, Xiao Han continued to stare in that direction.
Finally, he took a deep breath and thought to himself: He woke up early to go to the forest... perhaps my husband really has changed.
A sweetness, like flowers blooming in his heart, washed over him. This was the life he had always yearned for: not a husband who constantly looked for reasons to beat him and the boys, but one who worked hard and cared for his family. If his husband remained this way, he would ask for nothing more in this life.
Unaware of how many people he had made happy, Bai Li ran into the forest, treating the journey as his morning exercise.
Most villagers only ventured to the foot of the mountain out of fear of wild beasts, making it difficult for them to find significant prey. Bai Li, however, headed straight for the deeper brush at the mountain's base, scouting for large game. His target today was something that would bring in a heap of money. In this era, if he could bag a bear—which was incredibly valuable—it would be even better.
However, before finding large prey, Bai Li stumbled upon various edible plants.
In this era, the variety of food people consumed was quite limited. Because oil was expensive, people didn't know how to stir-fry; they mostly boiled, steamed, or roasted meat. It was the same with vegetables—usually boiled into soup or steamed. They only ate the common wild greens found at the forest edge. If they saw something deeper in the woods that tasted bland or strange when cooked, they simply categorized it as "inedible."
Furthermore, salt was so expensive that people rarely used enough, resulting in food that was often bland and unappetizing.
Bai Li shook his head and began picking large, succulent bell peppers and chilies, tossing them into his back basket. Then came coriander and lemongrass. Wild eggplants and potatoes. Pumpkin leaves. He noted with a sigh that while people grew a few pumpkins for the fruit, they wasted the leaves. Since these vines hadn't fruited yet, he harvested the tender shoots. Finally, he threw some wild mustard greens into the basket.
By the time his basket was over half full, he had reached the deepest part of the mountain base. It was then that he heard noises.
Bai Li immediately frowned. The sounds were loud and chaotic. He moved toward the source to investigate.
"Oh! What massive wild boars!"
He had thought he would need to climb higher to find large game, but unexpectedly, he found two wild boars at the mountain base, and the two were locked in a fierce fight.
If these boars reached the village, they would be extremely dangerous. Today, he had no choice but to take them both down.
Thankful that the boars were distracted by each other, Bai Li chose a prime vantage point. He notched an arrow and aimed. These boars were massive, and since the Village Head's bow wasn't of the highest quality, a single shot wouldn't suffice. But Bai Li had been friends with archery champions in his past life. While his friends had competed in tournaments, his parents had never allowed him to. Who knew if he might have been a champion himself if they had?
Without hesitation, Bai Li released the arrow. It whistled through the air and sank into the neck of one boar. The creature's sharp, terrifying shriek echoed through the woods. Without missing a beat, a second arrow followed, buried deep in the same spot, ending the boar's life.
The second boar, startled by the fate of its opponent, turned to flee, but there was no escaping Bai Li.
Two arrows flew in quick succession, meeting the second boar with the same lethal precision.
The forest fell silent once more. Bai Li looked at the two boars—each larger than himself—and felt a surge of joy. In his past life, such animals didn't grow this large due to deforestation. But in this era of lush wilderness, game was abundant and massive. For someone with his skills, there was no need to fear starvation as long as his hands were capable.
Bai Li struggled to drag the heavy boars out from the deep brush. Though large predators rarely frequented the base, he worried the scent of blood would lure them down from the peaks.
In his previous life, Bai Li had been strong and fit, but this current body was thin and weakened by vice. Yet, miraculously, he felt as though the strength of his former self had followed him into this life. He was actually able to move the two boars.
Once out of the deep brush, he hid one boar in a thicket. Shifting his foraged basket to his front, he hoisted the other boar onto his back and headed for the village. He couldn't carry two at once, but one was manageable. With swift steps, he made his way toward the Village Head's fields.
The Village Head's fields were closer to the village but situated along the path between the mountain and the settlement. Choosing the Village Head for help was the best move.
The Village Head and his family were discussing the year's crop yields when the youngest son, Jiang Qing, straightened up and glanced toward the mountain. He let out a terrified shriek and jumped in alarm.
"Aah!! A wild boar!! Father!! A massive boar is coming this way!!!"
The boar was so much larger than Bai Li that from a distance, the person carrying it was invisible; only the beast could be seen. The Village Head and the others looked up, their faces turning pale as they saw the massive creature "approaching."
The Village Head shouted at his trembling wife, "What are you staring for? Run!"
Because Bai Li's pace was so fast, it truly looked as though the boar was charging toward them.
Chaos erupted among the Village Head's family, but the sharp-eyed Jiang Ting grabbed his father, his expression uncertain.
"Father, wait! Look closely... is there a person under that boar?"
Jiang Qing cried out in fear, "Could the boar be carrying a villager away to eat them?!"
Jiang Ting kicked his younger brother.
"Aren't you a man? Look properly! A person is carrying that boar!"
As Bai Li emerged into a clearer view, it became obvious that a human was indeed carrying the beast. However, they couldn't yet tell who it was. Realizing it was a fellow villager, the Village Head and his sons ran forward to help.
When they reached him, they were struck dumb to see Bai Li.
The Village Head gasped in disbelief, "You... you're the second boy from the Bai house? Did you hunt this boar?"
Bai Li set the boar down and exhaled.
"That's right, Village Head. When I went hunting today, I found two boars fighting in the deep brush at the mountain base. I figured if they reached the village, they'd cause a disaster, so I took them down."
Hearing this, the Village Head couldn't help but shout, "Two?! You killed two of them?!"
"Yes. I've dragged the other one out of the deep brush, but I couldn't carry them both, so I had to leave it behind for a moment. I need to go back for it before other predators find it. I was hoping you could help me get this one to my house."
Though shaken, the Village Head knew what was most important. A wild boar could be sold for many silver strings. It would be a tragedy to lose it after successfully hunting it.
He made a swift decision.
"Then don't waste time—go quickly! Jiang Ting, go with the Bai boy. The rest of us will carry this one back to the village."
Snapping out of their daze, the Village Head's sons immediately obeyed their father's command.