Free Web NovelChapter 4: Chapter 4: Uninvited Guest
As Xie Yuan walked along carrying the pheasant, the villagers he knew saw him and were all a little surprised.
"Yuanzi, did you catch a pheasant?"
"Oh! Or did you trade for it with Zhu Dongming?"
"Nice, nice, having some meat for a change. Man, it’s been ages since I’ve tasted any grease."
"That’s a pretty big bird you’ve got there..."
Xie Yuan heard their comments but pretended not to understand. He just offered a polite smile and walked away, unmoved.
In the days since Xie Lun’s death, no one besides Wang Lei and Li Lan had helped him. No one had shared a bit of grain or lent him a piece of clothing—not a single person.
His older brother had been well-liked when he was alive. He was kind-hearted and strong and had helped many people, but once he was gone...
Xie Yuan didn’t blame anyone. It wasn’t like they owed him anything. Besides, life was hard for everyone in the village; they were all living hand-to-mouth, so perhaps they wanted to help but couldn’t.
But if they expected him to share the meat, they could forget it. He barely had enough to eat himself.
Getting to eat meat was a rare occasion in the mountain village. Amidst the envious stares of the others, Xie Yuan first returned home, packed up the rest of the ironwood firewood, and then went next door.
"Yuanzi, you’re here? Dinner isn’t ready yet, just a moment... What’s that you’re holding?"
Li Lan’s voice was fast and rushed. Only after she finished speaking did she notice what Xie Yuan was carrying in his hands and on his back.
"Why do you have a chicken?"
"Sister Orchid, I chopped down an ironwood tree and traded it with Zhu Dongming for a chicken. Here’s some firewood, too. Take it and start a fire so Huwa doesn’t get cold."
As he spoke, Xie Yuan handed the chicken to Li Lan and then unloaded the firewood from his back with a CLATTER.
Li Lan blankly took the pheasant and stared at the pile of firewood on the ground, her voice rising unconsciously.
"Ironwood? Yuanzi, you can chop down ironwood trees now?"
Xie Yuan chuckled.
"It’s not like I could have just picked it up, right? Ironwood trees don’t shed this many dead branches."
A smile bloomed on Li Lan’s face.
"Oh, I knew you took after your brother! So capable! You just wait, I’ll prepare the chicken right now. We’ll have a big dish for lunch!"
While Li Lan was cooking, Wang Lei returned from outside with a hoe over his shoulder, wondering aloud.
"What’s that smell? It’s so good. I could smell it from a long way off."
"It’s the pheasant Yuanzi brought back! Go wash your hands, it’ll be ready soon."
"What? A pheasant?"
When the four of them were seated around the table, staring at the basin of fragrant stir-fried chicken, Huwa was practically drooling. He was about to reach out with his hand when he was smacked with a pair of chopsticks.
Li Lan’s eyes widened in a glare.
"What have I taught you? You wait until the adults have started eating!
"Yuanzi, go on, eat."
She picked up a chicken leg with her chopsticks and placed it in Xie Yuan’s bowl. Xie Yuan smiled and said:
"I can get it myself."
They were all eager to eat, and for a moment, no one spoke as they dug in.
To be honest, without spices, soy sauce, cumin, or chili peppers—with barely any salt—the meat of this small pheasant was tough and dry. In his past life, Xie Yuan wouldn’t have given it a second glance.
But now, Xie Yuan stuffed his mouth full, feeling like he could almost cry.
’This is delicious! It even makes this coarse rice taste amazing!’
’Who would have thought I’d only get to eat meat once every few days?’
Unfortunately, the pheasant was too small. The four of them finished it in no time, leaving everyone wanting more.
"It wasn’t very fatty... After a while, once I’ve saved some money, I’ll buy a fat chicken and bring it over!"
Xie Yuan smacked his lips.
Li Lan pressed her lips together and said:
"Yuanzi, you need to be frugal with your money. Don’t waste it. And... next time there’s meat, you can just cook it for yourself. If you don’t know how, I can help you. But thank you for today!"
Wang Lei nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Xie Yuan’s face fell.
"Sister Orchid, why are you being so formal with me?"
"It’s not that, it’s just that meat is expensive..."
"No matter how expensive meat is, it’s not as precious as my life. Without you two, I would have starved to death long ago. How many free meals have I eaten at your place? Don’t say things like that again. I don’t like hearing it."
Xie Yuan said with a stern expression.
"Oh, you..."
Li Lan wiped her hands on her apron, feeling both touched and at a loss for words.
"I can chop down ironwood now, so having meat once in a while isn’t a problem. Huwa is still young; he needs to eat more to grow up big and strong."
Xie Yuan added with a small smile.
Wang Lei looked at him with emotion.
"Yuanzi has really become capable. Is the axe holding up okay?"
"It’s fine, Brother Shitou, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing."
"That’s good."
Wang Lei nodded.
"Well, that’s great. You won’t go hungry, and you can even have meat. But there’s something I need to talk to you about.
"A while back, Zhang the Second mentioned taking you to the county town to find a living. He said his older brother would look after you and that life there isn’t bad. What do you think about it?"
Xie Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly. ’The Zhang Brothers?’
He suddenly remembered that right after his older brother passed away, Zhang the Second had approached him with a similar offer. But he had been in a daze back then and hadn’t agreed, which seemed to have displeased Zhang the Second. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
’What do they want with me?’
’To be honest, my older brother didn’t get along with the two Zhang Brothers. If it was really a good opportunity, why would it ever fall to me?’
’Something’s not right.’
After a moment of thought, Xie Yuan shook his head and said:
"I don’t know what they’re plotting, but I’m sure it’s nothing good. So I’ll pass." frёeωebɳovel.com
Li Lan and Wang Lei both nodded.
"That’s what we thought too, but we also felt that going to the county town is still an opportunity."
The county town was prosperous, a world away from the poverty of the mountain village. Many people would be willing to go there for a chance to make a living.
Xie Yuan shook his head repeatedly, stating firmly:
"Going to the county town is a good thing, but are the Zhang Brothers some great philanthropists? If it were really a good opportunity, wouldn’t they give it to their own family and friends first? Why would they come looking for me? I’m afraid it’s not an opportunity, it’s a trap."
In his past life, Xie Yuan had heard of far too many stories about people from the same hometown being tricked and exploited.
The couple, Li Lan and Wang Lei, nodded repeatedly. They had vaguely suspected the same thing, but they also felt that a chance to go to the county town was too good to pass up.
They were uneducated and hadn’t lived through an information explosion. Unlike Xie Yuan, who saw the logic so clearly, they were always a bit indecisive.
Wang Lei smacked his lips and sighed.
"It’s like Yuanzi suddenly grew up."
Over the next few days, Xie Yuan chopped the entire ironwood tree into fine firewood and traded some with Zhu Dongming for a rabbit.
Zhu Dongming stacked the firewood and nodded.
"Yuanzi, this ironwood burns hot. My son will be able to have a warm winter now."
Although he was relatively well-off in the village, he probably couldn’t bring himself to actually buy ironwood firewood.
Exchanging a small pheasant and a rabbit for such a large basket of firewood... he didn’t say it out loud, but he knew he was getting the better end of the deal.
"Not at all, Brother Zhu. Your game is delicious."
Xie Yuan sighed to himself. ’Meat really doesn’t come cheap. It took me days to process this one ironwood tree, and it all went toward just two meaty meals.’
But the benefits were immediate. After eating the meat, his physical condition was noticeably better, and he had more strength to swing his axe.
"By the way, Yuanzi, it’s best not to go too deep into the woods recently. Our men seem to have spotted a tiger."
Zhu Dongming suddenly warned him.
"Huh? Okay, I understand. Thanks, Brother Zhu."
Xie Yuan was taken aback for a second, then nodded.
’The ever-scowling, gruff Zhu Dongming, who never minces his words, actually warned me on his own initiative? That’s rare.’
’A tiger?’
Xie Yuan committed this to memory, though he had no plans to venture deep into the mountains anyway.
「A few more days passed.」
Xie Yuan was in his yard chopping wood. He had already felled another ironwood tree in the forest.
[Chopping Wood: (168/1000)]
’The progress isn’t slow. In about a month, I should be able to advance to the next stage. I wonder what new abilities I’ll get then?’
Xie Yuan swung his axe, and a log split in two.
Just as he was feeling hopeful about the days to come, the gate to his small yard was suddenly pushed open.
A cheeky, devil-may-care voice drifted in:
"Yuanzi, my boy, have you thought about what I told you before?"
