Chapter 6: Visiting the Jiang Family
Yang Mingzhi arrived at the Jiang family village as the sky was completely dark. He knocked on the door, and instead of Jiang He, it was Jiang He’s father, Jiang Cheng, who opened it.
“Mingzhi, what brings you here?” Jiang Cheng, who was nearly fifty, with white hair at his temples, asked.
“Uncle Jiang, my father has hunted two large wild boars in the mountains and needs your help to transport them back,” Yang Mingzhi explained.
“Large wild boars!” Jiang Cheng was astonished. Although there were many hunters in the Jiang family village, it was rare to catch such large prey.
At that moment, several people from the Jiang family came out, asking, “Who’s here?”
“It’s Mingzhi! Mingzhi, come in!” Jiang Cheng said.
The Jiang family, like the Yang family, was a large family living together, with no separate households. Jiang Cheng had four sons, with Jiang He being the youngest at eighteen, one year older than Yang Mingzhi.
After entering the Jiang family home, Yang Mingzhi briefly told them about his father’s wild boar hunting, which left the Jiang family in awe.
It was worth noting that the Jiang family’s life was somewhat better than the Yang family’s. Not only did they have farming land, but they could also hunt in the mountains, which provided them with some supplementary income.
If they could hunt small animals like foxes or rabbits, they could earn some extra money. The fur of these animals was highly valuable, with a single pelt selling for tens of silver coins.
Jiang Cheng, an experienced hunter, listened to Yang Mingzhi’s story and immediately brightened up.
“Is your father’s injury healed?”
The two families were related by marriage, so Jiang Cheng naturally knew about Yang Zhengshan’s past as a martial artist and his internal injuries.
“Healed!” Yang Mingzhi smiled.
Jiang Cheng was overjoyed and immediately instructed the oldest son, “Older brother, go to your third uncle’s house and tell him to prepare for tomorrow morning. We’ll head into the mountains!”
“Fourth brother, have your wife go to her mother’s house tomorrow morning, and ask Mingcheng to bring the ox cart over.”
Regarding the transportation of large prey from the mountains, the Jiang family had plenty of experience and didn’t need Yang Mingzhi to explain much. Jiang Cheng took care of everything.
The next day, before dawn, Jiang Cheng led a group of seven or eight strong men into the mountains. They were more familiar with the terrain and found Yang Zhengshan before noon.
“Uncle Jiang!” Jiang Cheng enthusiastically hailed from a distance.
Yang Zhengshan saw the group of strong men and calmly replied, “Thank you for the trouble, Uncle Jiang.”
In reality, Yang Zhengshan was delighted, but he maintained a calm demeanor due to his past experiences as a martial artist.
“Father!” This wasn’t Yang Mingzhi calling out, but rather Jiang He, who was quite energetic.
Jiang Cheng examined the wild boars and exclaimed, “Amazing! One shot through the throat, truly a martial artist’s skill!”
As they were about to leave, Yang Zhengshan said, “I’ll leave two small wild boars as a thank you.” The weight of the two boars was almost 100 pounds, a suitable reward for the Jiang family’s help.
Jiang He didn’t decline, as this was the custom in the Jiang family village. When helping with hunting, one had to be rewarded; otherwise, no one would be willing to lend a hand.
Upon returning to the Yang family, they were greeted with excitement. Wang Shi and Li Shi were thrilled to see the two large wild boars, and Yang Yunxue’s eyes sparkled with admiration.
“Grandpa is so impressive!”
The two grandsons cheered, and even the neighbors were drawn to the commotion.
“Is this what you hunted, Uncle Yang?”
“Did your injury heal, Uncle Yang?”
Even in the middle of the night, many people came to view the two large wild boars. Yang Zhengshan’s feat was a rare occurrence in the Yang family village, and his recovery was a joyous event.
The excitement lasted until late at night, and only then did the neighbors disperse.
Yang Zhengshan, feeling a bit fatigued, lay down on the bed and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.
The next morning, Yang Zhengshan and Yang Mingcheng drove the ox cart to the county town. As they entered the market, the two large wild boars attracted a lot of attention. Shortly after, a middle-aged man in a blue robe, with a long beard and a wealthy demeanor, approached the ox cart.
Yang Zhengshan examined the man, who should be a rich family’s son, given his attire and demeanor.
“What’s the price for these two wild boars?” the man asked.
“Thirty silver coins!” Yang Zhengshan replied.
The man was very generous and didn’t haggle, which left Yang Zhengshan surprised.
“Good, I’ll take them! Help me transport them to my place!”
Yang Zhengshan was taken aback by the man’s magnanimity, but he didn’t have any reason to refuse. He instructed Yang Mingcheng to follow the man with the ox cart.
As they arrived at their destination, Yang Zhengshan realized that the man wasn’t a wealthy merchant, but rather the county magistrate’s steward, as they had entered the county government’s backyard.
The steward didn’t bother Yang Zhengshan and paid the silver coins promptly, even suggesting that if there were any more large prey in the future, they could directly send them over.
Yang Zhengshan agreed, but it was uncertain if such opportunities would arise. He wasn’t a professional hunter, and luck played a significant role in catching the two wild boars.
Moreover, he didn’t plan to become a hunter. As a martial artist, he had many ways to earn a living and didn’t need to rely on hunting.
After receiving the silver coins, Yang Zhengshan returned to the market to purchase some necessities, including pork, pork bones, cloth, cotton, and fragrant meat buns.
Winter was approaching, and they needed to stock up on warm clothing.
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