Chapter 72: Zhaodi is Too Fierce

Hu Dashan could only return home with his face smeared in cow dung to clean up.

After washing his face, he went to Yang’s room.

Yang looked anxious as she asked, “Dashan, did you buy the medicine? Did you give it to Zhang?”

Hu Dashan shook his head in despair, “No, that little tramp changed her mind. She said even if I offered her one hundred taels of silver, she wouldn’t sell me the medicine.

Mother, I don’t even have a clean pair of pants left. Even if we wanted to go to the neighboring village to find a doctor, we couldn’t.”

“Why wouldn’t that little tramp sell you the medicine?” Yang asked, frustrated.

Hu Dashan answered, “I don’t know if she overheard us or figured out our plan, but she refused to give me the medicine.”

Yang cursed weakly, “That damned little tramp, I didn’t think she’d be so sly. One tael of silver can buy a lot of grain.”

“Mother, if we’re dead, who will we leave that silver to?” Hu Dashan replied.

Yang was stunned. “Son! You still have to think of a way! We can’t die. If we keep going like this, my old bones won’t be able to hold on much longer.”

“I don’t even have a clean pair of pants. How can I go out?” Hu Dashan sighed.

“Let your wife think of a way,” Yang suggested.

Hu Dashan nodded, then went to Zhang and Hu Yaozu’s room.

However, Zhang, who was starving, had to drink water to stave off hunger. She had drunk too much of the water mixed with the laxative and was too weak to move now.

Hu Dashan called her several times. Zhang weakly opened her eyes and barely managed to speak, “Dashan, save me…”

Before she could finish her sentence, her eyes closed again.

Hu Dashan, feeling helpless, stayed at home, unable to leave because all of his pants were soiled.

—

 Ji Family

After a walk, Hu Zhaodi and the others returned and reheated the meal. The family gathered around the table to finish eating.

Uncle Ji looked concerned, “Zhaodi, with the Hu family in such a state, do you think someone might die?”

Hu Zhaodi shook her head, “No, they’ll just lose a lot of weight. They won’t die.”

She had carefully measured the dosage of the laxative; it would make the Hu family suffer greatly, but it wouldn’t kill them.

That night, Hu Zhaodi thought about it. The Hu family’s health had likely worsened compared to before, and with the current situation, she couldn’t afford to cause a death now, especially with Uncle Ji serving as the village head. She couldn’t let it affect him.

She quietly got out of bed and left the Ji family’s house, heading back to the Hu family.

She put some antidote in the water jar at the Hu family’s house and returned to the Ji family, immediately falling asleep.

—

 The Next Days

In the following days, Hu Zhaodi continued her routine of going to the mountains every day, and every ten days, she would head to the county town.

If she encountered a wolf pack in the mountains, she would patiently spend time outwitting them, making them second-guess their wolf instincts, before finally subduing them.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was harvest season.

The framework for the private school had already been completed, with only the beams and roof tiles left to finish.

As autumn arrived, the construction of the private school had to pause. They had to rush to harvest the crops.

If they didn’t harvest quickly and rain fell heavily, the crops would rot in the fields, wasting a year of hard work.

The day before the harvest began, Hu Zhaodi took the three Ji brothers into the mountains.

The four of them had been in the deep mountains for less than an hour when they encountered a wolf pack again.

The Ji brothers, scared out of their wits, started to climb trees, while Hu Zhaodi, with a grin, ran straight toward the lead wolf.

The lead wolf charged toward Hu Zhaodi, and the Ji brothers were so terrified their hearts seemed to leap into their throats.

“Zhaodi, it’s dangerous!” The eldest Ji brother’s voice cracked as he shouted, sounding like a broken gong.

But the next second, Hu Zhaodi grabbed the lead wolf by the head and began rubbing it affectionately.

The entire wolf pack surrounded her, lying at her feet, waiting for her to scratch their fur.

The Ji brothers: ???

What’s going on here?

When did Zhaodi become so close with these wolves?

And why do these wolves seem to be eagerly anticipating her touch? They act like dogs!

Hu Zhaodi made sure to pet each wolf, giving them all a good grooming.

Then she stood up and smiled, patting the lead wolf on the head. “Little cub, those three behind me are my family. Keep them safe and don’t let them get hurt.”

“Woof woof~”

“I’m planning to hunt a wild boar today to improve our meals. Can you show me where I can find one?”

“Woof woof~” The lead wolf responded with a low growl, then turned and began leading Hu Zhaodi away.

Hu Zhaodi turned to the Ji brothers, calling out, “Big Brother Ji, you can follow us. Don’t worry, the wolf pack won’t attack you.”

The Ji brothers, still in disbelief, followed behind.

The eldest Ji brother asked with confusion, “How did Zhaodi do that? Wolves are dangerous, they eat people.”

Fifth Brother Ji shook his head. “We’ll ask her later. This is unbelievable—she’s at peace with the wolves. I’d never dare try this, even in my dreams.”

Under the lead of the alpha wolf, the group walked for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, before spotting a wild boar weighing around two hundred to three hundred pounds.

Hu Zhaodi instructed the alpha wolf to surround the boar while she herself took out a chopping axe and charged directly at the boar.

The Ji brothers, not to be outdone, grabbed their axes and joined the attack.

As soon as the wild boar saw the wolves and Hu Zhaodi, it became enraged.

It lowered its head and charged straight at Hu Zhaodi with its tusks.

Just as the boar was about to strike, Hu Zhaodi swiftly moved to the left, swinging her axe at the boar’s head.

The boar jumped to the left to dodge her blow.

The Ji brothers took advantage of the distraction, coming at the boar from three different directions, but just as Hu Zhaodi had drawn the boar’s attention, all three brothers’ strikes missed.

The boar, now fixated on Hu Zhaodi, spun around and charged at her again, ignoring its rear. The Ji brothers’ strikes missed yet again.

Hu Zhaodi continued to draw the boar’s attention. As it charged with all its might, she executed an incredible spinning move to avoid its attack.

The boar was too agile, its speed too fast, and the Ji brothers barely managed to get in any successful strikes.

After a long battle, the Ji brothers were soaked in sweat.

Finally, Fifth Brother Ji managed to land a strike on the boar’s rear, causing the boar to squeal in pain and rage as it charged at Hu Zhaodi again.

This time, Hu Zhaodi couldn’t avoid it in time. In a moment of desperation, she leaped high into the air, using the boar’s back to push herself up, then landed directly on its back.

The boar screeched loudly, thrashing violently in an attempt to throw Hu Zhaodi off.

Hu Zhaodi tightly gripped the boar’s belly with her legs, holding onto its fur with one hand, while her other hand raised the axe high. She then used the back of the axe to strike the boar’s head with powerful thuds.

The Ji brothers couldn’t believe what they were seeing. They hadn’t even noticed how Hu Zhaodi managed to mount the boar in the first place.

The three of them wanted to rush over and help but were afraid of injuring Hu Zhaodi. They stood frozen in place, their mouths agape in disbelief.

Zhaodi is too fierce! She’s actually riding a wild boar!