Chapter 93 : Wild Boar

When Su Xieqiu heard Han Zhenyu’s voice, she immediately ran over and opened the door.  

She saw Han Zhenyu and Gu Fangxun carrying a large wild boar, with two pheasants and a gray rabbit hanging on sticks.  

Without asking any questions, she quickly let them in and, after closing the door, stepped outside to check if anyone was around.  

Han Zhenyu and Gu Fangxun carried everything straight to the backyard.  

After making sure the coast was clear, Su Xieqiu hurried to the kitchen to grab a basin and a kitchen knife.  

Worried about scaring the children, she instructed, “Chenchen, stay here and play with your sister. Auntie will stew meat for you tonight.”  

Jiang Lichen had never seen a wild boar before. When he caught sight of the enormous animal his uncle and Uncle Han brought back, he was so shocked that he froze in place.  

“Aunt Su, what is that?” he asked nervously.  

“It’s a wild boar,” she replied in a whisper. “It’s very delicious. Tonight, I’ll make braised pork for you.”  

Hearing the word “meat,” Chenchen’s fear melted into excitement. He happily nodded and continued playing with An An.  

When Su Xieqiu arrived in the backyard, the men had already placed the wild boar in the open space next to the firewood shed.  

Gu Fangxun was filling water from the well, while Han Zhenyu positioned two wooden planks, likely preparing to start butchering the boar.  

“Did you two kill this wild boar?” Su Xieqiu asked.  

Han Zhenyu, seeing her approach with the knife and basin, smiled and nodded. “We were really lucky today,” he said in a low voice. “Not long after we entered the mountain, we came across this injured wild boar.”  

Running her finger along the boar’s thick hide, she remarked, “This one must weigh over 300 kilograms, right?”  

“At least that much,” Han Zhenyu confirmed, then grinned as he praised Gu Fangxun. “If it weren’t for the boar being injured, we wouldn’t have dared to fight it head-on. But Comrade Gu has incredible skills, he took it down single-handedly. I just gave him a bit of help.”  

Carrying a bucket of water over, Gu Fangxun laughed modestly. “You’re too kind. Without your help and that stick, I wouldn’t have stood a chance against this big guy.”  

The two men exchanged praises, both deflecting credit to the other.  

Shaking her head with a smile, Su Xieqiu said, “I’ll boil some water later for shaving the bristles.”  

“No need,” Han Zhenyu replied. “The boar’s skin is too thick, better to just peel it. My uncle is experienced in processing these. I’ll take it to him tomorrow for the finishing touches.”  

The two men heaved the wild boar onto the wooden planks and began gutting it.  

Meanwhile, noticing the pheasants and rabbit nearby, Su Xieqiu returned to the front yard to boil water and pluck the pheasants’ feathers.  

By the time they had finished handling the wild boar, the sky was growing dark.  

Su Xieqiu had Han Zhenyu cut a piece of pork belly. With it, she prepared a pot of braised pork and potatoes, ringed with cornmeal cakes. In a casserole, she stewed dried mushroom and pheasant soup.  

At the kitchen door, Chenchen and An An stood, their mouths watering as they inhaled the savory aroma.  

When the braised pork was nearly ready, she took out a few pieces of fatty and lean meat, chopped them finely, mashed some potatoes, and added a spoonful of chicken broth to mix everything together.  

Smiling, she waved to An An. “Come here, little foodie, and have a bite.”  

“Auntie Su, let me feed my sister,” Chenchen offered.  

“No need. An An is very well-behaved and can eat by herself. Let’s go and have our meal too.”  

At noon, Su Xieqiu had noticed that An An was an exceptionally bright little girl who picked up things quickly.  

As long as she was fed, she rarely cried or fussed. Aside from letting out soft hums when sleepy, she was usually all smiles, endearing and easy to care for.

Han Zhenyu scooped out all the potatoes and pork from the pot, filling a large bowl.  

Along with the fragrant chicken soup and a bamboo basket of golden cornmeal cakes, the sight was enough to make the adults swallow their saliva in anticipation.  

Su Xieqiu served a bowl of braised pork and potatoes and said with a smile, “Sister Fengqin next door often shares food with me. I’ll take a bowl over for them to try.”  

“I’ll go,” Han Zhenyu immediately offered, standing up.  

“No need. You all eat first,” she replied, carrying the dish toward the door. “I can use this chance to talk to Sister Fengqin about the children. They’ll find out sooner or later, so it’s better to explain proactively and avoid any misunderstandings.”  

With that, she left the main room.  

Sun Dahan’s family had just finished dinner when a knock came at their door. Wang Fengqin, coming out of the kitchen, called out, “Who is it?”  

“Sister, it’s me,” came the reply.  

“Oh, it’s Zhenyu’s wife,” Wang Fengqin said, quickly opening the door.  

Handing her the bowl of braised pork and potatoes, Su Xieqiu said, “Sister, this is for your kids to enjoy.”  

Wang Fengqin had noticed the delicious aroma of meat wafting over from next door during her cooking but hadn’t expected her neighbor to share it.  

Remembering the meat sauce she had given them a while ago, she felt embarrassed. Though she had offered plenty of homegrown vegetables in return, they were far less valuable than meat. How could she keep accepting such generous gifts without feeling burdened?  

“Zhenyu’s wife, the weather is cold now, and adding more salt will keep this meat from spoiling. You should save it for yourselves. Your head injury hasn’t fully healed, and you need more nutrients to recover. My boys eat like bottomless pits, it’d be a waste to give them such good food,” she protested.  

“Sister-in-law, you’re overthinking it. Growing kids need to eat well,” Su Xieqiu said with a smile, pressing the bowl into her hands. “If you don’t accept this, I won’t dare accept any more of your vegetables next time.”  

“Vegetables are nothing, they’re the most common thing we have in the countryside,” Wang Fengqin replied, feeling both touched and flustered as she held the warm, fragrant dish.  

Still, she couldn’t help but say, “Zhenyu’s wife, Zhenyu bought this meat for you to nourish yourself. Giving so much to us, it makes me feel bad.”  

Shaking her head with a smile, Su Xieqiu explained, “Sister, this meat wasn’t bought by Zhenyu. A friend of his brought it when he came to leave his children in our care.”  

“Leaving his children with you? What’s going on? Why isn’t he raising them himself?” Wang Fengqin asked, clearly confused.  

Lowering her voice, Su Xieqiu shared the explanation she and Zhenyu had discussed. “The man lost his first wife and recently met someone new through an introduction. She’s the daughter of a factory director, and she likes him, but she doesn’t want the burden of two children.  

“The man didn’t want to lose the chance at such a good marriage, so he decided to give the children away. Zhenyu felt sorry for them and decided to bring them home to raise.”  

Hearing this, Wang Fengqin stared at her incredulously. “Are you two crazy? You’ve just gotten married and don’t even have kids of your own yet. Why take on the burden of raising someone else’s children?”  

Sighing, Su Xieqiu pretended to be helpless. “Sister, we didn’t want to at first. But you know we left home with nothing.  

“The family offered 100 yuan to whoever would take care of the kids. Back then, Zhenyu and I desperately needed money to build our house, so we agreed without much thought.  

“Now I regret it a little, but the house is already built, and the money has been spent. We have no choice but to take the kids in and raise them. We can’t just go back on our word now, can we?”