Chapter 28: Suicidal Animals

Xu Huaian was fully focused, alert to every sound around him, when suddenly a faint, unusual feeling rose from deep within. Years of military experience instantly put him on edge; he keenly sensed that someone was quietly following him.

Without showing any reaction, Xu Huaian slipped into a concealed spot. His breathing slowed and became even, his body blending seamlessly with the surroundings as he quietly waited for the follower to approach, mentally planning his next move.

As the footsteps drew closer, Xu Huaian’s nerves tightened. The moment the person stepped into his attack range, he struck like a leopard, a strong hand instantly gripping the intruder’s neck.

But just as he was about to subdue the person further, a familiar presence hit him. In the faint moonlight, he saw the figure clearly—it was his own young wife.

Xu Huaian quickly released his grip, eyes wide with shock and concern. “Qingqian? You… what are you doing here?” His voice was filled with anxiety and worry.

Shi Qingqian, slightly winded from the grip, coughed a few times, her eyes reddened. She looked at Xu Huaian like a frightened little rabbit. “You… you actually grabbed me.”

Xu Huaian’s heart ached. He immediately pulled Shi Qingqian into his arms. “Qingqian, I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was you.” He gently stroked her hair, his voice full of guilt.

“This place is too dangerous. I’ll take you back,” he said.

But Shi Qingqian shook her head stubbornly. “No, I’m not going back. I want to be with you. I’m worried you’ll get into danger alone in these mountains.”

Xu Huaian sighed helplessly. “Qingqian, please listen. This place really isn’t safe.”

She lifted her chin slightly. “Hmph, I’m not afraid. I’m not going back.”

Seeing he couldn’t persuade her, Xu Huaian had no choice but to take her along. He moved cautiously through the forest with Shi Qingqian, always alert to the sounds around them. Though she said she wasn’t afraid, her heart still raced, and she stayed close behind him.

Suddenly, a rabbit darted past. Shi Qingqian’s eyes lit up. She picked up a stone, about to throw it, when the rabbit suddenly turned and ran toward her, finally colliding with a tree and losing consciousness right beside her.

“?” Xu Huaian and Shi Qingqian exchanged glances, equally puzzled.

“Haha, this rabbit is too stupid,” she said, gently poking it to confirm it was truly unconscious.

Once could be luck. Twice, coincidence. But when the same thing happened a third time… Xu Huaian and Shi Qingqian looked at each other, stunned and speechless.

This series of unexpected “gifts” left them in disbelief. Shi Qingqian widened her eyes as she stared at the two wild boars that had met the same fate, glancing at herself. “This… this is really strange.”

Xu Huaian’s face mirrored her shock. He circled the two wild boars, trying to figure out the cause of the bizarre events.

“Qingqian, this is unbelievable.”

“Yes… I have no idea what’s going on,” she said, spreading her hands in innocent bewilderment.

They stood there, contemplating the unusual windfall. After a moment, Xu Huaian laughed. “No matter what, we have more than enough meat for the banquet. Let’s take these back home.”

Shi Qingqian nodded, a happy smile on her face.

“Put them in the space first. We’ll take them out when we get home.”

“All right.” In the next moment, the two wild boars vanished from sight.

After descending the mountain, Xu Huaian and Shi Qingqian first took the smaller wild boar to Second Uncle’s house. Items taken from the mountains belonged to the village collectively; small game like pheasants or rabbits were one thing, but a wild boar weighing hundreds of pounds had to be officially reported.

At Xu Wu’s house, he was astonished to see them carrying the wild boar. “Huaian, Qingqian, where did you get this wild boar?” he asked.

Xu Huaian smiled and explained, “Second Uncle, we… encountered it.”

“You… you went with Qingqian?” Second Aunt Zhang Xiu exclaimed. “This is reckless! You going alone is one thing, but taking Qingqian too? That’s way too dangerous!”

Shi Qingqian quickly reassured them, “Second Uncle, Second Aunt, don’t worry. We didn’t go deep into the mountains. We have no idea why it happened, but just a short walk in and we ran into two wild boars that collided and died together. We were just lucky.”

Xu Wu and Zhang Xiu exchanged looks, their faces full of disbelief.

“This is too much of a coincidence,” Xu Wu said.

Zhang Xiu held Shi Qingqian’s hand, carefully examining her. “Qingqian, you weren’t hurt, right? The mountains are dangerous. You can’t be so reckless in the future.”

Shi Qingqian smiled, shaking her head. “Second Aunt, I’m fine. This really was an accident. We’ll be careful next time.”

“Oh, right. Second Uncle, we’re having the banquet the day after tomorrow, so we’ll keep one wild boar. You can let the villagers know—we’ll pay for it.”

Xu Wu waved his hand. “Pay for what? You just got married. You don’t need to be so tight-fisted.”

“Besides, these two wild boars were brought back by you two. The villagers will eat them at your banquet. Who could possibly complain? I’ll decide. Keep one for yourselves.”

“Thank you, Second Uncle, Second Aunt.”

“You little rascal,” Xu Wu said, tapping Xu Huaian on the head with his pipe. “Hurry and take your wife home.”

When they returned home, Xu’s parents were busy in the yard preparing for the wedding.

“Father, Mother, we’re back,” Xu Huaian called.

Seeing him carrying a large wild boar, his younger sisters hurried into the main room to pull Zhang Lanxiang out. “Grandma, look! Third Uncle brought a huge wild boar!”

Zhang Lanxiang’s mouth dropped in surprise. “Third Son, what’s going on? Where did such a big wild boar come from?”

Xu Huaian smiled and recounted the story again. Zhang Lanxiang and Second Aunt scolded him briefly, then checked Shi Qingqian to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Once reassured, Zhang Lanxiang relaxed, then smiled. “Now the banquet will have plenty of meat.”

Xu Huaiguo and Xu Huaimin came out and were equally stunned by the wild boar in the yard. The children gathered excitedly around it, chattering away.

“Grandma, this wild boar is huge!” said the eldest.

“Yes, now we’ll have plenty of meat to eat,” agreed the younger sister.

Xu’s father looked at the boar, thinking about how to process it. “We need to handle this quickly, or it’ll spoil.”

The whole family immediately got to work, preparing tools, fetching water, and cleaning the wild boar to ensure everything was ready for the banquet two days later.