Chapter 91: A Giant Cabbage Falls from the Sky

The villagers were all busy with their work with full of energy, while only Hu Dashan’s family remained mired in the grief of losing their son.

An old Taoist priest had once told them that their family was fated to be without descendants. If they didn’t adopt a lucky girl, they would never have children in their lifetime. After they adopted Hu Zhaodi, they finally had a son, but before he even came of age, their relentless behavior drove Hu Zhaodi to cut ties with them.

Without Hu Zhaodi, the Hu family’s son wouldn’t be able to grow up healthily. The concept of cause and effect is clear: the cause was their ability to have a child, and the effect was that child’s birth. Hu Yaozu came because of Hu Zhaodi, and ultimately, he faded away completely when she left.

For seven days straight, Hu Dashan would stand far away from the private school on the east side of the village, watching it from a distance, listening to the children read aloud, wiping away tears that fell again and again. On the eighth day after the school reopened, Hu Dashan didn’t go there.

Early that morning, he came to the Ji family courtyard. When he saw Hu Zhaodi come out, he choked up and said, “Zhaodi, can I work in the pine grove?”

Hu Zhaodi gave him a cold glance. “I don’t need anyone on my work site right now. Go ask somewhere else!”

“Zhaodi, I was wrong. I’m truly sorry. I know I was wrong. This year, we barely got any harvest from our fields. Could you please have mercy on me and let me work on your site?”

Hu Zhaodi sneered, “Hu Dashan, after all the times you and your family tried to set me up, do you really think I’d let you work on my site? I wouldn’t dare live in any house you helped build.”

She continued, “Just go. Don’t show up in front of me again. Every time I see you, I just want to hit you.”

With a thud, Hu Dashan fell to his knees. “Zhaodi, I really know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have listened to my mother and plotted against you. I swear I won’t ever do it again. Our family has no food this year. Could you please take pity on me and let me work?”

Without even sparing him a glance, Hu Zhaodi turned around and went into the kitchen to fetch water for washing up.

When the Ji family finished breakfast and was about to head out, even Zhang had come over and was kneeling outside the courtyard with Hu Dashan.

Uncle Ji looked at Hu Zhaodi, asking for her thoughts.

Hu Zhaodi replied, “Ignore them. Let them kneel if they want to. Lock the door, and let’s get on with our day.”

Uncle Ji nodded slightly, instructed Aunt Ji to lock the door, then went to lead the ox and horse out to graze near the pine grove.

After the Ji family left, Hu Dashan and his wife exchanged glances. Hu Dashan said, “Let’s go back and get our hoes.”

Zhang looked confused. “What for?”

“To go to the pine grove with our hoes. Zhaodi won’t chase us off in front of the whole village, right?”

“Good idea.” Zhang nodded in agreement.

The two of them got up and went back home to fetch their hoes.

Just as Hu Zhaodi and the Ji family arrived at the pine grove, Hu Dashan and his wife showed up carrying their hoes. Hu Zhaodi frowned, stepping in front of them.

“Didn’t I make myself clear? I don’t need extra people on my work site. Even if you work here, I won’t pay you.”

“Zhaodi…” Hu Dashan started, embarrassed.

But before he could continue, Hu Zhaodi cut him off. “Get lost! If you show up at my work site again, don’t blame me for being harsh!”

Hu Dashan and his wife were dumbfounded, never expecting that Hu Zhaodi would actually kick them out in front of the whole village, leaving them utterly humiliated.

As Hu Zhaodi’s gaze grew colder, cold sweat started to form on Hu Dashan’s back.

Remembering how a kick from Hu Zhaodi had sent him flying before, he shivered, grabbed Mrs. Zhang, and quickly left.

After driving away Hu Dashan, Hu Zhaodi gave Grandpa Ji a few instructions, then headed alone into the mountains.

The villagers had come to help build houses, all doing hard physical labor, so she had to think of ways to ensure they were well-fed.

With meat and some rich dishes, they’d have the strength to keep going. If she could catch a couple of wild boars, she’d sell them to the villagers at the lowest price, letting them enjoy a little extra.

Once deep in the mountains, Hu Zhaodi let out two sharp whistles.

But after walking for a while, there was still no sign of the wolf pack joining her.

“Strange, where did the wolves go?”

Picking up her pace, Hu Zhaodi continued deeper into the mountains, whistling as she went.

After about an incense stick’s time, the wolf pack finally appeared.

However, the sight of one gray wolf with an injured hind leg made Hu Zhaodi frown.

She rushed over to the injured wolf. “How did you get hurt? Who hurt you?”

The wolves couldn’t answer, only looking at her with a sad, helpless expression.

Hu Zhaodi crouched down to examine the wound. It didn’t look like a bite from a large predator; it seemed more like a puncture from a sharp object.

She applied some anti-inflammatory and hemostatic medicine and bandaged the wolf’s leg.

Patting the lead wolf’s head, she said in a low voice, “How did your companion get injured? Where did it happen? Take me to see.”

“Woo woo~”

Though it couldn’t speak, the wolf understood her.

The lead wolf turned and led Hu Zhaodi deeper into the mountains.

This part of the mountains was unfamiliar to her.

The further in they went, the thicker the forest became; sunlight couldn’t penetrate here.

The jungle was cool and damp, filled with the scent of decaying leaves.

Suddenly, from a short distance ahead, she heard the grunts of wild boars.

The wolf pack halted, staring ahead with fear in their eyes.

Hu Zhaodi crept forward cautiously, edging closer to the boars.

Closer… and closer!

Then, in the next instant, Hu Zhaodi’s eyes widened as she clamped a hand over her mouth.

Ahead was a huge herd of wild boars, roughly estimated at thirty to forty in total.

The largest was about five hundred pounds, while the smallest looked freshly weaned.

No wonder the wolves got hurt.

With boars of this size, and a herd this massive, it’d be a miracle if eight wolves could handle them.

The wound on the gray wolf’s leg was likely from the boar’s tusks.

Hu Zhaodi slowed her breathing, carefully retreating without making a sound.

If the wild boars spotted her, she could escape into her space, but the wolf pack would suffer, especially the injured one.

After retreating to a safe distance, she signaled for the wolves to lie down.

From her space, she pulled out a pile of cabbages and some potent sedatives.

Sprinkling the sedatives over the cabbages, she then stored them back in her space.

She carefully approached the herd again, and when close, climbed up a nearby tree.

Staring at the large herd of wild boars, Hu Zhaodi’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

With a thought, she dropped the sedative-laced cabbages into the middle of the boar herd, then hid behind the tree trunk.

The falling cabbages startled the boars, sending them scattering in all directions.

But finding no threat, they regrouped and began devouring the cabbages.