Chapter 25: Neighborly Relations

Wang Jinhe nodded in agreement, “That’s true.”

She had wondered how someone like that could show up, truly embarrassing. Fortunately, it had nothing to do with her father; otherwise, it would have been a much bigger embarrassment.

Xie Kang happily carried a young wild boar back home, his wife was startled when she saw him, holding the wild boar. “Husband, where did you get this?”

“There were several wild boars that ran into Dagui’s land, and they asked us to help catch them. He gave us one to raise for the New Year feast,” Xie Kang said as he put the wild boar in the pigsty. Looking at the thirty or forty-pound wild boar, he was in a very good mood.

Xie Kang’s wife looked surprised, “He just gave it to us like that?”

“Exactly. There were eight wild boars in total, and they only got three. Xie Fei went along as well and managed to snatch one at the end,” Xie Kang said, clearly displeased when mentioning Xie Fei.

“Xie Fei has always been an early riser for profit. Be careful when dealing with him in the future; don’t let him take advantage of you.”

“Don’t worry, wife. By the way, today when we went to Dagui’s land, they had about two acres of sandy soil all planted with watermelons. They looked really good, with dense flowers and lots of fruits. Dagui said they’re going to plant for a year first, and if they can sell at a good price, they’ll save some seeds for us next year so that we can grow some together,” Xie Kang said to his wife. “I haven’t been able to give you a good life in these past years, but I promise to earn more in the future so that you can have a better one.”

Xie Kang’s wife, Wang Yan, looked at him tenderly and said, “You’ve given me a home, and that’s more than enough. We can make our lives even better, and I’ve always believed in you.”

“It’s just that I couldn’t give you a child, and I…” Wang Yan said disappointingly.

Xie Kang looked at her displeased and said, “Look, you’re bringing up that topic again. Having children is a matter of fate, and we’re fine without them.”

“Alright,” Wang Yan’s eyes welled up with tears. She felt truly fortunate to have a husband like him.

Reaching out to caress Wang Yan’s cheek, Xie Kang said, “I have a feeling that the Dagui family’s future will be even better.”

“That’s great; they’ve had a tough time over the years,” Wang Yan said.

“If the watermelons at Dagui’s place do well today, I’ll boldly ask him for some seedlings. We can plant an acre of land ourselves,” Xie Kang said to his wife earnestly.

Wang Yan smiled and nodded, “Okay.”

Zhang Zhilin and Xiao Bao stood together at the entrance of the pigsty, gazing at the three wild boars inside.

“What name do you plan to give them, Xiao Bao?” Zhang Zhilin asked, looking at the young boy.

“No names, we’re going to slaughter them for meat during the New Year,” Xiao Bao said, tilting his little head.

Wang Jinhe almost stumbled upon hearing this. So, it seemed Xiao Bao didn’t give them names because they were meant to be raised for a long time, like the chickens, which were named because they laid eggs.

The fact that these three wild boars were going to be slaughtered for the New Year made a big difference in how they were treated compared to the animals that were not meant for consumption.

“Do people still eat wild boar meat?” Zhang Zhilin asked curiously.

“I don’t know. When we slaughter the pigs this year, I’ll have my mom send you some, and then you’ll find out,” Xiao Bao said.

Wang Jinhe couldn’t help but sympathize with the wild boars in the pigsty. They hadn’t even grown up yet, but their meat was already on the chopping block.

“Alright.”

“Are you still looking, Xiao Bao?”

“No, I’m not looking anymore. They’re not as cute as Big Baa Baa and Little Baa Baa. They’re so ugly.”

“So, shall we continue with our reading practice?” Zhang Zhilin asked Xiao Bao.

He enjoyed teaching Xiao Bao how to read, and Xiao Bao was quite talented at remembering the characters.

“Sure!” Xiao Bao was enthusiastic about learning to read. Every time, he looked forward to Zhang Zhilin coming to teach him.

Wang Jinhe, watching the two children, was surprised when they chose to continue reading instead of looking at the wild boars. She asked, “Aren’t you going to watch them anymore?”

Xiaobao shook his head, showing clear disdain, “No, they’re too ugly.”

Wang Jinhe’s lips couldn’t help but twitch as she looked at Xiao Bao. Was it because the wild boars were too ugly that Xiao Bao didn’t want to give them names? From Xiao bao’s disgusted expression, it seemed quite possible.

Zhang Zhilin nodded in agreement; indeed, the wild boars were quite ugly.

Wang Jinhe was momentarily at a loss for words. Were these two little guys the presidents of the “Outer Appearance Association” or something?

But it was true that the wild boars were rather unattractive, unlike the domestic pigs, which looked much more appealing.

While the two children continued with their reading practice, Wang Jinhe prepared some food for the wild boars. She added some spring water to the feed, which should help improve the meat quality of the wild boars.

After Xie Fei took the wild boar back home, people from the village started to hear about Wang Dagui having several wild boars and began coming over, hoping to get one to raise.

“I heard your family has seven or eight wild boar piglets. You can’t possibly raise all of them. How about giving one to my family? What do you think?” one villager asked.

“I want one too.”

“My family wants one as well.”

Seeing them like this, Wang Jinhe’s expression turned cold. When they quieted down, she spoke up, “Are you trying to get something for nothing? So what if my family has wild boar piglets? If you want one, go and try to snatch it yourself.”

“If you go to the homes of those selling piglets and say such things, won’t they kick you out? What kind of attitude is this?” Wang Jinhe angrily retorted.

These people seemed to have no intention of paying; they wanted her to give the wild boars away for free.

“You have so many, what’s the harm in giving one away?” one of them said.

“Yeah, why are you so stingy?”

“I’m not stingy. How about trading one wild boar piglets  with ten egg-laying hens? Our three wild boar piglets are not in high demand.”

Hearing that Wang Jinhe was willing to trade for ten egg-laying hens, they were infuriated, “How shameless can you be? We worked hard to raise those hens, and you want to snatch them from us.”

“You’re saying that as if we didn’t work hard to catch these wild boar piglets. Being hypocritical like this, do you have no shame?”

Some of them felt embarrassed and realized they had gone too far. They chuckled awkwardly and left, leaving only the initial group of people who had made the request.

“You don’t have to wait here. I can afford to raise these three wild boar piglets, and I won’t give them to you. What can you do about it? If you want wild boars, have the guts to catch them yourselves. There are plenty in the mountains. Go ahead,” Wang Jinhe shooed them away as if they were flies.

Wang Jinhe’s words infuriated the group, “There are jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards in the mountains, and you want us to go die? What kind of heart do you have?”

“Hmm? What’s wrong with me? You wanted wild boars, didn’t you? I’m just giving you some advice. How did it turn into me telling you to go die?”

“Wang Jinhe, you’re so heartless. No wonder you can’t find a husband. You deserve it.”

Wang Jinhe watched as these people resorted to hurtful words when they couldn’t win the argument, and suddenly, she felt that there were unpleasant individuals everywhere.