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“Not going.” Liu shi firmly refused.
Zhou Da and Zhou Er were relentless. “Mother, you say you can kill pigs with your bare hands, but you’re too scared to catch a wild boar. You’re useless!”
Liu shi felt somewhat embarrassed by their words. “Who says I’m useless?”
Zhou Da and Zhou Er sneered. “Then go catch the wild boar, Mother!”
Liu shi fell into their trap and, without thinking, replied, “Fine, fine, I’ll go catch one for you to see!”
“Really?” Zhou Da and Zhou Er’s eyes widened in delight, their faces breaking into smiles.
Liu shi had already said the words, and now she couldn’t back down. She gritted her teeth and replied, “That’s right.”
Zhou Da and Zhou Er both laughed. “Mother is really amazing! She’s going to catch a wild boar, we’ll have wild boar meat to eat!”
Liu shi was so flattered by their praise that her spirits soared. She decided to take a quick walk up the mountain and then return, planning to tell the children there were no wild boars left.
“I’ll go up the mountain now, but you two have to behave and wait for me at home.”
Zhou Da and Zhou Er smiled broadly and said, “Yes, Mother.”
Liu shi took a sickle from home and set off toward the mountain.
The forest on the mountain was dense, and the quiet sky echoed with the chirping of birds.
This wasn’t Liu shi’s first time coming to the mountain, but it was the first time she had come alone, and she couldn’t help but feel a little frightened.
She carefully made her way to a spot hidden from view, squatted for a moment, and then stood up, preparing to leave.
However, just as she was about to leave, a rustling sound suddenly came from behind her.
Liu shi’s heart skipped a beat, and she turned her head slightly to look behind her. To her surprise, she found that a large wild boar had appeared out of nowhere.
This wild boar was even larger than the one that had chased after Tan Yiliang last time. Its sharp teeth gleamed, and its dark, shiny fur glistened with an oily sheen.
Liu shi froze in place, her legs going weak in fear.
The wild boar stared at her as if she were its sworn enemy, its face contorted with rage, its large nostrils flaring and expelling air with each breath.
Liu shi seemed to realize something and began to retreat while hastily saying, “Uh… uh… Mr. Boar, I’m just passing through. It wasn’t me who killed your wife; it was that old Tan family! If you want revenge, go find them!”
But the wild boar, of course, couldn’t understand her words. It charged at her, its hooves pounding the ground.
Liu shi quickly turned and fled.
The wild boar gave chase with relentless speed.
Though Liu shi was in good shape, she couldn’t outrun the wild boar.
Before long, the boar caught up to her.
The boar wasn’t immediately aiming to bite; instead, it lifted its front hooves and delivered a powerful kick to her backside.
Liu shi was thrown forward by the impact.
In this mountainous terrain, there were all kinds of strange and unexpected obstacles.
Ahead of her was a patch of thorny grass.
Liu shi fell into the thicket, and her once smooth skin was now covered with scratches, the pain causing her to cry out, “Help! Help!”
The wild boar, perhaps also wary of the thorny grass, hesitated and didn’t advance any further.
Although Liu shi was bleeding from the thorns, she had at least managed to save her life for the day.
She let out a long sigh of relief, truly too frightened to return.
By nightfall,
The pickles at the old Tan family’s place were nearly ready. However, due to a lack of salt, they could only preserve a small portion.
The remaining pickles would be left to be preserved the next day.
On the first day, Old Tan hurried off to buy salt, leaving early in the morning for the county town.
This time, he specifically brought Tan Sanyuan’s jade pendant with him, hoping to find his family, so he didn’t bring Tan Yiliang and the others along.
Walking down the street, Old Tan passed through three blocks before finally finding a pawn shop.
For such a valuable item, the pawn shop would likely know the most.