Chapter 6: The Strange Old Man

By evening, the once quiet village had come alive with the fading glow of the setting sun.

The village aunties were bustling in the kitchens, cooking up a storm, each bringing out dishes they usually reserved only for New Year celebrations.

The air was thick with the rich aroma of meat, wafting into every corner of the village.

The men working in the fields quickened their steps toward home.

Children ran joyfully through the village, excitedly chanting about the delicious feast to come.

The elderly sat at their doorsteps, breathing in the rare, mouthwatering scent, their faces beaming with satisfaction.

The entire village was bathed in this warm, enticing atmosphere, full of the simple joys of life and human connection.

Before long, the villagers began setting up tables outside. Little Jiu sat at one of the tables with the clan elders.

Plates of cooked wild boar meat were brought out one after another. The meat had been prepared by Sister Xu using a recipe from the book—it was mouthwateringly fragrant.

Everyone waited for the village chief to take the first bite.

Little Jiu picked up a piece of wild boar meat and put it in her mouth. Seeing this, the others finally dug in.

The wild boar meat was tender and juicy, yet still had a satisfying chew to it. Rich but not greasy, its unique flavor bloomed across the tongue.

It was nothing like the wild boar they had eaten before, which was just boiled in water with some salt. Today’s meat had no gamey taste at all—it was incredibly flavorful.

The villagers couldn’t stop praising Xu Xiaoxiao’s cooking skills.

Xu Xiaoxiao quickly waved her hands in embarrassment, not daring to take the credit. “I just followed the recipe and used the seasonings the village chief gave me,” she explained.

Everyone then turned their praise to Little Jiu. Their village chief really was extraordinary—not only did she know how to govern, she even knew how to cook! Was there anything she couldn’t do?

The clan elders were all busy burying their faces in the meat. In their entire lives, they had never eaten meat this delicious. If nothing else, their lives now felt complete.

Meanwhile, Little Jiu’s mind was filled with one thought: Delicious! Delicious! Delicious!

She was determined to help the villagers make lots of money—so they could eat meat every day in the future.

……

After the meal, the villagers lounged about contentedly. The men gathered to chat and brag, the women gossiped about daily life, and the children huddled together, excitedly saying that they wanted to grow up to be as amazing as the village chief. They were going to hunt in the mountains and eat meat every day.

The atmosphere was even livelier than New Year’s.

Xu Xiaoxiao gently patted the village chief’s round little belly, a bit worried she might suffer from indigestion that night.

Little Jiu also felt a bit stuffed and decided to take Cuihua out for a walk to help with digestion.

She figured she might as well check in on the old man they rescued today—after all, today’s wild boar had been a reward for saving him.

According to the village’s Doctor Huang, the animal trap had already been removed from the old man’s foot, but the wound was slightly infected. Unfortunately, Huang only had basic herbs to stop bleeding.

Little Jiu remembered the bottle of anti-inflammatory medicine the system had just rewarded her with, so she took it and headed to Doctor Huang’s house, knocking before entering.

The old man lying on the wooden bed—Old Xu—turned his head and then suddenly widened his eyes. He abruptly sat up, limped over to Little Jiu, and stared at her intently.

“You… what’s your name?”

“I’m the village chief of Taoyuan Village, Shi Xiaojiu,” Little Jiu replied proudly, puffing out her chest.

“How can this be?” Old Xu stared at Xiaojiu in shock.

How could there be two people in the world who looked so alike?

“Look like who?” Xiaojiu asked in confusion. Did this old man hit his head or something? He’s acting so weird.

“N-No one,” the old man replied quickly.

His gaze turned blank as he slowly sat back down on the wooden bed, lost in thought. In that moment, he seemed to age even more. Already looking a bit shabby before, he now appeared downright haggard.

Xiaojiu hurriedly pulled out the anti-inflammatory medicine and handed it to him. “Here, this is for you.”

Old Xu snapped out of his daze and slowly took the ointment. He examined it curiously—it was something he had never seen before. “What is this?”

“Ointment. It’s anti-inflammatory. It’ll help heal your foot,” Xiaojiu answered.

“Thank you for saving me… and for this medicine. Child, who are your parents? How old are you?” Old Xu asked cautiously.

“I don’t have parents. The clan elders found me on the mountain.”

“And I’m five years old!”

Xiaojiu remembered being brought back to the village by Grandpa Clan Chief. According to what the villagers had said, she had been abandoned under a banyan tree on the mountain right after she was born. She had lived in Taoyuan Village ever since.

In these five years, no one had ever come looking for her.

Nor had anyone in the area mentioned a missing child.

The villagers had always believed that their little village chief was a celestial being sent from heaven—Taoyuan Village’s ancestors must have been blessed! She just happened to fall onto their mountain, just happened to be picked up by them.

All these years, Xiaojiu had never wondered who her parents were, why she was left under the banyan tree, or thought about looking for her real family. She felt her life now was great—everyone in the village was her family.

Old Xu staggered a step back, nearly dropping the ointment in his hand. “You’re… five years old? And have no parents? How can this be such a coincidence?”

Xiaojiu looked at the old man sitting on the bed in a daze, looking like he’d just been dealt a huge blow. She could only think one thing: This guy is really strange.

Curious, she asked, “Who are you? Why were you in the mountain behind our village?”

Looking at Xiaojiu’s innocent little face, Old Xu quickly masked his odd reaction. While grimacing in pain, he opened the ointment and applied it to his injured foot. “Just call me Grandpa Xu. I don’t really know how I got here—I just got lost,” he said grumpily. “And who the hell was the little brat digging traps in the mountains? I fell right in! I shouted for ages, but not a single soul came! I’m an old man made of brittle bones—ended up fainting from the pain!”

Xiaojiu silently lit a candle in her heart for the village’s trapper.

Just in case Grandpa Xu started asking who dug the trap, she figured she’d better make her escape now. After quickly reminding him to apply the ointment regularly and rest well, she hurried off with Cuihua, leaving Doctor Huang’s house behind.

The next morning, light rain began to fall outside.

Before long, it turned into a downpour.

The villagers rushed out of their houses in excitement, cheering and running through the rain, shouting with joy. They let out all their long-suppressed emotions—anxieties and fears slowly washed away with each drop of rain, replaced by renewed hope and anticipation for the future.

The clan elders, beyond just feeling happy, were even more filled with respect and gratitude for their village chief.

She really was a divine being sent down to earth.

Taoyuan Village was truly blessed by its ancestors!