Chapter 24 1/2

“!”

Ji Yangzong widened his eyes. He took a deep breath. He was going to say it, he was!

Men still understood men’s thoughts. Even though he felt something was off about this young woman, the mother and daughter still refused to believe it.

But with just a few words, this young woman dared to admit it!

Ignoring whether Huo Shu would be upset, Ji Yangzong immediately said, “No!”

“Why?” Huo Shu asked.

“It’s just not possible,” Ji Yangzong said.

“If there are any concerns from Li Zheng’s side, they can be discussed. Everything can be negotiated.”

Ji Yangzong knew that Huo Shu was a woman of few words. Since she was so persistent, it seemed that she was serious.

Thinking of the many times he had reminded Taoyu, he hesitated for a moment. Still, he patiently said, “I’ll be blunt. My wife and I are not blessed with many children. Taoyu is our only daughter, and she’s not in good health. Finding a good family for her is the biggest consideration we can make for her future. I know you have abilities, but you are still an outsider. We can’t be sure when you might decide to leave for another place. Taoyu’s mother will definitely not want her to go far away.”

Ji Yangzong was still being tactful, not mentioning that Huo Shu had no local industry or means of livelihood.

But Huo Shu understood.

“I have money, so I can settle down.”

Ji Yangzong said, “He’s clumsy and in poor health. He can’t handle much household chores. I’m afraid he’ll burden you.”

“It won’t be a burden. If you’re worried, he can just stay at home.”

Ji Yangzong said impatiently, “If he moves in, will you still come to visit?”

“If he wants to, sure.”

Ji Yangzong widened his eyes at Huo Shu’s serious face and found himself at a loss for words.

After a while, he huffed, “Nonsense,” then turned and walked away briskly with his hands behind his back.

“Li Zheng, I’m not one to make empty promises. I’ll do what I’ve promised.”

“I’ll follow his wishes. If he doesn’t want it, I won’t force him. If he does, as I said, the Ji family’s desires can be negotiated.”

Ji Yangzong furrowed his brow when Huo Shu wasn’t looking. He stopped and said, “Xiao Taozi, do you understand what you’re saying?”

“Not yet.”

Ji Yangzong sighed, “Fine, I won’t stop you from seeing him. Just remember, if he doesn’t want it, don’t meddle.”

“Okay.”

…

There’s more than one butcher in Mingxun Village, but the most skilled is the one surnamed Qiao.

Although the work is bloody, it’s profitable. Butcher Qiao, known far and wide, is naturally one of the wealthiest in the village.

However, the Qiao family’s house in the village is not much better than the Zhao family’s.

The current Butcher Qiao and Ji Yangzong are of the same generation. Butcher Qiao’s elders were gamblers who squandered the family’s land, leading to their deaths while evading debt collectors, leaving behind a widow and orphan.

The gambling den compensated Butcher Qiao’s mother and him, but it wasn’t much. Unable to reclaim their land, they had no choice but to let Butcher Qiao learn the trade.

To support his family, Butcher Qiao became resolute. With a butcher’s nature, he went further down this path.

Now he’s earned quite a bit of money, with a shop in the city and property for convenience. Consequently, the village houses remained unchanged, looking dilapidated and impoverished, unlike those of prosperous families.

When Ji Yangzong and Huo Shu arrived at Butcher Qiao’s house, they could see several men in the courtyard.

Facing unfamiliar faces, Ji Yangzong didn’t recognize them; they were likely outsiders.

“Old Qiao, busy?”

Just outside the courtyard wall, Ji Yangzong peeked over and shouted into the yard.

“Li Zheng.”

A middle-aged man stood in front of the stone bridge in the yard, not particularly tall but visibly sturdy.

He was sharpening a knife when he heard Ji Yangzong’s voice and raised his head, nodding, “Come in, come into the yard.”

With that, Butcher Qiao put down the knife and walked over with a wide stride.

“It’s lively here.”

Ji Yangzong glanced at the men of various ages in the yard and joked with the butcher, whose face was somewhat broad, “You have a good reputation. Look, another one’s come for you, so you can choose a good apprentice.”

“Huo Shu, this is Qiao Liye, the renowned butcher in our village, known for his exceptional skills.”

“He’s used to hearing such praise.”

Qiao Liye chuckled and then turned to the unfamiliar man next to him, who nodded in greeting.

“This must be Zhao’s recognized foster son. I haven’t been in the village for a while, so it’s the first time I’ve seen him.”

“Yes, he’s already settled in our village. He said he wants to find a legitimate livelihood, and I remembered you mentioned wanting to take on apprentices a while back, so I brought him over to meet you.”

Huo Shu’s figure was similarly broad like the butcher’s, but he stood tall and straight, looking particularly imposing.

Unlike the butcher’s sturdy and imposing figure, Huo Shu’s stature was tall and upright, exuding a powerful presence.

Qiao Liye had to raise his head slightly to see the tall man approaching, and he was suddenly caught off guard by Huo Shu’s stern gaze and cold demeanor.

“Heard you’re back from the front lines?”

Huo Shu replied with a grunt.

Qiao Liye nodded and asked, “How many years have you been in the military?”

“About ten years.”

Qiao Liye’s brow twitched slightly. That explained it.

He led the two men to a spot and gestured for them to sit down.

With everyone assembled, Qiao Liye said, “A few days ago, I went to another town to slaughter some animals and bought back some livestock. Today, we’ll slaughter them all and sell them at the city market tomorrow.”

He introduced the five young men who came to learn the trade, “You’re here just in time to try your hand at the knife. If you have the talent and temperament, you can follow me in the future. After you’ve completed your apprenticeship, you can even start your own business.”

Seeing another competitor like Huo Shu, the young men all held their breath, knowing that not all of them would be able to stay. They were silently competing with each other.

Everyone knew that this profession could be lucrative and respectable, but it was also heavy with sin. Families who could afford it wouldn’t send their children to learn this trade. It was usually families struggling to make ends meet who were willing to send their children.

However, willingness didn’t guarantee suitability for the job. Many young people were afraid to wield the knife, lacking the courage and stability needed for the profession.

Even Qiao Liye’s own children weren’t necessarily cut out for the job, let alone others.

Qiao Liye had three children, none of whom were suitable for the trade. That’s why he wanted to take on two apprentices to pass on his skills.

Ji Yangzong sat down nearby, preparing to watch the excitement before leaving.

After a short while, Qiao Liye came out with two pigs and two sheep and led them to a corner of the yard, which was a bit wider than the usual chicken coop area.

He took out the knife he had just sharpened and said to the young men, “Each of you will slaughter one. Who wants to go first?”

The young men looked at the animals in the pen hesitantly and said, “One by one? Shouldn’t someone help hold them down?”

Qiao Liye replied, “If you want, I can do it.”

The young man who spoke earlier reluctantly fell silent. A slightly sturdy man stepped forward confidently and said, “I’ll go first.”

Qiao Liye handed him the pig-killing knife, and the man entered the pen, heading straight for the adult pig in the corner.

But before he could reach the animal, the pig snorted and darted to the other side of the pen. The man chased after it, causing all the animals in the pen to panic and run around.

The animals’ chaotic movements bumped into the man several times. He had initially wanted to be the first to step up and slaughter a pig to show off, but now, despite the seeming ease, he couldn’t even lay a hand on the pig, let alone kill it.

After about fifteen minutes of struggling, the man was sweating profusely.

Qiao Liye, seeing the chaos, was afraid that the pen in the yard would collapse from the animals’ frenzy if they continued to chase after them.

So, he jumped in and skillfully grabbed a pig by the ear, pulling its front leg while it was distracted, and pinned the animal to the ground. “Come here,” he said.

The man hurried over, sweating and trembling, hesitant to wield the knife. Although he thought he had experience slaughtering chickens and ducks at home, he found himself shaking when faced with larger animals.

In the end, it was Qiao Liye who took matters into his own hands.

Several other young men mustered up the courage to try, but the youngest and weakest-looking among them was the only one brave enough to wield the knife. However, his lack of strength caused the animal to break out of the pen after being slashed, creating chaos in the entire yard.

Ji Yangzong had never seen such a scene before. Normally, when a family needed to slaughter animals, they would hire skilled professionals who worked quickly and skillfully. This chaotic scene of chasing and driving animals was both exasperating and amusing to him.

In the end, despite the comical interruptions, everyone had a chance to try their hand and demonstrate their skills.

Ji Yangzong watched as the four young men had their turns, but with only four animals, Huo Shu hadn’t had a chance yet.

He glanced at the exhausted and slightly frightened young men, who were catching their breath, and then at Qiao Liye, who was cleaning his knife with a solemn expression. “There are five of you and only four animals. Huo Shu hasn’t gone yet. I didn’t force anyone to come here. It’s up to you to be satisfied.”

However, Qiao Liye waved his hand. “He doesn’t need to try.”

Ji Yangzong raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

Qiao Liye lowered his voice. “Others say I have a strong murderous aura, but this kid is even worse. My murderous aura comes from slaughtering animals, but he’s not even a butcher. Where does his come from?

“He’s seen others slaughter, and killing animals is as easy as cutting vegetables for him. Whether he tries or not, he can do this. It’s just a matter of practicing knife skills.”

Ji Yangzong took in a sharp breath. Qiao Liye’s words were true.

When the other young men were about to slaughter animals, he had to look away, but Huo Shu, on the other hand, remained calm, as if watching a circus act.

Even the butcher was intimidated by him. Could an ordinary person not be intimidated?

“He was recommended by Li Zheng, so his character should be fine. As long as his character is good, seeing is believing.”

Ji Yangzong forced a smile. “Thank you.”

“Li Zheng, no need for thanks. I should be the one thanking you for recommending a disciple who doesn’t require much teaching. Let’s have a drink together in a few days when I’m free.”

“Deal.”

They exchanged a few more pleasantries.

Ji Yangzong had come with a heavy heart, and now he left with an even heavier one.

He wondered how Xiao Taoyu had quietly recruited this big shot, making it a difficult situation. If he didn’t promise Xiao Taoyu to this kid in the future, he didn’t know if the kid would hold a grudge. If he did promise, he didn’t know if he would anger his future son-in-law when he got upset.

Ji Yangzong shook his head as he walked back, feeling particularly heavy-hearted. Day after day, nothing seemed to go smoothly.

In the end, Qiao Liye decided to keep two people: the brave young man who dared to wield the knife and Huo Shu.

He told them to start learning the trade the next day.

Huo Shu and Ji Yangzong parted ways at the fork in the road. Before leaving, Huo Shu looked at Ji Yangzong, who was walking back with his hands behind his back, and said, “Li Zheng, let me know if you need anything in the future.”

Ji Yangzong didn’t look back, just silently waved his hand.

Huo Shu watched the man, who seemed to be in a gloomy mood, and furrowed his brow.

He truly wasn’t some ferocious beast or flood that would cause Ji Yangzong to worry so much.

Huo Shu didn’t pursue the matter further, fearing that he might scare the old man, so he turned back and headed home.

Deep in thought, he walked all the way to the gate of Zhao’s house, where he heard laughter coming from the yard. “Greedy horse, wasn’t it unwilling to even let us touch it a few days ago? Now it’s willing because of the grass?”

Huo Shu pushed open the door and saw his big black horse with its mouth stuffed full of cow parsley. Normally, it would arrogantly raise its head to chew even if it had food in its mouth, but today it was unprecedentedly burying its head and eating.

The principle was that whoever fed the grass should be able to touch its head.

Huo Shu looked at the smiling little boy squatting beside the horse, fed it a handful of grass, and then patted its head, feeling pleased.

Finally, his furrowed brows relaxed: “Is your knee better?”