Chapter 31

Yao Guizhi looked at her fourth son. Over the years, her fourth son had endured many hardships for the family. The money he earned was mostly used to support her and her husband, and sometimes even helped the big house or the particularly struggling second house.

Now that her fourth son was married, she hoped he would be happy, that he and his wife could live well, and that they would have children soon. So, when she heard her fourth daughter-in-law’s words, how could she refute them? She sighed softly and said to Lan Yun’er, “Since you found it, what you do with it is up to you.”

Lan Yun’er smiled. “Thank you, Mom.”

But Cao Yunxia and Huo Junda were dissatisfied.

Cao Yunxia said, “Mom, these two wild boars are so fat. Shouldn’t they be shared with everyone? Giving them all to the fourth house… Isn’t that a bit much?”

Huo Junda agreed. “Yes, Mom, these wild boars are so fat, they should be shared by everyone. We can’t just give them all to the fourth house.”

He glanced at Huo Tianbao, who was standing next to Huo Jianzhang, and continued, “After spring, Tianbao is going to school, and we don’t even know how we’re going to manage his tuition. If we get a share of the boars, we could sell them in town and have money to pay his tuition. You’ve always said that success comes from studying. Now that Tianbao wants to study but doesn’t have the money for tuition, don’t you feel sorry?”

He began with talking about splitting the boar, but quickly turned it into a plea to get more. He clearly wanted a whole boar for himself.

Hearing Huo Junda’s shameless words, Lan Yun’er almost laughed out loud. Only Huo Junda and his wife could make such shameless words sound so formal. She lazily glanced at Huo Junda and said, “Big Brother, this wild boar was discovered by me. It should belong to me. What, do you want to take it from me?”

“You…” Huo Junda was about to argue, but Lan Yun’er interrupted, “What, you want to say that everything you bring back should be shared by everyone? If that’s the case, I have a question for you. When you went to town to buy some good food, why didn’t you share it with everyone? Why did you hide in your room and eat it secretly? Big Brother, you’re so petty. Why should others be generous when you aren’t? Isn’t your behavior a bit unreasonable?”

Lan Yun’er sneered at him; her tone full of mockery.

Huo Junda was momentarily stunned but soon gritted his teeth and said, “When did I secretly eat good food? Stop talking nonsense!”

“Who’s talking nonsense? When you bought things in town, Aunt Miao and Aunt Guo saw you. Should I go and invite them to testify that you bought good food?” Lan Yun’er scoffed and gave Huo Junda a contemptuous look. Then, she turned to Yao Guizhi and said, “Mom, Aunt Miao and Aunt Guo saw Big Brother buy a lot of good food. Maybe he even has some leftovers at home. Also, since Big Brother has money to buy good food, why doesn’t he have money for Tianbao’s tuition? Doesn’t that seem off?”

Yao Guizhi was already furious. She glared at Huo Junda and Cao Yunxia, scolding them, “You two are shameless! I’m embarrassed for you! You buy good food and don’t share it, but now you want Yun’er to share? How dare you? Hmm?”

Cao Yunxia and Huo Junda were both stunned by the scolding. Huo Junda lowered his head, not daring to speak. Cao Yunxia glanced at the fat boar, wanting to say something, but when she saw Yao Guizhi glaring at her, she kept silent.

Lan Yun’er sneered inwardly. If they thought they could take her things, they were dreaming.

That night, when they were about to slaughter a boar, Cao Yunxia sarcastically said, “Since we’re not getting any of the boar, we’ll just not help with the slaughtering. Let the fourth house handle it themselves.”

Huo Junda didn’t want to help either. His anger was only growing as he realized he wouldn’t get any of the boar. He also wanted to have some of the meat.

Lan Yun’er glanced at them but didn’t bother to talk to them. She knew someone else would teach them a lesson.

At that moment, Huo Jianzhang came out with a wooden basin, ready to collect the pork. He immediately glared at Cao Yunxia, saying, “If you don’t want to help slaughter the pig, then don’t eat any meat when we have dinner tonight!”

His tone was harsh, clearly not joking. Cao Yunxia was stunned. She didn’t expect her father-in-law to be so serious.

Eventually, Cao Yunxia and Huo Junda helped, because they didn’t want to miss out on the meat. It would be unbearable to see everyone else eating meat while they couldn’t.

That evening, the whole family worked together to slaughter the boar. Fortunately, the neighbors were away, so they didn’t have to worry about the noise.

When the meal was ready, it was already late, but no one was tired. Everyone was excited at the thought of enjoying a hearty meal. As they sat at the table, Huo Jianzhang said, “Thanks to Xiaoyun, we’ve eaten a lot of meat these days. Xiaoyun is like a lucky star for our family.”

Yao Guizhi added, “Who else but Xiaoyun could find two wild boars fighting each other and bring them home? She’s our lucky star. And don’t forget about the wild chickens, rabbits, and mushrooms she’s found. Only Xiaoyun could have such luck.”

Lan Yun’er smiled shyly, eating the meat.

They praised her, and she was content. They didn’t suspect her, but she couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy about how they regarded her as a “lucky star” just because she found some wild game twice.

After dinner, as they were about to sleep, the next morning, at around five o’clock, Lan Yun’er and Huo Jinchen got up. Huo Jinchen loaded the meat onto a cart to sell it in town.

This time, the wild boar meat sold quickly. Afterward, Lan Yun’er treated Huo Jinchen to a bowl of noodles at a local shop, both of them enjoying the meal.

After finishing the noodles, they went to a private herbal medicine shop in an alley to sell the herbs they had gathered.

However, they were surprised to see Zhou Mingyue there. Her face looked even worse than the day before, and she had bruises on her arms, which suggested she had been beaten again.

Lan Yun’er couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her, though she had no idea why Zhou Mingyue was constantly getting beaten.

Zhou Mingyue, on the other hand, glared at Lan Yun’er with hatred. She was envious of Lan Yun’er’s fortune and beauty, especially her flawless skin, which seemed to have improved recently. She couldn’t help but think that perhaps Lan Yun’er and Huo Jinchen had become intimate.

Seeing Lan Yun’er’s improved appearance only fueled Zhou Mingyue’s jealousy. She clenched her fists, her eyes burning with resentment.

She had to act quickly to get Lan Yun’er and Hu Xinkai together, or Lan Yun’er and Huo Jinchen might even have children!