At that moment, there was noise from the entrance as a group of teenage boys came into view, hopping around cheerfully.
Zhang Shi fixed a fierce gaze on the youths and spat fire at them. “Only when meal time arrives, do you rascals remember your way home. What sort of massive business are you brats engaged in that keeps you loafing about outside all morning? If you think you are almighty now that you’ve grown some hair, then settle your own meals outside by yourself!”
It was clear that the bunch of young men had become accustomed to her naggings. They playfully scampered around and avoided their grandmother. Eventually, one of them raised a question, “Granny, there seems to be a carriage parked right in front of our house. Did someone visit us?”
“Have you not seen your aunt over there? Get your ass over and say hello.”
The four mischievous brats obeyed the instructions of their grandmother, joyfully hopped up to their aunt and greeted her.
Old man Qin had three sons.
Qin Jiang, his firstborn, accompanied by his wife, Liang Shi, who had given birth to two children named Qin Shan and Qin Chuan. The elder sibling had established his own family and the younger one was thirteen years of age.
Qin He and Fang Shi, the second son and daughter-in-law, had two kids named Qin Shu and Qin Mu, aged 15 and 8 years respectively.
His third son, Qin Hai and his wife Luo Shi, had an only child named Qin Mian, who recently celebrated his tenth birthday.
Except for Qin Shan, who had settled down outside with his wife, all the youngest members of the Qin household were residing here. Su Jin could not help but feel amazed. There must be an uneven balance between the yin and yang elements in this family, since their descendants were heavily skewed towards the yang side.1TL note: traditional Chinese concept for union of opposites, where yin denotes feminine side and yang denotes masculine side
Qin Shi quickly spoke up to her mother when she saw was about to enter the kitchen. “Mother, we brought along some gifts for our visit today. Please use them to prepare a scrumptious meal for lunch.”
After saying so, she turned around and brought Su Jin along to unload the goods off the carriage.
“Wow aunt, your carriage looks splendid. There’s even meat too!”
“Let us help with unloading the stuff, aunt.”
“That’s right, manual labour is meant for man. Allow us to take care of it.”
Su Jin was just about to praise the youth for their diligence, but her mood took a sharp turn when she heard the last remark.
(Excuse me? Are you suggesting that a woman of my capabilities would get outdone by some male kiddo?)
She wrapped everything around her arms and quickly made her way into the house, not giving the teenagers any chance to help out.
The group of youths: “…… This relative is a tigress.”
“If you spout more nonsense, grandma will give your butts some spanking.”
Due to the abundance of male children in the Qin household, all of which were capable of tough manual labour, the family was naturally financially sound. But even for them, meat was a luxury that was only prepared once every few months, and even when it was served, it typically consisted of the more affordable cuts.
Not only was this the first time they had seen so much meat in their home, it comprised mostly of high quality fatty meat to boot.
Recent years had been rough for the villages, and rural farmers like them rarely had the financial leeway to afford fatty meat or even meat stock in their meals, since they could only be obtained at a high price.
The Qin family silently gulped while looking at meat. Their sister-in-law’s generosity surpassed their expectations. These gifts must have cost a fortune. There was even sugar included.
Her second sister-in-law, Fang Shi, had a wide grin on her face. There was a complete shift in her attitude as she held Qin Shi’s hand. “Sister-in-law, did you receive a windfall or something?”
“No, no such thing happened… Xiao Jin bought all of these to pay respect to her grandparents. At the same time, she also wanted to request help from her uncles.”
The eldest sister-in-law, Liang Shi interposed, “What kind of request? I will summon them over right away.”
She quickly went to the back of the house.
Soon after, a group of three tanned, robust men came running over with perspiration dripping from their foreheads. “Younger sister, what’s the matter? Although we are delighted to have you here, it would have been more convenient for you to hire someone to deliver a message and ask us to come over.”
Su Jin stood up and obediently greeted her uncles, then returned to her mother’s side and listened quietly.
“Eldest brother, second brother and third brother. Since you are all present, I will get straight to the point. Su Jin intends to convert a piece of undeveloped land which requires a significant amount of manpower. She wishes to employ you guys to help out.”
Her second brother, Qin He, wiped the sweat off his forehead and waved his hand. “Is that all? I thought something had happened. You can skip the complicated procedures of “hiring” us. Just call for us and we will personally help out regardless of the day and time! Tomorrow…. No, we can accompany you when you return later. It’s just a task of developing wasteland. There is no need to fuss over employing or paying us.”
Qin Hai, her third brother, nodded in agreement. He had thought his younger sister’s family had encountered another unfortunate event. Thankfully, it was a misplaced worry.
Despite being against her principles, Su Jin did not attempt to persuade her uncles to accept payment after they had refused it. It was much easier to compensate them through sending gifts which could be useful for their daily needs, as opposed to giving cash.
“We will lend a hand too!” The four young men exclaimed together.
Qin Shi smiled and did not turn them down. When the work started, she would naturally include her nephews’ wages in the compensation as well, which would improve the finances of her mother’s family.
“Very well, aunt will feed all of you well while you are at work.”
It was hectic within the kitchen. The daughters-in-law of the Qin family moved nimbly as they prepared the dishes with the fresh ingredients brought by Qin Shi. Although their limbs were agile, their eyes occasionally shifted uncontrollably towards the giant pot of meat.
Old lady Zhang looked at her daughters-in-law who were easily side-tracked and rolled her eyes. “What an embarrassing display…”
The meal which the whole family were eagerly expecting had finally been served.
A large pot filled to the brim with succulent, fatty meat was presented on the table. The Qin family looked at the meat with great enthusiasm and anticipation as their mouth watered. Dishes that contained meat or meat stock were limited to special occasions which only happened a handful of times throughout the year. The dish in front of them was something more extravagant than the New Year feasts they normally had. It was an extremely satisfying meal.
Even the three sisters-in-law, who had an unfavourable impression of Qin Shi, had now changed their opinions. They were now enjoying each other’s company and interacted like real sisters.
There was no problem in this world that could not be resolved over a pot of good meat!
……
Shang Yang village was surrounded by mountains on three of its sides, and the mountain which Su Jin had planned to explore today was on the right side.
After lunch was over, she informed her mom and made her way towards the mountain.
While Zhang Shi was preoccupied, the youths who noticed their cousin stepping out, decided to sneak out and followed Su Jin.
“What do you want to do in the mountains, Xiao Jin? There is nothing valuable that can be found on the outskirts, and entry into the deeper regions is forbidden. If granny discovers that we wandered into the restricted zone, she will break our legs…”
One of the youths finally asked after deducing that Su Jin’s destination was the mountains, since she had been heading straight in the direction of the mountains without making any detours.
Initially, they had assumed that their cousin was just taking a leisurely stroll, gathering some wild flowers on the way and engaging in activities that young girls tend to enjoy. They did not expect her to maintain her pace towards the mountain, and she was just about to cross the fence set up in the village.
“Don’t worry, I will be alright. I am just going in for a quick walk. You guys should go home first…”
Su Jin waved them off and climbed over the fencing.
The lady at the bazaar, whom she bought the chillies from, had shared with her that the chillies were picked up in the mountains here by her grandfather and other experienced hunters.
They had mistaken it to be an edible fruit when they saw a domesticated animal unscathed after ingesting it. But when they tried to eat it after they had returned, they were inflicted with intense pain and disposed of the remaining stock into a corner of the warehouse.
The youths found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. Should they… follow along, or turn back? If they were to return at this point and their grandmother found out that they failed to prevent their cousin from bypassing the fence, she would probably beat the living hell out of them. If they were to follow their cousin…. a similar fate awaits them!?
(Argh, why does it feel like a dilemma where proceeding and retreating are both bad options?)
The eldest member of the group looked at his younger siblings, who had furrowed their eyebrows in frustration, and let out a deep sigh. Is it truly conceivable that a girl displayed more courage than all of them combined? Could she really explore the mountains without the protection of a seasoned hunter?
TL Corner: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you liked my translation and wish to support me, you could leave a comment below or in novelupdates, or send me a Ko-Fi. Thank you!
