“You guys should return first, I will pursue her alone…” instructed Qin Shu1TL Note: And there the author goes again with the generic naming of Erlang/Sanlang etc… even mixing them together despite being from different parents. I’ll just insert the name in accordance with their age order, the eldest amongst the group.
After all, he couldn’t just sit idly and pretend that nothing had happened after witnessing Su Jin’s reckless behaviour. A responsible individual had to follow along and keep a rein on her. As long as they didn’t venture too far, things should be fine.
He climbed over the wooden fence.
“We should stick together, big brother,” the rest of the group exclaimed as they exchanged gazes of excitement. There was no way they would forfeit the chance to bypass the fence with a legitimate excuse, even if their primary purpose was to have fun.
…….
“Host, that group of kids have chased after you…”
A frown appeared on Su Jin’s face. If only she had taken a few detours from the start to shake them off… but it was too late for regrets. She was confident that the mountain posed no danger for her. But the same could not be said for her four little pursuers, since they were undoubtedly inferior in terms of endurance and prowess compared to her.
“Confirm their location. I shall remain here until they arrive.”
Ultimately, they entered the mountains due to concern for her well-being. Even if it would be more cumbersome, she would feel a sense of guilt if any harm were to come their way.
“Okie dokie~”
Su Jin waited for the group, leaning idly against a large tree and occasionally swinging her feet to stir up the fallen foliage on the ground. She stretched her limbs when her pursuers finally arrived.
“There you are, Xiao Jin. Thankfully, we were able to catch up before anything bad occurred. Let’s make haste and return. Danger looms around this area…”
Qin Chuan panted heavily. Prior to this occasion, the youngsters had heard of numerous glorified tales about individuals who returned from the mountains with precious treasures and hunted prey, which ignited a strong desire in them to one day embark on their own mountain exploration.
Now that an opportunity had presented itself, they were met with the harsh truth instead. It was a classic example of survivorship bias, as only those villagers who managed to make it back alive could spread words of their achievements. The unfortunate ones who succumbed would never have a chance to warn the rest of the dangers.
“Stick close to me and do not wander around on your own…” Su Jin rubbed her eyebrows and cast a brief glance in their direction. Due to the potential danger, she couldn’t possibly compel them to return on their own since they were already pretty deep in the mountains.
“Are we not heading back?”
“Cut the bullshit.” Su Jin rolled her eyes at the boys dismissively and instructed, “If you want to have meat, stick with me closely.”
“System, please keep a close eye on these brats for me.”
Although she was confident in protecting them, she requested for the aid of the system for safety measures, as potential hazards could arise from her blind spot.
System#2250 proudly reassured Su Jin, “Do not fear, for I am here!”
……
At dusk, Su Jin led the few people and descended from the mountain. As she walked briskly at a steady pace, far ahead of the group, she carried the spoils of war from today’s journey. The young males of the Qin family trailed behind her with weary faces, struggling to keep up.
Qin Chuan’s clothes were visibly tattered, while Qin Mu was now barefoot after losing his shoes on the journey. When viewed from afar, others might easily mistake them as uncivilized cavemen from their haggard and dishevelled appearances.
The journey proved to be… excessively invigorating for them.
Each of them had their own load to carry, and they clung to it fervently as if their survival depended on it.
No one would believe the events they had witnessed today. Their cousin from the Su family, which they had remembered as a weak and demure sister, had brought them along and hunted two roe deer, eight rabbits, three pheasants, and even collected plenty of eggs.
Who in their sane mind would honestly believe that? Even the most capable and seasoned hunters in their village had never boasted of accomplishing such a feat.
It was more plausible for the story to be dismissed as them not being in a proper state of mind, since none of them had recognized the abnormal circumstances of not encountering anyone on their way back home. With the assistance of the system, Su Jin had deliberately steered clear of other people. Although some might argue that the youths might have disregarded that occurrence since the roads were typically quiet in the late evening.
“Did you venture into the mountains again, Xiao Jin? These…”
“Indeed, dear grandmother, brother Qinshan and the others assisted in securing these spoils of the hunt. You can do the honours of deciding what to do with them, be it to retain them for consumption or to sell them for money.”
With a loud thud, the roe deer were unloaded from her shoulders. In any case, her main objective had been accomplished. It was a bountiful harvest and all of the chillies had been stored in the system’s inventory.
Those harvests from the mountains were insignificant to Su Jin, since she had the ability to acquire them at any given moment. However, the same could not be said for her grandmother and her relatives. These valuable resources could vastly enhance their meals and daily lives. She had to somehow compensate her uncles for their assistance too.
Before Zhang Shi had a chance to react, the eyes of the second daughter-in-law, Fang Shi, were already beaming with light.
When she first caught sight of her son returning from a distance with tattered clothes, she was astonished and was prepared to reprimand him.
“Take a look at these, mom!”
The youngest of the group, Qin Mu, excitedly revealed the rabbit he was holding.
“Oh my goodness… Those… Did you guys hunt all of these from the mountain?” exclaimed Fang Shi, as she observed that each and every one of them had something in their hands.
Upon hearing the commotion, the people within the house came out. Qin Mu wiped away his perspiration with his torn sleeve and grinned. “That’s right, mother. Our cousin is impressive! She brought down the roe deer effortlessly with just two simple swings of her hands!”
“When mother came back with the story that Xiao Jin was born with extraordinary strength, I was still skeptical about it…” Su Jin’s eldest uncle commended her after realizing that it was true. “With this level of skills, it is a pity that you are not a full time hunter.”
Su Jin: “…”
(I shall respectfully decline. The hoe and plough resonates with the core of my soul!)
Zhang Shi glared at her eldest son and smacked the back of his head. “Cut your crap! Is that the way you address a young lady?”
Qin Jiang quietly endured the pain as he massaged the small bump on his head. His mother’s iron palms were not something to be taken lightly.
……
There were only two passengers when they departed from home. But on the return journey, the carriage was now completely packed. Fortunately, Su Jin’s carriage was spacious enough to accommodate all of them.
While developing a land might sound simple in theory, the process was a very demanding and time-intensive endeavour. Su Jin’s uncles and their sons had come over fully prepared for an extended stay.
In order to expedite the process, Su Jin had thought up of roping in Sanye and his gang from the gambling house to help out. No matter how she looked at it, this was exactly the perfect task meant for thugs like them! Without any hesitation, Su Jin forcefully “invited” them over to work on her land.
Everything had been smooth sailing from that point. Naturally, such a large project could not be kept under the wraps for long. Soon enough, word about the development of the land had spread like wildfire throughout the entire village.
After all, considering the vast expanse of land involved, coupled with the innate curiosity of humans, this was not an unexpected progression. Upon learning of Su Jin’s intentions to construct a manor in the vicinity, a handful of villagers began to wander around during their free time to glimpse at the process.
“My goodness, can you imagine the amount of money needed for this? Su Jin must have struck the jackpot this time. The Su family is on the rise.”
“Tsk. God knows if the money was obtained through lawful methods.”
“You can enjoy your sour grapes alone. Now that I think about it… Su Jin has indeed blossomed as a lovely young lady. I have a nephew who is employed at a large store located in the county. They could be a suitable pairing. I should hurry back home to check with them…”
The last words were loud enough for the rest of the audience to catch. Every single one of them began their mental computations as their eyes lit up…
Despite her reputation, the possession of this land significantly boosted Su Jin’s attractiveness as a potential spouse. It would not be considered as a loss if Su Jin were to marry into their family. In essence, a married woman would have to share all joys and sorrow with her husband. Who knows… maybe this land might also become theirs…
The bunch of crowd immersed into their own thoughts. Some of them displayed resentment, while some were envious, and there were also a handful that showed contempt.
Su Jin was not bothered by it in the slightest. Ultimately, success stories would naturally attract attention, whether it be for good or ill reasons, and there was no way to avoid it. As long as none of them confronted Su Jin directly, the situation would not escalate.
Either way, the crowd were probably intimidated by the possibility of turning into her punching bag as well…
……
With Doctor Mo visiting once every few days, her eldest brother’s leg was on track for a complete recovery. Assuming everything goes well accordingly, he should regain his ability to walk by the upcoming summer.
Qin Shi had also sent Su Nian and Su Yan to receive formal education at the private school in the village a few days ago. Seeing how the situation in her family had improved compared to when she first arrived, Su Jin felt extremely satisfied.
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!
