Sharing The Spoils (Part 3)

Even those without hunters in their families were excited, as the wild boar meat would be sold to the villagers.

While it cost twenty wen per pound in town, it would only be ten wen in the village.

They eagerly awaited the end of the slaughter to buy some meat.

Even those with tight budgets would buy at least half a pound, while those with more money would buy extra to take to their in-laws, earning plenty of respect.

The largest boar, once cleaned, weighed 180 pounds, while the other two were a few dozen pounds lighter.

Each hunter would receive about fifteen pounds of meat.

The pig blood was mostly given to the Butcher Ma, to sell, so he would get a little bit less meat in return.

Those who were slow to leave with their pork found themselves surrounded by eager villagers wanting to buy meat.

Wu Erlang was caught in a haggling match with an older woman, feeling helpless, he signaled for Tao Xia to come and rescue him.

He needed to send pork to his father-in-law, as well as to his several brothers-in-law.

He also had to take some to his eldest sister's house and to his elder sister-in-law.

So, he left it to them to buy the remaining meat from Liang Hongyu.

With the hot weather making it difficult to store meat for long, Liang Hongyu sold ten pounds and had six pounds left.

She carried the remaining meat outside, where Huo Tianzhou was already waiting with her bow and arrows.

...

Yesterday, they had replaced the fresh grass in the rabbit cage.

When Liang Hongyu left the house this morning, it hadn't been touched.

Upon returning home, she noticed one of the rabbits was lying down.

After putting the pork in the kitchen, she walked out to find Huo Tianzhou already in the chicken coop.

Not only was the fresh grass untouched, but the water inside also remained unused.

The two rabbits huddled together appeared less energetic than yesterday, and one lay motionless.

Huo Tianzhou stood for a while, then squatted down to remove the lifeless rabbit.

Rabbits breed very quickly and can be sold after a few months of rearing.

Successfully domesticating them could be quite beneficial.

When Liang Hongyu caught the rabbits, she thought it would be good for Huo Tianzhou to raise them.

At the time, it was just an idea, and she figured if they didn't survive, it wouldn't matter.

Now, she truly hoped to domesticate the rabbits, as raising them was better than Huo Tianzhou going out to find odd jobs, where he often faced exploitation and mistreatment.

Rabbits can't go without food for more than three days.

Yesterday, Liang Hongyu seemed indifferent about their survival, but seeing her worried expression now, Huo Tianzhou hesitated to speak.

He actually wanted to take the rabbits to the Wu family to try.

Uncle Wu had previously raised rabbits for others, and though they were domestic rabbits, he had more experience than they did and might offer better guidance.

In the end, Huo Tianzhou decided not to do anything further.

He took the rabbit outside to bury it.

When he returned, there were two more people at the house.

In the main room, Qian Huihong was talking to Liang Hongyu while Qian Huizhong stood nearby, holding a bamboo basket filled to the brim.

Noticing someone at the threshold, Liang Hongyu turned her head and saw Huo Tianzhou standing there, seemingly lost in thought.

She called out, "You're back."

Qian Huihong followed her gaze and smiled, "Tianzhou."

Huo Tianzhou nodded his head in response.

As he entered the house, he glanced at the basket.

Qian Huihong explained, "Liang Hongyu set my father's leg yesterday and saved my brother on the mountain today. This is a token of our appreciation."

Qian Huizhong handed the bamboo basket to Huo Tianzhou, who did not take it and instead looked at Liang Hongyu.

Helping Qian Huizhong had been a simple act, but since they had come to express their gratitude, it was only right to accept it.

Liang Hongyu took the basket and passed it to Huo Tianzhou to put away.

Qian Huihong, who had been learning archery from a young age, was good with a bow, but Qian Huizhong was particularly impressed by Liang Hongyu's skill in hitting a running wild boar. 

He asked, "Xiaoyu, your archery skill is much better than my brother's. Can I learn archery from you?"

Huo Tianzhou paused as he put the basket down.

"I only know the basics. Today, I was just lucky. If your father is skilled in archery, I'd like to learn from him too," Liang Hongyu said, then asked, "How is your father's leg injury?"

"We went to see the doctor in town yesterday. With the medicine, he's doing much better now. With some rest, he'll recover soon."

Liang Hongyu had only recently started hunting, so teaching archery seemed premature.

Qian Huizhong then asked, "Xiaoyu, can I go hunting with you in the mountains in the future?"

Qian Huihong interrupted and scolded him, "You haven't even learned properly from me and you want to go hunting with someone else? You'll just be a burden."

"Big brother, don't always say I don't know anything," Qian Huizhong complained, "I haven't been learning from you for long. Who gets everything right from the start?"

Hunting wasn't that easy, and Qian Huihong knew his brother well.

He didn't want Qian Huizhong to trouble others, and making mistakes while following him was a family matter.

"Alright, focus on building a solid foundation at home first. Don't think about anything else for now."

Qian Huihong turned his head to Liang Hongyu and said, "Now that we've delivered the items, we won't disturb you any longer. We should have invited you to our home for a meal, but my father is still recovering. Once he's better, you must come over. My father knows you saved Qian Huizhong and insists on thanking you properly."

"When Uncle Qian's leg heals, we will definitely visit," Liang Hongyu replied.