“I’ve long said that Xiao Rou can’t be exposed to the sun. It shows she’s born with a life of wealth and honour. Well, do you believe it now?”
Jin Feng pointed at the surrounding women and said, “In the future, if anyone spreads rumours again, calling her a jinx, I won’t stand for it!”
“We believe, we believe. When you bring back the reward money, get me a white flour steamed bun. From now on, when I see your wife, I’ll even call her the Grandma of Wealth.”
A sturdy village woman teased.
“Even if I don’t bring you a white flour steamed bun, you’ll have to call her the Grandma of Wealth from now on!”
“Why?”
“Because in the future, you’ll earn money from her and live a good life.”
“Then I’ll wait.”
“Don’t worry. It won’t make you wait too long.” Jin Feng said confidently.
As a transmigrator, Jin Feng certainly wouldn’t stay in this small mountain valley. This was just the starting point, definitely not the end.
No matter what he did, he couldn’t do it alone. In time, many people in Xi He Wan would find work with him, getting wages from Guan Xiao Rou.
If Guan Xiao Rou wasn’t their Grandma of Wealth, what was she?
But now, the women all thought Jin Feng was bragging. No one took it seriously. They all turned to watch Zhang Liang, who had just come up the mountain, kowtowing to his old mother.
The Zhang family had a hard life. As the pillar of the family, he worked in the fields every day until dark before going home.
As soon as he reached the door, he heard a tiger roaring in the back mountain.
His old mother, wife, younger brother, and sister were still digging wild vegetables in the back mountain. Zhang Liang’s heart went cold.
He rushed to the back mountain only to learn that Jin Feng had saved his whole family.
After comforting his old mother, he brought Zhang Man Cang, whose trousers weren’t even dry yet, squeezed through the crowd to Jin Feng. With his remaining right arm, he pounded his chest hard.
“Brother Jin, great kindness needs no thanks. From now on, Zhang Liang’s life is yours. If there’s anything, just tell me!”
This was the highest etiquette in the army.
“Brother Liang, your wife is Xiao Rou’s cousin. We’re family. Saying that makes it seem distant, doesn’t it?”
In later generations, these words were just the simplest polite talk, but they truly touched Zhang Liang’s heart.
The Zhang family had two disabled people. Life in the village wasn’t easy. The women digging wild vegetables weren’t very willing to join the Zhang family’s sisters-in-law, because they dug too fast.
Over the years, Zhang Liang had seen too much of the world’s coldness and warmth, and he cherished others’ kindness even more.
Jin Feng risked his life to save his family and said these words, moving Zhang Liang to absolute loyalty.
The village head watched this scene, smiling so much his eyes disappeared.
For so many years, every time a tiger came down the mountain, it took away several people.
Only this time, the village didn’t even form a tiger-hunting team. The tiger was killed without injuring anyone.
Without Jin Feng saying a word, the villagers spontaneously found hemp ropes and poles, lifting the tiger to Jin Feng’s home.
Guan Xiao Rou brought out the peanuts and wedding candies from the morning, warmly entertaining everyone.
Though still blushing with shyness, she acted like the lady of the house, and was teased by the women again.
“Jin Feng, who do you want to take to the county office?”
The village head pulled Jin Feng aside and asked quietly.
Selling the tiger and getting the reward was a large sum of money. By custom, for those going to the county office, Jin Feng had to provide meals. If sensible, he might even give a red envelope.
In these times, chances to eat a full meal were rare, so going to the county office was a good job. The village head couldn’t decide on his own.
“Trouble the village head, Brother Tie Zi, Brother Six, and Brother Liang to go together.”
Jin Feng smiled as he decided the people.
The village head naturally had to go. Bringing his son Liu Tie along would do a favour, after all, he’d still need to deal with village matters later.
Chen Lao Liu was a hunter. He went to the county office several times a year to sell hides, familiar with the ways. Bringing him was appropriate.
Jin Feng’s willingness to bring the one-armed Zhang Liang surprised the village head a bit, but since Jin Feng, the person involved, decided, the village head couldn’t object.
After seeing off the villagers, it was already midnight.
“Xiao Rou, do you need to bring anything?”
Jin Feng helped Guan Xiao Rou pack things and asked casually.
In these times, a trip to the county office wasn’t easy. Many people went only a few times in their lives.
“We have grain at home, nothing to bring…”
Before finishing, Guan Xiao Rou seemed to remember something. “Husband, can you bring a candied hawthorn stick?”
“Sure,” Jin Feng noted it, smiling as he asked, “Why, craving it?”
“Little sister was sick two years ago. Father took her to the county office for treatment. She ate candied hawthorn once. After coming back, she always mentioned it, saying if she could eat it once more in her life, that would be good.”
Guan Xiao Rou’s voice lowered. “When I left, her health was getting worse. The village elders all said she wouldn’t live past this year… Husband, when you return from the county office, can I go see little sister?”
“Of course.”
Jin Feng hugged Guan Xiao Rou. “I’ll go with you.”
The first meal here was bought with mother-in-law’s private money. He had to visit anyway.
The next day before dawn, the village head brought his son Liu Tie, hunter Chen Lao Liu, and Zhang Liang to Jin Feng’s home.
Chen Lao Liu also pushed a large flat cart.
Guan Xiao Rou was even earlier. The wheat porridge was already cooked and on the table.
“Xiao Rou, I estimate I won’t be back tonight. If you’re scared, go stay with cousin for a night.”
The straight-line distance from Xi He Wan to the county office was only twenty-some li, but there was a canyon in between, so they had to detour.
This way, the journey became over forty li, and most was narrow mountain road. They definitely couldn’t return in one day.
“Mm.”
Guan Xiao Rou nodded obediently.
The mountain road was rugged and narrow. Many places were barely wider than the cart. Pulling a tiger weighing several hundred jin was hard. Fortunately, they met no bandits on the way. It took them over six hours, until mid-afternoon, to finish the thirty-some li mountain road.
Turning the mountain foot, a city’s outline appeared in the distance.
This was the county office governing Xi He Wan, Jin Chuan County.
The county office wasn’t large, only three or four li long and wide, not even comparable to many townships in later generations.
But the walls built of large green bricks were five or six metres high. The surface was pitted, full of marks from knives, axes, burns, and smoke, as if telling of past battles.
This was clearly a military city.
On the official road, more people appeared. Their cart took up a small half of the road.
The Sichuan-Shu region had many mountains, tigers rampant like a disaster. The common people had suffered from tigers for a long time.
Seeing the cart pulling such a large tiger, passersby gave way, showing respect to the heroes who killed the tiger.
This greatly satisfied the vanity of the hunter and Liu Tie. They held their heads high, as if they were the tiger-slaying heroes.
They entered the county town from the east gate, pulling the cart straight to the county yamen in the city centre.
The onlookers filled the yamen. Killing a tiger was eliminating harm for the people. The yamen runners didn’t dare trouble Jin Feng and the others. After inspecting the tiger’s corpse, they cut off the tiger’s tongue, then gave the three guan reward money to the village head.
