“Don’t worry, even if no one else invites her, I’ll invite Third Aunt first.”
Jin Feng agreed with a smile.
No sooner had he spoken than Second Sister-in-law arrived with her husband.
Then came Liu Tie and his wife, the hunter couple, and their concubine…
In the end, almost the entire village showed up.
With so many hands, Jin Feng didn’t need to lift a finger. The hunter and Liu Tie led the men to chop trees, while the women stayed to tidy the courtyard, twist hemp ropes, and work busily.
Since others came to help, Jin Feng wasn’t stingy. He had Guan Xiaorou cook a large pot of rice, and the remaining rabbit was stewed until tender.
The rich aroma of meat wafted through the air, drawing a group of children playing in the courtyard to crowd around the kitchen door, drooling.
Many hands make light work. Before noon, the men returned with carts dragging over a dozen trees as thick as bowls.
At midday, Jin Feng had the children fetch bowls from home, giving each a bowl of rice topped with a ladle of meat broth.
The children, who rarely ate such delicious food, devoured it as if they could swallow their tongues.
…
After a lively lunch, the men got back to work.
They set up a pile of firewood in the courtyard, roasting the logs back and forth over it.
Charred wood not only resists insects and ants but is also durable.
The women, after returning their bowls and chopsticks, came back with one or two bundles of thatch under their arms.
Building a thatched shelter required little skill. The roasted logs were buried in the ground as pillars, tied with ropes to form beams, covered with thatch, and smeared with mud to finish.
Before dark, a shelter three zhang long and one zhang wide was completed.
There wasn’t enough rice left to steam, so Jin Feng had Guan Xiaorou cook a pot of plain porridge and bake two large baskets of oil pancakes.
The wild rabbit had been eaten at lunch, and with the village’s scarce resources, there were no other vegetables to serve guests. With no other option, Jin Feng bought two baskets of wild greens from Xiao Yu.
If carefully prepared, these greens weren’t bad. In later times, they could sell for tens or even hundreds of yuan per plate in restaurants. But in this era, when farmers barely had enough oil for lamps, who would use it to cook vegetables?
Sprinkling a few grains of coarse salt was enough to make neighbours envy a wealthy household.
Most families simply blanched the greens in water and served them.
Such simply prepared greens were bitter and astringent, hard to swallow.
But Jin Feng’s greens were not only salted generously, with plenty of oil, but also seasoned with spices bought from the county.
They looked glossy and green, with no trace of the greens’ bitter taste.
Two full basins of greens were snatched up by the children.
“The oil pancakes are so delicious, Brother Feng. What’ll we do if you’ve spoiled our appetites?”
“The greens are tasty too!”
“Brother Feng, I’ve eaten greens my whole life, but never this good. What’s your secret? Tell your sister-in-law.”
“Second Sister-in-law, I’ll tell you. If you’re willing to use oil and spices, your greens will taste great too.”
“Forget it, my family can’t afford greens like that.”
“Brother Feng, when are you building another shelter? I want to eat rice again!”
…
The villagers, men and women, young and old, left with glowing faces.
Zhang Mancang stayed behind to help Jin Feng process two jujube trees.
These trees were the best Jin Feng could find for making bows and crossbows.
“Mancang, for the next few days, don’t go to the mountains to chop firewood. Come help me forge iron instead,” Jin Feng said while sorting branches on the ground.
Zhang Mancang’s face lit up, but then he shook his head. “Brother Feng, that’s your family’s trade…”
Teaching an apprentice could starve the master. In a small place like Xihewan, one blacksmith was enough; another would mean starvation.
In this era, craftsmen only passed their skills to their children, rarely to outsiders.
“I’m a scholar. How could I forge iron my whole life?” Jin Feng said carelessly. “At most, in a year or two, I’ll leave Xihewan. Passing it to you is better than letting it go to waste.”
“But…”
“But what? Are you learning or not? If you don’t want to, I’ll ask someone else.”
“I’ll learn, I’ll learn!”
Zhang Mancang quickly nodded, solemnly bowing to Jin Feng.
Learning a trade meant securing a livelihood, one that could be passed down to his descendants.
From that moment, Zhang Mancang’s attitude toward Jin Feng shifted.
Before, it was gratitude; now, it included respect.
He worked even harder.
Xiao’e, terrified from last night, clung to Guan Xiaorou, unwilling to let go.
With no choice, Guan Xiaorou went to coax her to sleep.
Tang Dongdong and Runniang carried the spinning wheel, placing it in the middle of the thatched shelter.
Next to it was a new large bed made today.
From tonight, Tang Dongdong and Runniang would live there.
Tang Dongdong pulled over a small stool, sat down, and began adjusting the spinning wheel.
Runniang stood for a moment, then picked up a broom to sweep again.
Having lost everything before, she cherished what she had now.
The floor had already been swept several times and was spotless.
But with the dishes washed and no help needed with Jin Feng and Mancang, she couldn’t find anything else to do.
Fearing Jin Feng and Guan Xiaorou might think her lazy, she kept sweeping.
“Runniang, stop sweeping. You’ll wear out the broom,” Tang Dongdong said, noticing her discomfort and patting her shoulder. “If you’re worried about idling, go sleep. I’ll wake you at midnight to take my shift.”
“Alright…”
Relieved to have something to do, Runniang smiled. “Sister Dongdong, why don’t I spin first, and you sleep for a bit?”
“No spinning tonight. You all should sleep early,” Jin Feng said, frowning as he came out of the shop to grab something, overhearing their conversation. “Rest well to work efficiently. We’re not so busy that we need half a night’s work.”
Since Xie Guang’s attack last night, no one in the household, except the unaware Xiao’e, had slept.
If not for waiting for Zhang Liang’s return, Jin Feng would have gone to bed already.
“Brother Feng, I’m not tired…” Runniang said softly.
“Not tired? Go sleep anyway!”
Jin Feng had noticed that Runniang, like Guan Xiaorou, was submissive, so he raised his voice slightly.
Sure enough, thinking Jin Feng was angry, Runniang quickly agreed and sat obediently on the bed.
“How’s your hand?” Tang Dongdong asked, following Jin Feng out, her face flushed.
“Old Tan’s herbs work well. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Jin Feng raised his left hand to reassure Tang Dongdong.
But while carrying wood with Mancang earlier, the wound had somehow reopened, and blood was seeping out.
“You said it’s fine, but it’s bleeding again.”
Tang Dongdong’s eyes reddened. Ignoring propriety, she took Jin Feng’s left hand and carefully unwrapped the bandage.
