Guan Xiaorou had been hiding behind the door, secretly watching the situation in the courtyard. Seeing that Xie the ruffian was about to make a move, and fearing Jin Feng would suffer, she ran out holding a broom.
She gripped the broom tightly with both hands, pointing at Xie Guang. “Don’t come any closer, or I’ll hit you!”
The small courtyard fell silent for a moment, then everyone burst into laughter.
Guan Xiaorou’s appearance and words truly lacked any threat, cute and fierce at the same time.
Xie Guang’s eyes nearly bulged out, as he leered and said, “Jin Feng, if you don’t want to repay the grain, let Guan Xiaorou spend a night with me instead.
You know, a girl from the county brothel only costs twenty jin of wheat for a night…”
“Go to hell!”
Jin Feng could tolerate bantering with Xie Guang, but he couldn’t stand him insulting Guan Xiaorou.
Before Xie Guang could finish, he flew up with a kick, sending him tumbling.
“Jin Feng, you dare hit me?”
Xie Guang sat on the ground, somewhat dazed.
For so many years, it had always been Xie Guang beating Jin Feng. At most, Jin Feng would curse with scholarly phrases, but he never fought back.
Not just Xie Guang, the watching village women were also stunned.
Was this the bookworm they knew?
“I must have been careless!”
Unconvinced, Xie Guang got up, howling as he charged again.
But the next second, he was kicked down once more.
This time, Jin Feng didn’t spare him, chasing after to deliver a fierce beating.
Xie Guang tried to get up several times but failed, curling into a ball and covering his head as he took the blows.
“Husband, stop!”
Guan Xiaorou, fearing Jin Feng might accidentally harm Xie Guang seriously, hurried over to pull him back.
Xie Guang seized the chance to scramble out of the courtyard, standing at the door and shouting, “Jin Feng, just you wait. I won’t let you off!”
“Husband, are you alright?”
Guan Xiaorou pulled Jin Feng into the inner room, worriedly checking him over, afraid he might be injured somewhere.
“I’m fine. I could handle ten of his sort.”
Jin Feng said nonchalantly.
“Husband, why not take a concubine?” Guan Xiaorou suddenly said.
“What did you say?”
Jin Feng suspected he had misheard.
His legitimate wife, married just a couple of days, suggesting he take a concubine?
“I said, husband, you should take a concubine.”
Guan Xiaorou said earnestly. “Husband, you have no brothers, and my brother can’t help you. If you marry a girl with many brothers, Xie the ruffian won’t dare bully us…”
In this era where communication relied on shouting and travel on walking, going to the county seat took a whole day.
In the village, disputes, as long as no lives were lost, usually weren’t reported to officials. They were settled privately.
The method was simple. Whoever had more brothers, whoever had bigger fists, was in the right.
So in the countryside, those with many brothers could strut around the village.
“Silly girl, what are you thinking in that little head of yours?”
Jin Feng smiled, rubbing Guan Xiaorou’s small head. “No need to fear Xie Guang. He’s just a ruffian. If you hadn’t stopped me earlier, I’d have beaten him to death!”
“Husband, you say that, but you were too heavy-handed. If you’d beaten Xie Guang to death, you’d face the law.”
“I knew what I was doing. I wouldn’t really kill him,” Jin Feng said. “Ruffians like him are like sticky plasters. If you don’t act, fine, but if you do, make him fear you, so he won’t bother us again.”
“I heard from my brother that Xie the ruffian has many shady friends. All the village ruffians fear him. What if he brings a few ruffians next time?”
Guan Xiaorou frowned slightly. “I still think it’s better if husband marries a concubine with many brothers.”
“Guan Xiaorou, comrade, let me interview you,” Jin Feng said with a smile, pointing to the inner room. “We have only one bed at home. If I take a concubine, where would she sleep?”
“Sleep together, of course. Everyone does that.”
Guan Xiaorou said matter-of-factly.
So thrilling?
Jin Feng couldn’t help swallowing.
“If husband thinks it’s alright, I’ll ask my cousin later to inquire which village girl has many brothers…”
“Forget it. Let’s eat our fill first before talking about concubines.”
Jin Feng interrupted Guan Xiaorou. “Make the meal first. I ran all morning and I’m starving.”
They had just finished eating after noon. With nothing to do, Jin Feng took the crossbow and went to the back mountain again.
Passing the mountain foot, the women digging wild vegetables pointed and whispered about him. Clearly, the news of beating Xie Guang had spread.
If surrounded by these women, he wouldn’t escape for a while, so Jin Feng took a small path up the mountain.
He had only planned to wander casually and try his luck, but today the prey was unusually plentiful. Before crossing the first hill, he had caught four wild rabbits and one pheasant.
If not for the bag being full, he could have caught one or two more.
“When did the back mountain have so many rabbits?”
Jin Feng wasn’t blinded by the harvest. Instead, he sensed something amiss.
Wild rabbits and pheasants were very alert and rarely approached areas with frequent human activity. Today, the back mountain had an abnormal number of wild rabbits.
This situation likely meant a fierce beast had appeared in the deep old forests, forcing the rabbits to risk coming near human settlements on the back mountain.
The first thought in Jin Feng’s mind was a tiger.
In an era without firearms, tigers had almost no natural enemies and were numerous, especially in the mountainous Shu region. Tiger attacks were common, with many people dying in tiger jaws each year.
To address this, the authorities encouraged hunters to kill tigers, offering high rewards, but most hunters who entered the mountains ended up as tiger food.
In his previous life, he had worked himself to death young for a car and house. Now, given a chance to reincarnate by heaven, Jin Feng had become much more cautious.
Sensing something wrong, he immediately took the prey and descended the mountain.
At the mountain foot, the women were still digging wild vegetables in groups of three or five.
“Should I warn them?”
Jin Feng was conflicted.
If he warned them, it was all just speculation, with no evidence.
An adult wild rabbit could be traded for over ten jin of rice. In these times of frequent hunger, the temptation was immense.
If these women learned the back mountain suddenly had more rabbits and pheasants, the whole village would go hunting tomorrow.
Then, if there really was a fierce beast in the mountains, it would harm them.
If he didn’t warn them, digging at the mountain foot, they would be in danger if a tiger came down.
While Jin Feng pondered, Xiao Yu had already led a group of women over, smiling. “Jin Feng, looks like a good harvest. The bag is full. Open it and let us see what you’ve caught?”
“Fine, I’ll notify those I should. Whether they believe it is up to them.”
Jin Feng decided in his heart, opened the bag, and poured the prey onto the ground.
Xiao Yu’s eyes widened instantly.
She had just been teasing Jin Feng, thinking the bag held something else, not expecting it to be all prey.
“My goodness, four rabbits, one pheasant!”
“Jin Feng, you’ve been in the mountains less than an hour, right? How did you catch so many good things?”
“Six rabbits in two days. Xiao Feng, you’re going to get rich!”
…
The group of women looked on with envy, eyes shining.
“Jin Feng, how did you catch so many rabbits? Any tricks?”
Xiao Yu grabbed Jin Feng’s sleeve and asked.
The other women perked up their ears one by one.
