r. The first group of twenty was shot dead, followed by another twenty who were dragged away. These men were clearly terrified, whimpering and begging for mercy, but no one showed them any sympathy. E...The wild boar they hunted provided the tenant farmers on Zhuangzi with a feast, filling them with energy. They worked diligently and managed to harvest all the crops before the end of the month. Then they began the remaining tasks of threshing and drying.

Everything was proceeding smoothly. Heaven had been kind, showering the land with sunshine for ten consecutive days. By the time Su Wu had collected all the grain owed by the tenants and stored it in the granary, the autumn harvest was finally complete.

What remains are some finishing touches, which the master of the house and the older children can also complete. Now that the women have free time, they want to go up Liang Mountain near their home one more time before winter sets in. They mainly want to hunt for food, as meat is scarce, and while they wouldn't spend money on buying it, they can still think about catching some wild game.

Ripples naturally won't stop, they just remind Su Wu to have everyone who enters the mountain travel in groups and not go alone. After all, there are wild animals in the mountains.

"Still, Miss thought ahead. I'll make sure to tell them."

Su nodded, saying that every year after the autumn harvest, villagers from nearby Wenjia Village and tenant farmers on their land would go into the mountains for about ten days. What they could hunt depended entirely on luck. There were also people who got injured in previous years, but the temptation of eating meat was too great, and still some people were willing to take the risk and venture into the mountains.

After the autumn harvest in Wengjia Village on the other side, some people gathered at the village head's house and were also discussing going hunting in the mountains.

"Village head, we should still organize people to go hunting in the mountains this year. It's not just for eating meat, but also for preparing for next year. Erniang was killed by a wild boar because these animals have reproduced too much and too quickly. If we don't deal with them again, there will probably be even more wild animals next year to ruin our fields."

A woman in her forties, with a rather handsome appearance, spoke.

"You're right. I've been thinking about this too these past few days. The autumn harvest is just finished, and soon people will come to the village to collect taxes. After that's done, we'll organize the women for a trip into the mountains."

The village head is over fifty years old. She has a common appearance, with wrinkles around her eyes and nose due to years of farming. However, she's still strong and healthy, with bright eyes and a sharp mind. Having attended private school for two years, the villagers hold her in high regard.

So she said, and that basically settled the matter. Afterward, someone went down to inform everyone, each household had to send at least one person, after all, if you're going to eat meat, you can't just sit around doing nothing.

Of course, if people are truly unwilling to contribute, the village head won't force them. If you want to eat meat, just pay for it. The money from the harvest will then serve as the entire village's emergency fund, fairly and justly distributed, and the villagers have no objections to this arrangement.

Here, Wen Zhaoming weighed it for a long time after receiving the message and decided to join the hunting party himself.

On the one hand, there were only him and his sister in his family. If he didn't go out to work, they would have to spend money buying meat. And if people knew he had money, those with bad intentions would be even more eager to target him. Even though he has money now, he can't use it.

Secondly, during the autumn harvest, because he was a homosexual and his family didn't own any land, he did not participate in the harvest. He went into the mountains and hunted some game. Some people had already contracted red-eye disease, and he didn't want to be too conspicuous.

.

After all, there were hundreds of people in the village, and it was impossible for them to take care of their siblings all the time. They had hands and feet and could support themselves. After thinking it through, Wen Zhaoming signed up, and the village head was a little surprised:

"Ming'er, this time we'll be gone for a long while. Can you keep up with the team"

“Village head, my archery is pretty good. I’ve hunted some small game recently by going into the mountains, but I don’t dare go deeper alone. This time, being with everyone, we could venture deeper and perhaps hunt some good things. That way, my sister and I can have a good New Year.”

Wen Zhaoming stood there calmly and said.

"What about your sister You can't leave her home alone!"

The village head continued to ask.

I will ask my neighbor, Uncle Wu, to take care of Yueyue for a few days while I'm gone. When I get back, I'll give Uncle Wu a share of the meat.

Before he came, Wen Zhaoming had already told his neighbors that Uncle Five was a kind person, and mainly with meat as bait, anyone would be willing.

"Alright, since you've already made up your mind, then come with us."

The village head finally nodded, the child isn't easy either.

After receiving approval, Wen Zhaoming also let out a sigh of relief. He went home and informed his younger sister about it.

Wen Zhaoyue clearly seemed unhappy, pouting her lips and saying:

"Big brother, can you not go"

"Do you want to eat meat"

"Think!"

"Then your brother has to go, or else you won't have any meat."

But I heard from my fifth uncle that the mountains are very dangerous.

Wen Zhaoyue blinked her big, bright eyes and said.

"If I went alone, it would definitely be dangerous, but this time I'm going with people from the village, so it's much safer. However, you should stay at Fifth Uncle's house until I get back."

Wen Zhaoming patiently explained.

Can I wait for my big brother at home

"No, I can't let you stay home alone. What if your uncle comes again"

Wen Zhaoming immediately said.

Then I'll listen to my big brother.

After the arrangements were finalized, Wen Zhaoming began preparing for his mountain trek. He needed to pack weapons, provisions, clean water, and warm clothing, as mountain nights could get very cold.

The next morning, the village chief's eldest daughter, Wen Jiahong, along with two old hunters from the village, led a team of forty people into the mountains as the first rays of sunlight touched the earth. After seeing off the women, Wenjia Village returned to its peaceful calm.

Just a few days after enjoying some peaceful days, ripples over here received a visit from her two young maids who brought winter clothes and an unexpected guest, all heading towards Sujiazhuang.

Ziyān and Zǐsū pulled long faces, glaring at Tang Zijūn who sat inside the carriage like a frightened quail. They were so furious they wanted to rush up and beat him up.

"Some people are so shameless that they even take advantage of those who are observing their filial duties, disregarding the most basic principles of propriety, righteousness, and morality."

Shiso said, with a biting remark.

Okay, stop talking. It's even hard to say if he'll get to see the young mistress!

If anyone saw this, they wouldn't know how to arrange it. Neither of us, the two maids who attend her closely every day, were brought along. This shows just how much Miss values her reputation. As for him... he's not the sort to make Miss lose her senses.

Ziyān was also very bothered, for the first time she lost her composure and sarcastically said a few things.

"Me"

Tang Zi-jun only uttered one word, then his eyes turned red, as if he had suffered a great injustice. Unfortunately, the two of them didn't believe him.

Ziyān shot Zǐsū a meaningful glance. The latter understood and nodded. Silence returned to the carriage, broken only by Tang Zǐjūn's whimpers. Unfortunately, no one pitied him. As time passed, he couldn't keep up the act any longer and could only steal glances at the expressions of the two from time to time.

Three days later, when the carriage arrived at Su's Manor, Tang Zijun was so excited that he was about to get off, but Zi Su stopped him. The other party said rudely:

"You had better stay here, Miss. She wants to see you. Don't go in any further."

But

"Shut up, or I'll beat you up!"

Shiso puffed out his chest, he wasn't afraid of the other party at all. they'd lay their eyes on the Wen Clan's treasured heir.For a time, the crowd buzzed with excited discussion. A scout who had been mingling among them relayed the latest news back to the First Floor o...