Yan Xia pretended that her shoulder hurt and patted it with her right hand.

“What could I do if I didn’t bring it back? I was afraid someone would steal the wild boar. When I thought about how we were still living in this dilapidated temple, and how Jinfu and Jinlu were getting married, and Guihua and Lamei were of marriageable age, I hardened my heart and carried the wild boar back. I was thinking of taking it to town to sell in the afternoon and getting some money to build a house so that you wouldn’t have rats crawling around at night and not being able to sleep well. It breaks my heart.”

The four were deeply moved by Yan Xia's words.

She burst into tears on the spot.

"Waaah, Mother, it's my fault. I shouldn't have said there were mice. Mother, let me massage your shoulders. I promise I'll never be so temperamental again."

"Mother, thank goodness you're alright. As long as I'm with you, I'd be willing to live in a dilapidated temple and never marry again."

"Mother, it's my fault for being useless. I'll go to town tomorrow to find odd jobs and I'll definitely build you a big house."

"Mother, if your son doesn't get married, he'll stay with you until we're old. What good is a wife? As long as you're well, I'm willing to live a few years less."

Yan Xia, whose wicked scheme had succeeded, secretly gave herself a thumbs-up.

Her acting skills are absolutely superb; if she were in modern times, she would definitely be a supporting actress.

[Target person detected]

Name: Chen Jinfu

Age: 16

[Affection Level: 95]

[Target person detected]

Name: Chen Guihua

Age: 16

[Affection Level: 95]

[Target person detected]

Name: Chen Jinlu

Age: 15

[Affection Level: 92]

[Target person detected]

Name: Chen Lamei

Age: 15

[Affection Level: 91]

Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed in Yan Xia's mind.

It seems that this so-called favorability value is automatically triggered; no wonder the chubby boy told her not to worry when he left.

Since it was a machine speaking, Yan Xia didn't respond and continued with her own tasks.

"Jin Fu, take these few copper coins and rent an oxcart from Uncle Dali. I'm skipping lunch; I'm going to town to sell this wild boar."

These copper coins were what she had swindled from Chen Li yesterday, and they came in handy.

"Mom, let my brother and I go too. The wild boar is too heavy, it will be too much for you to carry by yourself."

"No need, I can go by myself. Your mother is very strong. You guys stay home and bring out the wood you chopped to dry. After I sell the wild boar, I'll buy you some good food tonight. Be good, go now, or your Uncle Dali will take a nap."

How could Yan Xia possibly bring them along? She had already planned it out when she came down the mountain: she would mix the silver she stole from the Chen family into the money from selling the wild boar, so no one would know how much silver she actually made. If those two boys came along, how could she possibly operate?

And she just happened to want to stroll around town.

I wonder how delicious the food stalls were back then.

In the original owner's memory, she had never eaten it even once.

Jin Fu left with the copper coins.

The three children squatted beside the wild boar, refusing to leave.

Poke the winter plum blossoms left and right.

"Mom, do you think wild boar tastes good?"

Yan Xia shook her head.

"It tastes awful, it's so gamey, it's not as good as domestic pork. What, is your mother craving pork?"

When Lamei heard about pork, her eyes lit up, and she nodded frantically.

"Mmm! Mom, I want to eat pork. The last time I ate fresh pork was many years ago. I remember Grandma asked my aunt to make stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots. She gave me a piece. It was so delicious, even better than cured pork."

Yan Xia looked at her with a touch of heartache; the little girl's eyes sparkled as she spoke.

I saw a reflection of my former self in her.

Back then, whenever her parents cooked something delicious, she never got a share. She would watch enviously as her younger brother held a chicken leg in each hand, while she could only drink chicken soup, because her parents also wanted to eat the chicken.

"Mom will sell the wild boar and buy meat. We'll eat meat tonight!"

"Yay! Mom is the best!"

Winter plum blossoms jumped up happily.

After a while, Jin Fu returned, followed by an oxcart. The driver looked a bit older than Yan Xia.

"Xia, you're the one who asked Jin Fu to rent the oxcart, right? I just finished eating. Come on, let's get the wild boar up here. Let's hurry up, or it'll probably be dark when we get back tonight."

Zhao Dali, who was driving, was genuinely startled when he saw the large wild boar, but he quickly looked away and got out of the car to help lift it.

"Okay, thank you for your help, Brother Dali. I just don't know if this money is enough? This is all I have on me. I'll add more after I sell the wild boar."

The oxcart goes to town once a week.

One copper coin for each person.

That's just for the outbound journey; you'll have to pay again on the return trip.

An oxcart can carry 10 people.

Logically, you should pay 10 coins for chartering a car.

Adding it back, that makes 20 coins.

Yan Xia dared not reveal that she had stolen the silver, so she could only buy it on credit for now.

"No need. I'm usually idle anyway, and there's not much farm work to do in the afternoon. I'll just consider it earning some money for food. Five coins for the round trip is enough."

Zhao Dali scratched his head and chuckled.

He is three years older than Yan Xia.

They were from the same village and grew up together. Yan Xia was incredibly beautiful before she got married, and Zhao Dali even had a crush on her for a while.

However, these are all things of the past.

Since they were all acquaintances, Zhao Dali didn't intend to ask for more.

"Okay, let's hurry up and go. I was thinking of going around after selling the wild boar. We don't have anything at home, so we need to buy some things."

Yan Xia wanted to carry the wild boar herself, but her two sons wouldn't give her the chance.

So the three men present worked together to lift the wild boar onto the oxcart.

The wild boar, weighing over 300 pounds, exhausted the three of them.

"Get in the car, Xia."

"Okay, kids, you all stay home and watch the house, don't run around."

Yan Xia didn't take anything; she jumped onto the oxcart and gave instructions to the child.

"I know, Mother. Be careful on your journey."

"Mom, come back soon."

"Mom, remember to buy meat, and salt too!"

"......"

As the oxcart drove away, the four children's voices grew fainter and fainter until Yan Xia could no longer see them. Only then did she turn her gaze away, turn her body, and face the front of the oxcart.

"Brother Dali, how much longer until we reach town?" Yan Xia asked.

“It will take about an hour, so I’m telling you to hurry up. It’s noon now, and if you sell your goods quickly, you might be able to reach the village before dark.”

Zhao Dali wasn't sure either. It gets dark late now, but in winter it would be dark by early afternoon, making it very dangerous to travel at night.

Yan Xia had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on.

She didn't say anything more, and just looked at the scenery along the way.

Surrounded by mountains on all sides, Baihua Village is already considered an outlying area.

If you live deep in the mountains, the time to get to town will at least double. In some treacherous areas, there aren't even oxcarts available, so you have to walk.

It's a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.