85 Brother, I'm going to marry
◎Marry him and be his concubine◎
Before he saw anyone, he heard Sun Ning laughing and saying, "What a coincidence! The wild boar foolishly bumped into a large rock, which was a good thing for me. Auntie, your words really hit the nail on the head. I was just worried about slaughtering the pig. If Brother Cheng could help me with this, I would definitely give him a bunch of pork as a token of my gratitude..."
"Oh my! I'll call my son now!"
…
The group chatted and laughed, but Ye Yunzhao was a little surprised:
Sun Ning is usually reserved and quiet, and doesn't look so lively and likable at all.
She was only momentarily suspicious when the person she was thinking of appeared before her. Sun Ning was startled at first, then quickly stepped forward and exclaimed in delight, "County Magistrate Ye! A few days ago, I went to the county office looking for you, but the yamen runner Liu said you weren't there. He sounded very worried, and it kept me awake all night."
She held Ye Yunzhao's hand and looked around: "See you again today. Although I look a little haggard, I can finally put my heart back in my stomach."
Ye Yunzhao was startled by Sun Ning's lively performance. He tried to speak several times but couldn't find the right moment. He could only listen to her again:
"County Magistrate Ye, you are truly lucky today. Look at this wild boar."
Ye Yunzhao followed her gaze and saw a wild boar, as sturdy as an ox, with its eyes closed and its head tilted to one side. Its brown fur was shiny and looked to weigh three or four hundred pounds. It was tied to a thick wooden pole with its limbs spread out. Its drooping back was covered in long, bristling hair. Four or five young boys were carrying the pole into the yard.
She couldn't help but exclaimed: "Wow! It's so big!"
Sun Ning narrowed his eyes and smiled, "You'll have dinner here with me tonight! You absolutely can't leave. See? This pork leg is yours!"
Ye Yunzhao waved her hands repeatedly, but there were so many people entering the yard that she was squeezed to the door of the kitchen in an instant.
Not long after, most of the people from Xixiang who had the skill to slaughter pigs came. There were many girls and boys around eight or nine years old, carrying their own big wooden barrels and following behind them, waiting to collect the pig's blood!
There's an unwritten rule in Xixiang: the family that hunts a wild boar keeps a bucket of blood, and the rest is shared with the group. The pig bones are divided into twelve portions and given to twelve childless families to make soup. Half of these twelve families are impoverished in Xixiang. The elderly couples are advanced in age, some are ill, and their children have either died on the battlefield or starved to death while fleeing famine. In short, they are in dire straits.
Catching pig blood is an activity that little kids love very much. The clever and cute ones will say a few nice words. The generous hunters will cut off a four-finger-wide piece of pork for the kids to enjoy. Every time this happens, the kids will have even more fun.
Ye Yunzhao didn't know these rules at first. She was squatting in the kitchen and listening to three or five aunts who were washing pots and boiling water.
Now that I think about it, she had someone prepare a big pot of food, and gave away what needed to be given away and ate what needed to be eaten, which was a bit ridiculous.
At this moment, the girls and boys were surrounding Sun Ning and saying nice things to him. Ye Yunzhao took the pottery bowl handed to him by his aunt and placed it on the stove, looking out with a smile on his face.
Somehow, she suddenly recalled the days in prison, the cold and gloomy prison. For a moment, she felt that she would never see such a lively scene again. Now, looking at this dreamlike scene, Ye Yunzhao felt a sense of timidity, a kind of "homesickness makes one feel more timid". He felt a swelling in his heart and a sour taste in his nose.
The villagers who had returned with them moved swiftly. Within a short while, the sturdy men and women had sharpened their knives and were scalding and bleeding the animal. It didn't take long before the massive, filthy wild boar, weighing over 300 pounds, was torn to pieces.
The aunts were even more skilled, with nimble hands and feet. They were busy in the kitchen like spinning tops, which made Ye Yunzhao look a little idle.
She had no choice but to rush to pour water and wash the dishes. From time to time, loud exclamations of praise could be heard from the courtyard:
"Oh, little Sun Ning, you're incredible! You managed to hunt such a big wild boar by yourself? My useless and stupid son has been going into the mountains every day these days, and he only brought back a few rabbits and pheasants."
Sun Ning had no choice but to explain: "Aunts and uncles, please stop making fun of me. There are a lot of rocks in the woods east of the mountain behind. The wild boar probably didn't open its eyes and bumped into a rock, so naturally I got the advantage..."
Before she could finish her words, someone alertly asked, "Which forest is this? I'm going to join in the fun these next two days."
This person's words were joking, and it sounded like a joke, but it also reflected the thoughts of everyone present: Is that place particularly special? Even a weak woman like Sun Ning can hunt a wild boar, so the men and women in their family are no worse than her with shovels.
Everyone looked at Sun Ning eagerly, only to see her smiling face and her red lips parting slightly -
Suddenly, a sharp and angry voice rang out from outside the crowd: "Sun Ning, shut up! What the hell are you doing?! That's a wonderful place that our Sun family discovered. How can we tell you about this?"
Ye Yunzhao felt that the voice was somewhat familiar, and immediately looked over. After seeing who it was, he couldn't help but roll his eyes in his heart: Why is it this person again!
The person who came was Sun Ning’s heartless brother, Sun Da.
The people of Xixiang naturally knew about Sun Da's evil deeds.
Immediately, an aunt said to Sun Ning: "Don't be afraid. If he dares to mess around again——"
The aunt was furious. She picked up the wooden stick beside her and glared at Sun Da: "If he dares, I will give him a good beating!"
Not only her, but also several elderly uncles and aunts spoke up: "Sun Jia Dalang, what are you doing here? I remember that when Old Sun left, you were clamoring to split up the family business. Didn't you and our Xixiang Carpenter Sun sever your brother-sister relationship a long time ago? Why are you here to cause trouble now?"
Someone nearby scoffed, "What are you doing here? Of course you heard about the wild boar and are coming to the little girl to beg for food! From the first glance, I can tell you're a freeloader, bah!"
After Sun Da suddenly did this, everyone lost their curiosity about Miaodi and instead became one with him, thinking only of driving this heartless Sun Da out and keeping him as far away from our hardworking, capable, kind and generous Sun Ning as possible.
Sun Da, who was scolded by everyone, was frightened by the situation in front of him. He looked at Sun Ning standing in the crowd, and felt a little strange in his heart.
What's going on? He hasn't been here for a while, so why are all these idiots in Xixiang speaking up for Sun Ning?
His calves trembled uncontrollably, and he forced himself to speak: "You...you are talking nonsense! Why would I come here to eat for free? I...I...Of course I came here to buy meat, yes! I came here to buy meat!"
"Buying meat? To buy meat, you either bring copper coins or grain. I wonder what you brought?" Ye Yunzhao looked him up and down and said with a smile, "I see your backpack is empty. Could it be that you have money in your pocket? If you have any, take it out quickly. Naturally, you, the outsider, will choose first."
Sun Da glared at him and said, "Outsider? Who are you calling an outsider?"
"I'm talking about you! Don't you call yourself a Dongxiang native? What are you doing in our Xixiang? If you don't have any money, go back quickly! Don't delay us from buying meat!"
"Exactly! I'm still waiting to buy two pork bones to make soup for my daughter-in-law!"
Sun Da rolled up his sleeves: "Hey! You guys are just a bunch of dog eyes..."
He was about to strike, but Sun Ning, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up: "Brother, what are you doing? Are you trying to embarrass me again?"
Everyone was stunned, including Sun Da, because Sun Ning hadn't called him "brother" for a long time.
But her calling him "brother" made everyone realize that they were siblings born from the same mother. If they pretended to help her, they would be regarded as bad neighbors in the eyes of the two of them.
Although what Sun Da did before was really inhumane, but now it can only be described in two words - "family affairs". If Sun Ning, the victim, doesn't care, why should others step forward to intervene?
In less than half an incense stick's time, the aunts who had previously agreed to buy meat put down the food in their backpacks and the few copper coins in their arms, picked up the pork they were entitled to, and left quietly.
The butchers, who were supposed to stay in the yard to eat the pig-killing meal, were also in a dilemma. Sun Ning, always smart, picked up a few pieces of tied pork weighing about two pounds and handed them to them with a smile:
"My cooking skills are really not that good. It would be a waste if I made a pig-killing dish. You can take these back and eat them. Thank you all for coming here."
This statement was watertight, and everyone naturally understood its meaning. The claim of poor skills was just an excuse. Slaughtering a pig was a big job, and it was also a strenuous one. Several people had been busy for the better part of an hour, so their efforts couldn't be wasted. Because of this, the butchers naturally took over, made a few excuses, and then left with the meat, smiling.
Soon, the courtyard, which had been bustling just now, was left with only Ye Yunzhao, Sun Ning and Sun Da, and it became very deserted.
Sun Ning looked at her and said earnestly, "County Magistrate Ye, I have some personal matters to attend to today. If you have something to ask, how about I go to the county government office tomorrow to look for you? Is that okay?"
After she spoke like this, Ye Yunzhao naturally had no reason to stay any longer and picked up her backpack and went out. However, she had only walked a dozen steps when she suddenly remembered the pig bones in the backpack and hurried back. When she reached the outside of the courtyard and was about to speak, she suddenly heard a voice from inside:
"Did you really hunt this wild boar? How come I didn't know you had this ability!? Tell me, was it hunted by some wild man?"
Facing Sun Da's rebuke, Sun Ning denied it repeatedly: "Of course not. I absolutely cannot say that. This wild boar is also strange. It actually bumped into the big rock by itself. I took advantage of it..."
Sun Da asked suspiciously, "I go up the mountain every day, and I never see any. Is there really some magical way to get a wild boar for free? Didn't they just ask you where you hunted it? Tell me, I'm your brother, and I wouldn't hurt you."
But the noise in the courtyard became increasingly quiet. Ye Yunzhao struggled to stick to the wall, not knowing what the two of them were talking about. After a while, he heard Sun Ning speak:
"Brother, you can take this meat back and eat it, but you must never do this again next time. I have often received kindness from the people of Xixiang. If you are so unreasonable, how can I, a girl like you, make a living here in the future..."
As she spoke, she began to cry. Sun Dadao said, "I know it's not safe for you as a girl. I know a big shot in Yuezhou City. His family is rich! Aning, why don't you marry him and be his concubine? Don't think I'm trying to harm you. I'm your real brother, how could I lie to you? You'll naturally live a luxurious life there. Isn't it better than splitting wood here?"
Ye Yunzhao sneered and was about to push the door open to scold him, but he heard the gentle and quiet Sun Ning sobbing and saying, "Brother, I will listen to you and marry you."
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