Chapter Eighteen: An Air of Distinction
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By the time Li Xiangyang dragged the last piece of wild boar meat home, it was completely dark.
From a distance, the windows of his house glowed with the dim light of candle flames, seeming especially warm in the cold night.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
He gently tapped on the door.
“Who is it?” came Li Xiaohua’s wary voice from inside.
“It’s your brother.”
The door creaked open. Li Xiaohua poked her head out, and when she saw Li Xiangyang covered in blood, she let out a frightened cry.
“Brother! What happened to you?”
“I’m fine. It’s all wild boar blood,” Li Xiangyang reassured her. “Come on, help me carry everything inside.”
Hearing the commotion, Mother Li hurried out from the inner room. The instant she saw her son in that state, her face turned deathly pale.
“My child, you aren’t hurt, are you?”
“Mother, I’m fine.” Li Xiangyang smiled. “Look, I managed to bring down a real big one this time.”
He set the wild boar meat on the ground. Beside him, Li Xiaohua squatted down and poked the thick layer of fat with one finger, exclaiming, “Wow, that’s really huge!”
Mother Li, however, had no attention to spare for such things. She carefully examined her son from head to toe. Only after confirming that he truly was uninjured did she let out a long breath. But her eyes had already reddened.
“Couldn’t you find some easier work to do, child? The deep mountains and old forests are so dangerous. What if something had happened…”
“Mother,” Li Xiangyang gently interrupted, “don’t worry. I know my limits. Besides, I’m the best hunter in our village.”
“Look at you, showing off.” Li Xiaohua teased him from the side, though her eyes were filled with admiration.
Li Xiangyang smiled and ruffled his little sister’s hair before saying to his mother, “Mother, this wild boar should fetch at least forty yuan. We can not only pay off what we owe our two uncles, but also give Uncle Li the wages we owe him.”
A trace of relief flashed through Mother Li’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by worry.
“But…”
“Mother,” Li Xiangyang said gently, “please rest easy. Someone has to venture out and make a life for us. Didn’t Father live the same way back then?”
At the mention of her late husband, Mother Li’s tears finally fell. She wiped her eyes and sighed.
“If your father is watching from heaven and sees how sensible you’ve become, he must be very comforted.”
“All right, Mother,” Li Xiangyang said softly. “Let’s hurry and get the meat prepared.”
Li Xiaohua immediately jumped to her feet.
“I’ll go boil some water!”
Mother Li also gathered herself and began preparing the cooking utensils. But after taking two steps, she turned back.
“Should we send some to that educated youth, Jiang?”
“No need,” Li Xiangyang said coolly. “Mother, from now on, we’ll keep the things from our home for our own family.”
Mother Li froze for a moment. Looking into her son’s resolute eyes, she suddenly understood. She nodded and said nothing more.
Soon, the whole family was busy.
The wild boar meat was sorted carefully: the fatty portions were rendered into lard, the lean meat was made into cured meat, and even the organs were put to use.
Li Xiangyang had deliberately set aside the most tender tenderloin, planning to stew it into nourishing soup for his mother and sister the next day.
Night deepened. Outside, the cold wind howled, but inside, the house was warm and cozy. Steam bubbled from the large pot on the stove, filling the room with a rich, savory fragrance.
“Here, eat it while it’s hot.” Mother Li handed Li Xiangyang a bowl of meat soup. “You’ve worked hard today.”
Li Xiangyang accepted the bowl. Seeing the piece of meat floating in it, he felt a warm tenderness spread through his heart. For all these years, whenever the family had anything good to eat, his mother had always thought of him and his sister first.
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“Mother, you drink some too.” He pushed the bowl back toward her.
Mother Li shook her head. “You eat. Mother isn’t hungry.”
“Mother…” Li Xiangyang’s voice grew choked. “Have some. Your son brought this home himself.”
Mother Li’s eyes reddened again. She took the bowl and sipped a little. A blissful smile appeared on her face.
“It’s delicious. Truly delicious.”
Li Xiaohua yawned from the side, yet still asked excitedly, “Brother, how did you manage to kill that wild boar today?”
Li Xiangyang patted her head and smiled.
“I’ll tell you tomorrow. It’s time for bed now.”
“Oh, come on, it’s still so early…”
“Listen to your brother.” Mother Li put on a stern face. “Go to sleep.”
Watching his sister reluctantly return to her bed, Li Xiangyang exchanged a smile with his mother. He knew that she did not want his sister to hear the dangerous details either.
That night, Li Xiangyang slept more soundly than ever.
Because he knew that his family’s life was gradually getting better.
And that was his greatest wish after being given a second life.
At dawn, before the sky had even begun to brighten, a rustling sound came from the courtyard of the Li household.
“Xiangyang, did you borrow your second uncle’s donkey cart?” Mother Li asked as she packed the meat into a basket.
“Yes, I did.” Li Xiangyang folded the wild boar hide into a neat stack. “Second Uncle said half a day’s worth of work points would be enough.”
When Second Uncle heard that Li Xiangyang had killed a wild boar and planned to go into town to exchange it for money, he had been extremely enthusiastic.
Naturally, the donkey cart had been easy to borrow.
And with less than a month remaining until the New Year, Li Xiangyang had decided that after selling the wild boar meat, he would take his mother and sister into town for a proper outing and buy their New Year provisions.
“Brother, can I wear the new deerskin coat I made?” Li Xiaohua poked her head out from the house, her little face flushed red from the cold.
“Of course,” Li Xiangyang said with a smile. “Our family’s little princess deserves to wear the best.”
Mother Li wore a gratified smile at those words.
She had made half of the deerskin coat herself. Li Xiangyang had stayed up late for several nights to finish the other half.
When the sky was just beginning to lighten, the family of three climbed onto the donkey cart.
Li Xiangyang drove, while his mother and sister sat in the back, wrapped in thick quilts.
The winter wind was bitterly cold, but Li Xiangyang’s heart was warm.
This was the first time since his rebirth that he had taken his mother and sister into town.
In his previous life, their family had not even had enough money to buy New Year provisions.
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By the time they reached the county town, it was already past nine in the morning.
The streets were bustling, crowded with people shopping for their New Year goods.
“This way.” Li Xiangyang spoke softly to his mother. “I know a place that buys hides.”
He led his mother and sister into a secluded alley.
At the end of the lane stood a small courtyard, with a sign hanging by the entrance that read, “Hide Buyers.”
“Is the owner here?” Li Xiangyang gently knocked on the door.
The door creaked open a narrow crack, revealing the shrewd face of a middle-aged man.
“Who is it?”
“I heard you buy hides,” Li Xiangyang said in a lowered voice.
The middle-aged man looked him up and down. His gaze lingered for a moment on Li Xiaohua’s deerskin coat before he opened the door completely.
“Come in.”
The courtyard was piled high with all kinds of pelts, and several fresh foxskins hung drying in the corner.
“What do you have here…” The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up the moment he saw the hides Li Xiangyang brought out. “Well, would you look at that—is this wild boar hide?”
“Yes.” Li Xiangyang nodded. “There are also a few rabbit pelts.”
“Fine goods, all of them.” The middle-aged man carefully examined the quality of the hides, clicking his tongue in praise. “Young man, you certainly know what you’re doing.”
Just then, a hurried series of footsteps came from outside.
A middle-aged man with an anxious expression rushed in.
“Old Zhou, please, you have to help me…”
When he noticed the strangers in the courtyard, he abruptly fell silent.
“Brother Wang, what happened?” Old Zhou asked.
“I…” The man stammered. “I wanted to borrow some money from you. It’s my family…”
Old Zhou’s expression shifted.
“Well, business has been poor lately, and I’m short of cash myself…”
“I’m sorry. I was too presumptuous.”
Seeing that the other man was making excuses, the middle-aged newcomer cut him off.
After listening to their exchange, Li Xiangyang took a careful look at the newcomer.
Although the man was dressed simply, there was an indescribable air about him in every gesture and movement.
His deep-set eyes seemed to have weathered countless storms, yet they remained bright and keen.
Even in his anxiety, he spoke neither hurriedly nor slowly, pronouncing every word clearly.
Such composure and refinement were far beyond what an ordinary man could possess.
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