"I heard you’re back from the frontlines?"
Huo Shu acknowledged with a sound.
Butcher Qiao nodded. "How many years did you serve?"
"Over a decade."
Butcher Qiao’s eyebrow twitched. No wonder.
He gestured to a side. "Have a seat."
Seeing everyone was present, Butcher Qiao announced, "A while back, I went to another village to slaughter livestock and bought some while I was at it. Today, they’ll all be butchered for tomorrow’s market."
He addressed the five young men hoping to learn the trade: "This is your chance to test your hand. If you’ve got the stomach for it, you can follow me. Once you’ve mastered it, you’re free to branch out on your own."
Seeing Huo Shu join them, the young men tensed, knowing not all would be kept. Each silently steeled himself.
Everyone knew this trade paid well and earned respect, but the weight of taking lives meant only those from struggling families would send their sons to learn it.
Yet willingness didn’t guarantee suitability. Many young men couldn’t bring themselves to wield the knife, their fear and hesitation making them unfit for the work.
Even a butcher’s own children might lack the temperament to inherit the trade, let alone outsiders.
Butcher Qiao had three children, none cut out for this line of work, so he began searching for apprentices to pass on his skills.
Ji Yangzong plopped down to the side, ready to enjoy the spectacle before leaving.
Soon, Butcher Qiao herded two pigs and two sheep into a slightly larger pen in the yard.
Picking up the knife he’d just sharpened, he said to the young men, "Each of you takes one. Who’s first?"
The youths hesitated, eyeing the penned animals. "One at a time? No one to hold them down?"
Butcher Qiao said, "Should I hold it for you?"
The speaker promptly shut his mouth. A brawny young man stepped forward confidently. "I’ll go first."
Butcher Qiao handed him the slaughtering knife. The man stepped into the pen and headed straight for a full-grown pig in the corner.
Before he could even touch it, the pig snorted and bolted to the other side. The man chased it around the cramped pen, agitating all the animals into a frenzy.
The panicked livestock rammed into him several times. What was meant to be a confident display of skill turned into a humiliating struggle. He couldn’t even lay a hand on the pig, let alone slaughter it.
After nearly fifteen minutes of futile chasing, the man was drenched in sweat.
Seeing the pen on the verge of collapse from the chaos, Butcher Qiao vaulted in.
With practiced ease, he seized a pig’s ear, yanked its front leg, and pinned it to the ground.
"Now."
The man hastily rushed over, fumbling with the knife. Though he had slaughtered chickens and ducks at home without issue, his hands trembled when faced with larger livestock.
Shaking, he hesitated for a long time, unable to make the cut.
In the end, Butcher Qiao could no longer stand it and took over.
The others then mustered their courage to try. Surprisingly, the youngest and skinniest among them was the only one who dared to wield the knife properly, though his technique was off. The animal, wounded but not killed, broke free from the pen, sending the entire yard into chaos.
Ji Yangzong had never seen such a spectacle before. Normally, when families slaughtered livestock, they hired seasoned butchers who worked with swift precision. This bumbling chase was both infuriating and absurdly amusing.
In the end, no matter how comical the process had been, at least everyone had gotten a chance to test their skills.
Ji Yangzong noticed that four of the five young men had taken their turn, but with only four animals available, Huo Shu was the only one left untested.
Glancing at the panting, exhausted, and slightly terrified youths resting to the side, Ji Yangzong approached Butcher Qiao, who was sternly washing his knife.
"Five men, four animals, Huo Shu hasn’t had his turn yet. I’m not forcing him on you. It’s up to you whether you take him."
Butcher Qiao waved his hand. "No need for him to try."
Ji Yangzong’s eyelids drooped. "Why not?"
Lowering his voice, Butcher Qiao said, "People say I have a fierce aura, but that young man’s is even stronger. Mine comes from years of slaughtering livestock, but he’s no butcher. So where does his come from?"
"If he has killed men, slaughtering animals would be like slicing radishes for him. Testing him is pointless, he could do it blindfolded. The only thing he’d need to learn is how to properly portion the meat."
Ji Yangzong sucked in a sharp breath. He had a point.
While the other young men had made him avert his eyes in discomfort, Huo Shu had watched the spectacle unfazed, as if it were mere entertainment.
Even Butcher Qiao was wary of him, how could ordinary folk not be intimidated?
"The village head vouches for him, so his character must be sound. As long as he’s decent, that’s enough for me."
Ji Yangzong forced a smile. "I appreciate it."
"Don’t mention it. If anything, I should thank you for recommending a disciple who won’t be a headache to teach. Let’s share a drink when I’m free."
"Deal."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ji Yangzong left, his heart even heavier than when he had arrived.
He couldn’t understand how his ger had unwittingly attracted such a formidable figure. It was like holding a scorching hot potato.
If they refused Huo Shu’s intentions later, would he hold a grudge? And if they agreed, would he lose his temper and beat up his father-in-law someday?
Shaking his head, Ji Yangzong trudged home, weighed down by worries. Nothing seemed to go right these days.
In the end, Butcher Qiao kept only two apprentices - the young man who had dared to wield the knife and Huo Shu. He told them to start learning the trade the next day.
At the fork in the road, Huo Shu parted ways with Ji Yangzong. Before leaving, he called out to the village head, who was walking away with his hands clasped behind his back:
"Village head, if you ever need anything, just call for me."
Ji Yangzong didn’t turn around, merely waving silently in response.
Thank you for the update!!!!!
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