“There are too many people—let’s head back,” Ji Qiuyue said. They’d been out for a while, and both adults and children had enjoyed themselves. It was time to go home.
“Mm.” Lu Gu agreed, tucking Shen Xuanqing’s now-empty purse into his short garment. Each carrying a child, they made their way forward. Sure enough, Shen Xuanqing was waiting for them by the quieter roadside.
“Woof!”
Guaizi, standing on the cart, spotted them and jumped down. This time, Shen Xuanqing didn’t stop him.
Little Lingjun recognized the family dog and looked down at Guaizi, who was wagging his tail and rubbing against Lu Gu’s leg.
Lu Gu noticed the game on the cart, along with the family’s now-grown sheep, and asked with a smile, “Selling the sheep?”
As they approached, Shen Xuanqing led the mule forward at a slow pace and nodded. “Haven’t slaughtered any pigs recently. Selling some mutton will add variety to the shop’s goods and liven things up.”
The main street was wide, but with so many pedestrians, it was hard for three people to walk side by side. Lu Gu and Ji Qiuyue, each carrying a child, gradually fell behind the mule cart, with Guaizi walking beside them, the group made their way home together.
Once back, Shen Xuanqing unloaded the sheep and dwarf deer in the backyard. Seeing little Lingjun clinging to Lu Gu, he pointed at the deer and said, “Look, Dad caught a dwarf deer. Our little Ling ger and Zhao’er have never seen a deer before.”
Little Lingjun blinked, then followed his father’s finger to gaze at the deer on the ground. His eyes filled with curiosity, and he stared unblinking for a while.
“Deer,” Zhao’er echoed, quick to mimic adults. Now he knew what a deer was.
“Baa—”
The sheep let out a long bleat, and Zhao’er imitated it, giggling as he imitated the sound.
Little Lingjun wasn’t yet speaking much, but he was learning. He looked at Zhao’er, then let out a tiny, soft, babyish “baa.”
"Aiyo." Shen Xuanqing suddenly broke into a wide grin, so happy that he instinctively exclaimed "Aiyo" and praised, "You've learned it so well!"
[哎呦 (Āiyōu): an exclamation of surprise or delight.]
Lu Gu was even happier, holding the child with his eyes curved into crescents from smiling.
While the dwarf deer was still alive, Shen Xuanqing didn't go to the shop after lunch. Instead, he went to the restaurants and wealthy families in Jixing Town to ask if anyone wanted game.
He had gotten to know some people in Jixing Town. Compared to rabbits and wild boars, game like deer was much rarer and more prestigious. Ordinary folks couldn't afford venison, but wealthy families were different, they saw it as a status symbol - a way to impress friends when hosting gatherings.
Many knew he was a hunter, and his knowledge of the mountains surpassed others'. Some even invited him to go hunting together. He didn’t refuse, figuring that mingling and building connections would make it easier to sell his game in the future.
Their lives couldn’t compare to those of high-ranking families, but they were full of laughter and chatter. Though they had their worries, most of the time, they were happy. Money saved little by little would accumulate, and life lived day by day would surely improve.
The autumn air was crisp, and the mountains and forests were desolate, with yellow leaves covering the ground.
In a slightly open part of the woods, three hunting dogs suddenly burst from their hiding spots. Their powerful kicks churned up dirt, splattering onto the dry leaves behind them as they sprinted, startling birds into flight and sending leaves swirling.
Shen Xuanqing didn’t even bother taking his longbow off his back as he stepped out from behind a tree, watching Dahui and the others chase the rabbit. The bamboo basket on the ground behind the tree already held two wild rabbits, their fur stained with blood.
After autumn, he stopped hunting foxes, but he wasn’t idle, he’d found another way to earn money.
Jixing Town had a small brush-making workshop that bought rabbit pelts for brush-making. After mid-autumn, wild rabbits grew plump, their fur thick and smooth. He had taken some of their home-raised rabbits for inspection, and the workshop picked the ones they wanted.
However, the home-raised rabbits were mainly sold for meat. Sometimes, when a customer came, they’d slaughter them on the spot. The brush workshop only wanted the pelts, and if there was too much leftover meat that couldn’t be sold quickly, it’d be a waste. So, he took to hunting in the mountains.
The rabbits hunted in the mountains sometimes had heavier bites from the dogs or were killed instantly by arrows. If the meat couldn’t all be sold, it wasn’t a huge loss—they’d either eat it themselves or give it to relatives and friends. Lately, even the dogs had been eating meat every day. It was the season to fatten them up, and all six dogs, big and small, now had glossy, sleek fur.
Once the dogs caught up to the rabbit, they stopped chasing. He whistled, and Guaizi raised his head, trotting back with the rabbit in his mouth while Dahui and Dahei followed a few steps behind.
This time, it was Guaizi who caught the rabbit first. Shen Xuanqing took the trembling, plump rabbit from his mouth and rubbed Guaizi’s head in praise.
Since they were only selling the pelts, he didn’t restrict the dogs to catching them alive—getting them quickly was the priority. That way, they could hunt more in a single day.
Guaizi panted happily, wagging his tail with excitement.
It was still early, and he had brought dry rations for the trip. After a short rest, he took the dogs to the river for a drink before heading back into the woods to track more fat wild rabbits.
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