Chapter 14: The Whole Village Bustles to Feast on Meat

Outside Chu Chen’s house in Mashan Village, a group of people were setting up a large pot over a fire. Li Qinglian watched Chu Chen with a worried expression—her husband had returned safe and sound, and he had even caught a wild boar along with several piglets.

After a moment’s thought, she understood Chu Chen’s intention.

Chu Chen handed her the sack containing the piglets and said, “Wife, find a place to raise them.”

“Raise them? Although the meat isn’t poisonous, it’s not tasty,” Li Qinglian replied.

“No worries. I have a plan. This might turn into a profitable venture,” Chu Chen said confidently.

Since dealing with Long Ge and Ma San, Chu Chen had been thinking about how to make a stable living in this ancient world. Since people here did not eat pork, he planned to capitalize on the pig farming opportunity.

Li Qinglian didn’t press further but quietly asked, “Husband, is everything settled now?”

“Rest assured, no one will bother us anymore,” Chu Chen said, then stepped outside.

A smile of joy appeared on Li Qinglian’s face as she carried the piglets toward another spot.

Chu Chen approached Huzi and handed him ten taels of silver. “Brother Huzi, I need you to do something for me. Go to town and buy some grain and wine. Our whole village has over a hundred people—a single wild boar won’t be enough.”

At the mention of buying wine, Huzi nodded eagerly.

They loaded Chu Chen’s mule cart and set off for the town, accompanied by two young men.

Watching the bustling activity, a meaningful smile crossed Chu Chen’s eyes.

Meanwhile, in the village chief’s house, the chief’s wife knelt on the floor, pleading with Wang Defa with a desperate look.

“Defa, please forgive me this time. I was momentarily blinded by my desires—Ma San took advantage of me, but I was unwilling.”

“You shameless woman! If it weren’t for Chu, I’d still be in the dark.”

“What about Ma Lao’er and the other men who went to the clinic with us that day?” Wang Defa snapped, then lashed her harshly with a whip.

Ever since Chu Chen falsely accused her of having a venereal disease, several men from the village had rushed to the town clinic. When Wang Defa and his wife arrived, they encountered these men there.

Seeing these villagers there for the same reason, Wang Defa’s anger flared, but lacking proof, he vented all his fury on his wife.

Fortunately, after the doctor’s examination, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The men, ashamed, slunk away, leaving Wang Defa furious. At home, he beat his wife mercilessly with a whip.

According to the Daxia laws, a disloyal wife was subjected to the wooden horse punishment. To preserve his reputation, Wang Defa did not report to the authorities. After venting his anger at home, he sold her to the local pawnshop for a tael or two of silver.

Just as he finished these matters and was about to rest, a knock came at the door.

Wang Defa tidied his clothes and called out, “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Uncle Wang—Chu...” Chu Chen’s voice came from outside.

While watching the lively crowd, Chu Chen realized he had overlooked one person: Wang Defa, the village chief.

If the officials came knocking, Wang Defa would be the first point of contact.

Although Chu Chen had offended him slightly yesterday, he decided to take a chance and plead with him.

The underworld king may be easy to approach, but village chiefs were notoriously troublesome.

He took ten jin of rice and five jin of mutton from his space and knocked on Wang Defa’s door.

“What’s Chu up to?” Wang Defa wondered.

Despite Chu Chen exposing his wife’s affair and embarrassing him publicly, his impression of Chu was neither good nor bad.

Still, after considering it, he went to open the door himself.

“Chu, why aren’t you off making your fortune in the city? Why come here to make a fool of yourself?” Wang Defa said with displeasure.

“Uncle Wang, it’s all a misunderstanding. I’m just concerned for your health...” Chu Chen said, offering the rice and mutton.

As the saying goes: Don’t strike the smiling face that offers a hand. Seeing Chu Chen holding a large piece of mutton, Wang Defa found it hard to stay angry.

Though he was the village chief, he was still a simple farmer. Though his life was decent comparatively, he could only afford meat on special occasions.

Such a large chunk of mutton and fine rice was tempting indeed.

“You sly boy, coming here with gifts—don’t be so formal,” Wang Defa laughed heartily.

Seeing his gift worked, Chu Chen revealed his purpose.

“Uncle Wang, this morning I went to the mountains and shot a wild boar. Uncle Liu and the others are already at my place, building a fire and cooking.”

Chu Chen smiled innocently. “I came first to apologize for yesterday’s rashness, and second, to invite you over to eat some wild boar meat.”

Wang Defa’s heart filled with joy. See? I’m still the man in charge here. No matter how rich you get, you still come running to invite me to a meal.

“Chu, you actually remember this old man. I’ll come over shortly then,” he said.

Having achieved his goal, Chu Chen took his leave.

Back home, rich aromas of cooking meat filled the air.

Thanks to the mule cart, Huzi had already returned with supplies.

He handed Chu Chen two hundred copper coins of change.

“Chu, here’s two hundred coins left. Keep it.”

Chu Chen declined, instead telling those who helped, “You all worked hard—this is for you.”

Their faces lit up as they thanked him and eagerly unloaded the cart.

Approaching noon, though winter was near, Chu Chen’s home was filled with laughter and warmth, the lively spirit banishing the cold.

Tables and benches had been set up across the open space.

With Wang Defa’s arrival, the atmosphere soared.

Huzi had bought plenty of millet in town and steamed a large pot of millet rice.

Each table held a jar of wine—just a little, around a pound or two.

In this era, wine was expensive; ordinary families only tasted it during festivals.

Chu Chen tasted the wine—it was weak and tasteless, hardly worthy of the name.

He returned indoors and fetched several bottles of strong spirit from his space.

To avoid drawing too much attention, he diluted it with plenty of water before asking Huzi and the others to carry it outside.

“You’ve really struck it rich, bringing so much wine. How much must this have cost?” Wang Defa asked, eyeing the jars.

“Don’t tease me, Uncle Wang. I just made some small money. Here, let me pour you a glass,” Chu Chen said, filling a cup with the watered-down spirit.

Wang Defa sipped and exclaimed, “Hmm... Chu, this wine?”