Mr. Jing and His Little Husband

The last trap, when set up, took a lot of effort from Jing Yi. It wasn’t an ordinary pitfall, but a clever net. First, he placed some pine cones, dried fruits, and the like as bait, and then used a wooden frame he had devised during his free time at home to set up a simple mechanism.

He hoped to catch some squirrels or ferrets with intact fur and skin. However, these small creatures were agile, with sensitive senses of smell and hearing. They were also quite cautious in their movements, making them difficult to capture by relying solely on pitfall traps or chasing. Therefore, they were quite valuable. Live captures could be sold directly to wealthy families in town or the county as pets. It was said that they were following the trend set by the high-ranking officials in the capital city, who loved raising these animals. Some even carried around delicate cages when they went out.

Even if only dead ones were caught, it didn’t matter. Complete fur and skin could still fetch some silver coins.

As soon as they arrived near the trap, they heard squeaking noises. Jing Yi’s face brightened, and he saw a ferret struggling inside the net.

This ferret had a slender body and short, strong limbs. It had the common purplish-black fur. Perhaps it had an abundant food supply in the forest, as its fur was glossy and smooth. Although it wasn’t the rare and valuable silver-white fur, if this ferret could be sold, their family should have no financial worries for at least a year or two.

“So cute! Big brother, can I touch it?” Jing Shu couldn’t take his eyes off the little ferret since he first saw it. While asking the question, his small hand had already reached out.

Jing Yi quickly blocked him and said, “No, don’t underestimate this little ferret. It can be fierce and it’s carnivorous. A scratch from its claws will leave a bloody mark. Big brother will hold it for now, and we can look at it when we get home.”

With that said, he arranged for his younger brother to carry a small basket on his back, filled with tightly packed maranta plants. Despite being ten years old and thin, Jing Shu already had considerable strength and found it easy to carry. Jing Yi himself carried a large basket filled with wild chickens, along with some maranta plants placed in a cloth bag inside the basket to prevent the chickens from making a mess. He also held the little ferret in a net bag.

He looked up at the sky and realized it was still early, earlier than expected. There was no hurry to go down the mountain.

Today’s harvest was quite fruitful, especially with the addition of the little ferret. Everyone was in a good mood. On the way back, they chatted and laughed, much more lively than when they had come.

Jing Shu happily hopped and skipped ahead. When he saw small wildflowers on the roadside, he couldn’t help but pick some. He arranged a small bunch of pink flowers and tied them to his waistband with a piece of dry grass. As he walked, they swayed along, truly pleasing to the eye.

He didn’t just do it for himself; he also made another bunch for his second brother. He ran after him and had his second brother tie it to his waistband as well. Finally, he had a bright idea for his eldest brother. Jing Yi smiled and looked over, and Jing Shu obediently approached him, trying to please him. He smiled and indicated that he had been well-behaved, then asked his eldest brother for the bag of maranta plants to carry himself.

Jing Yi thought they were almost halfway through the journey, and it was downhill from here, so he agreed and gave it to Jing Shu.

When passing by a small hill behind the village, Jing An keenly noticed a nest of wild chicken eggs. There were six eggs in the nest, and Jing An took four and left two behind. As an ancient person, he understood the principle of relying on the mountains and rivers for survival, and it was ingrained in him to not do anything unethical, such as killing the hen for its eggs.

After arriving home, Jing Yi sent his two younger brothers to play and gave the maranta plants and four wild chicken eggs from the small basket to their mother. He instructed her that they could have maranta plants with tofu for lunch, stir-fry an egg, and add two strands of sour garlic chives. They could have it with the flatbread that Mother Jing made, and that would complete the meal.

The weather was hot, so this was considered quite a rich meal in the village. As for the silly rabbit, they planned to keep it overnight and stew it for lunch the next day.

Hearing this, Mother Jing swallowed the words she was about to say. She had originally planned to save the eggs and the rabbit to sell in town later. Having maranta plants with tofu was enough, as in the past six months, the Jing family had suffered multiple hardships. They had not only used up all their savings but also sold five mu of farmland. She wasn’t as generous as she used to be and started to calculate everything carefully.

Ever since Jing Yi recovered, he had been thinking of ways to make money. He kept saying that one’s health is the capital for revolution, even though she didn’t understand what revolution meant. But she understood what her eldest son meant. The family had endured hardships for over half a year and suffered mentally for over half a year. They really needed some good food to replenish themselves.

Mother Jing, Liu Caiyun, had always been an optimistic and carefree person, whether as an unmarried girl or after getting married and having children. Once she understood the situation, she busily went to prepare lunch.

In the courtyard, Jing Yi and his father were chatting.

“Father, look at this ferret trapped in the snare. Although its fur color is not rare, it is very smooth. I was thinking of selling it in the county town tomorrow, and it should fetch a good price.”

There was another reason Jing Yi didn’t mention. If he went to sell it in town and happened to encounter the steward from the Liu family, he might end up at a disadvantage. This ferret was valuable, and he didn’t want any unforeseen circumstances. The Jing Yi family was still poor and weak, so if they encountered any trouble, they would surely suffer. There was no need for that. Besides, it was just an extra hour’s journey, and he had transformed into a strong young man at sixteen years old, with inexhaustible strength. It was no big deal.

“Alright, it looks good. This fur will definitely find a buyer.” Jing’s father hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “We are earning money, but don’t overexert yourself. The doctor said that in two more months, I will be completely fine, and we can leave together. Your body is just getting back in shape; don’t tire yourself out too much.”

“No problem, father. You and mother can rest assured. I have a plan in mind. Look at these mountain chickens and ferrets. I caught them with traps; I didn’t go chasing through the mountains and hills.” Jing Yi smiled and said, “When you’re better, I’ll handle the work in the fields, in the mountains, and even if we need to find work in the city, you’ll be the one giving the orders, and I’ll follow.”

Jing Yi knew that his father was feeling guilty again, so he quickly comforted and joked with him.

He knew that his father felt guilty for not bringing any income to the family as the eldest son and labor force. Instead, he had become a burden. His father had such a personality, feeling that as a husband and father, he should take care of his wife and children. Now that the roles were reversed, he didn’t feel at ease and felt sorry for his child.

“Hahaha, that’s not a problem. Your father also has this talent.”

Mother Jing, who was standing in the kitchen, watched her husband and eldest son happily chatting. The furrowed brows that had persisted in recent days had relaxed quite a bit, and she genuinely felt joyous. Everything was getting better, and life had a sense of direction.

“Alright, you two, stop showing off and come over for lunch.” Liu Caiyun quickly called everyone to set the table and bring out the dishes.

Maranta salad with tofu looks refreshing and has the fragrant aroma of tofu, making it a rare delicacy in the summer. The homemade pickled garlic chives, taken out and cut into pieces, eaten with flatbread, taste salty, fragrant, and refreshing. The only meat dish is scrambled eggs, which is simple to make. Put in some oil and scallions, stir-fry it, and once it’s cooked, add a bit of salt. It smells delicious.

Jing An and Jing Shu couldn’t control their excitement and kept salivating.

The family started eating in a lively manner. Mother Jing first scooped a chopstick of scrambled eggs for father Jing, then quickly called the three children to eat, but she didn’t move her own chopsticks.

Father Jing still needed to replenish himself, and the three kids were still growing, so a plate of eggs disappeared with a few chopsticks. She would save some for herself and eat later. Thankfully, she listened to her eldest son’s advice and added eggs and tofu.

Jing Rong watched his wife continuously eating pickled vegetables and maranta salad, so he quietly scooped a chopstick for her, smiled at her, and gestured for her to eat quickly.

Liu Caiyun looked at the eggs in her bowl, lowered her head, and smiled softly. She knew very well that her family used to live a good life, with Jing Rong working hard, being diligent, and, most importantly, caring for his wife and children.

Back then, many people envied her, but now many people laughed at her behind her back, or even openly. But she didn’t care much about it. In life, just like drinking water, one knows their own warmth. She knew that as long as Jing Rong continued to treat her well, that was enough.

Although the movements between the parents were small, all three sons noticed. Jing An and Jing Shu exchanged glances, and their playful expressions earned them a gentle tap on the head from their father.

Jing Yi planned to rest for a while after finishing lunch and then go to town to sell the wild chicken. The chicken was barely alive when caught in the trap, and it had been carried back in a basket, barely breathing. He needed to sell it quickly while it still had some life left; otherwise, the price would be significantly reduced.

After lunch, after resting for about fifteen minutes, he bid his parents goodbye and left with the basket and the wild chicken. He also took the remaining maranta salad with him. Selling it for a few coins would still bring in some money. Buying a string of candied haws or a few pieces of sugar cubes to please his younger brother would be even more joyful.

Xiwan Village belonged to Fuyang Town, and Fuyang Town belonged to Anchang County.

It wasn’t too far from Xiwan Village to Fuyang Town. Once you leave the village, head south all the way, and if an adult hurries, it would take about an hour to walk there. Jing Yi had gone a few times before and estimated it to be around twenty miles.

However, it would take two hours round trip, which meant four hours in total. A lot of work could be done in that time. People in the countryside don’t casually go to town unless necessary because it wastes time, and rural folks are afraid of trouble. There’s always an inexplicable fear towards towns and county seats.

From Jing Yi’s memories, the original owner of the body had only been to Fuyang Town a few times, and as for Anchang County, forget about it. He didn’t even know which way the county seat was.

However, after Jing Yi arrived, and once his health was fine, he would often go up the mountain to dig medicinal herbs and bring back some eggs and vegetables to sell in Fuyang Town. It could help supplement the household expenses, and walking also served as exercise. The key was that he needed to understand the laws and customs of this era, so that he wouldn’t end up in a helpless situation, falsely accused before he could seek help from those he cared about.

Therefore, just wandering around Xiwan Village was not enough.

Walking alone was boring, so he mostly hurried along the way.

Jing Yi was young and had long legs. After walking for less than an hour, he saw the signboard of Fuyang Town. Although it was early summer, the heat wasn’t too noticeable. There were still quite a few people coming out to run errands during noon or afternoon. From a distance, he could see that Fuyang Town was bustling and lively as ever.

As he looked at it, Jing Yi couldn’t help but quicken his pace. The sooner he finished his errands, the sooner he could return home.