Chapter 53: Chapter 53: The Descent of Wenqu Star
The next day, as Jiang Changhai took his afternoon nap, he had already prepared his outfit for going up the mountain and secretly hid it under the big banyan tree at the entrance of the village.
Not long after he started his afternoon shift, he clutched his stomach and started groaning, “No good, my stomach is acting up again. I need to go home to use the toilet!”
The scorekeeper warned sternly, “Eldest Jiang, you’ve slacked off quite a few times these past few days. Stop faking it. If you sneak off again, your points for the afternoon will be deducted!”
Jiang Changhai grimaced, bending over like a shrimp, “I’m really not faking it. If I hold it in any longer, I’ll soil myself right here. Go ahead and deduct the points.”
With that, he dashed off like a shot.
The scorekeeper gritted her teeth and marked it in her book, deciding not to let this slacker get away with it anymore.
Zhang Guihua looked up and immediately started shouting, “Eldest, where are you running off to? Hurry up and get back here!”
Jiang Dashan shook his head and continued to work.
Seizing the opportunity, Liu Lixia snidely commented while hoeing, “Eldest Brother hardly worked in the morning, and now he’s run off again. I heard his wife is also slacking off by the tree. At this rate, who knows if the grain we get at the end of the year will be enough to fill our stomachs!”
Zhang Guihua, frowning deeply, muttered, “Old man, what are we going to do? San Ya hasn’t brought back a single penny from school, and at this rate, the eldest’s family is going to eat us out of house and home!”
Jiang Dashan continued to diligently hoe the land, “Let’s just keep working and have a good talk with Eldest Jiang when we get home tonight.”
Meanwhile, Jiang Changhai had gone to the old banyan tree, changed into long sleeves and pants, and used several Nile Ropes to tie the pant legs tightly to prevent any poisonous insects from crawling in.
Then he shouldered his basket and headed up the mountain.
This mountain, known as Mount Lao Mang,
was the closest to their village. Previously, the secretary had said they were going to mine it. After half a year of fruitless mining, they concluded that there was really nothing on Mount Lao Mang and stopped managing it altogether.
Though there were no minerals on the mountain, it was teeming with wildlife.
Jiang Changhai, an experienced hunter, knew exactly where these small animals liked to hide.
He tread lightly on the leaves without making a sound, stealthily approaching an unsuspecting rabbit.
Suddenly, he pounced and caught the rabbit in one swift motion.
Jiang Changhai chuckled, expertly stunned the rabbit and tied it up with rope, tossing it into the basket on his back.
Today, his luck had really peaked; in just over an hour, his basket was bursting at the seams.
Jiang Changhai weighed a plump wild chicken and two large rabbits in his hands, “Alright, that’s enough for today.”
He stepped lively as he made his way down the other side of the mountain.
In just half an hour, he reached the bustling town.
As dusk approached, Jiang Changhai quickened his pace to get back home. He went straight to a vendor he had done business with before, “Old Niu, just caught these in the mountains, fresh game. Swap them for some cloth tickets and money; I’m making a new dress for my daughter.”
Old Niu looked up, “Oh, freshly caught game?”
He weighed them on the scales; they were not light, “Heavier than usual. You’re running into some good luck?”
“My daughter is Wenqu Star descended from heaven, so of course, her father’s luck has to be good too,” Jiang Changhai boasted gleefully, his face glowing with happiness.
Knowing his doting nature, Old Niu nodded with a smile, “You’re absolutely right. That’s fourteen pounds and three ounces altogether. How about I swap them for a cloth ticket and one dollar and fifty cents?”
A cloth ticket could only make one dress.