Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When faced with danger, a person’s first instinct is self-preservation.
But what Gu Jin did left an indelible impression on An Mingji’s heart.
When danger struck, she chose to protect him first, how could this not be moving?
An Mingji lowered his gaze slowly, hiding the emotions unsuitable for his age, but his grip on Gu Jin’s hands gradually tightened.
Noticing his action, Gu Jin thought he was scared and gently reassured him, "Don’t be afraid, the wild boar is already dead."
"...Mm."
An Mingji, no longer afraid but still shaken, mumbled in response.
Gu Jin smiled and put him down, leading him by the hand towards Du Aiqing.
"Brother Du, what do we do with this wild boar?"
Du Aiqing, to prevent the wild boar from fainting, had slashed its neck open with a shovel, leaving a bloody scene in front of them.
Hearing Gu Jin’s words, Du Aiqing lightly furrowed his brows, then his face showed strong joy.
Since he and the girl Jin killed the wild boar together, he should get a share too.
Especially during this spring famine, when there’s not much food at home, the wild boar meat could let his wife and children eat meat for a few days, how could he not be happy?
They say finders keepers; if they let others from the village help, they’d have to give them a share of the meat, Du Aiqing thought as he turned to look at Gu Jin.
"Girl Jin, is your uncle and that boy Jiajie at home?"
Gu Jin nodded slightly, "Yes, they are."
"Alright, you go home and call your uncle and Jiajie over, we’ll handle it ourselves."
"Okay!"
Gu Jin had no objections and led the child by the hand towards home.
Watching her leave, Du Aiqing called out to her, "Girl Jin!"
"Yes?"
Gu Jin turned back to see Du Aiqing standing there, a little embarrassed.
"Well... Girl Jin, you wounded the wild boar first. I’m not asking much, but can I have the boar’s head and hind legs?"
After saying this, Du Aiqing’s wheat-colored face turned red.
Asking a young girl for such a thing made him feel like he was trying to take something from her, truly making him uneasy.
Seeing him like this, Gu Jin, who was initially puzzled, burst out laughing, "What are you saying, Brother Du? We found this wild boar together, naturally, we split it in half. Without you today, who knows, maybe both I and little An would have been hurt."
"No, no, that’s too much. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to kill it..."
"It’s settled then, half each."
Without waiting for Du Aiqing to finish, Gu Jin interrupted him and turned away.
...
"Where did that wild girl run off to? It’s mealtime and she’s nowhere in sight!"
At the Gu Family house, Chen Hong was complaining in the courtyard.
She got up early every day to cook, took care of the young and old, and now the meal was ready, but Gu Jin took off with the freeloading cub and god knows where they’ve gone. Already fuming, she couldn’t control her anger any longer.
The eldest uncle of the Gu family sat at the small kitchen table, listening to his wife’s complaints echoing throughout the courtyard, his brows tightly furrowed.
Gu Jiajie glanced at his grandfather, father, and younger sister seated nearby, all waiting for the meal. He rubbed his stomach, feeling hungry too.
"Ungrateful brats, siding with outsiders, do they think food falls from the sky? They don’t understand the cost of living! This big ungrateful brat bringing along a little ungrateful brat, heartless..."
The more Chen Hong thought about it, the angrier she got and continued to curse outside.