Chapter 003 Gao Ren? master?

During the autumn hunting season, he was not at home, otherwise there would not have been any extra money at home. Now, it was the last chance before the heavy snow closed the mountain, and he was still not at home!"

"Xiaodao, my second brother is out, you guys go by yourselves."

Lu Xiaomi puffed up her cheeks and almost gritted her teeth as she replied, looking just like a mouse stealing food in the autumn, which made the younger ones laugh.

"Don't be angry, little sister. When I catch two snow rabbits, I'll make you a hand warmer."

Previously, Lu Xiaomi had been spoiled and arrogant by the entire Lu family, which was not liked by the villagers. But now, after a serious illness and the loss of her mother, she had started taking care of her father and brothers, so the villagers began to pity the motherless girl and took care of her more often.

The Liu family and the Lu family lived in the front and back courtyards, so they were naturally closer. Xiaodao always treated Xiaomi like a little sister, so he didn't think there was anything wrong with giving her two snow rabbit skins.

Lu Xiaomi originally wanted to refuse, but then she suddenly thought of Feng Jian in the side room and immediately agreed.

"Thank you, Xiaodao. I don't need a hand warmer, but we have guests at home, and I want to make something for them. You know my second brother is always running around, so I can't rely on him to catch two snow rabbits for me. You are more reliable, Xiaodao."

The young girl spoke crisply, with a hint of annoyance towards her brother, which made the younger ones laugh.

"Then, sister, you wait at home, we'll leave now."

As the younger ones spoke, they waved and walked away. With the short winter days, if they didn't hurry up the mountain, they were afraid they wouldn't reach the usual hunting spot of the villagers before dark.

Lu Xiaomi closed the door and felt a bit disappointed that she had missed the last chance to earn some extra income.

She didn't know that the conversation just now had been heard clearly by the three servants in the side room, as martial artists had keen senses.

Feng Jian put down his chopsticks and glanced at the red-dressed doll, casually saying, "Go ahead."

The red-dressed doll was very unhappy and wanted to argue, but for some reason, she stomped her foot and slammed the door as she left the room.

The old servant smiled and approached to tidy up the dishes, comforting, "Young master, Gao Ren has this temper. Don't argue with him."

Feng Jian nodded without comment and picked up the only book he had brought with him when he left. In the process, he couldn't help but move his injured leg, causing intense pain and making him groan, with a fine layer of sweat forming on his forehead.

The old servant, concerned, said, "Young master, should I send a message back home and call for a doctor?"

Feng Jian frowned through the intense pain but shook his head, "Since I'm traveling, such things are inevitable. Don't send a message back, so as not to alert anyone. This remote mountain village has a decent doctor."

The old servant's eyes flashed with approval almost imperceptibly.

"Yes, young master."

Just after noon, Lu Laoda rushed back from the city, exchanging the eight hundred wen he had earned from selling grain for a dozen bags of medicinal herbs.

Lu Xiaomi's mouth twitched with distress, but fortunately, Feng Jian was strong and had endured a day without fever or pain. Otherwise, if something happened, the Lu family would never have a clear conscience.

But the Lu family was so poor that they couldn't afford to take care of Feng Jian wholeheartedly, so they could only do this.

Another night passed, and when Lu Xiaomi woke up early, she saw a line of footprints on the thin snow blown into the courtyard and guessed that Lu Er had returned. So she made two snowballs and ran to the main house's west room.

The main house's east room was where Lu Laoda lived, and the west room originally housed Lu Er and Lu Laoda, but now Lu San's side room had been given to Feng Jian, and the three brothers were squeezed together on a kang, just like when they were young.

At this time, the sky was just beginning to brighten, the cold wind outside was biting, and the warmth in the bed was inviting, making it a good time to sleep. The three Lu brothers were sleeping soundly. Lu Wu had been running around outside for a few days, enduring the elements, and was extremely tired, snoring loudly.

Lu Xiaomi made up her mind and stuffed the snowballs into her second brother's bed.

Lu Wu, who was shirtless, suddenly shivered from the cold and jumped up.

"What's wrong? Is something happening?"

Lu Laoda and Lu Er were also awakened by the commotion and got up to look around.

Lu Xiaomi, hands on her hips, pointed at the muscle knots on her second brother's arm, even more annoyed.

"Lu Wu, you eat the family's food and grow a lot of meat, yet you still run outside every day. You missed the autumn hunting and harvest, and even yesterday, when Xiaodao and the others went into the mountains for the last time, you weren't at home! What use is there for you in our family? You might as well live outside and not come back!"

"Oh, little sister, don't be angry!" Lu Wu, being scolded by his sister, was not angry and kept apologizing.

"During the autumn hunting and harvest, my master had me do something, and I really couldn't come back. But I didn't neglect the family, little sister. These days, I raided a thief's den with my master. The dirty silver was originally divided among the refugees outside the capital, but I secretly kept a piece to buy you a new coat!"

Speaking, he quickly grabbed the small cloth bag on the kang and pulled out a peach-red satin jacket, showing off, "Look, this is brocade, the color is so bright, you will look great in it."

Lu Xiaomi held back the urge to spit out a mouthful of old blood, "Second brother, it hasn't been a hundred days since mother's passing, are you sure I can wear peach red?"

"Uh..." Lu Er was stunned for a moment, and then casually replied, "I forgot..."

This time, Lu Xiaomi didn't need to intervene. Lu Da and Lu San both raised their fists, determined to help their second brother, who was so clueless.

Lu Xiaomi didn't get involved and just watched the commotion with folded arms.

Before long, they heard a loud knock on the door from afar.

Lu Xiaomi hurried to open the door, and Lu Da and Lu San also put on their clothes and rushed out. It couldn't be some aunt or grandmother coming to chat at such an early hour.

Sure enough, seven or eight young men rushed into the Lu family's courtyard, with Liu Xiaodao at the front.

Before the Lu brothers could speak, Liu Xiaodao excitedly greeted, "Come with me to carry the game. Your guest from the house has hunted a black bear and a tiger!"

The Lu siblings were all shocked. Although the Old Bear Ridge had the word "bear," it had been rare for anyone to hunt a black bear in recent years, let alone a tiger. At this time, when the wild animals were just about to hibernate or in heat, it was the most ferocious time. Even four or five old hunters wouldn't dare to try it easily.

"My family's guest..." Lu Xiaomi looked puzzled and quickly waved her hand to clarify, "Xiaodao, our guest is injured and can't move easily. Maybe there's a mistake somewhere?"

"No, the master did come out from your house..."

Several young men were also a little confused, but soon another person came in from outside.

It was the red-clothed boy by Feng Jian's side, and at this moment, he was carrying a large deer on his small shoulders. The deer was so fat that it almost engulfed his small body, and from a distance, it looked like the deer was walking on its own.

Lu Xiaomi was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth. No wonder she had felt something was missing last night. It turned out she hadn't seen this red-clothed boy.

The red-clothed boy dropped the deer heavily on the ground, glanced at the dumbfounded crowd, rolled his eyes, and shouted, "Hurry up and bring back the game at the village entrance. Are you waiting for someone else to steal it?"

"Ah, okay!"

The Lu brothers and Xiaodao finally came to their senses and rushed out like a swarm, leaving Lu Xiaomi to scrutinize the red-clothed boy for a long time. Finally, she managed to squeeze out a sentence, "Kid, are you injured? Do you need me to call Uncle Bi San?"

The boy seemed not to expect her first words to be words of concern, and awkwardly shook his head, then turned and went back to the east wing.

Soon, everyone returned with the game, followed by villagers who had come out to see what was happening, totaling dozens of people, young and old.

Lu Xiaomi was excited to see the golden tiger, the mountain-like black bear, the fat deer, and a pile of snow rabbits and mountain chickens.

Originally, she had been worried about how to help Feng Jian, the patient, recover. With such serious injuries, how could he recover with just soup and medicine? She had even tried to persuade her second brother to take him into the mountains, but unexpectedly, Feng Jian's little servant had suddenly turned into a superman and brought back the game in a blaze of glory.

The villagers also marveled and discussed, "The tiger's fur is really good, it will definitely fetch a good price!"

"Yes, look at how thick the bear's paws are. The gallbladder must be large. Apart from the fur, just these two items alone would fetch at least a few taels of silver."

Several women were eyeing the wild boar, as tiger and bear meat were not suitable for consumption, but the wild boar could be eaten all over, especially the fat, which could be used to make oil, much more fragrant than vegetable oil.

The children clapped their hands in delight. In the village, when someone caught a good game like a wild boar, they would usually have a big feast to celebrate.

Lu Xiaomi naturally also thought of this, but the game was brought back by Feng Jian's servant, so she couldn't make decisions on her own.

At this moment, Feng Jian's old servant walked out from the east wing.

The old man had white hair and a thin figure. Perhaps he was afraid of the cold, as he was wearing a thick cotton jacket, but his gestures and demeanor carried a hint of scholarly air, causing the villagers to shift their gaze from the game to him.

The old man smiled amiably, bowed to the crowd, and then turned to Lu Xiaomi, "Miss Lu, our young master said he will stay here to recuperate for at least a few months. It's inevitable that we will trouble you to arrange food and necessities. We left in a hurry and didn't bring any silver. You can handle the disposal of these game animals, and if the proceeds are not enough, you can ask Gaoren to go hunting again."