Chapter 8: A Set of Wild Goods!

Crossing the stream at the edge of the village, Xu Fugui reached the foot of the Great Green Mountain. Having grown up in Xujiacuan, he was intimately familiar with the surrounding landscape—every hill, stream, blade of grass, and tree. He knew the mountain paths well, but this time, he avoided the trails commonly used by the villagers. Instead, he chose a remote route, using his wood-chopping knife to clear a path. He set his animal traps, baiting them with pieces of flatbread, as there was nothing better to be found at home.

"Time to try my luck!"

After setting the traps, he didn't rush off. He wandered through the forest, checking if there was anything else to be gained; his current internal space, aside from a mu of rice he had planted, was still largely empty. After roaming for the entire morning, his harvest was truly substantial.

He stumbled upon a hawthorn tree that appeared to be in its peak fruiting season. The trunk was as thick as a grown man's calf, and it was covered in fruit, though they were still green and unripe. He picked one to taste; it was sour and astringent. It would need another two or three months to ripen.

"Dig it up!"

He used the hoe he had brought to dig it out and moved it into his space. Irrigated by the immortal spring water, it wasn't for the sake of selling hawthorns for profit, but so he could make sugar-coated hawthorn skewers for Fengxia in the future.

Next, he found some wild litsea cubeba, wild onions, and a large patch of honeysuckle—all excellent finds. The litsea cubeba was an essential seasoning, and the honeysuckle, once dried, could be brewed into tea to clear heat, detoxify, and dispel wind-heat, providing great health benefits. Even if he sold them at a pharmacy, they would fetch a good price. He gathered them all into his space; there was plenty of land to spare.

Descending the mountain, he washed his hands in the stream at the base. He accidentally knocked over his water canteen, and some of the immortal spring water spilled into the stream. A miraculous sight followed: deep in the stream, small fish began to gather, as if drawn by a delicacy. Even when he swished his hands in the water, they didn't scatter; they showed no fear of him at all.

Amazing!

He immediately focused his intent, releasing more spring water from his fingertips. As the water dispersed, large grass carp weighing five or six pounds, three-to-four-pound carp, and even thick yellow eels the size of an adult's thumb all swam toward him.

Xu Fugui was overjoyed. "Hahaha..."

It seemed he would never run out of fish. Since they were offering themselves up, he wouldn't be polite—he collected them all into his space.

In his space, he had previously built enclosures for pigs, sheep, chickens, and ducks, along with a small pond where he deposited the fish, shrimp, and eels. Satisfied, he headed home in high spirits.

Three days later, Xu Fugui returned to the mountain to check his dozen traps. He had marked them beforehand; otherwise, in these thickets that grew taller than a man, one could easily lose their way.

His harvest from the twelve traps was bountiful. Only two were empty; the other ten all held catches: four wild rabbits—two males and two females—three colorful pheasants, and two grayish wild ducks that were surprisingly large and plump, as if they had been eating exceptionally well.

The last trap even contained a badger. It had dived headfirst into the cage, leaving its rear end sticking out. Badgers were notorious for ruining crops; if they found a field of corn, they could eat it clean, with a destructive power rivaling that of a wild boar. However, he decided to let the beast go, moved the trap to a new location, and headed down the mountain.

He didn't believe such a harvest was merely a matter of luck. Although the Great Green Mountain was vast and lush, he doubted it was so teeming with game that one could catch something just by tossing a stone into the bushes. In the past, villagers had tried setting traps, but none had ever seen such a haul. There was only one explanation: he had soaked the bait in the immortal spring water. These pheasants, rabbits, ducks, and even that badger had been drawn to the spring water, just like the fish.

After tidying up, he descended the mountain with his hoe over his shoulder, the pheasants and rabbits hanging from it, and two large grass carp—each weighing five or six pounds—in his hand. He didn't go straight home but took a detour through the village. He simply wanted to "show off." He was a hunter now, capable of earning money to support his family. Later, when he went to town to buy things, he would have a reasonable explanation for his wealth, preventing gossip or suspicion.

When he reached the large camphor tree where the villagers often gathered to chat, his haul of fish, pheasants, and rabbits immediately caught their attention, and they swarmed around him.

"Oh my, Fugui, where did you get all this? Did you buy them in the city?"

"These grass carp are huge; they must be five or six pounds, right? And this rabbit is so fat. Look at that fur—it would make great lining for warm boots..."

As the villagers chattered, Xu Fugui replied, "I set some traps in the Great Green Mountain behind our village. These are what I collected today. The two grass carp were caught in a mountain stream; I got lucky."

The villagers gasped. "Fugui, are you serious? When did the Great Green Mountain have so much game? I set traps there not long ago and didn't catch a thing!"

Xu Fugui said, "Maybe I just got lucky. Perhaps it's because the rice at the foot of the mountain is ripening, and the rabbits and pheasants are coming down to feed."

One villager slapped his thigh. "That makes sense! That must be it. I'm going to set my traps in the mountains right now; maybe I'll have a harvest tomorrow!"

Several villagers rushed off to fetch their traps, eager to head to the mountain.

Xu Fugui lingered in the village for about ten minutes before preparing to head home. Erleng caught up from behind. "Hey, Fugui, Fugui, wait up!"

Xu Fugui stopped and looked at Erleng, who was dressed in dirty, tattered rags. Erleng was the village layabout—lazy and gluttonous. No girl in the village would marry him, and he remained a bachelor to this day.

"What do you want?" Xu Fugui asked.

Erleng said, "Fugui, you're planning to sell this game in the city, right?"

"That's right. So what?"

"Don't bother with the trouble!" Erleng said. "Just sell the rabbits, pheasants, and those two grass carp to me. I'll buy them."

"You're buying?" Xu Fugui asked. "How much are you offering?"

"How about two copper coins?"

"Get lost!"

Xu Fugui cursed. The guy clearly took him for a fool. He turned to walk away.

"Hey, hey, don't go!" Erleng chased after him. "Fugui, I'll add two more copper coins—four total. That should be enough, right?"

Xu Fugui didn't waste any more words. He bent down, picked up a stone, and gestured as if to throw it. "Get away from me, or I'll crack your skull open."

Erleng dared not pester him further. Watching him walk away, he muttered curses under his breath, "Damn it, does he still think he's the young master of the Xu family? Fine, I'll go set my own traps, hmph!"