HLnovel Chapter 69 The Meat-Eating Scandal
Chapter 69 The Meat-Eating Scandal
As darkness fell, Xie Jin sent two of his men ahead to scout out a suitable place for everyone to rest.
The group followed behind them until the last rays of the setting sun came out, and then settled down at the foot of a sheltered mountain.
With so many more people that night, Meng Bochang gathered all the able-bodied men together to discuss the night watch. After the discussion, he repeatedly emphasized that everyone should not stray too far from their lodgings, and that they would bear the consequences if anything happened.
He then told us about the wild boar, saying that apart from the two hind legs, the rest of the animals would be divided together.
Upon hearing this, the previously silent team finally became a little more active.
No one expected that Meng Fuqing and the young master of the Xie family would share most of the wild boar meat with them, especially in such a time of scarcity and hardship. Everyone was extremely grateful.
After expressing their gratitude, some people slaughtered pigs, others gathered firewood, and everything became orderly.
The Meng family, including women and children, didn't need to worry about keeping watch at night, so they started preparing dinner.
She cleared a space with the two children, gathered some firewood, set up a pot, took out the marinated chicken, cooked a pot of chicken soup, and heated up some flatbread.
After cooking, she ladled out two bowls of chicken soup. She had Meng Ranran take one bowl to Doctor Zheng, and Meng Ali take the other bowl to Xie Jin.
Yesterday, thanks to the two children, I didn't suffer too much.
Zheng Yi, who had difficulty walking and could only stay in the car for long periods of time, almost burst into tears when he smelled the aroma of the chicken soup that Meng Ranran brought over.
Those who followed Xie Jin didn't care what they ate as long as they were full. For two days in a row, he had no taste in his mouth. Now he was finally able to have some hot soup!
On the other side, Xie Jin received a bowl of chicken soup and gave Meng Ali a small box of dragon beard candy as a return gift.
Meng Ali, who was initially a little afraid of Xie Jin, revealed a shy dimple and murmured, "Thank you, big brother."
Seeing that he was about to leave, Xie Jin called out to stop him again.
"This is for your older sister. Come back to me when you run out of arrows."
He was holding a crossbow and a small bundle of bolts.
A small box of dragon's beard candy bridged the gap between the two. Meng Ali carefully took it; it was quite heavy, and he struggled to hold it. He mustered his courage and asked, "Big brother, what's this for?"
Xie Jin said softly, "For hunting."
Meng Ali suddenly realized and couldn't help but boast, "My older sister is an amazing hunter."
Recalling Meng Fuqing's ruthlessness as he stabbed the wild boar with each blow, Xie Jin lowered his eyes. "He was very skilled. Let's go back and have dinner. Don't keep your family waiting."
Meng Ali returned home with a bountiful harvest.
Dan Qiyu was startled when she saw this. She had brought back so many things because she was trying to thank them.
She asked in detail and couldn't help but think to herself that this young master of the Xie family was far too generous.
She looked at the black lump that Meng Ali had brought back and was puzzled. She thought it was for Qingqing, so she would ask Qingqing about it later.
When Meng Fuqing returned from filling the water sac, she saw the small, lightweight crossbow. She picked it up and examined it. "Whose is this?"
Meng Ali, who was squatting by the pot, immediately said, "Big sister, that's what my older brother asked me to give you!"
Shan Qiyu added, "He's the young master of the Xie family. He said he'd let you use him for hunting. You can't tell just by looking at him, but he's a very kind person."
Meng Fuqing said "Oh," and seeing that there were many people around, he didn't bother to load the bow and arrows and try them out, and simply put them away.
"It's probably because he owed me a favor before."
On the other hand, after following along for a day, Niu Er realized he had been tricked.
Isn't he a male prostitute? Isn't he a son-in-law living with his wife's family? Why does he have a carriage, a horse, and subordinates?
Unable to contain his curiosity, he approached Meng Fuqing and asked, "Sister, what's going on with your adopted...brother?"
Meng Fuqing was eating chicken soup when he heard this and looked up. "Brother Niu Er, be more careful in the future. Don't believe everything you hear. If you hadn't said you had served in the army, I wouldn't have believed you."
Niu Er: ...
Niu Er was heartbroken. He remained silent and left without looking back.
Meng Fuqing ignored it, turned around, took the empty bowl, and went back to the pot she had set up at home. She then heard people talking not far from them.
A child watched with longing as Meng Ali happily drank chicken soup from a bowl, and said to her mother, "Mom, I want to eat chicken and drink chicken soup too!"
"That belongs to someone else, we won't eat it. We'll eat our own, come on—"
"I don't want to drink brown rice porridge anymore! Why do we have to drink this all the time? I'm going to throw up!"
The child's mother looked indulgent, "Things aren't like they used to be, Zong'er, just bear with it..."
Before she could finish speaking, the child pushed his mother's hand, causing the bowl in his hand to fall to the ground, spilling the brown rice porridge all over the floor. The child then burst into tears as if he had been pushed.
"I want a chicken leg! I really want a chicken leg!"
The child's commotion attracted the attention of many people, and it was immediately clear that he was craving the chicken soup cooked by Meng Fuqing's family.
They all knew that Meng Fuqing had bought a lot of chickens and ducks before, and that her family had plenty of food, so they didn't pay much attention.
But this child is Cui Miao'er's nephew from her maternal family. His family used to be quite well-off. Now he's drinking gruel, and he's incredibly envious of others eating meat in front of him.
Cui Miao'er's sister-in-law was clearly at a loss with the child's crying, so she called out "Cui Miao'er," and Cui Miao'er was summoned over.
At this moment, Yao Shanyun also approached Shan Qiyu and whispered, "No matter what they say, don't give them a single piece of meat, otherwise they will definitely take advantage of us in the future."
Shan Qiyu knew that Yao Shanyun and her in-laws didn't get along, so she wasn't surprised to hear Yao Shanyun say this. She simply nodded and said, "I understand, sister-in-law."
A moment later, Cui Miao'er brought her little nephew, who had stopped crying, to Shan Qiyu. "Auntie, the child is craving meat. Do you have any chicken left for my Guangzong to have?"
She spoke of it very casually, as if eating a little meat from Meng Fuqing's house was nothing.
Shan Qiyu shook her head. "Unfortunately, we've already finished eating."
Cui Miao'er didn't believe it and stepped forward to lift the pot lid. "Auntie, why are you being so stingy when we're out and about? There's no meat for my Guangzong and Jinbao to drink..."
"Cui Miao'er!" Yao Shanyun shouted angrily. Before she could stop her, she saw Meng Fuqing pick up a stick and raise it.
The stick struck Cui Miao'er's wrist, and she cried out in pain, pulling back. Yao Shanyun then pulled her aside, saying, "Who taught you to be so unruly as to overturn someone else's pot?"
Even her son Jinbao doesn't do this. This daughter-in-law is making her lose all face!
Meng Fuqing hit hard; Cui Miao'er felt like her wrist was about to break. "So what if Guangzong wanted a piece of meat? She even hit me! Why didn't you say anything, Mother?!"
"So what if I hit you? You want to eat meat?" Meng Fuqing dumped the bones from his bowl onto the ground. "Eat."
Upon seeing this, Cui Guangzong burst into tears again, but this time the Cui family members took him away with smiles on their faces.
Cui Miao'er was also pulled back by Yao Shanyun to be reprimanded.
The villagers also boiled the wild boar meat into soup, so that even if they didn't get to eat much meat, having soup to drink was good enough.
Meng Bochang, who had just noticed the farce, came up to Meng Fuqing and said in a low voice, "You killed the wild boar, so it's up to you to decide who killed it and who killed it."
Meng Fuqing did not refuse and said directly, "The Cui family's share is not necessary."
Meng Bochang responded, and after a moment he smiled and said, "You're quite vengeful, girl."
Meng Fuqing: "Of course, what I mean is that no one with the surname Cui should be given any, not even Tang."
Meng Bochang smiled, shook his head, and left.
The Cui family had noticed the wild boar on the truck long ago and had been wondering whose it was. When they learned it was for everyone to eat, they were overjoyed. In the end, after waiting for a while, every family got a share, except for their own.
They got impatient and went to ask, only to find out that the wild boar was hunted by Meng Fuqing. The girl even threatened that she wouldn't even let his family drink the soup. They were angry, annoyed, and helpless, holding their child who was crying for meat, feeling extremely frustrated.
Meng Fuqing didn't sleep well at night. A chill crept into the bedding, and she suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze clear, as if she hadn't slept at all.
She sat up and realized that it was just a wind. The branches above her head were rustling in the wind, and the campfire was still burning, but the fire was much smaller and the flames were constantly swaying in the wind.