"Hehe, I won't hide it from you, it was all luck, purely luck."
Su Hu's face was flushed from drinking, and he was a bit dizzy, his speech slightly slurred: "If you don't believe me, ask Brother Dashan. They saw it with their own eyes. The wild boar ran into the tree trunk and died all by itself."
Li Dashan was the Village Chief's son. He had heard the news in the morning and, along with two other hunters from the village, rushed to the foot of the mountain to help Su Hu carry the wild boar back.
Seeing everyone looking at him, he nodded and laughed, validating the story: "Hu's luck really is good. Such a big wild boar isn't often seen in the deep mountains, let alone one near the foot of the mountain where hunters frequent."
"Hehe."
Su Hu's eyes lit up as he patted his chest proudly: "As for luck, no one can beat our Sister Yu from our home. Sister Yu is truly a Fortune Child, blessed by the heavens with a noble fate."
"Sister Yu? When did you get another child?"
The Old Village Chief was confused and asked the question on behalf of the drunken men.
"Yesterday, we just got her."
Su Hu grinned foolishly: "It's a gift from heaven to our family. It's thanks to Sister Yu's good luck that I got this big wild boar for nothing."
**
"Sister Yu, is that the child they found in the water yesterday?"
Su Hu's loud speech and chest-pounding caught the attention of nearby village women, who couldn't help but gossip in whispers.
"What's so lucky about that child? I don't believe it. If her own parents don't want her, how could she have a noble fate?"
"Yeah, he's just bragging!"
**
"My Sister Yu is lucky!"
Li Xiu'e, annoyed by their gossip, rushed out from the kitchen, yelling and waving her spoon.
"Believe it or not, Sister Yu is now a member of our family, and no one is allowed to badmouth her behind her back in the future. If anyone dares to say anything bad about her, I swear I'll fight them tooth and nail."
"Hey, Sister Su, don't mind them. They're just some gossipy women. It's not worth stooping to their level."
"It's true, even eating meat can't keep her mouth shut. Hearing her talk just makes people angry."
Two wives she was close with hurried out of the kitchen, whispering words of comfort. One on each side, they pulled her back by the arm.
"My wife is right. Today, I, Su Hu, will take this opportunity to formally announce the adoption of Sister Yu."
Hearing the clamor of the women, Su Hu slapped the table and stood up, backing his wife.
"Anyone who dares to badmouth our Sister Yu behind our backs is going against me, Su Hu! I swear by the heavens, whoever dares to bully Sister Yu will not be let off easily."
"Hehe, come on, Hu, is it worth getting so angry over women squabbles? Sit down, let's continue drinking."
The Village Chief's younger son, Li Ershan, saw the tense atmosphere, Liu's family was blushing, eyes wide staring at their own mother, afraid that the two would fight and the situation would worsen. He had to step in and calm Su Hu down.
Li Ershan had saved Su Hu's life from a wolf's mouth three years ago and was both his brother and savior. Su Hu wouldn't dare disrespect him.
"Alright, I'll listen to Brother Ershan."
Upon hearing Li Ershan's words, Su Hu obediently sat down, picked up the bowl of wine from the table, and gulped down the remaining liquid before slamming the bowl down hard on the table, shaking everyone's heartstrings.
"Bang!"
The women cowering in the corner, waiting for their share of meat soup and gossiping, shuddered, and didn't dare to say anything else.
**
Through this incident, Su Hu and his wife's fierce protection of their child was well-established in people's minds, and no one in Woniu Village, adult or child, dared to openly criticize Sister Yu's background ever again.
As Sister Yu grew up, Su Hu's family's fortune grew stronger, and their lives became more and more prosperous. The title of Fortune Child spread far and wide, eventually reaching neighboring villages and beyond.