Attracting Village Attention
Later that day, Jian Yiling prepared the boar's hide and tusks for trade. Carrying the bundle, she walked into the village with her head high. The smoky scent of curing meat clung faintly to her clothes, a hint of her success.
As she entered the main street—a dusty lane lined with modest clay houses—villagers began to notice her.
"Is that… a boar's hide?" someone muttered.
"Did she really hunt that?" another whispered.
"Impossible. She's barely surviving with those two brats."
Jian Yiling ignored the murmurs, her back straight as she approached Uncle Wang's house. He was the village's unofficial middleman, trading goods on behalf of everyone. She knocked on the door, and the elderly man squinted up at her when he opened it.
"Yiling? What brings you here?" he asked, startled.
"This," she said, unfurling the coarse boar hide and setting it down before him. The tusks clattered alongside it. "I need grain and oil. If there's anything left, salt."
Uncle Wang blinked, then reached down to inspect the items. "A clean hide, and these tusks… well, this is worth plenty. You took this down by yourself?"
"I did," Jian Yiling said calmly, not a shred of self-doubt in her tone.
By now, a crowd had gathered outside Uncle Wang's door, muttering amongst themselves.
"Such a scrawny woman brought down a beast like that?"
"Maybe she found it dead and claimed it!"
Jian Yiling's sharp gaze silenced the naysayers. She addressed the crowd coolly, "The mountains are dangerous, and the effort was mine. If any of you doubt me, feel free to try your luck out there."
A few men exchanged glances but said nothing more.
Uncle Wang cleared his throat. "No need for disputes. This will get you what you need, Yiling. I'll measure out the grain and oil myself."
As he prepared her trade, a few women whispered among themselves.
"She's different lately, isn't she?"
"Yes, there's something fierce about her. Like a wolf guarding her pups."
Jian Yiling paid no mind to the gossip. By the time she returned home, her children ran to greet her, their tiny faces shining with happiness when they saw the bags of grain and a tin of precious cooking oil.
"Mama! What did the villagers say?" Yun'er asked.
Jian Yiling smirked as she set the bags down. "They're still trying to figure out how I did it. Let them wonder. We'll focus on what matters—our family staying strong."