Guan Xiaorou had been hiding behind the door, secretly watching the commotion in the yard. When she saw Xie Guang about to attack, fearing that Jin Feng might get hurt, she rushed out with a broom in hand. Gripping the broom tightly, she pointed it at Xie Guang and warned, "Don't come any closer, or I'll hit you!"
The yard fell silent for a moment, and then everyone burst into laughter. Guan Xiaorou's appearance and tone were far from intimidating—she looked more adorable than fierce.
Xie Guang's eyes widened, and he leered at her. "Jin Feng, if you don't want to pay back the grain, how about letting Guan Xiaorou spend the night with me? After all, a night with a girl from the brothel in town only costs twenty pounds of wheat…"
"Go to hell!" Jin Feng had tolerated Xie Guang's nonsense up to this point, but he couldn't stand the man insulting Guan Xiaorou. Before Xie Guang could finish, Jin Feng kicked him hard, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Jin Feng, you dare hit me?" Xie Guang sat on the ground, stunned. Over the years, it had always been Xie Guang bullying Jin Feng, who would only respond with scholarly insults and never fought back. Even the onlookers were shocked. Was this really the same bookish Jin Feng they knew?
"It must be a fluke!" Xie Guang, refusing to accept defeat, scrambled to his feet and charged at Jin Feng again. But within seconds, he was knocked down once more. This time, Jin Feng didn't hold back. He followed up with a series of kicks, leaving Xie Guang curled up on the ground, shielding his head.
"Husband, stop! Don't hurt him too badly!" Guan Xiaorou, worried that Jin Feng might go too far, quickly pulled him back. Seizing the opportunity, Xie Guang scrambled out of the yard, shouting from the gate, "Jin Feng, you'll pay for this! I won't let you off!"
"Husband, are you okay?" Guan Xiaorou led Jin Feng into the inner room, anxiously checking him for any injuries.
"I'm fine. I could take on ten of his kind," Jin Feng said dismissively.
"Husband, maybe… you should take a concubine," Guan Xiaorou suddenly suggested.
"What did you say?" Jin Feng thought he must have misheard. His wife of only two days was suggesting he take a concubine?
"I said, maybe you should take a concubine," Guan Xiaorou repeated earnestly. "You don't have any brothers, and my brother can't help you either. If you marry a girl with many brothers, Xie Guang wouldn't dare bully us…"
In this era, where communication relied on shouting and travel was done on foot, disputes in the village were usually settled without involving the authorities, unless someone died. The solution was simple: whoever had more brothers or a stronger fist was in the right. In the countryside, having many brothers meant you could dominate the village.
"Silly girl, what are you thinking?" Jin Feng chuckled, ruffling Guan Xiaorou's hair. "Don't worry about Xie Guang. He's just a troublemaker. If you hadn't stopped me, I'd have beaten him senseless!"
"Husband, you were too rough. What if you had killed him? You'd be in trouble with the law."
"I know my limits. I wouldn't have killed him," Jin Feng said. "But with troublemakers like him, if you don't make them fear you, they'll keep coming back to bother you."
"My brother told me Xie Guang has a lot of shady friends. Even the troublemakers in our village are afraid of him. What if he comes back with a group of them?" Guan Xiaorou frowned. "I really think you should marry a concubine with many brothers."
"Guan Xiaorou, let me ask you something," Jin Feng said, pointing to the inner room. "We only have one bed. Where would the concubine sleep?"
"She'd sleep with us, of course. That's how everyone does it," Guan Xiaorou replied matter-of-factly.
Jin Feng swallowed hard. This was getting intense.
"If you're okay with it, I'll ask my cousin to find out which families have daughters with many brothers…"
"Let's focus on filling our stomachs before we talk about concubines," Jin Feng interrupted. "Let's eat first. I'm starving after running around all morning."
After lunch, it was still early in the afternoon. With nothing else to do, Jin Feng grabbed his crossbow and headed back to the mountains. As he passed the foot of the hill, the women foraging for wild vegetables pointed and whispered, clearly having heard about his confrontation with Xie Guang. Not wanting to get caught in their gossip, Jin Feng took a smaller path up the mountain.
He hadn't planned on hunting seriously, but today the mountains seemed unusually abundant with game. Before he even reached the first ridge, he had already bagged four rabbits and a pheasant. If his bag hadn't been full, he might have caught even more.
"Why are there so many rabbits in the back hills today?" Jin Feng wondered, his excitement tempered by caution. Rabbits and pheasants were usually wary and avoided areas frequented by humans. The sudden abundance of game suggested that something might have driven them out of the deeper forests—possibly a predator.
The first thing that came to Jin Feng's mind was a tiger. In this era, before the widespread use of firearms, tigers had no natural predators and were numerous, especially in the mountainous regions of Shu. Tiger attacks were common, and the government offered hefty rewards for hunters who could kill them. However, most hunters who ventured into the mountains ended up as tiger food.
Having worked himself to death in his previous life, Jin Feng had become much more cautious after being given a second chance. Sensing danger, he decided to head back down the mountain with his catch.
At the foot of the hill, the women were still foraging in small groups.
"Should I warn them?" Jin Feng hesitated. If he warned them, it was just speculation—he had no proof. On the other hand, a single adult rabbit could fetch over ten pounds of rice, an irresistible temptation in these times of scarcity. If the women found out about the sudden abundance of game, the entire village would likely swarm the mountains the next day. If there really was a predator, that could be disastrous.
But if he didn't warn them, they were still at risk if a tiger came down from the mountains.
While Jin Feng was still debating, Xiao Yu and a group of women approached, grinning. "Jin Feng, looks like you had a good haul! Your bag's full. Show us what you got!"
"Fine. I'll warn them, and whether they believe me is up to them," Jin Feng decided. He opened his bag and dumped the game onto the ground.
Xiao Yu's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She had been teasing Jin Feng, thinking the bag contained something else, but it was indeed full of game.
"Four rabbits and a pheasant! Jin Feng, you've only been in the mountains for less than an hour. How did you catch so much?"
"Six rabbits in two days! Jin Feng, you're going to be rich!"
The women were practically drooling with envy.
"Jin Feng, how did you catch so many rabbits? What's your secret?" Xiao Yu asked, tugging at Jin Feng's sleeve. The other women leaned in, eager to hear his answer.