Chapter 10: Wang Wei Amazed, Chu Feng Shares His Meat with Everyone

A bowl of hot mutton soup made the village chief feel warm and comforted all over. At the same time, he realized he might have just aligned himself with a powerful asset.

Currently, everyone in the village was struggling to find enough to eat. Every household was scraping by on whatever scraps of grain remained from the previous year. Although there was a saying that one should live off the mountain if one lived near it, Yulong Mountain was exceptionally dangerous. Coupled with the meager plots of land at the foot of the mountain—just enough to be divided among the villagers—the entire village continued to rely on farming to survive. Now, with harvests dwindling and grain taxes increasing, the villagers were plunged into a state of dire misery. The addition of Chu Feng, who possessed the ability to hunt, offered the village at least one other option—a chance to survive.

"I didn't expect the village chief to be so supportive of my hunting," Chu Feng said with a smile. When he first caught the wild boar, he had thought about keeping it a secret. He was worried that the villagers might become jealous and create unnecessary trouble, and he also feared there might be some kind of ban on hunting in the mountains that would make it difficult to explain.

Du Dahai laughed heartily. "We’re barely getting enough to eat and people are on the verge of starving; who cares about those things anymore?"

"That puts my mind at ease," Chu Feng replied. With an axe and a bow now in his possession, his hunting efficiency would increase significantly. Not only would he be able to keep his own small family well-fed, but there was also the potential for extra income. He already had a boar skin and a sheepskin at home; these could be fashioned into clothing or sold in town. Although he didn't know the market price, he assumed they would easily fetch enough to trade for white rice and flour, allowing his family to eat much better.

"I’ll head back for now. If you need anything, just let me know," Du Dahai said warmly.

Hearing this, Chu Feng said, "Village Chief, there is actually one favor I might need your help with."

"What is it?"

"I want to repair my house, but I don't think I can manage it on my own."

Chu Feng knew that news of his hunting would inevitably reach everyone’s ears. As he hunted more often and brought back more game, there would surely be more people like Chu Long. He couldn't just look out for himself. Even if only for the sake of his wife and daughter, he had to remember that humans are social creatures. He couldn't live in isolation forever. His daughter needed to play with children her own age, and his wife needed to communicate with others in the village. Even if he wanted to repair his house quickly, he needed the help of others. Since that was the case, he might as well integrate himself into the community proactively.

"That’s simple enough. I’ll go gather the men of the village, but they certainly won't help you for free," Du Dahai reminded him.

"I understand," Chu Feng replied.

This was an easy task for the village chief, who commanded great respect. With just a shout, most of the villagers—men, women, and children—arrived. Among them was Wang Wei, who had been eager to help Chu Long teach Chu Feng a lesson. When Wang Wei heard they were going to help Chu Feng, he immediately shook his head. "I'm not going. Someone who dares to be disrespectful to his own brother and mother—what right does he have to receive my help?"

"Chu Feng said he would treat everyone to a meal after the work is done," Du Dahai said.

"Isn't that a given? Who doesn't provide a meal when asking for help?" Wang Wei curled his lip.

"He's treating everyone to meat."

The moment those words were spoken, the crowd rushed toward Chu Feng’s house in a swarm. Wang Wei stood there in a daze for a moment. At the thought of meat, saliva began to flood his mouth. A moment later, he followed the crowd toward Chu Feng’s home. "Nonsense, how much meat could he possibly have to share with so many people in the village?" he muttered as he walked.

But the moment he arrived at Chu Feng's, he was frozen by the sight of two sides of meat in the yard: one side of pork and one side of mutton. Together, they weighed nearly twenty pounds. This amount naturally couldn't satisfy everyone's hunger, but in these times, let alone meat, even coarse grain wasn't enough to fill their stomachs. The villagers were the type who would kneel and call someone "father and mother" just for a scrap of food, let alone twenty pounds of meat.

"Thank you all for your hard work. Let’s eat at my place this noon. It’s not much meat, but if we boil it into a soup, everyone will definitely get a share."

Even if it were just broth, or even if the meat were chopped into tiny bits for everyone to have a taste, it would be a tremendous blessing. The men, who hadn't tasted meat in who knows how long, let out a cheer.

"Second brother of the Chu family, tell us what to do!"
"Can I bring my wife over? She can work too."
"Can I have a small piece of meat? I want to take it home for my parents to taste."

Chu Feng just smiled and said, "Sure, whatever you say is fine." He wasn't a fool; he wouldn't bring out all the meat just because the villagers were helping him. The boar weighed nearly a hundred pounds, and the sheep was also nearly a hundred pounds. Even if the whole village came, there would be enough for everyone. In such impoverished times, if Chu Feng were to lead these people to rob and pillage with this meat, they would likely follow him. Naturally, there would be those who eyed him with ill intent because of the meat. Therefore, Chu Feng only brought out twenty pounds and claimed it was all the meat he had.

Wang Wei asked with some surprise, "How did you get this meat?"

"I hunted it," Chu Feng said.

Instantly, everyone looked at Chu Feng with newfound respect. In this area, the only place to hunt was Yulong Mountain. Chu Feng had actually dared to risk his life to hunt on the mountain, and after catching game, he was willing to share it with everyone! Wang Wei suddenly felt like he hadn't been acting right. He had foolishly believed Chu Long and thought Chu Feng was a bad person. If he wasn't a good person, then who was?

Though there were only twenty pounds of meat, it was enough to make the villagers work with great enthusiasm. Wang Wei, in particular, was full of energy. The house had many cracks that let in the wind, and the foundation was unstable; they needed to mix mud and pack the foundation. The courtyard fence was also dilapidated, and Chu Feng wanted to build a new woodshed. If he had done this work alone, it would have taken him two or three months to finish. But with all the men of the village working together under his direction, the efficiency skyrocketed. Some mixed mud, some chopped wood. The woodshed didn't need to be complex—just a larger wooden structure—and in just two hours, it was nearly finished.

Zhou Xiaoxiao wasn't idle either. Some of the men brought their wives, who did whatever they could—boiling water and brewing tea so the men wouldn't be thirsty—and then joined Zhou Xiaoxiao in preparing the twenty pounds of meat. Some people even brought wild vegetables to cook with the meat. Chu Feng knew he wasn't the only one digging for wild vegetables. Two pounds of fine flour were also brought out. He had originally wanted to make steamed buns, but since there were so many people, he ended up making flatbreads instead.

The women cooked, and the men built the house, reinforced the foundation, and fixed the fence. As the work neared its end, it was already noon.

"Let’s eat first. Everyone stop working and come wash your hands," Chu Feng called out.

Even though it was a day of heavy snow, steam rose from everyone's heads, making them look incredibly flushed. Yet, everyone’s face wore a smile of anticipation, and the hunger in Wang Wei’s eyes was almost palpable.

"Chu Feng, you actually have meat!"

Wei Xiaoxia’s voice rang out from the doorway. She stared in shock at the meat that had already been cut into chunks, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. She said viciously, "You don't give this to your own family, but you give it to outsiders!!!"