Chapter 27: The Snow Leopard Brings a Roe Deer—A Mutually Beneficial Business Deal with the Villagers

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The snow leopard ran away.

It left behind only a bewildered Chu Feng and an equally bewildered Zhou Xiaoxiao inside the doorway.

The two of them hurried over to the little creature.

As they stared at the tiny animal bawling on the ground, Chu Feng made a bold guess.

Clearly, this little creature was a snow leopard cub.

The snow leopard had been a female.

Because Chu Feng had given her a piece of meat, she had remembered him.

A leopard could not possibly have given birth to only one cub.

The others had probably perished, and the most likely culprit was the brown bear.

That was also why the snow leopard had attacked the brown bear the day before.

It was only because of that attack that Chu Feng and the others had survived unscathed.

The snow leopard might not have become some sort of supernatural creature, but it had lived for many years and knew that it might not be able to raise its last cub.

So it had carried the cub to Chu Feng.

This left Chu Feng feeling rather awkward.

The snow leopard had done this simply because he had given her a piece of meat.

But that piece of meat had been bait.

It had been meant to trap her.

“Husband... what is going on?”

To be honest, Chu Feng had no idea either.

He could only say, “Let us take it inside first.”

The little creature was covered in soft fur, like a newborn kitten.

Its eyes had not yet opened.

It lay there, whimpering.

If not for its cry, anyone who saw it would probably think it was a cat.

There was no milk at home.

They had only polished rice.

Zhou Xiaoxiao pinched off a little rice from a rice ball, mixed it with water, and cooked a thin rice porridge.

Meanwhile, Chu Feng set off with a bamboo basket on his back.

The oil frogs and crawfish were still very fresh. They should fetch a good price if he delivered them now.

If he waited a few more days, they would all die. Besides, he did not know when that Master Tian would be celebrating his birthday.

If he arrived too late and the birthday feast was already over, what if Spring Breeze Tower no longer wanted them?

These were not merely Chu Feng’s efforts.

They were the fruits of all four of their labor.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly along the way.

Chu Feng found Shopkeeper Liu of Spring Breeze Tower and sold him everything.

The total came to one tael of silver.

According to the arrangement Chu Feng had made with the other three, each of them would receive two-tenths, while Chu Feng would take four-tenths.

That amounted to four hundred copper coins.

He did not waste any time.

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The snow leopard was, after all, a wild beast.

Chu Feng had no idea what it intended to do.

He returned to the village as quickly as possible, delivered the money belonging to the others, and hurried straight home.

Zhou Xiaoxiao asked in surprise, “Why are you back so quickly?”

It was not even lunchtime yet, and Chu Feng had already returned.

“Did that snow leopard come here?” Chu Feng asked.

“No... Could it really be planning to leave the cub with us for good?”

As they were speaking, a low growl came from outside.

It was the snow leopard.

Chu Feng did not know what condition it was in now, nor whether it meant humans any harm.

So he picked up his axe once more.

An injured snow leopard could never be a match for a grown man carrying a weapon.

As it turned out, the snow leopard truly meant no harm.

It was struggling to drag a muntjac toward them. But the moment it saw Chu Feng, it released the animal and turned to flee.

Staring at the muntjac before him, Chu Feng was dumbfounded.

The supplies at home had nearly run out.

He had been wondering when he would go into the mountains for another hunt.

He had never expected the snow leopard to deliver one to him!

“This...” Zhou Xiaoxiao was stunned as well.

The two of them stepped forward and lifted the muntjac.

It was not particularly heavy.

The snow leopard was probably unable to drag away a larger one, so it had deliberately caught a smaller animal.

“Are the animals in this world truly capable of understanding human feelings?” Chu Feng asked.

“Perhaps. I once heard that the Three-Flower Lady on the mountain could communicate with spirits.”

“What is the Three-Flower Lady?”

“I am not sure. I only heard about her from the elders in my family. An old cat of that size having a little spiritual awareness would not be unusual,” Zhou Xiaoxiao replied.

This meant Chu Feng no longer had to go into the mountains.

He placed the little snow leopard in the woodshed.

Dumdum kept sniffing the cub from the side, occasionally barking at it twice.

The little creature, however, was very well behaved.

After drinking the rice porridge, it lay there and fell asleep.

Now that Chu Feng had become the mountain patrolman, hunting had become a perfectly legitimate activity.

He began butchering the muntjac openly.

“Chu Feng, another successful hunt?” Du Dahai came to the entrance of the house and asked with a smile.

“Ah, this... this one was mine.”

If Chu Feng said the snow leopard had brought it, no one would believe him.

So he did not deny it.

“Um... that is a muntjac, right? Could I buy some of it?”

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“Village Chief, what are you saying? I will simply give you some.”

“That will not do... The village held a meeting earlier.”

Du Dahai looked somewhat embarrassed.

“What meeting?”

Chu Feng had gone to the town that morning and knew nothing about what had happened in the village.

“It is like this. You know that the government has been collecting grain more and more frequently lately. But where are the villagers supposed to find so much grain? So we wanted to discuss something with you... Would you be willing to sell the game you hunt to the villagers?”

“Of course.”

Chu Feng agreed without the slightest hesitation.

The village was some distance from the town, and a single trip took half a day.

If he failed to sell everything, he might have to spend most of the day there, perhaps even the entire day.

If he could dispose of his surplus game directly in the village, it would be far more convenient.

“But I have one request... Never mind, I shall put aside what little dignity I have left and speak plainly. Chu Feng, when you sell to the villagers, I hope you can offer a price lower than what they would pay in town. It need not be much—just two or three copper coins cheaper. What do you think?”

Du Dahai spoke awkwardly.

His face had turned bright red. He was clearly embarrassed to make such a request.

Chu Feng thought about it briefly, then nodded.

“Fine. No problem.”

“Really?” Du Dahai asked in surprise.

From the beginning, he had never expected Chu Feng to agree.

After all, the request was somewhat excessive.

But from Chu Feng’s perspective, things were different.

He had to carry the game to town himself.

Time and physical strength both came at a cost.

And there was no guarantee he would be able to sell everything.

Selling to the villagers for two or three copper coins less would allow the profit he surrendered to offset the time he saved. He might even still earn more.

Besides, he understood what Du Dahai meant.

If the villagers could buy the meat two or three copper coins cheaper, they would have room to make a profit.

They could treat Chu Feng’s place as a wholesale market, purchase the meat cheaply, and resell it in town at a higher price.

With the extra money they earned through their labor, they could buy grain.

Then, when the government came to collect grain again, every household would be able to pay its share.

They would no longer have to fear going hungry.

This was the simplest principle in commerce.

A win-win arrangement.

Chu Feng would save time and no longer have to struggle beneath the weight of his goods on the journey to town.

The villagers would obtain slightly cheaper meat here, then resell it in town at a higher price and earn the difference.

At the same time, they would feel grateful to Chu Feng.

His standing in the village would continue to rise, and his wife and daughter would never be mistreated there.

How could Chu Feng possibly refuse such a good arrangement?

Overjoyed, Du Dahai ran to the center of the village, where a crowd of villagers was waiting.

Their eyes were filled with anticipation.

Du Dahai announced excitedly, “He agreed! Chu Feng agreed!”

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