This time, Old Mistress Lu saw Tran Mac's ruthlessness and was finally too scared to curse anymore.
Watching Tran Mac leave with her own eyes, Old Mistress Lu didn't dare let out a single fart.
Han An Nuong, seeing this scene, although worried for Tran Mac, felt a great sense of relief in her heart.
...
At noon, Han An Nuong cooked noodles made from cornmeal.
The taste wasn't too good, but for Tran Mac, who had been eating coarse grains every day, it was simply a delicacy.
Tran Mac's bowl was almost filled with chunks of meat.
The pork in the noodles was all meat, with few noodles, and a few pieces of wild vegetables on top.
Tran Mac ate with big mouthfuls, slurping the soup.
Han An Nuong, seeing Tran Mac's renown, told him to eat slowly, not to choke.
[Nourishing meat consumption +0.05, Nourishing Blood Technique experience +0.05.]
[Nourishing meat consumption +0.05, Nourishing Blood Technique experience +0.05.]
...
Tran Mac directly ate his Nourishing Blood Technique experience up to (Entry 75/100).
After finishing the meal, to aid digestion, Tran Mac paced back and forth in the courtyard. After his stomach had settled, Tran Mac took meat and ate, clearly wanting to quickly get the Nourishing Blood Technique to 100.
Han An Nuong, seeing this scene, was somewhat concerned. Tran Mac's appetite had been too large recently. It wasn't that she was reluctant about the grain, but she was afraid Tran Mac had some strange illness, to be able to eat so much.
However, seeing Tran Mac full of life and vigor, she could only hide this worry in her belly.
When it was almost dark.
The cold wind howled outside. The two, having finished dinner, huddled around the stove in the kitchen for warmth. Tran Mac moved a bluestone over, took the wood-chopping knife, and sharpened it a bit.
Han An Nuong moved a small stool, sat to one side, mending Tran Mac's clothes by the firelight, occasionally using a needle to scratch her scalp. The image was very warm.
A lone man and a widow, sharing a room, rubbing against each other. Fire reignited in Tran Mac's heart. He looked towards Han An Nuong.
Under the firelight's illumination, Han An Nuong's forehead showed fine beads of sweat. Han An Nuong's face was beautiful, but her skin wasn't fair; there were even a few freckles on her face.
It was also true; a woman who did housework daily, no matter how beautiful, after a while, would also become rough.
But her figure was very good. Clearly only in her early twenties, yet her body, alluring like a juicy peach, flowed with the charm of a mature woman.
To use a phrase to describe it, it was a small branch bearing large fruit.
Tran Mac's heart felt like a cat was scratching. Just as Han An Nuong noticed him and called out "Uncle," he sobered up a bit.
Tran Mac discovered that this current body was even more vigorous than his original body.
"Everyone out!"
"Thach Dau's mother, come out quickly! Something happened to Thach Dau..."
Just then, a clamor of voices came from outside the room.
Han An Nuong put down the things in her hand. Tran Mac picked up the wood-chopping knife and went out to see what had happened.
Arriving at the village entrance, he saw a group of men carrying their caught prey into the village.
The entire village's people came out to watch.
"They really caught prey!"
"What a big deer! Must be two or three hundred jin! Bro Hi is really capable!"
"Nhi Cau is promising! This is a roe deer, right?"
"Mother, I'm back!"
"My son also caught prey..."
"It's all thanks to Bro Vuong Hi! Mother, from now on, I'll follow Bro Vuong Hi..."
The scene was noisy everywhere. However, with good news, there was naturally also sorrow.
Only to see an old woman, trembling, walk over, hugging a corpse carried back by fellow villagers, her body shaking violently, wailing:
"Thach Dau! You... What happened to you, Thach Dau?! My Thach Dau! Wake up, Thach Dau..."
This time going up the mountain, although they caught prey, someone also died.
Fellow villager Truong Loi was bitten to death by a tiger on the mountain, and two others were also injured.
Looking at the wailing Granny Truong, the crowd immediately quieted down.
"Granny Truong, Thach Dau, he was a real man. If he hadn't lured away the tiger, we wouldn't have been able to catch this Sika Deer."
This mountain hunt yielded a relatively good harvest. Besides capturing a Sika Deer and a foolish roe deer, there were also some wild chickens and hares.
Vuong Hi used a knife to cut off a leg of the Sika Deer, gave it to Granny Truong, and said, "Although Thach Dau is dead, this leg is what he deserves."
Saying so, Vuong Hi also waved towards Luu Nhi Cau, telling him to bring over a wild hare, also giving it to Granny Truong, saying, "Thach Dau was my brother. Now that he's gone, I'm also very upset. I personally compensate with a wild hare for his family, hoping Thach Dau's spirit in heaven can rest in peace."
"Bro Vuong Hi is righteous!" Luu Nhi Cau shouted loudly.
"Bro Vuong Hi, we'll definitely follow you from now on!" someone echoed.
People's joys and sorrows are not interconnected.
Just now they were still grieving for Truong Loi's death, pitying Granny Truong.
But now, seeing Granny Truong get a Sika Deer thigh and a wild hare, they were envious, even a trace jealous.
So much meat, it could last a long time.
At this moment, they had forgotten that this was exchanged for Granny Truong's son's life.
With meat distributed, the atmosphere immediately became lively.
The villagers ignored Granny Truong, who was grieving for her lost son, but instead asked Vuong Hi if they had a share.
"Everyone, quiet down a bit! Quiet down a bit!"
Vuong Hi coughed twice, then said loudly, "It's too late today. Tomorrow morning, everyone who contributed, each person can get five jin of meat. The injured get an extra jin. And their family members can all come to my house tomorrow to eat meat, not counted in the distributed meat, consider it my treat, regardless of adults or children."
"Of course, those who didn't contribute, don't even think about it."
Saying so, his eyes swept pointedly at Tran Mac in the crowd, then added, "An Nuong is an exception."
"Ooh! Bro Vuong Hi has taken a fancy to Sister-in-law Han!" Luu Nhi Cau beside him started hooting.
"Uncle, let's go." Han An Nuong's face turned cold. She pulled Tran Mac and left, afraid Tran Mac would fight them.
Tran Mac glanced at the cultivation technique column on the system panel: Nourishing Blood Technique (79.5/100). He clenched his fists. Soon.
...
Early the next day.
Vuong Hi set up a large pot at his house entrance, putting roe deer meat, deer meat, rabbit meat, and wild chicken meat all into the pot to stew until tender.
Before long, the aroma of meat wafted from the pot, and the whole village could smell it.
Quite a few villagers who weren't qualified to get meat or eat meat were also attracted.
Taking advantage when almost everyone had arrived, Vuong Hi distributed the meat according to what he said last night.
Phuc Trach Village was a small village, less than a hundred households.
Of course, among these nearly hundred households, not every family sent someone. After all, previously Vuong Hi, in the villagers' hearts, was a ruffian, unreliable. Many people didn't follow him up the mountain.
Besides that, there were also families where all five men were gone.
The people who went hunting up the mountain yesterday, all told, were less than thirty.
Each person getting five jin was completely enough.
And those families who didn't go up the mountain yesterday, seeing this scene, couldn't help but swallow their saliva, extremely regretting not agreeing to go up the mountain with Vuong Hi before.
Vuong Hi knew his plan was half complete.
He looked at those observing villagers and said, "Everyone, fellow villagers, I don't want to be stingy. How about this: tomorrow I plan to go up the mountain again. If anyone is willing to follow me, then he and his family members can also come eat meat now, consider it my treat."
"I'm willing!"
"Bro Vuong Hi, I'm willing to follow you!"
"Me too."
...