Tu Laoda was holding a bamboo whip, driving a few pigs forward.
These pigs were about a hundred jin each, already considered quite fat.
Yu Li stood there, staring at the pigs. Suddenly, she thought of something and asked in confusion, “Uncle Tu, aren’t you a hunter? Why did you switch to being a butcher? Are you driving these pigs somewhere to be slaughtered?”
Tu Laoda drove the pigs forward and, upon hearing her, smiled and said, “Hunting in the mountains is dangerous, and the income is unstable. I don’t go hunting in the mountains all the time. To make ends meet, I occasionally do other odd jobs.”
He then explained that Zhang Fu was his friend, and back in the day, they were both conscripted into the military together. Zhang Fu had been discharged half a year before him.
Zhang’s family had been butchers for generations. After Zhang Fu returned, he resumed his work slaughtering pigs and set up a meat shop in town, hiring people to manage the shop and sell the meat.
Zhang Fu, seeing how dangerous hunting was, invited him to join the trade.
Don’t underestimate Old Zhang’s operation. Even though there’s only one courtyard here, quite a few pigs get slaughtered every day.
Yu Li couldn’t tell how much of this was true, but she believed whatever he said.
As the pigs got closer, they suddenly grunted and stopped moving when they were about a zhang away from Yu Li, refusing to go any further.
Tu Laoda waved his whip, urging them to keep walking.
Yu Li stood by the roadside like a highway bandit. Wherever she stood, the pigs refused to pass. One by one, they hesitated, stepping in place nervously, wiggling their behinds as they backed away.
As Tu Laoda kept urging them, their legs suddenly gave out, and they plopped down onto the ground.
Tu Laoda: “…”
Tu Laoda looked suspiciously at the pigs lying on the ground, refusing to budge no matter what. These were pigs that Old Zhang had personally picked up from the countryside yesterday, all healthy and strong—there was no way they could be sick.
At that moment, Yu Li stepped to the side, as if making way for them.
The pigs grunted and groaned, slowly got up, wiggling their big behinds as they tiptoed carefully around her.
Tu Laoda: “…”
Even though pigs can’t talk, their behavior was too obvious. Anyone with eyes could see—they were afraid of Yu Li, terrified of her.
Tu Laoda looked at Yu Li in disbelief and asked, “Li Niang, are they scared of you?”
It was the first time he had seen such an absurd scene. Pigs, afraid of people? They eat and sleep, sleep and eat. Unless they’re being slaughtered, they’re not afraid of anything.
Yu Li said uncertainly, “I think so?”
In her previous life, she had never seen a pig. After the apocalypse, all species other than humans had mutated, and pigs were among those that went extinct.
Her understanding of pigs only came after arriving in this world.
On the day she returned to her family, she had seen pigs in the pigsty in the backyard of the Yu family. However, at the time, the two pigs were lying on the ground sleeping, and she hadn’t approached them. So, she didn’t know that pigs would actually fear her.
Tu Laoda was perplexed and couldn’t help but glance at Yu Li a few more times. He truly couldn’t see what was so frightening about her. She was such a thin, delicate young girl, looking entirely harmless.
Could it be that they somehow knew she was going to start slaughtering pigs tomorrow, so they were scared?
That idea sounded completely absurd.
Yu Li watched the pigs wiggling their big behinds and walking so cautiously, her expression thoughtful.
She seemed to have gained some understanding. Now she realized why she never encountered any animals whenever she entered the mountains. It wasn’t that her luck was bad—it was that the animals had already fled the moment she entered.
Why was that?
Could it be because she had killed too many mutant monsters in her previous life, leaving her with an aura of slaughter so intense that it scared them off?
Animals have always had a sharper perception of danger than humans. If they sensed something, it wouldn’t be surprising. Of course, there was another possibility: she was in the process of awakening, and her unstable aura might be making the animals sense danger…
As Yu Li pondered this, Tu Laoda’s teasing voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Li Niang, it seems you’re really suited for this line of work. Just seeing you scares them so much that their legs go weak—they wouldn’t even dare to struggle. I bet you won’t need to spend much effort holding them down.”
When pigs are slaughtered, they usually struggle fiercely, and anyone who hears their cries would know what’s happening. It goes to show how hard it normally is to subdue them.
Yu Li agreed and felt even more convinced that slaughtering pigs was a job perfectly suited for her.
There was no need to bother catching prey—these pigs would obediently lie down and let her slit their throats.
Thinking this, Yu Li’s mood brightened considerably. She recalled that it was thanks to Tu Laoda that she found this job, so she took the rare initiative to strike up a conversation with him. “Uncle Tu, where are you driving these pigs to?”
“I’m taking them back to the village to keep for a few days,” Tu Laoda replied. “Old Zhang has collected a lot of pigs recently. The space in the city is too small to hold them all, so he asked me to take a few back and keep them for a while. Once the ones in the city are slaughtered, I’ll drive these over.”
Yu Li responded with an “Oh” and then asked, “Are you heading back to the village now?”
“Yes,” Tu Laoda confirmed.
Learning that Tu Laoda was heading back to the village, the two decided to travel together.
Since Tu Laoda knew the way back, Yu Li didn’t need to find someone else to ask for directions. She simply followed him.
Initially, Tu Laoda thought she was just a young girl, carrying a basket on her back, and would probably walk slowly. He planned to match her pace and slow down. But to his surprise, she walked incredibly fast.
Instead, it was the pigs, who were munching on things as they walked and dragging their feet, that slowed them down.
At that moment, Yu Li glanced at the pigs.
For some reason, the pigs, which had been ambling along lazily, suddenly broke into a sprint, running full tilt with all four legs. As they ran, they grunted and snorted, moving with surprising agility—there was no sign of their earlier sluggishness.
Tu Laoda quickly chased after them, waving his bamboo whip and shouting, “Don’t run all over the place!”
Tu Laoda was very skilled at herding pigs, ensuring they didn’t wander off into the mountain ditches. Before long, he had caught up with them.
Yu Li carried her basket and followed behind.
The afternoon sun was still scorching, and she wore a straw hat to shield herself from the sunlight. This was something Aunt Zhou had specifically insisted she bring, worried that the intense sun might cause her to faint.
Seeing that the pigs were walking obediently ahead without straying from the group, Tu Laoda felt at ease and started chatting with Yu Li as they walked.
The first thing he asked about was Yu Li’s strength, his face full of admiration. “Li Niang, have you always been this strong?”
“Yes!” Yu Li answered with complete candor.
The original owner of this body did indeed have great strength, though it was only slightly above average compared to most people. Having grown up helping with farm work at home, she often worked in the fields during the busy farming seasons—cutting rice, carrying bundles of grain to dry, and helping to husk rice. Over time, her strength gradually increased, though it wasn’t to the extent of being able to lift large stones.
In any case, no one had ever really tested how strong the original owner was before. Now that her strength had reached the point of being able to carry stones, it didn’t seem like such a big deal.
Tu Laoda didn’t overthink it. While it was rare for a young woman to have such strength, it wasn’t unheard of.
He laughed and said, “It’s a good thing for a young woman to be strong—it makes it harder for people to bully you.”
Yu Li wholeheartedly agreed. Strength was indeed a good thing—it allowed you to strike back at anyone who displeased you.
Unfortunately, the original owner had grown up in an environment where sons were valued over daughters. She had been brainwashed and manipulated into meek submission, much like Yu Lao’er and his wife, accepting all the hardships in silence. If she had known how to fight back, her strength would have made it easy to deal with those who bullied her, and perhaps she wouldn’t have lost her life in the end.
As they walked and chatted, it was mostly Tu Laoda doing the talking while Yu Li quietly listened, rarely speaking.
Tu Laoda, though rough in demeanor, was meticulous and soon figured out her temperament. He realized that while she was quiet and reserved, she was not a bad person.
After all, someone with a bad heart wouldn’t have saved Xuan Huaiqing in the mountains.
Because they both walked quickly, they were nearing Qingshi Village after about an hour.
Yu Li had been keeping track of the time and concluded that an hour’s journey wasn’t too far. The daily trips back and forth wouldn’t take up too much time, so living in the village would be feasible. Once she got through her awakening period, she could walk even faster.
Tu Laoda didn’t enter the village with Yu Li. His home was in the mountains, and he took a different path that bypassed the village entrance. They parted ways at the village outskirts.
“Li Niang, I’ll be heading into town tomorrow as well. Why don’t we go together?”
He felt uneasy about her going to town alone before dawn. A young girl might feel afraid or encounter danger, so he thought it would be better to accompany her. Since both she and Xuan Huaiqing addressed him as “Uncle” and they were from the same village, it wasn’t much trouble to look after her.
Yu Li had no objections.
She didn’t know what Tu Laoda was thinking and simply assumed they were going the same way.
After parting with him, Yu Li entered the village.
It was just before sunset, with the evening glow stretching across the sky. Smoke rose from the chimneys of every household, and many villagers were walking along the paths with hoes or bamboo baskets on their backs. Some were washing off mud and sweat by the river, while sun-darkened children splashed about naked in the water. It was a tranquil and idyllic rural scene.
As Yu Li passed by with her basket on her back, several older women sitting under the shade of a tree, chatting and working, greeted her warmly.
“Li Niang, where are you off to?”
“I’m heading to the county town to buy some things,” Yu Li replied.
Her basket was covered with a layer of leaves for shade and cooling, so no one could see what she had bought. They tactfully refrained from asking further questions.
Yu Li walked quickly and soon passed through the crowded areas, heading straight for the Fu family’s home.
The villagers watched her slender figure from behind, her back making the basket she carried seem even larger, as if she were hauling some heavy load. Yet, she walked with remarkable ease and swiftness.
They couldn’t help but sigh.
“Li Niang seems to have put on a little weight. Looks like marrying into the Fu family has been good for her.”
“Indeed. Even though she married to bring good fortune to the family, didn’t Scholar Fu wake up? The ritual worked, and Li Niang is practically a hero in the Fu family. Aunt Zhou has a kind heart and surely wouldn’t treat her poorly.”
“That’s true. It seems Li Niang has finally seen the end of her hardships.”
“The Fu family doesn’t worry about food or clothing. They rent out their land and live off the rent, so there’s not much work to do at home. Li Niang doesn’t have to work endlessly like she did at her parents’ house. Marrying into the Fu family is really not bad.”
The woman who said this couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.
In truth, marrying into the Fu family had its perks. It was a simple household with few members, a gentle and easygoing mother-in-law, and little concern about food or drink. Once married, a wife could take charge of the household. If she had a child, she could firmly hold the family in her grasp and live a comfortable life.
This particular woman had a daughter who was currently being matched for marriage, and she had been scoping out suitable families in and around the village. Seeing Yu Li now, she couldn’t help but sigh.
“But it’s a pity about Scholar Fu’s poor health,” an older woman interjected. “I heard he has to take medicine every day. No matter how much money the family has saved, it will run out sooner or later.”
The Fu family kept to themselves, even renting out their land instead of farming it themselves. With no regular income, they were living off their savings. Eventually, they’d run out.
Who would dare marry their daughter into such a family?
When the Fu family first moved to Qingshi Village, they bought land and built several brick houses, clearly showing they had wealth. Many people had been envious.
But when they found out the only adult male in the family was a sickly young man who had been taking medicine since childhood, they quickly lost interest.
Illness is something no family can afford. A single sickness could ruin an entire household.