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Chapter 223: Going to the Su house again (1)
Lian Fang Zhou hurriedly smiled and said: “Aunt, just say what you need. As long as we can do it, we will help!”
“If you are embarrassed, just forget it, don’t force it!” Aunt Zhang smiled, saying: “This matter, Ah Jian should come listen too.”
More and more curious, Lian Fang Zhou asked Lian Fang Qing to go to the backyard and call Ah Jian.
Aunt Zhang sighed. “Isn’t the weather not so good these last few days? A big tiger* came into the village and attacked a family’s pig! The villagers found the den but there is no one to help and no one dares to go. If we leave it, I’m afraid the tiger will learn the village is a source of good food and will come back. If it attacks a pig or a cow, the owners will feel distressed! Not to mention, if it attacks people! My brother came to my house this afternoon and wanted to ask Hunter Sun for help but San He suggested that Ah Jian might be better. Could Ah Jian take a look
? If it won’t work, then it’s fine, I will tell them to invite Hunter Sun! Don’t force it! Although there would be two taels of silver and a thank you, if you really can’t catch the tiger, it would go to the hunter. However, you aren’t lacking this!”
Lian Fang Zhou looked at Ah Jian, who had joined the conversation with the three siblings at some point. Lian Fang Qing and Lian Che were both interested and scared but Lian Ze’s eyes were bright and he was eager to try.
Ah Jian thought for a while and said: “This should be no problem, but tomorrow, Lian Fang Zhou is going to the Su residence in Shuangliu County
”
Lian Fang Zhou hurried to reassure him: “If you think you can do it, then go! It’s the same if I ask Qin Feng or Su Zi Ji to accompany them but in such weather, the tiger would only venture into the village if they were hungry. It must be a tough one to hunt inside the village, think about it!”
Aunt Zhang also nodded quickly: “What Fang Zhou said is that our two families don’t need imaginary courtesies! There is no reason to be embarrassed. Speak directly if you can do it! There is no way anyone can guarantee this kind of thing.”
Ah Jian glanced at Lian Fang Zhou, nodded to Aunt Zhang and said: “In that case, let me go!”
Aunt Zhang looked at Lian Fang Zhou. Although Lian Fang Zhou was a little worried, she still believed in Ah Jian’s ability.
Not to mention anything else, Ah Jian had not frowned when he heard about the request and had nodded with an attitude like someone had asked him to dig up a cabbage, which showed that he didn’t take this matter into his heart.
“Since Ah Jian has agreed, he can call the shots himself!” Lian Fang Zhou smiled at Aunt Zhang.
Aunt Zhang was obviously very happy. She clapped her hands and laughed: “Sure! That’s okay! I will come and call Ah Jian tomorrow morning, we can go with my brother.”
“Good!” Ah Jian agreed and Aunt Zhang left with a smile.
“Can you really do it?”
“Is it really okay to go to the Su house by yourself?”
Lian Fang Zhou and Ah Jian both spoke at the same time.
They both laughed. Lian Fang Zhou shook her head and smiled: “Don’t worry, it’s okay! The worst that would happen is running into an unscrupulous driver. I know you can do it but the tiger will be fierce, so be careful! If it doesn’t work, don’t push it. Even if people laugh and say a few words, the most important thing is to come back safely!”
Ah Jian nodded but Lian Ze was already beside him, saying disapprovingly: “Sister, don’t underestimate Brother Ah Jian! Brother Ah Jian is amazing! Don’t mention one large buy, even two or three wouldn’t be his opponent!”
“Shut up!” Lian Fang Zhou glared at him, speaking with a temper: “Look at what you’re talking about!”
Ah Jian hurriedly said: “I understand in my heart, I will remember everything you said! If it doesn’t work, I will turn around and come back. If others want to joke about it, let them laugh!”
He said this but it was clearly not what he meant, making the few people laugh.
“Sister, I was just talking casually! Sister, should I go and help Brother Ah Jian?” Lian Ze asked when Lian Fang Zhou’s complexion had improved, laughing cautiously.
“Are you sure you won’t cause trouble?” Lian Fang Zhou’s heart was tense but it was inconvenient to object and Ah Jian was not afraid.
Lian Fang Qing and Lian Che bluntly agreed, their eyes wide and tense.
“No, no! I will definitely not cause trouble! I promise to listen to Brother Ah Jian when I get there!” Lian Ze said hurriedly.
Ah Jian and Lian Fang Zhou looked at each other and Ah Jian sighed: “If he wants to go, just go! I will look after him, don’t worry! Ah Ze is not a reckless person, let him go and watch.”
Lian Fang Zhou was slightly surprised. She had thought that Ah Jian would refuse to let Lian Ze go and hadn’t expected him to agree.
Ah Jian never spoke superfluously. If he said yes, then he meant yes and if he cared, his emotions would be messy.
“Then go! But you have to listen to Ah Jian, don’t mess around, do you understand?” Lian Fang Zhou said with a straight face.
Lian Ze nodded solemnly: “I will!”
Lian Fang Zhou glanced at the two younger siblings: “You are not allowed to talk about this and you are not allowed to tell Third Aunt!”
The two children who had about to rush in and tell her about the excitement went ‘oh’ and the drums died down instantly.
Soon Third Aunt was finished cooking dinner and the family happily gathered around the table.
Tonight’s dishes were exceptionally riche with praised wild mutton cubes, stir-fried intestines with garlic sprouts, stir-fried celery and mutton slices, and a fat pheasants stewed with wild chestnuts and dried red dates. The table was overflowing with fragrance.
The rest was enough to last all of the first month of the year.
Early the next morning, Aunt Zhang came over, smiling, to ask Ah Jian to come over for breakfast.
This was a common practice and Ah Jian asked Lian Ze to go with him. He also carried his leather bag with the iron bow and arrows on his back and a larger bag that had his leather boots and knee pads.
Aunt Zhang glanced at Lian Ze with surprised but seeing that Lian Fang Zhou had no objections, she didn’t say anything and left with a smile.
Third Aunt let out a curious ‘huh’ and asked: “Why is Aunt Zhang inviting them to eat?”
Lian Fang Zhou spoke casually and Third Aunt quickly lost interest.
Lian Fang Zhou planned on taking Qin Feng and Zhang Xiu’er out with her, so she asked Lian Che and Lian Fang Qing to call them over and wait at the house.
Seeing that Lian Fang Zhou was planning on taking Xiu’er but not her, Lian Fang Qing was quite disagreeable at first, but Lian Fang Zhou explained with a few words.
They were taking over New Year gifts and taking Lian Fang Qing would be like an autumn wind. Lian Fang Zhou was unwilling to let the young Lian Fang Qing or Lian Che be blinded by those big people. Even if those people didn’t say anything, the inadvertent gestures and expressions would be enough to express their true thoughts!
She and Lian Ze were older and their minds were firmer, so it was nothing. However, Lian Fang Qing and Lian Che were different. Lian Fang Zhou didn’t want them to experience that kind of cowardly, inferior feeling.
TN: * The original translation was insect/worm/invertebrate (虫). But what bug would be big enough to eat a pig? Thinking about it, I thought the author meant snake (蛇). The word is similar enough! However, in a later chapter, the author talks about tiger skins and meat, so I actually think they meant 虎, which really doesn’t look similar at all. The author keeps jumping between these 虫 and 蛇 but I’m going to go with tiger, since that seems to make the most sense textually.