She placed the wild boar under a nearby tree and called out to her home, “Mom, I’m back.”

Qin Shi quickly opened the front gates, took a look around and then hurriedly pulled Su Jin into the house.

“Why are you so late? Didn’t I tell you to come back early before you went out? Hurry up. I prepared hot water for you to wash up. Did you encounter anything strange on your way back?”

When Su Jin saw Qin Shi’s anxious expression, she was puzzled. She shook her head and replied, “No, I went up the mountains and was caught up in the moment.”

She casually handed the bamboo basket to her mother.

“Rabbits?” exclaimed Qin Shi.

“Where did the rabbits come from? Did you catch them from the mountains? You must not wander deep into the mountains. None of the people who went there in previous years made it back alive. Dangerous beasts roam around there. ”

Hearing the commotion, all residents in the house came out except Su Dalang. Even old lady Zhang came over from the room at the back.

Everyone gathered around and observed the rabbits in their own individual thoughts.

Su Nian no longer maintained his adult-like composure. He knelt beside the bamboo basket together with Niu Niu and poked inside excitedly from time to time.

The Su family had not seen meat for a long time. Su Nian threw himself into his sister’s arms and praised her. “Elder sister, you are really amazing!”

Everything had started to change since his sister came back. The bad guys have all gone; mom stopped crying; Eldest brother receiving treatment from a proper doctor. Now, there’s even meat at home. He was not in a dream, was he?

Su Nian pinched his own cheeks and giggled to himself when he confirmed that he was in reality.

Su Jin liked this childish side to her sensible little brother as well. She patted his head and said with a smile, “If you think just this is amazing, wait till you see even better stuff coming up.”

There was something better than meat? He could not believe her words.

But when Su Jin showed them the boar lying under the tree in front of the door, they were dumbfounded.

Su Nian: “…”

He was convinced now. Something better than meat… would be a mountain of meat!

The silence was only broken when old lady Zhang let out a gasp.

“Oh my goodness! How much meat is this! Why is everyone still standing there? Bring it in!”

This was the first time she had seen so much meat at home in her whole life! Even for an entire wild boar, the size was on the larger end of the scale.

(This daughter’s adopted child is really something else. A wild boar is not an easy beast to hunt. Even experienced hunters would have to gather around 10 people to subdue it. This precious darling is unbelievable!)

“Everyone step aside and leave this to me.”

Su Jin rolled up her sleeves and carried the wild boar on her shoulders into the yard.

Everyone else: “…”

“Jin-er, please be frank with mom. Did something happen while you were outside? When did your body start to change? Do you feel discomfort in any place? ”

After Qin Shi recovered from her daze, she grabbed Su Jin and examined her. No doubt, this is the same daughter she had adopted… but where did her incredible strength come from?

“Uh… I was actually born this way. I hid it well in the past since I was afraid of being treated as a mutant. When I was travelling outside, I met an old gentleman and received some advice. Perhaps I was bestowed with good talent? The kind that is quick at learning things.”

Su Jin made up a story at random without a blink of an eye, and began talking nonsense while maintaining a straight face.

Old lady Zhang stared at Qin Shi as she heard the story, slapped her hands away and sided with Su Jin. “She did the right thing to keep it a secret. A girl having great physical strength is not something to boast about. My dear grandchild, tell grandma, could it be that you single-handedly took down this wild boar?”

“Yes, I did, grandma.”

Su Jin replied as she looked at the old woman in front of her. From her memory, old lady Zhang was a shrewd and resilient housewife who had three sons and a daughter, that is, Su Jin’s mother Qin Shi. She is the kind of candid person who absolutely means what she says1TL note: i.e. being consistent with her words and actions..

The original owner of the body feared her every time she saw her and had often hid away. On the other hand, Su Jin was not afraid at all.

She could feel that the old lady held no malice towards herself. It was just that her personality was straightforward and domineering.

Zhang Shi looked at Su Jin with bright eyes and praised her. “Xiao Jin has grown up to be a promising lady. Your mother’s hard work and efforts over the years have paid off.”

The old lady need not worry about her daughter now. As long as Su Jin is around, they would have no problem affording treatment for Dalang’s leg.

The old lady laughed heartily, turned around and ordered Qin Shi and Lu Shi to scald the carcass in hot water and shave the hair off the skin.

When everyone else was focused on the boar, Su Erlang looked at Su Jin with sharp and suspicious eyes and said calmly, “You changed a lot since you left home.”

Su Jin was caught by surprise at his sudden remark. Seeing the doubt on Su Erlang’s face, she replied with a smile. “Does it matter now? The circumstances of the family have improved, hasn’t it?”

Su Erlang narrowed his eyes, lowered his head and pondered in silence.

Su Jin had no qualms about being suspected. She put up a serious front and added further.

“Second brother should return to the private academy tomorrow. As you can see, with me here, the family will be safe. Don’t cause anymore worries for our mother.”

Su Erlang was lost in thoughts for a while before he came up with a reply.

“Now that eldest brother is in this situation, the house needs a healthy male son to take care of the family. There may be some scenarios where my presence could come in handy…”

Su Jin looked at the thin and frail bookworm of a brother, and barely restrained herself from beating the crap out of him.

(Hey, what do you mean by needing a man to take care of a family? Are you looking down on the capabilities of a woman, moreover an independent woman like myself?)

Su Jin casted a disapproving gaze at her brother. With her chin raised, she gave Su Erlang some slap on the back.

“Did you perhaps form delusions of your own abilities? Return to your studies properly. What else can a (demure) young man wield besides ink brush and paper? ”

Su Nian felt his mood sink when he heard his sister’s reproach. Under the strength of her pats on his back, he staggered forward a few steps with somewhat complicated feelings.

But Su Jin was staring daggers at him, so he had no choice but to silently lower his head.

(Some people simply just don’t listen when being spoken to politely with words. Against these kinds of people, it works better when fist is involved in the conversation.)

Over to the other side, the three women of the Su family were swift in their actions. In no time, they finished preparations for butchering the wild boar. Lu Shi brought out the only sickle in the house, and smoothly sliced across the neck of the boar with skillful movements.

Old lady Zhang and Qin Shi positioned themselves by the sides, each with a basin in their hands to collect the blood that flowed out. In harsh times like now, even common households would never let nourishing ingredients go to waste, much less something as precious as wild boar’s blood 2TL note: some Asian countries do treat pig blood as a delicacy.

“Fill up the basin carefully. If you spill even a single drop of blood, I’ll smack you.”

Old lady Zhang gave commands while shouting at the ladies.

“Jin-er, what are your plans for the meat?” Old lady Zhang was extremely pleased when she looked at the handful of basins full of pig’s blood. But since the boar was brought home by Su Jin, old lady Zhang had to check with Su Jin on how she intended to handle the spoils of her hunt.

Su Jin took a look at the dismantled parts which were neatly laid out around the place. “Just leave some meat for our own family to eat at home and the rest can be sold. Before grandma leaves, I will personally pick a good pig’s trotter for you to bring back!”

These words were uttered in a casual tone, but the contents startled the old lady and caused her to lose her composure. She whacked Su Jin on her head and shouted at the top of her voice.

“What nonsense are you blindly spouting? Your big brother’s leg is still waiting for treatment. These are precious life-saving money. How can you prioritize having extravagant meals instead? You are a prodigal in the making!”

Su Jin: “…”

(This grandma definitely had training in whacking people. That slap almost made me crap in my pants.)

Su Jin finally had a first-hand experience, that including herself, everyone in the Su family are the type of people who would not pick a bone with others unless they are somewhat capable themselves.

Su Jin made a 180-degree turn at the speed of light. “Yes, yes, grandma is always right. This proves that I am still an inexperienced fledgling, and I still need the kind advice and guidance from elders like you. But grandma, I can get enough money to treat eldest brother’s legs. Look at the sallow and emaciated state of everyone. How could I be at ease if I did not take this opportunity to nourish them properly?”

“Where would that money come from?” Old lady Zhang looked suspiciously at Su Jin.

“Oh, don’t you guys know? Look at that horse in front of our house! I brought it back when I returned and I am planning to sell it tomorrow. It should be worth enough money to buy medicine for eldest brother. If that is still insufficient, I can just go hunting again. There is no need to skimp on the well-being of everyone in the family…”

Furthermore, Su Jin had always intended to let the people from the gambling house pay all the treatment costs. There was no way for her to let them off so lightly, but she did not say that out loud to old lady Zhang.

“That horse belongs to you? We thought the people from the gambling house rode it here, but forgot to bring it back.”

When the youngest son of the Su family overheard that, his eyes sparkled. The horse belonged to his own family member.

He leapt out of the yard to have a good look at the horse. He had only seen mules in the past and had never ridden a horse.

“Wait, small uncle. Niu Niu also wants to see the horsey.” As she spoke, the little girl tottered behind with her little short legs.

“As for the remaining boar meat, I would like to trouble grandma and mom to find a reliable butcher tomorrow to purchase it. I will be heading to the county to get medicine for eldest brother…”

Old lady Zhang’s heart pounded with excitement when she heard the mention of getting medicine.

“Go ahead and leave this place to me.”

She was no longer against the plan put forward by Su Jin. Even the old lady herself had not eaten meat in a long time. She couldn’t help but feel blessed by her daughter’s fortune to adopt and raise such a promising child.

TL Corner: Update on release schedule – Starting from next week, I will be releasing a chapter every 2 or 3 days instead of the current 2 chapters per week.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you liked my translation and wish to support me, you could leave a comment below or in novelupdates, or send me a Ko-Fi. Thank you!