There was nothing around the mountain; the wild vegetables and fruits had long been dug up by the villagers. Xu Zifan wasn't in a hurry and slowly walked into the mountain with his hands behind his back.
After walking for about half an hour, things started to appear more abundant in the mountains, which also meant that wild animals might roam. Xu Zifan currently lacked martial arts skills, but he had his spatial ability, so he remained very calm, exploring the deep mountains as if it were his own backyard, and even had Shaohua scan the food and medicinal herbs in the mountains.
Shao Hua had done this before and was very skilled at it. In no time, a map of the mountains and several red markers appeared on the virtual screen, all of which were things that Xu Zifan would find pleasing.
Xu Zifan went to the location, dug up a small wild ginseng plant, and carefully planted it in the medicinal field in his space. He also found several other common medicinal herbs such as Panax notoginseng and planted them in the medicinal field as well.
Then I saw several delicious wild fruits, such as San Ding Zi, Hua Hong Guo, and Hei You You, and I transplanted them all into my space. Before I knew it, I had walked into a place deep in the mountains that few people had ever been to.
He encountered a few pheasants and rabbits, but hesitated before bringing them into his space. He felt they would be a nuisance, running around and jumping, and cleaning them up would be too much trouble. He decided to just catch as many as he needed, rather than making the space a mess.
He made a small trap, put a capful of spiritual spring water inside, and then hid in his spatial dimension. A moment later, two rabbits ran over, trying to squeeze into the trap. Xu Zifan suddenly appeared, grabbed their ears, and tied them up. The two rabbits were his!
He caught another pheasant using the same method, and that completed his hunting mission for the day.
He wandered around the mountains, completed the map, avoided the wild beasts, and learned about the situation in the mountains. Then he went into his space to tend to the medicinal fields and plant herbs.
Nourished by the spiritual spring, the herb garden was now brimming with spiritual energy. The medicinal herbs he had just transplanted were all thriving, showing no signs of wilting despite the transplanting. He divided the garden in two, planting the herbs on one side and the ones he had saved from the cultivation world on the other, watering them with even more spiritual spring water. Seeing the seeds planted filled him with immense satisfaction!
It was almost noon when Xu Zifan finally emerged from his spatial dimension. He tied a pheasant and two rabbits together with vines and carried them down the mountain.
Everyone was at work, and no one saw him. He only saw a dozen or so women and children when he passed by the hillside where they were cutting pig feed. As he walked past them, everyone's eyes were wide open, staring at the pheasants and rabbits. They were so shocked that they forgot to greet him or ask him anything. Only after Xu Zifan left did they start exclaiming and discussing it.
The Xu family just split up, and people heard that Old Master Xu didn't want anything and left with nothing. They said he was just being stubborn and would definitely settle down and live a peaceful life in a couple of days. Others sighed and said he made a mistake this time. Before the family split up, he could still be in charge, but now that they've split up and things have turned out so ugly, it will be difficult to get the children to listen to him after they calm down.
Who would have thought that the old man could catch three wild animals on a single trip into the mountains?! How exactly did he catch them?
A few daring women discussed it and went into the mountains together, but after searching for a long time, they found nothing. Xu Zifan must have hunted that thing in the deep mountains. How could he be so brave? He's almost sixty and still dares to go into the deep mountains. He's courting death!
The group descended the mountain in surprise and spread the word about it as soon as they got home.
Xu Zifan carried the wild game directly to Wang Baoguo's house. After waiting at the door for a few minutes, they returned from work. Not only was Wang Baoguo astonished to see what he was carrying, but the neighbors nearby also gathered around in surprise.
Xu Zifan handed the game to Wang Baoguo and said, "I want to thank the brigade leader and the uncles and elder brothers for what happened yesterday. I hunted some things in the mountains and was planning to treat you to a drink, but unfortunately I have nothing at home. I wonder if I could borrow the brigade leader's stove so we can have a meal together?"
Wang Baoguo quickly refused, "Uncle Xu, this is too much trouble! You're so old, it must have taken a lot of effort to catch all this. Take it back and keep it to eat slowly. We're just doing our duty, there's nothing to thank us for. We can't eat your food."
Xu Zifan hung the rattan cane on his hand, put his hands behind his back and said, "Captain, don't refuse. Also, about the job you arranged for my little girl, and the matter of me asking my uncles and elders to help her find a boyfriend, I have to treat you all to a meal. If you don't help me cook, I'll have to figure out how to get a pot, salt and stuff, which will be even more troublesome."
Since he had said that, Wang Baoguo went along with it and invited him into the yard. Wang Baoguo's wife was overjoyed. When she entered and heard Xu Zifan say that the pheasant was a gift to their family, and the two rabbits were for the meal, she was even happier. Who wouldn't be happy to get a free pheasant that could lay eggs, and have him help cook a meal?
While the women were cooking, Wang Baoguo's son invited the elders over. There were quite a few people, so the men sat at one table and the women and children at another. Several plates of rabbit stew with potatoes were served, and even the seventy-year-old elders couldn't help but swallow hard. In those days, you needed ration coupons to buy meat, and the chickens they raised themselves couldn't be eaten because they laid eggs, so they could only eat meat once in a long while.
Besides, they are all getting old and tend to let their grandchildren have their food. They can only eat two pieces at a time, but this time there was so much meat, they ate as much as they wanted!
Wang Baoguo's wife, knowing she wanted to make him look good, deliberately added extra oil, salt, and seasoning, making the dish exceptionally fragrant and delicious. Xu Zifan ate a piece of meat, picked up his wine cup, and said, "I'm sorry everyone laughed at me yesterday. I have to thank you all for helping to witness and clarify things, so there won't be any more entanglements later. This cup is for you all, and I also thank the brigade leader for giving me face today."
The group quickly raised their glasses and ate.
The saying "a man's mouth is too tight" is true; their perspective on this matter has now shifted considerably towards Xu Zifan's side.
The oldest person sighed, "Fan, why are you getting angry with the younger generation? When you're my age, how will you manage on your own? You'll still have to rely on the younger generation to take care of you. I think you should be less temperamental and just let things go. Life is still the same no matter what. Things are much better now than before."
Xu Zifan smiled and shook his head. "Uncle, you can't say that. Temperament is something that's not easy to change. It's not like I haven't tried to hold back, but I still got so angry that I fainted. I've come to terms with it this time. I'll live on my own. Maybe I can live until I'm old and can't walk anymore and need someone to take care of me. But if I still live with them, I'll probably die of anger. Who knows how many more years I can live?"
Wang Baoguo patted his arm and advised, "Uncle Xu, don't think too much about it. Anyway, the family has been divided now. It's good to ignore them for the time being and let them make a fuss. Once they realize the difficulty of being in charge, they will understand you and know how to be filial. Your good days are ahead."
Xu Zifan clinked glasses with them again, knowing that they didn't believe in severing family ties, so he didn't say much more and instead talked about his future plans.
"I realized I have nothing at home, so I still need to get some things. Luckily, I'm pretty good at hunting, so I'd like to trade my game for some pots and pans. I'd appreciate it if the brigade leader could help me find out if anyone has any spares. They don't need to be new, just something usable. I'll build a small earthen stove by the door, and then I'll have no problem cooking."
Seeing that he was determined not to use his children's things, the women stopped trying to persuade him. They started talking about how so-and-so's family could spare a small pot, or that so-and-so's family had extra rice and flour. These women knew more about these things, and they quickly took over the matter with a few words. With their help, things became much simpler.
Everyone advised Xu Zifan not to go into the mountains anymore. If hunting were so easy, would they still be worried about having meat to eat? Those young men didn't dare to run around in the mountains, and if an old man like him encountered any danger, he wouldn't be able to escape.
However, Xu Zifan seemed determined to support himself by hunting. They assumed the old man was getting more stubborn with age and couldn't be persuaded otherwise. They were quite disappointed in him for not using his children and grandchildren and insisting on relying on himself, hoping nothing bad would happen to him, otherwise it would be a tragedy.
During the meal, the women who were gathering pig feed spread the word throughout the village that Xu Zifan had gone hunting in the deep mountains. Those were the deep mountains, places even strong young men wouldn't dare go. While everyone admired him, they also couldn't help but mutter a few words about how unsafe it was.
Logically, resources in the mountains and rivers belong to the state, but they aren't strictly regulated here. People freely forage for wild vegetables and catch fish. Xu Zifan is seen as a pitiful old man who can only survive by hunting, so not only do they have no objections, but they also feel sorry for him. This sympathy naturally leads them to think that the Xu family is unreasonable, forcing the old man to risk his life hunting!
When the elderly people who had eaten the rabbit meat returned home and recounted their experience, they were all deeply moved. Xu Zifan had hunted a pheasant and two rabbits in just one morning, and he had kept such detailed records. He seemed incredibly capable; how could he be the lazy, good-for-nothing person the Xu family claimed he was?
Besides, Xu Zifan invited them to dinner for his youngest daughter, to thank them for helping him arrange a job and introduce her to potential partners. How could this be considered unkind? He had clearly planned everything for his children, but they didn't appreciate it. So, Xu Xiuzhen refused the brigade leader's arrangements, didn't she?
Xu Zifan was absolutely right when he divided the family property; the Xu family descendants are all disobedient, and it's not that he, as the patriarch, has a problem.
Furthermore, Xu Zifan returned all the money he had collected over the years to his three sons, and even gave up the house. This attitude of leaving with nothing just to sever ties shows that he must have suffered a great injustice to do such a thing!
The villagers, who hadn't thought much about it the day before, now imagined far too much. The Xu family was still at home discussing where their old father had gone when the pot suddenly fell on their heads and they were completely implicated. But they weren't really wronged; wasn't the original owner of this body extremely aggrieved?
When the Xu family went to work in the afternoon and noticed the strange looks from others, they finally understood what had happened. But what could they say? The old father hadn't said anything bad about them, or even mentioned them. This was all what the villagers thought. Could they possibly explain to each of them? It was impossible to explain anyway; the old father had indeed left with nothing.
They hadn't even finished feeling excited about separating when they were suddenly shrouded in gloom. They were in a terrible mood and didn't know what to do. They were incredibly frustrated.
Xu Shengnan was even angrier. She didn't believe Xu Zifan could hunt at all. She thought that Xu Zifan must have attracted the small animals because he ate food with so much spiritual spring water and had some spiritual spring water aura on him.
Xu Zifan can hunt, and so can she! She must find a way to earn money and move away as soon as possible. She no longer wants to live with this family, and she also wants to hold on to the person she missed in her past life!