Chapter 5: The witty An Wan'er

When An Wan'er returned safely, An Shengchang let out a sigh of relief but couldn’t help but scold her.

Earlier that day, when Xiangwu returned from town with medicine and Anshen soup, An Shengchang had heard about his daughter’s reckless decision to venture into the mountains again, despite warnings. He had been ready to search for her, but the vastness of the mountain made him hesitate, fearing he might lose his way just as she had. With the black tiger accompanying her, he decided it was safer to wait.

An Shengchang's concern was warranted; An Wan'er had truly frightened him when she returned the previous day. He wasn’t blind to the distress she had faced. The anger and worry he felt were no less intense than her own.

Last night had been particularly restless for An Wan'er. She had nightmares that left her uneasy until dawn. An Shengchang had wished he could confront whoever had caused her distress, but he felt powerless.

Neither he nor Xin Sulan dared to ask An Wan'er about her experience, fearing that delving into it would only deepen her shame and pain. Their bond as a family was strong; they preferred to support her and protect her from further suffering, even if it meant pretending she had merely gotten lost.

When Heihu had returned with a bloodied veil in his mouth, it had sent a wave of panic through both An Shengchang and Xin Sulan. But now, seeing An Wan'er appear so at ease, as if she had forgotten the horrors of yesterday, left An Shengchang feeling uncertain.

He began to wonder if he had misjudged the situation. Had she truly just been lost and frightened? After all, he had worked tirelessly the night before searching for her, and he had witnessed her distress firsthand. Now, seeing her calm demeanor only fueled his curiosity about what had really happened on the mountain.

The four of them wrestled with their doubts, questioning whether they had misjudged the situation. It seemed implausible that an unmarried woman, after experiencing something so traumatic, could appear so carefree the very next day.

An Wan'er, aware of their silent inquiries, skillfully masked her true feelings. She aimed to quell any doubts about her innocence and let any rumors fade away. With a gentle smile, she held up the thirty-year-old ginseng like a prized treasure and exclaimed to An Shengchang, “Dad, look at the ginseng I dug!”

“Ginseng? Actual ginseng?”

An Shengchang, Butcher Weng, and his sons were taken aback, their eyes widening in surprise. The ginseng in An Wan'er’s hand was small yet strikingly beautiful, prompting varied reactions among them.

“Could this be a sign of good fortune after overcoming such a disaster?” An Shengchang mused.

Even a modest, thirty-year-old ginseng root was a rarity, enough to spark envy among Butcher Weng and his sons.

Their gazes were fixed on the ginseng. Weng Sanlang, Butcher Weng’s third son, remarked enviously, “That little thing might be worth as much as ten wild boars.”

“It should be even more than that,” Weng Erlang asserted confidently. “I remember needing ginseng for medicine once, and a piece no thicker than my finger cost ten taels of silver. This ginseng, while small, could easily fetch one hundred and fifty taels.”

“Fool, do you think ginseng bought from a pharmacy sells for the same price?” Butcher Weng chided, tapping Weng Erlang on the head. Turning to his sons, he added, “Enough standing around. We need to tie up the wild boar and get moving. It’ll be dark soon, and the mountain paths aren't easy to navigate. What if the scent of blood attracts a predator?”

“Exactly,” Weng Erlang agreed, his voice lowering. “We’re already outnumbered; dealing with another wild boar would be more than we can handle.”

Weng Dalang responded but kept his hands busy. He turned to An Wan'er and asked, “Wan'er, did you really encounter a wild boar yesterday?”

“Why would I be so embarrassed if I didn't meet one?” An Wan'er widened her eyes in surprise.

Weng Dalang scratched his head, momentarily at a loss for words. Weng Erlang, quick-witted, chimed in, “What my older brother means to ask is whether it was the big wild boar you encountered yesterday.”

“It definitely wasn't. The one I saw clearly last night had half an ear missing.”

An Wan'er recalled that the village hunters would soon be tracking a wild boar with such a distinctive feature. To confirm her story and reinforce the idea that she had indeed faced a wild boar, she shared this detail.

Her revelation seemed to convince An Shengchang, Butcher Weng, and his three sons even more. They now believed her words completely.

With the knowledge that other wild boars were nearby, the urgency in Butcher Weng and his sons' movements picked up. They quickly tied the large wild boar to the long stick they had brought and began their descent down the mountain.

As they picked up the pheasant on the ground, An Shengchang caught up to An Wan'er, who had already wrapped the ginseng in the straw curtain.

On the way down, he expressed both relief and concern. “Wan'er, you should avoid this mountain in the future. The wild boars are getting closer to the village, and it’s becoming dangerous. If you encounter one again, you might not be so lucky.”

“Exactly,” Butcher Weng interjected before An Wan'er could respond. “We need to talk to Li Zheng as soon as possible. I haven’t hunted in these mountains for two or three years, and it’s likely that’s why the beasts are becoming so bold.”

It is customary for each village to designate someone to hunt in the mountains every few years to prevent the animals from becoming too bold. The risk of injury or even death for villagers is a serious concern.

“Yes, Dad, we should speak to Li Zheng tonight,” Weng Dalang chimed in, his voice low. “If someone goes up the mountain next time, it would be disastrous to encounter a wild boar without ears.”

The An family, despite being outsiders from the capital with a solid background, relied on the mountains for their livelihood. They owned land but never farmed it, choosing to rent it out while enjoying a steady supply of meat. This was well-known in the village.

An Wan'er’s recent good fortune—finding ginseng, a wild boar, and two pheasants—would significantly boost the family’s assets, making them the envy of others.

In contrast, the butcher family, while better off than most villagers, still had to rely on their women to venture into the mountains for firewood, wild fruits, vegetables, and pig grass to supplement their meals.

*(End of this chapter)*

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