PFC Chapter 258 Ignorance leads to confusion, knowledge leads to enlightenment
Chapter 258 Ignorance leads to confusion, knowledge leads to enlightenment
The chase and fight of the night left Li Xiangyang with aches and pains all over his body, but the thought of Li Xiaoyun waiting at home immediately dispelled much of his fatigue.
After saying goodbye to Wang Ergou, he returned home and smelled the aroma of food as soon as he entered the door.
"You're back?" Li Xiaoyun poked her head out of the house, her eyes lighting up. "Are you hungry? I just finished cooking."
Li Xiangyang put down his luggage, smiled wearily, and said, "I can smell the delicious aroma; my stomach is rumbling."
Li Xiaoyun quickly came out, took the hunting rifle and bundle from his hands, but was startled by what was inside: "What's this?"
“A three-tailed weasel,” Li Xiangyang laughed, “from Yangjia Village. I’ll tell you more about it later.”
Li Xiaoyun looked at the glossy-furred, large weasel, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but it quickly turned to worry: "You look exhausted. Come inside, wash your hands, and have some food."
Li Xiangyang nodded, put the bundle aside, and followed Li Xiaoyun into the house.
Several steaming dishes were already laid out on the table, all of which were Li Xiangyang's favorites.
A bowl of braised pork, a plate of pickled fish, and a dish of cold wild vegetables—simple yet full of the taste of home.
"Did you predict I'd be back today?" Li Xiangyang asked with a smile.
Li Xiaoyun pouted, "What? Who knows when you'll be back? I do this every day."
Although her tone was somewhat reproachful, the concern in her eyes was undeniable.
Li Xiangyang said softly, "I'm sorry for making you worry."
Li Xiaoyun served him a bowl of rice and said softly, "It's alright, I knew you wouldn't be in any danger."
Li Xiangyang took the bowl, but didn't immediately start eating. Instead, he looked at Li Xiaoyun and said, "Actually, this was quite a close call."
Li Xiaoyun immediately tensed up: "What's wrong?"
Li Xiangyang began to recount his experiences in Yangjia Village over the past few days, from how the three-tailed weasel caused havoc in the village to how he and Wang Ergou tracked down and hunted it down.
When the story of the weasels standing upright and bowing to them came up, Li Xiaoyun couldn't help but shudder.
"That scared me to death," Li Xiaoyun said, frowning. "This is too eerie!"
Li Xiangyang smiled and squeezed her hand: "It's all resolved, don't be afraid. Besides, Yang Zhonghou gave us a thousand yuan this time, which we'll split 50/50 with Er Gou, so we can buy some things. By the way, if you don't have class tomorrow, let's go into town and visit Uncle Wang. Even though we're family, Uncle Wang helped you so much, we should still thank him."
"You're right, I'll find someone to cover my class tomorrow. Eat quickly, the food's getting cold."
Li Xiangyang ate his meal heartily, as if all the fatigue of the day had been dispelled.
After the meal, Li Xiangyang took out the carcass of the three-tailed weasel and began processing its fur.
Li Xiaoyun helped from the side; although she frowned, she moved very quickly.
“This hide is quite good,” Li Xiangyang said as he skillfully peeled it. “If processed properly, it can fetch a good price.”
"Does Lin Shouye accept this?" Li Xiaoyun asked.
Li Xiangyang shook his head: "I'm not sure, but even if he doesn't want it, there's no worry about selling it."
Li Xiaoyun gave a soft "hmm" and continued to help process the leather.
After processing the leather, Li Xiangyang accompanied Li Xiaoyun to the educated youth settlement and asked Zhang Li to help with the classes.
After returning home from the educated youth settlement, Li Xiangyang took a shower, lay on the bed, and felt all the muscles in his body screaming with exhaustion.
Li Xiaoyun sat upright on the edge of the bed, gently massaging him: "Does this feel better? Xiangyang, I know you hunt so we can have a better life. But seeing you so exhausted every time you come back makes my heart ache."
“Silly girl, what’s wrong? With you by my side, I have endless energy. It’s really nothing, I’ll be fine after a night’s rest.” Li Xiangyang held her hand. “Besides, it’s not just for us, it’s also for our future child. I want to give him the best life, so he can have enough to eat and wear from a young age, unlike us who suffered so much as children.”
"I understand your feelings, but you must protect yourself no matter what. The child needs a complete family. Get some rest."
……
The next morning, Li Xiangyang woke up early. After a night's rest, the aches and pains in his body had eased considerably. He got out of bed quietly, careful not to wake Li Xiaoyun, who was still fast asleep.
Morning light streamed through the window, illuminating Li Xiaoyun's peaceful sleeping face. Li Xiangyang paused to admire her for a moment, a feeling of happiness welling up inside him.
He gently closed the door, went out into the yard, and carefully examined the three weasel pelts he had processed the night before. After drying overnight, the pelts were partially dry and felt excellent to the touch. Such rare weasel pelts should fetch a good price.
"Up so early?" Li Xiaoyun's voice came from behind. Li Xiangyang turned around and saw his wife leaning against the door frame with a gentle smile on her face.
"Did I wake you up?" Li Xiangyang asked apologetically.
Li Xiaoyun shook her head: "No, it's almost time to get up anyway. We're going into town today, so we need to prepare early."
“I’ll go borrow a donkey cart,” Li Xiangyang said. “I’ll go see Lin Shouye first and ask if he wants this hide. Even if he doesn’t, the fur shop can still get a good price for it.”
After a quick breakfast, Li Xiangyang went to Wang Ergou's house first, but found that Wang Ergou hadn't gotten up yet, so he decided not to disturb him and went to his second uncle's house to borrow a donkey cart.
Li Xiangyang led the donkey cart back home, where Li Xiaoyun had already packed her things and was waiting for him in the yard.
"How's Er Gou doing?" Li Xiaoyun asked.
"He's still not up. He probably talked to Ma Hongxia too late last night," Li Xiangyang said with a smile. "Let's go first, and we'll find him to split the money when we get back from selling the hides."
Li Xiaoyun nodded, picked up her bundle, and got onto the donkey cart. Li Xiangyang carefully wrapped the weasel pelt, placed it on the cart as well, and then led the donkey out of the courtyard.
The donkey cart slowly drove out of Xiaoliang Village and headed towards the county town.
The sunlight was warm but not glaring, and felt pleasant on the skin.
"Xiangyang, do you think that three-tailed weasel is really that evil?" Li Xiaoyun suddenly asked, her tone tinged with curiosity.
Li Xiangyang chuckled. "There's nothing evil about it; it's just a mutated weasel. It probably has three tails due to a genetic mutation. As for its ability to command the other weasels, it's likely because of its large size; the other weasels see it as their leader."
Li Xiaoyun nodded thoughtfully: "That's true. Often, people mistake things they don't understand for monsters or ghosts, but if you think about it carefully, you can find scientific explanations."
Li Xiangyang glanced at her, a surge of affection welling up inside him: "My wife is so smart. This is what they call 'ignorance leads to confusion, knowledge leads to enlightenment.'"
Li Xiaoyun felt a little embarrassed by his praise and lightly hit him, saying, "Stop being so cheeky."
The two chatted and laughed, and soon arrived in the county town.