Random Talk

He Jun pushed his bicycle a couple of steps, then turned back.

He walked up to Chen Yongqiang and held up two fingers: "Yongqiang, I'll pay twenty yuan for that wild boar stomach!"

Twenty yuan! The villagers who hadn't dispersed yet gasped when they heard this amount.

This price is equivalent to dozens of kilograms of ordinary pork.

Chen Yongqiang knew this thing was valuable, but he didn't expect He Jun to be so willing to invest.

He quickly calculated that, apart from He Jun, who worked as a cook in town, no one in the village could afford that price.

Chen Yongqiang thought to himself, there's no need to turn down money. Even if he took it to town to sell, he'd get about the same price: "Okay, I'll sell it to you."

He Jun immediately took out a few bills and stuffed them into Chen Yongqiang's hand.

After the transaction was completed, he took the wild boar's stomach wrapped in banana leaves and weighed it in his hand.

He had already calculated everything clearly in his mind: if he took this thing to town and did a little bit of work, he could sell it for at least thirty yuan and make a profit of ten yuan.

Not long after He Jun left, just as the crowd was beginning to disperse, a tall, thin figure swayed over.

The man who came was the village's pig castrator, nicknamed "Liu the Pig Castrator".

He held a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers, swept it across the cutting board, and finally landed on Chen Yongqiang's face.

"Yongqiang, I heard you shot a wild boar?" Liu Laosi exhaled a smoke ring.

"Is that wild boar penis still there?"

This Liu Qiaozhu suspects he has an affair with his wife, Wang Guixiang, and he's always given her a cold shoulder whenever they meet. His asking about this now is hardly indicative of his true intentions.

Chen Yongqiang shook his head with feigned regret: "Brother Liu, what bad luck. He Jun just bought that thing too. You should have come a little earlier."

He lied. The wild boar penis had been preserved by Lin Xiulian and was never put out for sale.

This stuff is famous for its aphrodisiac properties and is a highly sought-after commodity among many men. Chen Yongqiang kept it for himself.

Liu Qiaozhu stared at Chen Yongqiang's face for a few seconds, seemingly trying to determine the truth of his words: "He Jun? What would a bachelor like him need that thing for?"

Unable to buy what he wanted, he put his hands behind his back and walked away.

With the wild boar meat almost sold out, Chen Yonggang folded up the change and stuffed it into his pocket, preparing to pack up and close the stall.

Several women carrying vegetable baskets walked over.

Aunt Yang, who was leading the way, slung her basket over her arm, glanced at Chen Yongqiang's face, and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips: "Yongqiang, all the meat sold out? Tsk tsk, you're really capable."

She changed the subject abruptly, "We were just talking about it. We heard you and Xiulian are sleeping on the same kang (heated brick bed) tonight?"

Several women nearby also winked and made faces, their eyes piercing Chen Yongqiang like needles.

Chen Yongqiang knew that Lin Xiulian's long-term residence at home would inevitably attract gossip, but he did not expect it to spread so quickly and become so offensive.

He looked directly at Aunt Yang: "You're an elder, you can't just say things like that. Xiulian is staying with us temporarily to help out, and our relationship is completely innocent. If word gets out that you're spreading rumors that ruin our reputation, how will the girl face anyone?"

"Oh dear, we were just asking casually, why are you getting so worked up?" another auntie quickly tried to smooth things over.

Chen Yongqiang stopped talking, threw the cutting board into the bamboo basket, not wanting to argue with these gossipy women anymore, as he wouldn't gain anything from it.

On my way home after closing up my stall, I passed by Liang Meie's house and happened to see her carrying a wooden bucket out of the yard, as if she was going to the well to fetch water.

She saw Chen Yongqiang and gave him a charming smile. "Yongqiang, you're back from the market so early?"

Chen Yongqiang stopped and took out a piece of wild boar meat that he had saved earlier from the bamboo basket, and handed it over. "This is the wild boar we hunted last night. Give some to the children so they can have a taste of meat and have a good treat."

Liang Meie took the piece of meat, which weighed more than two pounds, and thought to herself that her efforts by the field ridge last night had not been in vain, as the reward came the next day.

Her smile grew even warmer: "How could I accept this, making you think of me?"

As Liang Meie spoke, she stepped forward and reached out as if to help Chen Yongqiang brush off non-existent dust from his clothes.

"You must be thirsty after a busy morning. Come in and rest for a bit, I'll pour you a bowl of cool tea."

Her eyes were piercing, and she was standing very close to me.

Chen Yongqiang could see the view from her neckline, but he still quickly avoided her outstretched hand.

The gossip about him and Lin Xiulian that was circulating under the banyan tree has already spread.

If someone were to enter a widow's house in broad daylight, no one would believe them even if they said there was nothing wrong, let alone if they did have something.

Chen Yongqiang picked up his bamboo basket again and made up an excuse, "I won't drink any water. I have some things to take care of at home and I need to get back quickly."

After saying that, he barely dared to look at Liang Meie's slightly resentful eyes and strode away as if fleeing.

Liang Meie stood there watching his hurried figure, and smiled knowingly, "Chen Yongqiang, I've got you figured out."

After a while, Chen Yongqiang returned home, and Lin Xiulian was coming out of the kitchen.

Seeing him return so early, she looked slightly surprised: "You're back so early? Have you sold out of wild boar meat?"

"They were sold out at the village entrance." Chen Yongqiang put down the empty bamboo basket.

The main reason was that no one in the village had slaughtered a pig in a long time, and since it was a rare wild game, everyone was scrambling for it, and it was all gone in no time.

Lin Xiulian walked over and naturally took the coat he had taken off, shaking off the dust.

"I figured you'd be back soon, so I steamed some buns and am just waiting for you to eat."

Chen Yongqiang walked to the water tank, scooped up a ladle of water and washed his face and arms. The cool water dispelled a lot of his fatigue.

He walked to the dining table and sat down, looking at the steamed buns and stir-fried meat on the table, along with a few dishes of pickled vegetables, which were full of the atmosphere of daily life.

Lin Xiulian handed him the chopsticks and sat down herself. "You must be hungry after a busy morning."

The two sat down around the square table. Chen Yongqiang picked up a piece of salted wild boar meat with his chopsticks and took a big bite with a steamed bun.

During the meal, he casually remarked, "In the future, if you hear any gossip in the village, don't take it to heart."

Lin Xiulian probably knew what was going on: "Someone said something about me and you doing something, right?"

The news that he and Lin Xiulian are sleeping in the same bed has now spread throughout the village.

Chen Yongqiang is thick-skinned and doesn't care, but he's afraid Lin Xiulian will overthink things.

Lin Xiulian remained calm: "Let them say whatever they want. Their spittle won't kill anyone. We'll just keep to ourselves and live our own lives behind closed doors. We're not bothering anyone. Who cares?"

Since she is so insightful and open-minded, Chen Yongqiang is not bad either.

"Don't worry, it won't be long before these people shut up." Chen Yongqiang had a plan in mind; he was going to use his strength to slap them in the face.

He wanted the villagers to know that following Chen Yongqiang would lead to a better life.

Lin Xiulian was, after all, a woman; how could she truly not care about her reputation at all?

But she also knew that in this remote mountain valley, surviving and making a good living was more important than anything else.