I Was Reborn into the Past and Saved My Stunning Sister-in-Law at the Beginning - Chapter 24:

Chapter 24: Qin Huairu: Stay Away from That Man

They had been fishing for almost two hours, but the group of young men had spent most of their attention on the Qin sisters rather than the fish. The girls had almost finished their laundry, yet none of the boys dared to approach them or strike up a conversation. They thought about giving them a fish as a gift, but their focus was entirely on the sisters, making it impossible to catch any fish at all. When they saw the Qin sisters finish their laundry and prepare to leave, the boys instantly lost all interest in fishing.

In contrast, Xu Feng and Shou Shan, using a net, had managed to catch half a bucket of fish. The small ones were about the size of a palm, while the big ones weighed around one or two kilograms.

“This sun is getting too harsh. Let’s head back and take a good nap this afternoon, so we can go up the mountain tonight,” Shou Shan shouted, and everyone climbed out of the water. Under the blazing sun, their bodies dried in no time. Even though they hadn’t caught much fish, at least their eyes had been satisfied.

“You lot are as timid as turtles, staring at them like your eyes are about to pop out, but not even daring to say a word? If you all keep acting like this, how will you ever get yourselves a wife?” Shou Shan, being the leader of the group, saw through their thoughts easily. Hearing this, everyone’s faces turned red with embarrassment.

“Don’t waste your efforts on the Qin sisters either. I went to Qin Village a few days ago, and I heard their parents are planning to marry them off to someone from the city,” Xu Feng kindly reminded them.

“You heard Xu Feng. When looking for a wife, don’t just look at appearances. Think about your own situation first.”

…

“Sister, do you know the tallest one among them?” The sisters weren’t just being watched—they were also observing the group of young men. But it was only out of curiosity. After all, the neighboring village was even poorer than theirs.

“That one’s called Xu Feng, and he’s a well-known troublemaker. Girl, are you already thinking about marriage?” In Qin Huairu’s eyes, anyone who hung around with Qin Zhenguo was no good. Not long ago, Qin Zhenguo had been arrested for peeping through half-open doors, confirming her view. It was said that Qin’s father had spent all the family savings but still couldn’t bail him out. He got sentenced to a year.

“Of course not, sister. But that guy is definitely more handsome than the others.” There was no denying that Xu Feng’s looks and height made him stand out among the group, which was why Qin Jingru noticed him.

“Good looks won’t fill your stomach. I’m warning you, stay away from the men from Xu Village, especially that Xu Feng.”

…

“Wife, I’m back!” At the door, Xu Feng shouted loudly. The two sisters and Wang Xiuli immediately put down their needlework.

“Xiyue, I’ll head back first. I’ll come back after lunch to help again,” said Wang Xiuli. She had taken enough advantage already and felt too embarrassed to stay for lunch, so she quickly got up to take her child home.

“Sister Xiuli, why are you leaving? Stay and have some fish for lunch. It’s not like it costs anything!” Xu Feng carried the bucket of fish into the main room, trying to persuade her to stay. After all, he had been eyeing the treasures in her house; letting her eat some fish was nothing.

“Exactly, Sister Xiuli. If you really don’t want to stay for lunch, I’ll ask A’Feng to pack some fish for you to take home,” Lin Xixue added.

Since the couple insisted, Wang Xiuli no longer insisted on leaving. She figured, thick-skinned or not, as long as her child could eat meat and grow taller, it was worth it.

“Fine then. Let me show you my cooking skills today!” Wang Xiuli took the fish from Xu Feng and went with Lin Xixue to clean them. Usually, Xu Feng handled the stove while Lin Xixue cooked, but today Lin Xixue took over the stove and Wang Xiuli prepared the dishes.

They cleaned the fish thoroughly. The small ones were fried directly in oil until the bones were crispy. The big ones were either braised or made into soup, as there weren’t many other ways to cook fish in the countryside. On top of that, Xu Feng insisted on eating handmade noodles, prompting Wang Xiuli to show off her skill at kneading dough.

For lunch, they had fried small fish, braised fish, crucian carp soup, and each person had a bowl of cold handmade noodles. Everyone ate until oil dripped from their mouths.

While eating, Wang Xiuli’s eyes turned red—not from getting a fishbone stuck but because the hardship of the past years came rushing back. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had eaten meat. Now, she was eating meat every day, all thanks to the man in front of her. Wang Xiuli couldn’t help but think, if her husband hadn’t been such a good-for-nothing, her life wouldn’t have been so bitter.

After lunch, Xu Feng told his wife he was going to take a nap and went back to his room. After a simple dinner, they gathered at the west end of the village before it got dark.

This time, Shou Shan didn’t need to say much. Xu Feng had already followed them up the mountain several times and gained a lot of experience. But there was one bad piece of news—Shou Shan only had six bullets left. Wild boars were much fiercer than sows, and six bullets might not be enough to kill one. Not every time would they be lucky enough to get a perfect shot.

“Let’s go, into the mountain!” The six men and four hunting dogs were fully armed. Tonight, they were determined to make a big catch.

Skipping the first two hours of walking through the forest, they didn’t encounter anything at the outskirts. This time, Shou Shan deliberately avoided the areas where bears were active, which cost them an extra hour. Then they went to the place where they had killed the sow a few days ago, hoping for luck, but they didn’t even see the shadow of a wild boar.

“Damn, last time we were lucky to find some boar dung. That boar must have been spooked and hid deep in the forest. It’s really hard to find now.” Everyone’s stamina was running low, and they hadn’t made any progress, causing them to scratch their heads anxiously. If they didn’t catch anything tonight, the moon wouldn’t be as bright tomorrow, making it even harder to find the boar.

Xu Feng thought about trying his luck by opening the map, but the data button still showed as dim. No one knew when this thing would refresh, so he decided to try again after midnight.

Shou Shan led the team deeper into the woods. Who knew how long they walked? The moon was already hanging high overhead. Xu Feng tried opening the map again, and this time it didn’t disappoint him. The search button was lit up! That meant it could only be used once a day for now.

He clicked the button, and the map rippled like water. After ten seconds, two obvious bright spots appeared on the map—one red, the other green.

“What does this mean?” The two spots weren’t far apart, but it was clear they represented two different treasures.

“Brother Shou Shan, I feel like there’s something over there. Let’s go check it out,” Xu Feng casually made up an excuse and led the team toward the red spot.

“Alright.” Since they were wandering aimlessly anyway, it didn’t matter which direction they went.

After walking for about half an hour, the red spot on the map was just ahead. Sure enough, Jianjun, with his sharp eyes, was the first to notice something moving ahead—it was that tusked wild boar!