This Boy Had Looked Clever Since He Was Little!

Li Zhong's shout rang with wild joy and disbelief.

Under the old locust tree, a deathly hush fell for an instant.

Then the crowd erupted with a buzz!

"Heavens above! Is that... a goat leg?! Good grief, look how fat it is!"

Aunt Liu was the first to cry out, not even noticing her needlework falling into the snow.

"It really is a mountain goat! Look at those horns! And that hide-he skinned it in one whole piece!"

The old woman who had been sighing earlier now had bright eyes filled with wonder.

"Incredible! Li Laosan really is incredible! Bringing back such a big haul all by himself in this snow!"

"Oh my! Sister Wang, your family's fortunes are looking up!"

The young wife could not help exclaiming enviously either. "How much meat must that be! The hide's good too. Once it's cured, it'll fetch a pretty penny!"

The atmosphere of doubt, sympathy, and even a faint agreement with Widow Zhao that had hung over them moments earlier.

Was swept clean in an instant by this solid, astonishing haul!

In its place came a wave of shock and irrepressible envy!

Several women even took a few involuntary steps forward, hoping for a better look.

Their gazes clung to the thick, fat goat legs and the sleek, glossy hide, their tongues clicking in an endless chorus of admiration.

"I always said Li Sanlang was a capable lad! He was just hiding his talents before!"

"This boy had looked clever since he was little. He really has come into his own!"

"Li Zhong's wife, what good fortune you have! Having a brother-in-law like him!"

Praise and envy filled the air, a world away from the silence moments before.

Widow Zhao stood where she was, her expression shifting constantly.

First, the smug sneer froze on her lips. Then it swiftly vanished as her face flushed crimson, only to turn ashen a moment later.

She watched Li Xuan draw closer and closer. The very real game on his shoulder had turned her spiteful predictions into an utter joke.

She listened to the unabashed praise around her and the compliments showered on Wang.

Then she compared them with the vicious words she had just spoken.

It felt as though invisible hands were slapping her across both cheeks, leaving them burning.

She tried to force her lips into something resembling a smile and say something, but her throat was dry, and she could not get a single word out.

All she could do was stubbornly mutter,

"Hmph... lucky, that's all."

How could Wang spare her any attention now?

Overwhelming joy and lingering fear made her eyes burn.

She hurried forward and looked Li Xuan over from head to toe. Only after seeing that, despite being covered in snow with his face frozen red, he was full of energy, did she finally set her heart at ease.

Then boundless pride and the exhilaration of holding her head high flooded her heart.

She stood straight-backed, her smile brighter than sunshine, and answered everyone's praise in a clear voice:

"It's all thanks to our third brother's own hard work! This boy has suffered, and now he knows to strive for better! Quick, husband, don't just stand there-give him a hand! Xuan, you must be frozen, aren't you? Let's go home. Your sister-in-law will stew a goat leg for you and build your strength back up!"

"Yes! Home! Stewed goat leg!"

Li Zhong had already taken the heavy goat legs from him. He grinned from ear to ear, feeling as though his body held an endless supply of strength.

Li Xuan smiled and nodded too, and the three of them did not linger.

Surrounded by the crowd's envious gazes and watched in humiliated silence by Widow Zhao.

They headed joyfully toward their warm little courtyard, carrying the chill of the outdoors and a bountiful harvest with them.

The wind and snow continued, yet they seemed to have become a stirring backdrop to their triumphant return.

When Li Zhong carried the heavy goat legs and the intact hide into the courtyard as though they were precious treasures.

Li Xiuer and Xing'er, who had been playing hopscotch in the snow by the entrance, immediately flocked around them like two little sparrows.

"Third Brother! You're back!"

Li Xiuer's eyes sparkled as she circled Li Xuan, though her gaze kept straying irresistibly to the enormous goat legs. "Wh... what's that? It's so big!"

Xing'er followed timidly beside her. She was even smaller and thinner than Xiu'er, her little face red with cold.

At the sight of the thick, fleshy goat legs, still bearing traces of their wild origins, she instinctively swallowed. She could no longer remember the last time she had eaten meat.

She gave Xiu'er's sleeve a gentle tug, her eyes filled with pure envy:

"Xiu'er... your third brother is amazing. He really is so capable..."

Just then, the commotion in the courtyard drew Li Shan out as well, moving slowly with the aid of his crutch.

When his gaze fell on the game on his son's shoulder, his cloudy old eyes widened at once, and even his beard trembled with excitement:

"Xuan! Is... is that a wild mountain goat? You caught it all by yourself?!"

Li Xuan set the hide down too and brushed the snow off it, smiling with a touch of regret:

"Yes, Dad. I was lucky enough to come across it. A pity, though-just as I finished cleaning it, I heard wolves howling in the distance. I was afraid I'd draw the pack over, so I only had time to cut off the two hind legs and skin it. I left most of the rest up on the mountain."

"Wolves howling?!"

His sister-in-law, who had been beaming beside him, went white with fright at those words and looked Li Xuan up and down.

"You boy! Why didn't you say so sooner? How dangerous! You... you mustn't be so reckless again! Husband, don't you agree? You nearly scared the two of us to death today!"

As she spoke, she patted her chest, still shaken.

Li Zhong nodded repeatedly too, his honest face filled with lingering fear:

"Third Brother, listen to your sister-in-law. No matter what, you're not going back into the mountains for the next few days. It's too dangerous!"

Only Li Xiuer remained utterly innocent. Hearing about wolves merely made her blink, and soon the goat legs captured her attention again. She clapped her little hands and cheered:

"Don't worry, don't worry! Third Brother is the best! He can chase wolves away too! We have meat to eat again! I've never had goat meat before!"

At that, Wang gave her a light pat and scolded her with a smile:

"You greedy little girl! All you think about is eating! These goat legs are so fat, and the meat's firm too. We could get plenty of copper coins for them at the market in town!"

"The weather's getting colder and colder. We could buy some thick cotton padding and make each of you a new padded jacket, then trade for some grain to get us through winter. That's better than eating them!"

Hearing that, Li Xiuer pouted so hard she could have hung an oil bottle from her lower lip. She gazed longingly at the goat legs, then at her third brother, her face full of reluctance.

Li Xuan smiled and first addressed his sister-in-law and elder brother. "Brother, Sister-in-law, don't worry. I know what I'm doing. The wolves were far away. I was fine."

Then he looked at his pouting little sister and his expectant family, and patted the goat legs:

"We're definitely eating the meat! In weather this cold, how can we go without something substantial? But the hide is intact. Once it's cured,

it should fetch a good price. We can use that money for cotton. As for the legs, we'll keep one for ourselves. The other... we'll see."

His tone was steady, and his arrangements were clear and orderly, providing both for the warm clothing the family urgently needed and for their craving for meat.

After hearing this, Wang and Li Zhong, though still a little shaken, no longer insisted. Convinced, they smiled.

Having settled those matters, Li Xuan suddenly seemed to remember something. He walked over to Li Xiuer, who was still pouting, crouched down, and whispered mysteriously:

"Xiu'er, don't be upset anymore. Your third brother brought back a 'little something' too. Want to see?"