At the first hint of dawn the next day, Jin Shanyao went to the kitchen to learn how to light a fire and cook.
The first time was unfamiliar, the second came easier. Jin Shanyao had already hardened her heart to iron and stone, and burning wood to cook went especially smoothly. By the time Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci got up, the meal was ready.
After breakfast, Jin Shanyao carried the children and took the cat and dog to White Head Mountain. She planned to hunt a big wild boar, sell part of it, and give the rest to the teacher as tuition.
Jin Shanyao did not need to lift a finger to hunt. The cat and dog could handle it themselves. She simply told them what she wanted, and they darted away in a flash.
Meng Anci held Jin Shanyao's hand nervously and looked up at her. "Auntie, can they really catch a wild boar?"
"Of course. You two can rest easy." If they could not even catch a wild boar, how could they have the nerve to ascend with her? They might as well change their names to black bear.
Dahuang and Xiaoli were quick. In half a quarter of an hour, they came running back down, dragging a big wild boar. Jin Shanyao nodded in satisfaction, infused the ginkgo leaves in her hand with spiritual power, and fed them to the pair.
She then bound the boar with vines and tied the other ends to Dahuang and Xiaoli, letting them drag it down the mountain.
Jin Shanyao had barely entered the village with the children in her arms when she caused quite a stir. Villagers followed behind the boar as if by prior agreement.
"Auntie of the Meng family, you went up the mountain again, and this time you brought back a wild boar!"
Someone ventured, "You won't be able to eat this whole boar before it spoils. Could you sell me some?"
"All right." Her benefactor had left no savings, and she needed money to raise the children.
The people around her had not expected her to agree so readily. An uproar broke out at once, and they crowded forward. "Auntie of the Meng family, could you sell me some? My son's so hungry he can't even get up from the kang..."
"Auntie of the Meng family, I want to buy some meat too. My mother's getting on in years. I can't just watch her starve to death..."
"Me too. My wife hasn't been feeling well these past two days. I want her to have something good to eat..."
"Me too..."
Amid the clamor, Jin Shanyao stepped into the courtyard and put the two children down. "I'm only keeping the two front legs," she told the crowd. "I'll sell the rest to you."
The crowd was overjoyed. Wonderful, wonderful! At last, they could have some meat.
After the flood, all their grain had been submerged and could not be harvested. They wanted to find food on the mountain too, but it was dangerous and easy to lose their way, so they could only search around its foot.
The Meng family's auntie had hunted the boar on the mountain, so it had cost her nothing. It should not sell for much. Just as they were thinking of offering five, seven, or eight wen, Jin Shanyao walked over to the village head.
"Village head, I don't know how to butcher a boar. You're experienced; would you be willing to help me?"
The village head smiled. "A boar this big would be hard for a young woman like you to handle. I'll find a few people to butcher it. As for the price..."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "How about two wen below the market price?"
Jin Shanyao smiled. "I'll leave it entirely to you, village head."
"Ah, all right... That's all I needed to hear." The village head called people over to set up a rack in the courtyard and asked Old Woman Li next door to heat some water.
Jin Shanyao knew nothing about it, but she was eager to learn. She followed the village head and watched him work.
As it turned out, the different parts of the boar all had different prices.
For example, the front-leg meat was the best and most expensive, followed by the hind-leg meat. Belly meat could be rendered for fat, so everyone scrambled for it. The bones had no meat and were the cheapest.
Jin Shanyao watched with interest and brought the two children over to learn as well. She did not know what the young ones needed to learn, so she stuffed it all into them, fragrant or foul.
Pale-faced, Meng Anzhi watched the village head and his helpers scrape off the boar's bristles, slit it open, and chop the bloody carcass into pieces. Meng Anci, meanwhile, silently memorized the price of each part.
He even learned every last detail of the hunter's method of slaughtering and bleeding the pig. In this family, Auntie knew nothing, and his older sister was no help either. They still had to rely on him.
The big boar soon sold out. After everyone left, Jin Shanyao bundled up the pig's head, trotters, and tail and gave them to the village head.
By the time Wang Guihua hurried over carrying a basin, nothing was left except half a basin of pig's blood and the uncleaned offal.
Seeing her standing outside the courtyard in a daze, Jin Shanyao asked, "Can you boil meat?"
Wang Guihua nodded eagerly. "Yes. I can boil it or stew it." As she spoke, she carried her wooden basin into the courtyard.
Jin Shanyao saw her repeatedly glancing at the pig's blood. "Cook the meal, and this basin of blood is yours."
Delight flashed in Wang Guihua's eyes. She glanced at the offal. "Sister, do you still want these innards?"
"No. Throw them away."
Wang Guihua was overjoyed. She bent down, scooped up the offal, and stuffed it into her wooden basin in a few quick movements. "Sister, since you don't want it, give it to your second sister-in-law. I don't mind the smell."
Half a basin of pig's blood and a large basin of offal would last them a while, no matter what. It was better than eating wild greens every day.
After cleaning up the courtyard, she started heating water and cooking. "Sister, you kept too much meat. It's hot out, and what you can't eat will spoil."
Jin Shanyao had wanted to go up the mountain and hunt more game. Hearing that it would not keep, she was at a loss. "What should I do, then?"
"Cure it with salt. Hang it somewhere with good airflow, dry it for a while, and smoke it over branches. It'll keep for a year without any trouble." As Wang Guihua spoke, she put the sliced meat into the pot.
"There aren't many seasonings in the house, so I can't make a stew, but meat boiled in plain water is tasty too." She swallowed as she spoke. She had not been willing to eat any of the bowl of meat yesterday and had given it all to her two children.
She wondered whether she might get a bite today. As she thought this, the courtyard gate was suddenly kicked open, followed by the sound of her own husband, Meng Hongyi's voice. Wang Guihua looked at Jin Shanyao in alarm.
"I-I'll go take a look." She had just stepped out of the kitchen when she saw her elder brother-in-law and her husband barge in with yamen runners.
Meng Hongde was startled to see her. He shoved her aside and shouted, "Jin Shanyao, you fraud! You're not Third Brother's wife's sister at all! Get out here!"
Meng Hongyi was just about to shout after his brother when Wang Guihua clapped a hand over his mouth and pulled him behind the others.
Meng Hongyi frowned. "Why are you pulling me? That Jin Shanyao isn't Anzhi and Anci's aunt at all. She's a child trafficker."
Having eaten someone's food, one's mouth was too short to speak against them; having taken their gifts, one's hands grew soft. Wang Guihua had no time to explain. "Stay out of this."
If Jin Shanyao really was a child trafficker and the authorities took her away, the meat in the kitchen would belong to Wang Guihua's family.
If she was not a child trafficker, the second branch would not have gotten involved, and Wang Guihua could still get through the disaster by cooking for Jin Shanyao.
"You shortsighted woman! If we stay out of it, will we still get a share of the land when it comes back? Go on, go on... Don't get in my way."
He shook Wang Guihua off and headed for the kitchen, leaving her stamping her feet in anger behind him.
Inside the kitchen, Meng Hongde and Jin Shanyao faced each other with swords drawn and bows bent.
The two children's little faces were white with fright. Pressed close to Jin Shanyao, they gathered their courage and told the yamen runners, "This is our auntie. She really is our auntie, not a fraud."
Their young voices were drowned out by Meng Hongde's booming one. "Sirs, the county magistrate is still waiting for us at the yamen. Hurry and take this woman away."
Meng Hongde looked at Jin Shanyao with malicious delight, an expression on his face that said she was as good as dead.
The head runner wasted no words. "Jin Shanyao, come with us." No sooner had he spoken than the two children burst into tears and clung tightly to Jin Shanyao's legs.
"Don't arrest our auntie! She's not a fraud... She really is our auntie. Our mother said so herself."
The head runner paid the children no heed. He reached out to pull Jin Shanyao, but could not budge her. Surprise flashed in his eyes. How was this woman so strong?
Jin Shanyao moved her arm, forcing the head runner back half a step.
She wanted to pick up the children and take them with her, but the head runner stopped her with a shout.
"Under the laws of this dynasty, young children's minds are not steadfast. They may not enter the courtroom, lest fear cause them to misspeak and interfere with justice."
Jin Shanyao did not understand the laws of the mortal world and feared that one wrong step might cost her custody of the children.
She slowly crouched down and wiped away their tears. "Don't cry. Auntie will be back soon."
Then she looked at Wang Guihua. "Keep an eye on the house. If I come back and find so much as a brick or tile missing, I'll hold you responsible."
At that, Meng Hongde and Meng Hongyi both looked at Wang Guihua, making her tremble.
She was supposed to watch the house... How could she watch it... She couldn't keep it safe...