Chapter 61: Younger Brother's Invitation

With a few swift twangs, crossbow bolts shot rapidly toward the herd of deer in the valley. Gu Chengyong struck a stag, Wenxiu hit a doe, but Wenqi’s arrow missed its mark.

Startled by the sudden attack, the deer scattered in every direction, stampeding away, save for the two that had been struck. Those two, felled by well-placed arrows to their vital spots, could no longer run and soon lay lifeless. The skill of the Gu father and sons was evident; the arrows had found their targets, and the kill had been swift.

Gu Chengyong led his sons to the fallen deer. Upon seeing the stag’s antlers, newly grown and about seven or eight inches long, he exclaimed, “Excellent—this is the perfect time. The antlers are still full of blood, which makes them most potent as medicine. These two antlers alone will fetch us several taels of silver.”

The stag was no small beast. Gu Chengyong instructed his son to help lift it, and together they heaved it onto his shoulder. The doe Wenxiu had felled was smaller, so the two brothers managed to carry it between them. “Father, let’s head back,” one of the sons suggested.

“Yes, let’s go. We’d better hurry; the family is probably waiting for us,” Gu Chengyong replied, leading the way home with the stag on his shoulder.

The return trip, burdened with their game, was much slower. After more than half an hour, they finally emerged from the woods. Gu Chengyong deliberately chose a different route, one that passed by the Miao family’s house. Upon reaching their gate, he called out loudly for Qin Shaoyuan.

Inside, Jiaoyan was reciting her formulas, while Shaoyuan was outside chopping wood. At the sound of Gu Chengyong’s voice, Jiaoyan and Miao Suwen both hurried out. “Father, is that a sika deer? You’re amazing, to hunt a deer as soon as you go into the mountains—two, even! That’s incredible,” Jiaoyan exclaimed in awe at the sight of the deer her father and brother carried.

“Cousin, the one Wenxiu and Wenqi are carrying is for you and your family to eat. We’ll just take the big one,” Gu Chengyong said, signaling his sons to set down the doe.

“Oh, brother-in-law, there’s no need! We’re not lacking for food; you should take it home,” Miao Suwen protested hastily.

“Shaoyuan is still young and can’t hunt in the mountains by himself yet, and Axi and the others are busy. Besides, it’s not every day you run into such luck. Since we’ve got it today, I’ll leave some for you. When Shaoyuan is older, he’ll be able to hunt his own. Venison is a fine thing, very nourishing—keep it and enjoy it. The stag is enough for us,” Gu Chengyong said, then turned and left with his sons.

“Jiao’er, remember to come home for lunch,” he called out to Jiaoyan before striding off.

Miao Suwen and her son, along with Jiaoyan, watched as the family departed and then turned their attention to the deer on the ground. “Shaoyuan, find a knife and butcher the deer. When Axie and Ruyun get back tonight, we’ll stew it all together,” Miao Suwen said. As a healer, she naturally understood the value of venison: it would be good for the growing children.

Shaoyuan fetched a sharp knife and began skinning and gutting the deer. Though young, he was careful and methodical, having watched Gu Chengyong process game before. He had a fair idea of what to do, and since it was for their own table, they weren’t too concerned about perfection.

Meanwhile, Gu Chengyong and his sons returned home. As they entered the courtyard, they heard the old matriarch’s cheerful voice from inside the house—no doubt, the Li family had already arrived.

“Father, Mother, we’ve brought back a deer!” Gu Chengyong called out in the courtyard.

No sooner had he spoken than a crowd poured out of the house. Madam Xu was the quickest, followed by Wenqing and Wenjing. At the sight of the stag on the ground, everyone was overjoyed. “This is wonderful! We’ll have a fine meal at noon,” Madam Xu exclaimed in delight.

Madam Wu, however, had her eyes on the antlers, which she guessed would fetch a good sum. “Second brother, shouldn’t we find a saw to cut off the antlers?” she asked.

“Yes, eldest sister-in-law, please find a fine-toothed saw—the smallest and most closely set teeth you have,” Gu Chengyong replied.

No farmhouse could do without such tools, and Madam Wu soon produced the saw he needed. “Here you go, second brother,” she said.

“I hate to trouble you further, but could you also bring me a wine cup or a small bowl? There may still be blood in these antlers, and that’s valuable stuff. We can collect it to soak in wine for Father—it’s the best tonic,” Gu Chengyong explained. Deer blood, especially from the heart and antlers, was prized as a powerful restorative.

Madam Wu quickly fetched a wine cup. As Gu Chengyong sawed off the antlers, a little blood did indeed trickle out, though not much, as the journey from the mountain had been long and most of the blood had drained away. The two antlers yielded only about a finger’s depth of blood in the cup.

Gu Chengyong handed the antlers to Wenxiu. “Have your mother tie them up with string and hang them inside for now. Tomorrow, if I have time, I’ll take them to town to sell. They’re best sold fresh, easy to slice and more valuable.”

Wenxiu took the antlers into the house. Madam Xu eyed them with envy—if only they had been the ones to bring them home! She resolved to persuade her son once again to follow in Gu Chengyong’s footsteps.

While Madam Xu was lost in thought, the rest of the family gathered to watch. The old matriarch noticed that Gu Chengyong had not given her the antlers outright but kept them for his own family, which made her uncomfortable. However, with her sister’s family present, she could only swallow her displeasure.

Gu Chengyong glanced up at his father as he finished with the antlers. “Father, here’s the antler blood—you can soak it in wine or drink it straight. It’s a powerful tonic, and you’re getting on in years; you should nourish yourself,” he said.

The old man’s face broke into a wide smile. His son’s skill and thoughtfulness gave him great pride, especially in front of his in-laws. “Let’s soak it in wine. Since your aunt and uncle are here today, we’ll drink it together at lunch—let your uncle enjoy the benefits of his nephew’s bounty.”

Standing beside him was a man in his mid-fifties, shorter than the elder Gu but stout and cheerful. “Brother-in-law, you’re truly blessed to have such a capable and filial son. With your second son back, your home will never lack wild game again,” he said.

The brother-in-law’s words made the old man beam even brighter. “Ah, but we can’t go hunting every day. It’s nice to have a treat now and then, but for folks like us, tending to the fields is what matters most.”

Li’s husband readily agreed, and the two men continued their amiable conversation.

Meanwhile, Gu Chengyong busied himself with dressing the deer. Madam Wu, Madam Xu, and Madam Zhao quickly took the wild chickens and rabbits from Wenxiu and Wenqi, eager to prepare them for the pot.

“Daughter-in-law, set aside a chicken and a rabbit, and stew them with yesterday’s catch. The rest, clean them and rub them with salt for storage—we can’t eat all the good things at once,” the old matriarch instructed. Wenxiu and Wenqi had brought back four chickens and three rabbits—there was no way she’d let them cook everything at once.

“But mother, there are a lot of people today. Two chickens aren’t enough, and wild chickens aren’t as big as the ones we raise,” Madam Wu hesitated.

Every time the Zhang family visited, it was as if they hadn’t eaten in three days, and her mother-in-law always gave the best meat to them. Wu’s own children hadn’t tasted anything good in a while and were desperate for a treat—it seemed unlikely there would be enough to go around.

“Didn’t I tell you to stew mushrooms with it? Add plenty of mushrooms for flavor. How much meat can everyone eat, anyway? There’s chicken, rabbit, venison—surely that’s enough. You can’t eat everything today and not think about tomorrow. Save some for later,” the old matriarch admonished, glaring at her daughter-in-law.

“Second brother is so capable—will we ever lack for meat again? We still have to use salt to preserve it, don’t we?” Madam Xu muttered under her breath, feeling that it still wasn’t enough.

Madam Li shot her a glare, thinking, “What a foolish woman—there’s no need to quibble now; there’ll be enough for your family to eat.” “Just get on with your work and stop complaining,” she snapped.

Madam Xu dared not protest further and hurried to the kitchen. Madam Wu was even more cautious, quietly following her mother-in-law’s instructions. Madam Zhao, who had little standing in the household, dared not say a word—she was content as long as she had a full belly, whether it was meat or vegetables.

Madam Feng, having hung up the antlers, emerged from the house to help in the kitchen. With so many guests, everyone had to pitch in to prepare the meal.

The old matriarch had already made plans for the day: yellow millet rice, a delicacy in any farming household, reserved for holidays or honored guests. Only with her sister and brother-in-law visiting would she bring out the yellow millet—on ordinary days, the Gu family could never have such a treat.

The four Gu daughters-in-law all bustled about the kitchen, with Madam Feng, though newly returned, working just as quickly and deftly as the rest. Wenfang and Wenfei were sent to help as well, tending the fire, fetching water, and scrubbing utensils.

Wen Tao wanted to help his sisters, but with so many people at home, he realized he’d only get in the way. Besides, the family’s two horses needed to be led out and fed, so Wen Tao took Wenping and Wenzhi to tend to the horses.

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An extra chapter today; starting tomorrow, there will be two updates daily.