The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 239 Unbelievable

Chapter 239: Chapter 239 Unbelievable

The shop assistant was so startled by Wang Yongzhu’s transformation that he said "please come in," yet he stood in the way, blocking the path.

Song Chongjin’s eyes darkened, and he pulled Wang Yongzhu behind him, saying in a deep voice, "Step aside—"

It was only then that the shop assistant came to his senses, his face flushing with embarrassment, and he quickly apologized, "I’m sorry, very sorry—"

Shopkeeper Wu, hearing the commotion, came over from behind the counter and also paused in surprise upon seeing Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin. He then smiled, giving the shop assistant’s shoulder a pat, "Don’t just stand there—move aside—"

Stepping forward, he greeted them with a beaming smile, "So it’s Brother Song and Miss Wang, what rare guests! What rare guests! Please, come inside!"

He also instructed the shop assistant, "Go to the kitchen and order them to cook a few of our specialty dishes. My treat for the two of you!"

The shop assistant hurriedly bowed his head and left.

Only then did Shopkeeper Wu personally lead the two to a quiet spot. "Miss Wang, you’ve changed so much since our last meeting, I almost didn’t dare to recognize you. No wonder my shop assistant was staring in amazement!"

Wang Yongzhu felt pleased upon hearing this. She counted the days and realized, gee, almost three months had already passed.

These days, with so many things happening at home, she hadn’t the mind to care how much she had slimmed down. The bronze mirror in her home was secretly bought by Old Granny Zhang, and it was so blurry that the reflection looked ghostly, not even as clear as looking into a basin of water.

Thus, she hadn’t noticed the changes to her appearance in recent days. Hearing what Shopkeeper Wu had said, some of the displeasure from being assessed by the shop assistant dissipated.

Thinking about it, she must have changed quite a lot. No, she would have to buy a better mirror from the general store later.

Shopkeeper Wu’s words were essentially an apology. Naturally, Wang Yongzhu wouldn’t dwell on it, and simply smiled in response, "There has been a lot going on at home lately, perhaps it’s from all the worrying!"

Brother Song, sitting beside her, heard this and couldn’t help but glance at Wang Yongzhu a few more times.

In this period, he had encountered Wang Yongzhu more often than he had in the previous years combined. Perhaps it was because of her status, or maybe because they usually confronted each other head-on when together, he really hadn’t paid much attention to her looks.

Now, reminded to take a closer look, she indeed seemed much thinner, almost by half compared to before—with a round face, though not particularly fair-skinned, she had a healthy complexion and rosy cheeks.

Having slimmed down, it became apparent that Wang Yongzhu had large almond-shaped eyes with long lashes that fluttered like little fans.

Her eyebrows were curved, her nose was straight and high, her lips slightly plump, and when she smiled, her eyes formed crescents, looking both naive and cute, making one feel an urge to reach out and pinch her cheeks.

Cough—Song Chongjin’s hand twitched under the table, as he forcibly gathered his thoughts and lowered his gaze to the tea that Shopkeeper Wu had just poured without touching it.

Shopkeeper Wu was a shrewd businessman and the Wang Family’s troubles likely counted as the biggest news in Shiqiao Town that year.

In his heart, he felt sympathy for this young lady, who had been pampered by her family to such a plump state; when disaster struck her family, she had no choice but to face reality.

Thinking about the favor of the Yellow Pine Mushrooms, and seeing that despite the family’s great misfortune, the young lady was not wailing but instead smiling warmly, it was endearing to anyone who saw her.

He rarely offered, "Miss Wang, is there anything I can assist you with during your visit today?"

In his mind, he calculated that if the young lady was truly in dire straits, as long as she spoke up, he would make an effort to scrape together a few pieces of silver, also as a way to do good deeds and accumulate virtue.

Wang Yongzhu beamed as she pulled out a cloth bundle from the basket on her back and placed it on the table, opening it, "This is wolf jerky made by our family, not worth much, just a little token of our gratitude. Thank you, Shopkeeper Wu, for your past care for our family!"

When Shopkeeper Wu heard the words ’wolf jerky’, his eyes flickered, then he looked at the jerky on the table, bright red in color; when he opened the pack, a fragrant smell of meat hit the nose, easily whetting one’s appetite.

He couldn’t help but grab a piece, tore off a small strip, and put it in his mouth. It tasted numbing with a hint of spiciness, and a piney fragrance combined with a smoky flavor, all melding together, making Shopkeeper Wu’s eyes light up involuntarily.

He quickened his chewing pace, the jerky was tough, lean but not dry, the more he chewed, the tastier it became...

Shopkeeper Wu, who had only intended to sample the flavor, had unwittingly polished off a piece of the jerky.

Not until the shop assistant came to serve the dishes, and went to move the jerky aside, did Shopkeeper Wu hastily drag the jerky in front of himself.

He asked Wang Yongzhu with a smile, "This jerky is great! Is it really made of wolf meat?"

No wonder he was curious, as a tavern keeper who had tasted many delicacies, he had certainly heard of wolf meat but had never eaten it before.

Now tasting it for the first time, it was no surprise that he had been chewing for so long, and it didn’t align with the beef, lamb, pork, or horse meat he had in mind.

"Of course! A few days ago, I went up the mountain with Brother Song and unfortunately encountered a pack of wolves. We joined forces and killed a few. The weather has been hot, and fearing the meat might spoil, my mother made it into jerky! I just happened to come to town to buy some things today, so I thought of bringing some for Shopkeeper Wu, to let you have a taste of something fresh," Wang Yongzhu explained.

"Thank you! Thank you! It’s truly humbling, Miss Wang is too kind!" Who doesn’t like compliments? Shopkeeper Wu felt touched that a young girl remembered in her heart the fair price he had given for the Yellow Pine Mushrooms on two occasions. A peasant family struggles to get hold of such good things, and they still thought to bring some especially for him. The material goods were not the important thing, no, they were important, but it was the sentiment that was truly precious.

Shopkeeper Wu, a sage old fox in business, was slightly moved inside, but didn’t forget the nature of a businessman: "Miss Wang, do you have more of this jerky at home? I like this flavor, and so do others in my family. If you have more, I’d like to buy some to take back for them. Would that be possible?"

Why was Wang Yongzhu at the tavern? Of course, it was to sell the jerky!

Now with the weather being hot, although the meat had been turned into jerky, which could last a bit longer, she estimated that it wouldn’t keep until Zhang Yinbao came to collect the first batch of mountain goods.

So she had to find a way to sell this jerky.

And Shopkeeper Wu naturally was the best candidate.

Therefore, Wang Yongzhu nodded very readily, "If Shopkeeper Wu has spoken, then naturally there’s no problem! How much would you like?"

Shopkeeper Wu pondered for a while in his heart, "How much does the girl’s family have?"

Wang Yongzhu didn’t actually know, so she looked towards Song Chongjin.

Song Chongjin estimated in his mind, roughly four or five pounds of fresh meat could be made into one pound of jerky, therefore, from over ten wolves, there was only about two hundred pounds of pure meat; considering what they had given away and eaten, there might be forty or fifty pounds of jerky at most.

He held up a hand with all five fingers extended toward Wang Yongzhu, who then had an idea, "Not sure exactly, about forty pounds or so! Does Shopkeeper Wu want it all?"

Shopkeeper Wu was shocked; he knew how many pounds of fresh meat could produce a pound of jerky. By that calculation, had the two of them really killed over ten wolves?

It was simply unbelievable!