"I lost it." Li Qingshan answered stiffly, as if he had been knocked back to the cruel reality from a fantasy world.
"Hurry up and go look for it. If you dare to lose our family's cow, your brother will beat you to death when he comes back. If the cow is gone, you'd better get lost too!"
"That's my cow!" Li Qingshan strode out of the door. If he didn't leave, he might not be able to stop himself from beating this woman up. However, if he really did that, he would no longer be able to stay at home. He would no longer be able to take shelter under the eaves of others.
It wasn't until dusk that he returned to the cowshed, exhausted. His bright eyes looked around the empty cowshed, and then dimmed again.
Apart from herding the cows and cleaning up, Li Qingshan's daily work was to bring the cows to the landlord's house in the village to help out and earn some money to supplement his family's expenses.
Today, without the cow, he could only do the same work as the other long-term workers. Even adults would find it hard to do that kind of work, let alone a young man like him who hadn't even eaten breakfast.
Compared to the exhaustion of his body, the insults and curses from the farm manager were nothing more than a trivial matter. He fell head first into the haystack and didn't want to think about anything else. However, his stomach started to growl again.
It was conceivable that in such an environment, any interest would be worn down to the point where only the most basic physical needs were left.
Li Qingshan was in a daze when he heard a "bang". It was the sound of something heavy falling on the ground. He opened his eyes and saw a strange face with a pair of long white tusks. He couldn't help but jump in fright. When he woke up, he saw that it was a wild boar. It had just died, and it was still warm.
Oxen was lying in front of the trough, "smiling" at him. He could already vaguely make out the expression on Oxen's face.
Night fell. In the village house, Mrs Li was complaining to Brother Li, "That little bastard is too inhumane. He even lost such a big cow. No, he must have secretly sold it. No, we must separate from the family. If we continue living like this, we will be in trouble."
Elder Brother Li was in his thirties. He was tall and strong, and he was famous for being tyrannical in the village. However, he was extremely respectful towards his wife. "But after we split up, those few acres of good land were given to him in front of the elders in the village." They used the reason that Li Qingshan was too young to farm as an excuse to occupy this piece of land. They didn't want to return it now, but if they officially separated from the family, they would have to return it.
"Hasn't Steward Liu always wanted this piece of land? We might as well sell it to them. If that little bastard has the guts, he can go ask him for it. "
"But what if he doesn't want to?"
"Starve him for three days, aren't you worried that he won't agree?"
While the two were discussing, Mrs. Li suddenly sniffed and said, "Do you smell something?"
"It smells so good. It seems like someone's cooking meat!"
"It's not New Year's Day, why are they cooking meat? It seems, it seems, it's nearby."
The two followed the smell and came to the cowshed. They saw a pot in the cowshed with firewood burning under it. The soup in the pot was boiling, and a fragrant smell spread.
The fire swayed in the darkness, casting Li Qingshan's shadow on the wall.
Mrs Li swallowed her saliva and said, "You little bastard, where did you steal the meat?" She was not only lazy but also greedy. Looking at the pot of meat soup, she even forgot that Li Qingshan had offended her. She went forward and picked up the spoon to stir it.
However, Elder Brother Li's eyes were sharp. He saw what Li Qingshan was sitting on and exclaimed, "Wild boar!"
Wild boars could be said to be extremely dangerous in the mountains. Its skin was rough and thick, and it was difficult to be injured by swords. Ordinary hunters would retreat when they saw it, let alone capture it.
"When I was looking for a cow, I picked it up at the foot of the mountain. It was injured, probably because it was chased by hunters and had nowhere else to go." Li Qingshan made up an excuse. The existence of Oxen must be kept a secret. Otherwise, if the news of the demon cow spread, who knew when the Heavenly Palace would come to find them.
Elder Brother Li was skeptical, but he also laughed and said, "Brother, you are a fool with a fool's luck. When I bring this pig to the market, I can definitely sell it for a good price and save it for your wife." At the same time, he also saw the Oxen in the cowshed. He thought that there was no need to rush to separate from him. The cow could still do some farm work.
Li Qingshan watched as the sister-in-law stirred in the pot as if all she wanted to do was try a piece. His good mood from cooking the meat was immediately destroyed. With a smack, he smacked the sister-in-law's hand away. "Don't touch it."
Sister-in-law Li covered her hand and stepped back. She wailed, "Look at your brother. I told you that he bullied a woman when you weren't at home. You didn't believe me. Now he's doing it in front of you."
Bullied you? Li Qingshan only felt a wave of nausea. If your surname was Pan, I wouldn't have suffered a loss.
Elder Brother Li's face suddenly became gloomy. "Is this how you act as an uncle?"
Li Qingshan lowered his head and said, "I have my own plans for this meat. I am not young anymore. It is time for us to separate." This was something he had been thinking about when he was cooking the meat. He was no longer willing to bow his head under the eaves of this house.
Elder Brother Li did not expect that before he could say anything, Li Qingshan would bring it up first. He was stunned for a moment and then became angry. He was a stupid farmer and could not hold back his anger. He clenched his fists and stepped forward, wanting to beat up Li Qingshan and drag this wild boar away first.
Li Qingshan saw that Elder Brother Li's momentum was not right. He also stood up. His face was grim, but his heart felt a little weak. His bones were not fully grown yet. He had been tired for a day and had not eaten anything. How could he fight against a grown man? He glanced at Oxen from the corner of his eyes, but Oxen only watched this scene as if it was watching a show. It had no intention of helping.
Just as Li Qingshan was groaning in his heart and preparing to receive a beating, Elder Brother Li stopped in his tracks and looked at Li Qingshan's right hand.
In that rough hand was a short knife that was equally rough. The blade was full of impurities. Even though it had been carefully polished, it was still dull and lusterless.
This was a short knife that Li Qingshan had bought from the bazaar after living frugally all these years. It was useful in many places. Just Now, he was using this knife to cut meat.
Li Qingshan immediately understood that his elder brother was afraid. He was not afraid of himself, but of this knife. And before this moment, he had never realized that the shoddy knife in his hand had the power to deter others.
In his previous life, Li Qingshan was only an ordinary student. Although he had fought a few times, it was just disputes between fellow students. In both of his lives, he had never had the experience of facing a weapon.
Understanding this, Li Qingshan clenched the knife in his hand and deliberately raised it up, like a wild beast showing off its fangs, even though he did not dare to use it.
Elder Brother Li immediately took a step back, and Mrs Li also did not dare to howl. In the end, the two of them actually retreated from the cowshed with extremely disappointed expressions. They cursed outside for a while before returning to their room to discuss their "grand plan".
However, Li Qingshan turned a deaf ear to it. He even tossed the fragrance of the meat to the back of his mind. All he did was stare at the dagger blankly. His face was vaguely reflected in the dagger. This cheap item of a few taels of silver had just protected him, preventing him from physical pain and humiliation. Moreover, it had protected his spoils of battle.
Although this was a matter of course, at this moment, it was as if he had suddenly become enlightened.
Oxen was lying in front of the trough, smiling at him.
The flames flickered, and the black giant stood on the wall with the knife in his hand. At this moment, a young man understood the exact value of strength.
After a long time, Li Qingshan sat down again, scratching his ears and cheeks as he looked at the pot. "How much longer will this meat need to cook?" He had always been a person who could not live without meat. These past ten years had been really bitter for him. When his parents were still alive, he could still eat a few mouthfuls of meat during festivals. But after his parents passed away, the meat they cut was not even enough for Mrs Li.
At this moment, even if there was a bottle of immortal pills in front of him, it would not make him as anxious as this pot of meat.
The pig was a big pig, and this pot of meat had been cooking for half the night.
The rising flames, the drifting aroma, the crackling sounds, and the focused young man formed a scene that was neither romantic nor poetic, but extremely simple and primitive.
In the end, although there was not even a bit of salt, not to mention other spices, it made Li Qingshan eat so much that he almost swallowed his tongue. Regardless of fat or lean, several kilograms of cooked meat entered his stomach, and in the end, even the broth was completely drunk.
At this moment, if someone asked Li Qingshan what happiness was, he would definitely say that happiness was a pot of meat.
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