Wild boar, how about performing a little magic trick for me?

Watching Feng Cailian breathe her last, Meng Yougen felt no profound sorrow; rather, he experienced a sense of relief.

"Mother!" Jiang Yuqing crawled on her knees to her mother’s corpse, wailing with a shattered heart until she was completely breathless, eventually fainting away with a sharp gasp.

Meng Yougen had expected to feel heartache over Feng Cailian’s death, but at this moment, he felt nothing of the sort. Instead, he felt a pang of pity for the sobbing Jiang Yuqing. Seeing her unconscious, he walked over.

"Yuqing, your mother has passed on. Please, try to restrain your grief," he said, scooping her up into his arms.

It must be said, holding the young girl’s supple waist in his arms felt entirely different from embracing Feng Cailian’s thick, barrel-like frame. Meng Yougen’s mind began to wander, though he knew now was not the time.

He found a tattered mat, rolled up Feng Cailian’s body, loaded it onto a cart, and took it to the hill behind the village. He dug a pit and buried her, not even bothering to erect a tombstone. Feng Cailian likely never imagined, even in death, that after thirteen years with Meng Yougen, this would be her final outcome.

The Meng family kept their doors tightly shut, each preoccupied with their own interests. The matriarch, Bao, had fallen ill from anger, while the various branches of the family secretly schemed for their own futures.

At the Jin residence, Jin Shan and Jin Yan’an went to each of the families they had borrowed money from, repaying the silver and adding five pounds of white flour as a gesture.

"Brother Shan, why the extra flour? Isn't that a bit formal between us?" Zhou Changhe hesitated to accept the gift.

"Changhe, please take it. Our girl Yun insisted on it. If you don't accept it, I won't know how to answer to her when I get back." Jin Shan didn't mind building a good reputation for Meng Yun at this time, and it was the truth, after all.

"That girl… very well, I’ll take it. Thank her for me when you get back," Zhou Changhe said, accepting the flour.

"That girl knows medicinal herbs and can even save lives; she’s quite extraordinary," Li Mianhua added as she brought out tea.

"Indeed, we didn't expect Yun to know how to forage for herbs, either." Jin Shan smiled. He was more than satisfied with this daughter-in-law—he was ecstatic.

After chatting for a while, Jin Shan took his leave. "Changhe, I still need to visit the Maocai, Dahai, and Dazhu families. We’ll talk again when I have more time."

"Brother Shan has truly married a gem of a daughter-in-law," Zhou Changhe remarked, recounting how much Meng Yun had bought that day.

"Yaru’s suffering is finally coming to an end," Li Mianhua said, her eyes reddening.

"Enough, don't be sad. The Jin family’s fortunes are turning around, and you should be happy for them. If you see they need help, just offer a hand. Helping those in need is a rare virtue," Zhou Changhe advised.

"Do you think I need you to tell me that?" Li Mianhua replied, taking the white flour and walking off.

The next day, Meng Yun and Jin Yanchuan headed up the mountain. Zhou Yaru watched them go, only turning back once they had completely disappeared from sight.

On the mountain, Meng Yun gathered herbs as they climbed, with Jin Yanchuan learning by her side. It was remarkable; though Jin Yanchuan’s mental age was that of a child, his ability to learn was sharp. Any herb Meng Yun taught him, he remembered perfectly. As they moved through the woods, he would always return with a few herbs in hand.

"Achuan, we are deep in the mountains now. Don’t wander too far from me, do you hear?" Meng Yun looked at the joyful Jin Yanchuan, her eyes sparkling, her tone softening with sweetness.

"I hear you, Wife!" Jin Yanchuan returned shortly after, clutching a handful of silkworm husks.

"Achuan is so clever." Meng Yun never hesitated to shower her husband with praise.

"Mwah!" Jin Yanchuan stole a kiss while they were on the mountain.

"Achuan, don't move." Meng Yun’s ears twitched. Highly sensitive to external dangers, she sensed a large beast heading their way.

"Achuan, up the tree, quickly." Meng Yun grabbed Jin Yanchuan’s waist and leaped onto a large tree.

"Wow! Wife, you’re amazing! You can fly!" Jin Yanchuan clapped and cheered.

"If you like it, I'll take you flying again later," Meng Yun said, rubbing her forehead. Was his focus really not on the danger approaching below?

"Achuan, hold onto the branch tightly. Don't move, and don't make a sound, understand?" Meng Yun glanced into the distance and saw two wild boars.

"Mm-hmm." Jin Yanchuan nodded vigorously.

Meng Yun jumped down from the tree and pulled a machete from her space. Each of the two wild boars weighed over three hundred pounds; they were clearly a pair. Meng Yun raised an eyebrow—since they had come to her, she would take them both. She lunged forward, taking the initiative.

"Oink!" One boar’s throat was slashed open by Meng Yun. Blood gushed out, and though it wasn't dead, the severe wound only made it more violent and crazed.

"Oink!" Both boars charged at her.

"Wife!" Jin Yanchuan started to shout but, remembering her instructions, clamped his hand over his mouth. His sharp eyes were fixed on Meng Yun and the boars, filled with endless worry.

Meng Yun dodged, brushing past the boars, and seized the perfect moment to strike again. The heavily wounded boar finally collapsed, drawing its last breath. With only one left, things were much easier.

Meng Yun channeled her spiritual power, wanting to test the limits of her capabilities. If she could awaken wood-based abilities here, that would be even better.

As the boar charged, Meng Yun closed her eyes and focused. On the ground, several tree roots suddenly burst forth from the soil.

*Thump.*

The boar tripped over the roots, its hundreds of pounds of body rolling over several times. Meng Yun felt a bit lightheaded, but she was overjoyed—her wood-based spiritual power had been triggered. However, her reserves were too low to sustain it for long.

After resting for only a moment, Meng Yun stepped forward with her machete. The boar was still dazed from the fall; seizing the opportunity, she dealt a few final blows, and the creature perished.

"Wife, can I talk now?" High up in the tree, Jin Yanchuan looked on with deep concern, though his eyes were filled with stars.

"You can," Meng Yun said with a helpless smile.

"Wife, you’re so amazing!" Jin Yanchuan clapped his hands.

"Ah!" He lost his balance and tumbled straight down from the tree. Terrified, Meng Yun didn't have time to think; she sprinted forward and caught him securely in her arms.

"Wife is the best! That scared me so much!" Jin Yanchuan wrapped his arms around her neck and began to act coy.

Meng Yun patted his back. "Don't be so reckless again. Even when you're clapping, you have to watch what you're doing. If I hadn't caught you, you would have cried your eyes out." She set him down.

"Oh, Achuan won't do it again. Don't be angry, Wife." Jin Yanchuan swayed her arm.

"I'm not angry, just be careful next time. Let's process these two boars and leave. If we stay, the smell of blood will attract other beasts." She wondered if she should store the boars in her space.

"Mm-hmm."

"Achuan, I’m going to perform a magic trick for you. Watch closely. Abracadabra..." With the word "Abracadabra," one of the boars on the ground vanished.

"Huh? Where did the boar go?" Jin Yanchuan circled around, searching for it.

"I used a magic trick to make it disappear. We’ll bring it back out when we get home tonight, okay?" Meng Yun said.

"There’s another one! Wife, make it disappear quickly, hide it away..." Jin Yanchuan jumped up and down, clapping his hands.

"Alright, abracadabra..." The second boar vanished as well.

"Wife is the best!" Jin Yanchuan cheered happily.

Meng Yun rubbed her forehead. She truly could do whatever she wanted in front of this little fool; she didn't have to rack her brain for excuses. Whatever she told him, he believed. This feeling was actually quite nice.