novelraw Chapter 1721 - 1715: Possessed by a Wild Boar
Chapter 1721 - 1715: Possessed by a Wild Boar
Gu Zikai then laughed again, "Since that’s the case, I’m relieved. Uncle, you can also rest assured; we’ll naturally explain things clearly to my father."
What else could Yi Mingshi say? He chuckled and changed the subject to official business.
Gu Zikai, naturally, did not mention it again and followed along with the business topic.
On this side, after sending Gu Zikai off, Wang Yongzhu went to the room and began writing a letter to Gu Changqing, including the things Old Granny Zhang mentioned and their thoughts.
Finally, she also included the news about Master Yi’s granddaughter being taken as a concubine by the Second Prince, thinking that after Gu Changqing read it, he would understand.
After writing the letter, she handed it over to her subordinates to be sent to the Capital City.
Wang Yongzhu and Old Granny Zhang rested for a while, then asked someone to find Gu Zikai to have someone take them to the village and hillside they talked about yesterday.
After all, they came to raise wild boars, so they couldn’t forget their original purpose because of this incident, could they?
Not long after, the people sent to the County Yamen returned, saying Gu Zikai had left, leaving only Master Yi in town. After hearing the reason, he’d said he would personally lead the way and was already waiting outside.
Wang Yongzhu’s face darkened immediately, as she knew that if it was really as she thought, Master Yi wouldn’t give up that easily.
She was about to instruct someone to refuse the offer, saying it was inconvenient and to pick another day.
But Old Granny Zhang spoke up, "What are we afraid of? We have nothing to hide, do we? Besides, if anyone should feel awkward about being refused, it’s him! If he’s not afraid of losing face, why should we be? Go ahead! Why shouldn’t we? We’ve been out here for days; the sooner we settle this, the sooner we can go home. Chongjin is waiting for us to return!"
Wang Yongzhu was initially worried about Old Granny Zhang’s embarrassment, but since she didn’t mind, neither did she.
She immediately instructed her people to prepare, ready to set off.
Because Gu Zikai wasn’t accompanying them today, Yi Mingshi was naturally in the outer courtyard, being served tea by Wang Yongzhu’s subordinates.
When he saw Wang Yongzhu and her companions come out, he acted very courteously, as if nothing had happened, and greeted them before saying, "Today’s not convenient, something happened in the south of the city, and the County Magistrate asked the Master to go investigate. Regarding the wild boars, I’ve always been in charge, so allow me, the old man, to take you two to have a look."
Wang Yongzhu just gave a business-like smile: "Then I’ll trouble Master Yi!"
Yi Mingshi, hearing this title, his pupils shrank, but he quickly recovered and smiled, saying, "I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare, please—"
He stepped aside, unnoticed, and glanced again at Old Granny Zhang, who was beside Wang Yongzhu.
Old Granny Zhang smiled warmly at Wang Yongzhu, pretending not to see Yi Mingshi at all.
Yi Mingshi gritted his teeth, and with great deference, saw the mother and daughter onto the carriage, then led the way from the front.
They bumped along the way until they reached outside the town.
Only after half a day’s travel did they see a small village built against the mountain. It was just a simple courtyard, looking quite rustic.
Clearly made from local materials, the stones from the mountain were used to build the walls and the roof was made from the wood taken down from the mountain, original and authentic.
It had the vibe of those holiday log cabins from Wang Yongzhu’s previous life.
The village was guarded by only one family. The couple appeared to be old, their faces weathered, and the few children looked small, dark, and thin, peeking out from a corner.
The couple respectfully saluted Yi Mingshi, standing awkwardly with fidgeting hands.
They probably had never seen a Noble Patron before and were truly scared.
It was still Wang Yongzhu, seeing their expressions, who asked directly where the wild boars were raised and to lead them to see.
The man tentatively bowed and led the way ahead.
Behind this courtyard were high walls made of stone, with several simple sheds beside them, using a few wooden frames covered with dried grass cut from the mountains.
As they entered this back courtyard, a familiar smell of grass, animal dung, and earth mixed and hit their faces.
The smell was somewhat overpowering, and Yi Mingshi couldn’t help but cover his nose with a handkerchief.
He wanted to remind Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu, but saw that both were unfazed and even moved closer.
In the corner of the courtyard, he saw a dozen or so little black wild boars rooting around in the mud, snorting softly.
To Old Granny Zhang, the smell was all too familiar; she had smelled it for decades, and not only did it not offend her, it felt comforting, as if she were back in the past.
And Wang Yongzhu, back in Qilidun, had raised pigs at home; no matter how diligently she cleaned, in the hot summer or up close, there was always a smell, so she wasn’t unfamiliar with it either.
Their reactions made the man steal a few more glances, not expecting these well-off Madams to not mind the dirt at all.
Thus, he became bolder and stammered out his introduction.
He only mentioned that the little wild boars, because they were still small, could just about be kept in, but in half a month, they wouldn’t be contained.
By then, they could be let out in the morning and would naturally forage on the back mountain.
By evening, they would return, though the bigger they grew, the less often they would come back.
But they needn’t fear losing them, as these wild boars would go up the mountain in groups, with hardly any natural predators. Not even wolf packs or leopards dared confront them; just marking them was sufficient.
Wang Yongzhu and Old Granny Zhang now understood.
Particularly Old Granny Zhang, who seized the man, asking many important questions.
The man was surprised that this city Madam and Old Granny actually knew about pig farming; speaking with such expertise, he temporarily forgot his fear and chatted warmly with Old Granny Zhang.
While listening, Wang Yongzhu discreetly watched Yi Mingshi.
Yi Mingshi, even though covering his nose and mouth with a silk handkerchief, couldn’t entirely block out the smell after a while, displaying an expression of distaste, although he tried to restrain himself; this instinctive reaction was undeniable.
Despite this, he didn’t leave but waited patiently to the side.
Whether intentional or not, Old Granny Zhang, now animated in her conversation with the man, boldly approached the little wild boars, asking the man to catch one for a look.
The little wild boars were nimble, and even though the man was adept, it wasn’t easy to approach them. At his approach, the boars became very alert, scattering in all directions with a rustle.
Wang Yongzhu and the other attendants, all skilled, easily dodged them.
Yet, Yi Mingshi was older, and when several wild boars charged at him, he froze, his mind saying to dodge, but his legs resisting.
The result of the mind-body discord left him foolishly standing still, not moving a muscle.
One young wild boar, fleeing erratically, failed to notice and crashed right into Yi Mingshi’s arms. Yi Mingshi’s hands, however, were nimble, and instinctively he held that boar tightly.
Then, when Yi Mingshi and the boar met eyes, the boar leapt, and he jumped up.
The boar struggled, leaving countless hoof prints on Yi Mingshi, even stepping on his face before it flew away and escaped.
The boar, having just rooted in the mud, left smears all over Yi Mingshi’s clothes after its antics, and on his face, two distinct hoof prints, making him look utterly shabby.
The pig farmer, panicking, rushed over, apologizing while shouting for his wife to quickly bring water to wash the Noble Patron’s face.