The next day, when Kang He woke up, he found that his whole body could barely move, and his right hand was especially sore to the point where even the slightest touch was unbearable.
Yesterday’s injury hadn’t seemed like much, but today the pain all came out at once.
He sucked in a breath of cold air and tried to get up, but Fan Jing, who had already finished dressing by the bedside, pressed him back down onto the bed.
Kang He lay there, looking at him and said, “It’s nothing. Flesh wounds are always like this—on the second day, they hurt the most.
Yesterday, it was already checked, and there’s no bone injury. Only my right arm is hurt a bit. As long as I take care of it for a while, I’ll be fine.”
He did know a bit of medicine, and he was clear in his own mind. He wasn’t the type to complain about being sick or in pain, but he wasn’t foolish enough to just tough it out either.
“I know.”
Fan Jing replied. He had hunted in The Mountain for many years, and small injuries were common, so he naturally understood these things.
Even in the past, if he got hurt, he wouldn’t go out the next day, but would rest in the Wooden Cabin.
Now that there were two people, he should take care of the injured.
In the early morning, The Mountain was heavy with dew, and the wind was still a bit chilly.
Fan Jing pulled a thin quilt over Kang He’s body.
“Sleep a little more, I’ll go make breakfast.”
Kang He listened to this, and felt that it sounded familiar.
He didn’t say anything, but the corners of his mouth curled up.
Alright, today he’d be the kind of useless man who didn’t even bother to help light the fire.
He lay peacefully in bed, but his eyes followed Fan Jing everywhere.
He watched as Fan Jing started the fire, washed the rice, and poured it into the pot with a splash, sending water splattering everywhere.
Kang He couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
This fellow didn’t even put on an apron to cook, and his movements were so clumsy—he clearly wasn’t used to cooking.
He deliberately asked, “What are we eating?”
Fan Jing answered, “Porridge.”
“Just porridge?”
“I’ll add some vegetable leaves.”
“Well, that sounds good.”
Kang He lay in bed for about half an hour, then asked, “Can I get up now?”
“Mm.”
With permission, Kang He slowly lifted the quilt.
Fan Jing had already served two bowls of porridge and placed them on the table by The Stove, then hurried back to help Kang He up, looking very much like he was taking care of a paralyzed husband.
After resting for a while, Kang He felt much better.
But seeing how carefully Fan Jing supported his waist, taking such meticulous care, he suddenly went weak again, as if he couldn’t get up and had to lean on him, looking very frail.
He sat by the table, looking at the big bowl of white, foamy porridge with greens. The vegetable leaves had been thrown in too early and had already turned into a mush.
He sniffed it and said, “It’s got a nice burnt aroma. Our Ah Jing is becoming quite the homemaker.”
Fan Jing knew his skills were poor and awkwardly handed a spoon to Kang He. “Just make do for now. I’ll go down The Mountain to The Town and buy some food.”
Kang He stirred the porridge with his left hand, feeling that Fan Jing was finally willing to spend money on food.
He asked, “What about those two Mountain Boars in The Courtyard?”
The big Mountain Boar had died on the spot, and the smaller one had died during the night. By rights, they should have been dealt with yesterday.
But because Kang He was injured and Fan Jing was in a bad mood, they hadn’t handled it.
It was still cool in The Mountain in summer, so the meat wasn’t spoiled yet. If they were at the foot of The Mountain, the pork would probably have gone bad by now.
If they tried to haul the whole boar down The Mountain, it would likely spoil, and besides, such a big animal was hard to move.
Fan Jing said, “Let’s boil some water and butcher them in a bit.
I’ll go down The Mountain and see if The Restaurant is willing to buy any. If not, I’ll buy some Salt and smoke the meat ourselves.”
Kang He agreed with this plan as well.
After eating, they boiled two big pots of water and scalded off the Mountain Boars’ tough, black bristles, revealing the gray-black flesh underneath.
There weren’t many knives in The Mountain, so processing the meat wasn’t as easy as in The Village, but Fan Jing was skilled, and the two of them managed to butcher both boars.
Just the meat alone filled two large bamboo trays. Black Wild Boar meat was lean and didn’t have the layers of fat that Domestic Pigs, who lounged around all day, developed.
Wild boar had thin fat and mostly bright red, lean meat.
This kind of lean meat was favored by wealthy families, who ate meat at every meal and didn’t like fatty cuts.
But farming families, except during holidays, rarely ate meat, and when they did, they preferred fatty pieces to satisfy their cravings.
Though the Mountain Boar meat was chewy, it hadn’t been marinated before and had a strong flavor. Without proper spices, it was hard to eat.
If they tried to sell it in The Town, it might not sell as well as Domestic Pig, since wealthy families were few.
So, the best option was to sell it at a lower price and let The Restaurant buy it all—this would be the most cost-effective.
Afterward, they buried the bloody water and pig bristles, sprinkled some ash from The Stove to cover the smell, so as not to attract wild animals.
“Just stay in the house, don’t go out.”
Fan Jing strapped on his quiver and reminded Kang He again.
At the doorway, he repeated himself once more.
Kang He wasn’t the type to talk much, so if he said it once, he meant it. If he said it twice, he was very serious.
As for seeing the Da Fu, there was already a Da Fu in The Village, so it wasn’t too inconvenient. But Kang He repeatedly promised that he was fine, so Fan Jing let it go.
If it weren’t absolutely necessary to go down The Mountain today, he wouldn’t have gone.
Kang He leaned against the doorframe, knowing that Fan Jing was worried about him. When he was injured before, Fan Jing had to go to The City and told him not to go out, but did he listen?
He looked at Fan Jing and, without answering, just tilted his head back as if to say, “Alright, I’ll do as you say.”
Kang He didn’t say anything, just nudged Fan Jing inside, then pulled him closer and took out a lock.
“Hey, hey!”
Kang He quickly stopped him.
He didn’t know when Fan Jing had hidden the lock on himself. He must have planned from the start to lock Kang He in if he didn’t behave.
“If you lock me in the house and there’s a fire, won’t I just become extra smoked pork?”
“I’ll do as you say, I won’t go out and make you worry.
If I do go out, I’ll lock the door behind me and take a long nap inside, waiting for you to come back. Is that enough?”
Seeing Kang He promise like this, Fan Jing finally put the lock away and handed it to him.
Kang He watched as Fan Jing disappeared into the woods, then obediently locked the door and went back inside.
He really did sleep for a while, but couldn’t sleep for long, so he got up after about an hour.
He rummaged through the Wooden Cabin and found some of the Spice Bags he’d collected—Cinnamon Bark, Cinnamon Leaf, Sichuan Pepper, Tsaoko Cardamom, Star Anise, Sand Ginger… all sorts of things he’d gathered and saved, never willing to use them until now. He wrapped them in a fine cloth and threw them into a pot to boil.
He took a Pig Head and washed it clean with water from The Courtyard, then cleaned a basketful of Pig Intestine, scrubbing them repeatedly with wood ash.
He planned to braise a whole pot of Pig Head meat, so that when Fan Jing came home, they could eat together.
His right hand wasn’t very nimble, so he just used his left hand to wash the intestines.
Clumsily, he managed to prepare half a Pig Head and the intestines, marinating them heavily with Sand Ginger and wine to remove the gamey smell before putting them into the pot.
At first, the aroma of the Spice Bag hadn’t come out yet, so the Pig Head meat and intestines still smelled a bit funky. But after a while, the spices became rich and covered up the porky odor.
The longer it simmered, the richer the meaty aroma became, making it very flavorful.
Kang He turned down the fire and let The Stove slowly simmer the meat, letting the flavors soak in.
He was generous with the sauce, making the meat more flavorful and aromatic.
When Fan Jing hurried back to The Mountain, it was already getting dark, and he could smell the aroma of braised meat from far away in the evening breeze.
By the time he could see their Wooden Cabin, the smell was even stronger, and the smoke rising from the roof left no doubt that Kang He had been cooking.
“Why are you carrying so much stuff?”
Hearing the knock at the door, Kang He rushed to open it. Seeing the sky darkening, he’d peeked outside several times.
Now, seeing the familiar face finally return, it was like a child waiting for a parent to come home from the market.
He noticed that the basket, empty when Fan Jing left, was now so full that the straps dug into his shoulders. Kang He hurried to help, but Fan Jing dodged, locked the door behind him, and carried the basket inside.
“Did you cook?”
Fan Jing put down the basket and saw the pot still covered, but the aroma couldn’t be contained, wafting out nonstop.
Kang He lifted the lid, revealing a pot full of meat, the aroma thick and rich.
On top of the pot was a big ceramic bowl, inside which were two steamed Pig Brains, white and tender.
Kang He had already turned off the fire. The Pig Head had been braising for over an hour, the skin soft and bouncy, the sauce glistening with oil.
He had cut off a small piece earlier to taste—it was richly flavored and delicious, the Pig Head meat especially springy and fragrant.
“Making this braised meat is a hassle. I didn’t even leave the house all afternoon.”
Kang He took out the steamed Pig Brains, and was about to take out the meat to slice, but Fan Jing grabbed his hand and came over to help fish out the Pig Head.
Fan Jing believed that Kang He hadn’t gone out, but he hadn’t really rested either. Still, he didn’t get angry.
He told Kang He about what happened down The Mountain.
First, he went to The Restaurant. They looked at the meat and said they wouldn’t take more than fifty jin unless it was live, so they only bought fifty jin.
Fan Jing agreed and gave the Mountain Boar meat he brought down to a clerk he often dealt with. Privately, the clerk introduced him to another place.
A Good Wine Restaurant on East Street also served wild game. The young clerk took him there, and their chef bought another thirty jin.
So, they sold eighty jin in total. They had about one hundred and fifty jin of clean Mountain Boar meat, so although they didn’t sell it all, it was better than having it all spoil.
“Before leaving The City, I met with Mother. She said she’d ask The Old Customer to see if anyone else wanted to buy Mountain Boar meat. Maybe we can sell more.”
Fan Jing continued, “Tomorrow she’ll call Father up The Mountain to help bring the rest of the meat to The City.”
After that, they looked through what Fan Jing had bought in The City.
There were several big bags of Salt, a few Cabbages and Radishes—Chen Shi had brought them to The City to sell, and since Fan Jing and Kang He had been up The Mountain for a while, they’d run out of vegetables, so she brought some up for them.
“That’s nice, but what’s this?”
Kang He picked up a bag of bright red dried Goji Berries and looked at Fan Jing.
“They’re supposed to be good for your health.”
Kang He gave a dry laugh. For a young man in his prime, he didn’t need any more energy at night.
He then found a bag of Kelp and two gray-feathered Pigeons.
Kang He noticed there were still bloodstains on the Pigeons’ feathers.
He asked, “Did you catch these on your way back?”
Fan Jing nodded, but didn’t say that he’d gone out of his way to hunt them.
Kang He said, “Great, we’ll take them to County Town tomorrow and sell them with the Mountain Boar meat.”
But Fan Jing, hearing this, set the Pigeons aside, turning his back to Kang He and said, “Not for sale. Pigeon is nourishing, good for recovery.”
Everything he bought was specifically chosen for Kang He to help him heal.
Kang He was a little stunned, but his heart felt sweet.
He leaned over and nudged him, “You’re really worried about me.”
Fan Jing looked a bit awkward. He could hunt and butcher pigs, but didn’t know much about caring for people, so he could only imitate what he’d seen.
“Let’s eat.”
Kang He poured some soy sauce over the steamed Pig Brains—the yellow bean soy sauce went perfectly with the tender brains, making them delicious.
Mashed and mixed into rice, the flavor was even better.
The two of them ate a lot of braised meat, filling their stomachs.
It was Fan Jing’s first time eating Kang He’s braised meat, and he was very pleased, saying there was no need to sell the rest of the Pig Head.
Kang He agreed. The braising sauce could be reused, and the more it was used, the better it tasted.
After eating, their bellies were full, so they washed the remaining half Pig Head and put it in the pot to braise. There was still some left from before, and they planned to have Fan Father take it home for the family to try when he came up The Mountain tomorrow.
But Fan Jing wanted to keep the Pig Head, though the two of them couldn’t possibly finish it all, so they braised extra for Fan Father to take back and enjoy.
When they finished, the moon had already climbed above the treetops.
Both of them were covered in sweat, and The Courtyard was pitch-black. They bathed together, got bitten by mosquitoes, and finally lay down on the bed.
“The Soapberry scent on you smells so good. Come closer.”
Kang He reached out and pulled Fan Jing’s hand. His arm hurt and he couldn’t move as freely as before, so after bathing, he wrapped himself around Fan Jing like a snake.
Fan Jing, for once, didn’t pretend not to hear. He shifted closer.
Kang He thought, he’s gotten a lot better at listening now.
The two of them were very close. Fan Jing looked at the wound on Kang He’s cheekbone, and his face flushed a bit.
He knew what kind of pain this was. For him, it wouldn’t be much, but seeing it on Kang He, he felt more worried than if it were on himself.
In fact, he found it strange—how could someone have such thoughts?
“Does it hurt?”
Kang He’s eyes flickered as he saw Fan Jing’s gaze fall on his wound. He said, “Just a little.”
As soon as he spoke, he felt a cool, soft touch on the wound.
It did hurt a bit when touched, but at that moment, all he felt was his heart fluttering.
Aside from Fan Jing’s lips, there was nothing else in the world that could feel like this.
Kang He stared in disbelief, eyes widening.
It was Fan Jing’s first time doing something like this—before, it was always Kang He who took the initiative.
He felt he probably hadn’t done it well, but… Kang He seemed very happy.