Chapter 33: They Have Arrived

"Very well, I agree."

"As long as you work for me, each of you can take half a catty of meat home every day."

Grandpa Cai did not focus on the meat; instead, he looked at the duck and asked, "Is it this kind of meat?"

He was referring to salted, cured meat.

"Yes!" Su Yanwen nodded firmly.

Seeing Su Yanwen promise so decisively, Dalang grew incredibly anxious and kept tugging at his sleeve, whispering, "Boss Su, did you hear his requirements clearly?"

"Half a catty of meat per person, that’s five catties a day. Most importantly, how much salt will be needed for curing?"

"And that’s just what they take home. According to our local customs, if someone works for a master, they must also eat at the master's table."

Dalang’s expression darkened. He muttered under his breath, "If the food is too poor, no one will be willing to help." After all, that place was far too dangerous.

Grandpa Cai took a puff of his dry tobacco pipe and remained silent, his gaze fixed on Jiang Beichen with a heavy, unreadable look, as if waiting to see how he would handle the situation.

"It’s fine, we will just follow the rules."

After saying this, he turned to Grandpa Cai and added, "Rest assured, as long as you bring the men up the mountain, I guarantee two meals a day, with meat in every meal."

Grandpa Cai’s hand, holding the pipe, paused in mid-air. He looked up at Su Yanwen, a meaningful smile playing on his face. He kindly warned, "Boss Su, this is no joking matter."

"The men coming are laborers; they have hearty appetites."

Su Yanwen nodded. "Don't worry! If I fail to keep everyone fed, you are all free to leave at any time."

Su Yanwen’s eyes were resolute; he clearly wasn't joking.

Grandpa Cai’s eyes lit up. He tapped his pipe and laughed, "Good. You have grit—you remind me of the courage I had in my own youth."

"Boss Su, I know you are currently relying on the mountain and have obtained quite a bit of game."

"But I must tell you, meat is an incredibly precious commodity. Not to mention in a small village like ours, even in the city, you don't hear of people eating meat exclusively."

Dalang nodded repeatedly from the side, fully agreeing with Grandpa Cai’s assessment.

Su Yanwen understood this all too well. To others, meat was a rare luxury, but to him, meat was perhaps the easiest thing to acquire. Compared to hunting, it was vegetables and grain that were truly scarce.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"Grandpa Cai, if we can start today, I can provide dinner for everyone this evening."

Grandpa Cai was a bit stirred. He stood up abruptly and stretched his neck, asking, "Today? Don't we need time to prepare?"

"No need."

"After all, I am in urgent need of a place to live."

A calm smile rested on Su Yanwen’s face, though his heart was pounding like a drum. He was, in fact, eager to get Grandpa Cai up the mountain immediately.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

The coughing from inside the house grew more severe. Grandpa Cai looked at the duck in his hand and waved it dismissively. "I understand. You may go."

As he spoke, he seemed to recall something. He reached into a corner of the house, pulled out a burlap sack, and handed it to Su Yanwen. "I have a pile of junk here, take it. If you can find a use for it, it will make up for this duck I’m eating."

Su Yanwen clicked his tongue. Was this a trade—a duck for a sack of scraps?

Urged by Grandpa Cai, Dalang and Su Yanwen took their leave.

"Sigh!"

"Boss Su, it’s fortunate Grandpa Cai didn't agree immediately. Otherwise, I don't know how you would have cleaned up this mess."

As they walked toward the village entrance, Dalang sighed repeatedly. "You really are daring to make such a promise. By your calculations, I’d rather just pay them in cash."

"But it’s not just about the money; the real problem is that no one dares to go up that mountain. And to think of building a house today? That’s just wishful thinking."

Dalang continued to lament. Su Yanwen carried the burlap sack over one shoulder, his steps heavy.

People looking for food outside saw the pair and began to gossip openly.

"Look at Boss Su, running around trying to find people to build his house."

"I’m telling you, in that haunted place, only a ghost would be willing to go up."

"Besides, with a character like Boss Su’s, if it were me, I wouldn't help him either."

"Just wait and see. Once he can't take it up on the mountain, he’ll come crawling back. That’s when we’ll really have him where we want him."

Whispers filled the air, but Su Yanwen ignored them entirely. He simply sat at the village entrance.

He was waiting. Waiting to see if his gamble would pay off, and watching to see if the man who could hand him a sack of junk was truly reliable. He was waiting to see what this, the only hunter left who could lead a team into the mountains, was really made of.

Time ticked by, second by second.

The sky grew gloomy, and the chill outside made people stomp their feet to stay warm.

Waves of mockers passed him by, leaving behind venomous words.

Dalang, having received much help from Su Yanwen recently, felt too embarrassed to leave and stayed by his side. Watching the time, he couldn't help but remind him, "Boss Su, I think we should stop waiting."

"The duck and that sack of junk—call it even." Though he couldn't bear it, he offered a cruel reality check: "We’ve been waiting for an hour already."

One hour.

There were less than four hours left until dark. It would take an hour just to climb the mountain. If they left now, they could barely manage to frame a wooden house before nightfall.

"Sigh!"

"Let’s go," Dalang urged.

"Dalang, look, what is that?" Su Yanwen suddenly spoke.

In the distance, a group of people was walking toward the village entrance. Leading them was Grandpa Cai, dressed in a thick fur coat, his back laden with a quiver and a bow, holding a red-tasseled spear in his hand. Two hunting knives hung from his waist, along with a collection of items that were hard to identify.

Behind him followed ten young, able-bodied men.

"Oh my, those are the laborers who just returned to the village!" Dalang’s voice was filled with excitement. He pointed at them and said, "Look, they even brought axes! It seems there is hope for the house after all."

As Dalang’s joyful voice rang out, Grandpa Cai’s group reached them.

Seeing Su Yanwen, Grandpa Cai stroked his graying beard and smiled. "Boss Su, I have brought the men."

"Now, you must be sure to keep your promise."

The ten young men behind him hadn't spent much time in the village lately. Regardless, they were all looking for odd jobs; working for anyone was the same. Furthermore, Su Yanwen was offering meat—and they could even take some home. As for the village politics, they didn't care.

They asked excitedly, "Boss Su, is there really meat to eat?"

"I haven't had meat in ages. If there’s really meat, I’ll come back to help you on the mountain tomorrow, too."

"Me too."

"Of course, provided Grandpa Cai is leading us."

Su Yanwen smiled. "Very well! A gentleman’s word is his bond."

"As for the house, I leave it to everyone’s hard work."