Time reveals the truth, and long journeys test a horse’s strength.
Even though they grew up in the same village, personalities can be worlds apart. Take Li Ergou and Liu Chun’an for instance. Li Ergou is cunning and treacherous, while Liu Chun’an is honest and kind-hearted.

Du Jianguo has no desire to ever associate with someone like Li Ergou again. The more he interacts with such people, the more losses he suffers.
As for Liu Chun’an, Du Jianguo still feels a hint of gratitude toward him. That is why he advised him to stay far away from Li Ergou.
However, whether Liu Chun’an listens is beyond Du Jianguo’s control. The message has been delivered; whether he understands is up to him.

Du Jianguo returned home with the remaining items and the two iron tools he had just exchanged.
As he pushed open the door, he saw Liu Xiuyun dressed and ready to go out.

“Wife, where are you going?”

Liu Xiuyun looked up at him and sneered. “Where do you think I’m going? I’m here to clean up this mess you made! We can’t let our family starve this winter just waiting for potatoes, can we? You went to work with Old Man Sun raising livestock, which was easy. But what will our children eat if you follow that path?”

Liu Xiuyun looked at Du Jianguo with disappointment. She had hoped that after these few days, Du Jianguo had changed. He seemed to be thinking about making money and even visited his parents. Perhaps he had truly reformed, and she wouldn’t need to worry anymore.
But instead, he caused this trouble. He ignored a great opportunity to pick potatoes and chose to loaf around with Old Man Sun just for two or three work points.
Pah!
Two or three work points are useless. They might buy a week’s worth of food. What about the rest of the week? Would the whole family starve?

Du Jianguo immediately understood Liu Xiuyun’s thoughts. She must be planning to go ask Zhang Desheng for help, hoping he would forgive him out of old ties.
However, doing so would walk right into Zhang Desheng’s trap!
That man was likely waiting for Liu Xiuyun to come begging so he could use sweet words to convince her to divorce him.

Thinking this, Du Jianguo quickly spoke up. “Wife, you cannot go see Zhang Desheng!”

Liu Xiuyun frowned. “Why not? Zhang Desheng is my cousin. If we ask him for help, maybe you can go back to the fields. Why not take advantage of this relationship instead of raising livestock?”

“By now, I won’t hide anything from you, wife.”

Du Jianguo opened his cloth bag, revealing two large iron blocks, three sparrows, and a wild pigeon.

“What are these?” Liu Xiuyun was stunned.

“Actually, my decision to work for Old Man Sun was calculated. I knew I could use the free time to hunt in the mountains. When I found the Fo-ti last time, I felt that maybe I was born to find these things. When Zhang Desheng made a scene the other day, I just went with the flow and asked them to assign me to this role.”

“Look, these sparrows and the wild pigeon are what I caught today. I also caught a ground rat, but I sold it to Liu Chun’an. He gave me these two iron blocks in exchange. If I take these to the county town to sell, I estimate I can make over ten yuan.”

Hearing this, Liu Xiuyun stood frozen in place. She pointed at the wild animals in the bag. “Did you find all of these in one day?”

Du Jianguo nodded.

Heavens!
Liu Xiuyun swallowed hard. She had always thought that catching the poisonous snake last time was just a stroke of luck, and digging up the Fo-ti was an enormous coincidence.
She never expected that today he brought back so much game. Could it be true?
The thought suddenly popped into Liu Xiuyun’s mind.
If Du Jianguo truly has this skill, maybe their family can live better in the future.
In this era, hunters in the mountains are highly respected.
Xiao An Village didn’t have a qualified hunter, but the neighboring village did.
It was rumored that he not only paid the required quota to the brigade but also saved dozens of yuan every month. Even silver coins were buried inside his walls!

Seeing that his wife was interested, Du Jianguo pressed on. “Wife, you can trust me. Why would I not make money? Just give me some time to try. If it doesn’t work, I will beg on the streets of the county town. Even if… even if I have to sacrifice everything, I will never let you or the children go hungry!”

Du Jianguo spoke earnestly. Liu Xiuyun was deeply moved and said nothing.
Silence usually meant agreement.

Du Jianguo smiled broadly. “Then, wife, let’s set a limit of one month. If I can earn money for the family in this month, you can put your mind at ease.”

Liu Xiuyun quietly reached into her pocket and touched the rat poison hidden inside. Her tone became heavy and firm. “Okay, I will give you one month. If you truly succeed, I will forgive your past mistakes. But if you fail, we will handle things as planned.”
If Du Jianguo still had any foolish ideas, this rat poison would not expire in a month. By then, the whole family could leave together peacefully.

Du Jianguo had no idea about his wife’s dark plan. He cheerfully picked out the sparrows and the wild pigeon from the bag.
“These sparrows don’t have much meat. Let’s pluck them and roast them for a snack. The pigeon is bigger, probably half a jin. I was thinking of making you some pigeon soup for nourishment. What do you think?”

Liu Xiuyun shook her head. “You caught them yourself. You decide what to do. Don’t worry about me.”

“Then I’ll go to the kitchen!” Du Jianguo started to walk toward the stove, then stopped. He cleared his throat. “Wife, there is one thing I need to remind you. Zhang Desheng is not a good person. You should stay away from him in the future.”

Hearing this, Liu Xiuyun’s face immediately darkened. “What are you saying? Zhang Desheng is my cousin. We grew up together!”

Du Jianguo sighed. “Wife, I know you want to protect your cousin, but does he see you as a sister anymore? Didn’t you see how he acted at the village committee today? He is clearly interested in you. If you stay close to him, you will only bring trouble to yourself. It is better to keep your distance now.”

Du Jianguo’s words hit the mark. Liu Xiuyun was not stupid. She had noticed during the day what was happening.
She just didn’t want to believe that Zhang Desheng had changed so much.

Just as Liu Xiuyun was pondering, a man’s voice called out from outside the yard.
“Mei Zi, are you home? I came to chat.”

[Tl: Mei Zi = Younger Sister]

It was Zhang Desheng!

Liu Xiuyun’s heart tightened. She stepped toward the door.

Du Jianguo also heard the commotion and walked out of the kitchen. His eyes watched Liu Xiuyun, clearly wanting to see how she would handle the situation.

Liu Xiuyun looked at Du Jianguo, then bit her lip. She called out to the yard, “Brother Desheng, it is too late. You should go home now.”

Zhang Desheng outside was stunned. He never expected to be rejected. His tone became slightly awkward, and he shouted, “Then when will you be free? Give me a definite answer. I’ll treat you to a good meal at my house.”

Liu Xiuyun took a deep breath and finally made up her mind. She raised her voice and shouted back. “I am busy lately. I will talk to you when I have time!”

As soon as the words were out, she slammed the door shut with a loud clang.

Zhang Desheng stood outside the yard, speechless. He could not believe that Liu Xiuyun would actually reject him.