Chapter 26: The Black Bear

"Uncle, you’re so lucky. Plenty of people went to Wild Dog Ridge today to try their luck."

"Oh? Did they find any persimmons?"

"Not a one. How could they have your luck?" Zheng Chunmei laughed mockingly. "They all came back empty-handed. You’re the capable one!"

"Just good fortune, I suppose." Zhao Zheng narrowed his eyes, finding a comfortable position for his hand.

Zheng Chunmei’s body stiffened, but she quickly went limp. "The persimmons yesterday were so sweet. No wonder Uncle Zhao could trade for so many things at the market. Everyone in the village says how capable you are!"

Zhao Zheng chuckled inwardly. They were probably calling him lucky as a dog, weren't they?

Seeing Zhao Zheng remain silent, Zheng Chunmei brought up the Wang family. "Speaking of which, that Wang family is truly despicable. They took advantage of the situation and then played the victim, coming to cause trouble for you. It’s no wonder they’re feuding with the Liu family now!"

Zhao Zheng gave a non-committal laugh. Zheng Chunmei was quite the gossip, knowing every little detail about the village. It was fine for a bit of entertainment, but if he encouraged her, she would surely climb all over him.

"I suppose it was just my bad luck. If I’d known, I wouldn't have gone digging for wild greens. That little bit of greens wasn't even enough to fill the gaps in my teeth, and it brought me nothing but trouble." Zhao Zheng sighed. "Anyway, let's not talk about that. Chunmei, I’m feeling much better these days. You don’t need to come by tomorrow."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaoe felt a burst of joy. Great, the widow Zheng finally wouldn't have to come anymore. Yang Zhaodi smiled too; she wasn't particularly fond of Zheng Chunmei either.

But Zheng Chunmei grew anxious. "Uncle Zhao, was my massage not good enough?" If her mother-in-law found out about this, she would definitely scold her for being useless. More importantly, she wouldn't be able to eat any more scorched rice from the bottom of the pot. Besides, she was certain the Zhao family had been eating meat. The meat jelly congealed on the table told the whole story. It meant the Zhao family was living much better than she had imagined. If she kept coming, she might even snag a piece of meat. At that moment, all shame vanished; she only wanted to be full and to raise her children.

"Your massage was fine, and your attitude was good too. I’m not the type to hold a grudge," Zhao Zheng said, sounding 'righteously indignant.' "So, don't come tomorrow, and I won't cause your family any more trouble."

Zheng Chunmei was frantic. "Uncle Zhao, it was my failure to teach my children well that caused you to get hurt. If I can't watch you recover fully, I won't be able to rest easy."

"Really, there's no need," Zhao Zheng said.

"No, I must wait until you are completely recovered. That’s the only way I’ll be at ease." Though she said this, she thought to herself, *Even if I leave, I have to wait until I’ve had some meat.*

Zhao Zheng chuckled to himself. This Zheng Chunmei had tasted sweetness and didn't want to leave, did she?

Zhang Xiaoe said angrily, "My father-in-law said there's no need, so there's no need. Why can't you understand that?"

Zheng Chunmei replied, "Xiaoe, my family was in the wrong, and I must take responsibility to the end. My Li family isn't as heartless as the Wangs."

Zhang Xiaoe, not being very quick with words, was so angry she couldn't speak.

"So, I must wait until Uncle Zhao is fully recovered to feel at ease."

"Fine, since you’re so filial, you can keep massaging for a couple more days." Zhao Zheng smiled. "But if anyone in the village asks, you can't say I forced you."

"It’s my own free will; it has nothing to do with Uncle Zhao."

"That’s good."

Zhao Zheng’s eyes deepened with amusement, thinking, *It’s rare for me to show kindness, but since you offered yourself up, you can’t blame me.*

This time, Zheng Chunmei massaged even more vigorously, working up a sweat. She had hoped Zhao Zheng would give her the meat jelly on the plate, but to her surprise, Zhao Zheng said, "Chunmei, it’s getting late. Go home; I won't see you out."

Zheng Chunmei was stunned. She had worked so hard, and for nothing? "Uncle Zhao, that..." she gestured toward the plate on the small low table.

Before Zhao Zheng could speak, Zhang Xiaoe couldn't hold back her anger. "That’s oil we worked so hard to trade for. You really have the nerve to ask for it? How can you be so shameless?"

Zheng Chunmei felt incredibly wronged, but then she realized that Zhao Zheng hadn't actually promised to give her anything. For a moment, she felt awkward enough to curl her toes. "I, I..."

"Chunmei, our family isn't rich either. Please be understanding. The rice is gone, so there’s no more scorched rice. If you don't mind, there are two rotten persimmons left..." Zhao Zheng wouldn't let her have a taste of sweetness every day; otherwise, she’d think it was her right. In these times, for someone to get a meal just by massaging him was too cheap.

"No, no need." Zheng Chunmei felt angry and annoyed. *This old miser Zhao, taking advantage of me and giving me nothing in return.*

But Zhang Xiaoe’s words had awakened her. What was she doing? Was she selling herself? She felt humiliated to the extreme. For a bit of food, she had thrown away her pride. Shame and sadness welled up, and she fled the warm Zhao home as if escaping. Tears streamed down her face instantly.

But just then, Zhao Zheng’s voice came from behind. "Zhaodi, dig up some yellow clay tomorrow. We’ll make salted duck eggs..."

She couldn't help but slow her pace, turning to look at the flickering light in the room, grinding her teeth in rage. "That old miser Zhao, he was definitely doing it on purpose to spite me! Not only do they have meat, but they even have extra eggs to make salted ones!"

"I can't let him take advantage of me like this, but I can't come every day either, or he’ll think I’m easy to bully!"

...

The next day, before dawn, Zhao Zheng rose. After breakfast, he took the egg pancakes Yang Zhaodi had made and headed out into the morning dew. A few sparse stars were still in the sky. He had to go to Golden Chicken Mountain to check his traps and bring back some firewood along the way.

By noon, Zhao Zheng reached his destination. He held his axe, watching his surroundings carefully, ensuring all was clear before proceeding. But when he arrived at the location of his first trap, his heart went cold. There was blood and pheasant feathers at the site. Judging by the marks, it was something large.

*A bear!*

Zhao Zheng’s hair stood on end. The trap on the ground was destroyed, so Zhao Zheng tucked it into his inventory. "It ate my pheasant, it shouldn't come back, right?"

With that thought, he gathered his courage and checked the second trap. Nothing. The third trap was also empty. But the fourth trap made him rejoice. "A wild rabbit!"

And it was a grey rabbit, still kicking! It was a good size and looked plump. He was overjoyed. "Not a wasted trip!"

[Ding, captured wild rabbit, weight six jin, value 300 wen. Store or sell?]

Zhao Zheng grinned and snapped the rabbit’s neck. "Store!"

In the shop, rabbit fur wasn't worth much, but the meat was valuable. It was the 'wild' quality that counted. "I’ll make the head into spicy rabbit head, and the meat can be roasted or shredded." Zhao Zheng collected the trap and prepared to leave. With a bear in Golden Chicken Mountain, he didn't plan on coming back for a while.

But just then, a round, chubby black bear, followed by three little cubs, lumbered down from the mountain. In that instant, Zhao Zheng’s heart nearly stopped.