Chapter 26: The Lord of the Pigs
In May, the plains of Guanzhong under the Jade Mountain were already sweltering in the heat, but the Jade Mountain, located in the Qinling Mountains, was still pleasantly cool. In the early morning, the mountain streams were murmuring, the trees were lush, and the birds were singing. From a distance, Wang Shunfeng appeared and disappeared in the mist, like a shy girl with an extraordinary beauty.
Two young men in green clothes slowly walked out of the mist carrying a bucket of water. The one in front was grinning, while the one in the back was leisurely reading a scroll and humming to himself.
“Qingque, you lost the bet, why do you want me to suffer the punishment with you?” The boy in front finally exploded.
“There’s no way around it. You’re my brother, after all. A hundred poods of water. The teacher said that my body wasn’t fully developed yet, so I should find someone to carry the water for me. On the one hand, it’s good exercise and will strengthen my constitution. On the other hand, it’ll help me get along with my classmates and reduce the gap between us.” Li Tai was a little impatient with the front teenager’s questions, but he took the trouble to explain because he was helping him carry the water.
“There are a hundred or so students in the academy now. You don’t ask the big and strong Yuchi or the fierce and strong Duan Meng, but you choose me, who is thin and weak. I always feel that you are deliberately trying to trick me. I wasn’t included in the fun things the other day, and once I was punished, I was immediately made to take the blame. Is this also a benefit of being a brother?” Li Ke was very depressed.
“Who told you to be my brother?” Li Tai lost the desire to talk.
“I’m only three months older than you.”
“One day is also big.”
“I’ll help you carry water. I’ll admit it, but I’ve noticed a problem these days.”
“What is it?” Li Tai was interested in talking.
“Why is it that every time we carry water, the bucket is so close to me, but so far away from you? What is the reason?”
“Oh, I’ve been studying the principles of leverage these days, and I’ve discovered that if I put the bucket where it is now, I can save half the effort.”
“…”
Turning the foot of the mountain, there was a green meadow in front of him.
A little girl in a red dress was standing on the grass, with a big bow on her head and a little white pig on a rope in her hand. The little pig was using its long snout to dig into the grass and eat the tender and juicy grass roots.
As soon as they saw Li Ke and his brother, they gave a big smile and shouted with their missing teeth: “Brother Ke, Brother Tai, look at my piglet, it has grown a whole circle.” After that, they tried to lead the pig, which did not want to leave, to the two men.
“Xiao Ya, why are you the only one out here today? Where are your brothers?” The two brothers put down their wooden sticks and rested for a moment. Li Ke rubbed his shoulder and asked.
“Yesterday, Xiao Xi’s black pig ran away and broke Xiao Xi’s leg. Xiao Dong and the others were afraid to let the pigs out, so my brother had to let out four pigs today. I don’t know where my brother was dragged by the pigs, but he’s still a good boy.” Then he grabbed the pig by the neck and held it up to Li Ke to see.
Li Ke is a germaphobe, and as soon as he saw the wet pink snout of the pig approaching him, he hurriedly stepped aside. Li Tai didn’t care, grabbed the pig’s ear and lifted it, causing the pig to scream. Xiaoya was about to pout, but then she heard Li Tai say, “The agricultural manual says that this pig can only be raised for two years, otherwise the meat will not be good to eat. Next year, you can kill it and eat the meat.”
The little girl burst into tears at this, saying that Tai was a bad brother, and then she wiped her tears and led the pig to her brother.
The two brothers lifted the front luggage bucket and said to Li Tai, “Why did you make her cry? You know how annoying it is when a woman cries.”
“Who let her brother make us carry water?”
The guards who were following from a distance looked at each other in silence. For the first time, they discovered that the prince also had a childlike side.
Yun Ye sat on the grass panting, holding four pigs by the hand. Although the pigs were small, they were not weak. At first, he dragged the pigs himself, but later, the pigs seemed to have discovered delicious food and ran forward like crazy, dragging him around the mountains and fields. When they finally stopped, Yun Ye looked back but could not find Xiaoya’s shadow.
Never mind, this is the area of the academy, there is no danger. Five hundred elite guards came five days ago and completely cleared the area within ten miles of the academy. They killed all the wild boars, wolves, tigers, and savages, and chased those that didn’t die into the mountains.
The prey was all sent to the academy, and for a time, the academy was filled with corpses and the stench of death could be smelled for ten miles. Old Master Li Gang scolded the captain who led the troops, and the other officers didn’t look happy either. Even the elite from Shu who had just joined the academy criticized the action.
Only Yun Hou welcomed them with a smile and invited the officers and soldiers who participated in the cleanup campaign to a banquet at his home, which moved several junior officers of the Xiuwei to tears. It was still people from our military who were on the same wavelength. There was no doubt about it. The Yun family’s old wine was drunk three bowls in a row, saying that they thanked the marquis for his hospitality. Feeling uneasy, they drank three more bowls, and then promised with a stiff tongue that they would come again next year, and even the ants in the mountains would be cleaned up.
The meat was not needed in the academy, so it was a bargain for the Yun family. Each family was given a head of meat, and the skins were sent back. The old lady wanted them, saying that she was very cold in winter and needed them to make clothes. The meat was given to you, so eat your fill. After eating, there was still more. After this, the peasants were all grateful and the image of the old lady as a Buddha was established.
After becoming a Buddha, her temper naturally rose. First, she despised her two aunts for being useless, knowing only to eat and wait for death, and not helping to clean up the house. She didn’t see that the beams were covered in dust. Then she scolded the aunts for not properly disciplining the girls, who only knew how to play mahjong all day long, and would sooner or later die of laziness on the bed. The little girls didn’t escape the clutches of the demon either. They said that they didn’t study hard enough, didn’t learn to sew, and were better off learning to raise pigs like farmers. They actually gave each of them a pig to raise, and they were to suffer the consequences tomorrow.
The only good person in the family is her 250-year-old grandson, who is a good boy. He has made a bed in the garden, where it is warm and sunny, so he can sleep well.
She couldn’t stay at home, as sleeping would only cause anger. She had to take her younger sister to look after the pigs.
Unexpectedly, the marquis also let the pigs out, and the spoiled daughter of the family also dragged a pig each. This is a rare sight! This made the grievances of the peasants disappear all at once. What status is theirs that can be higher than the marquis? Is it easy for the marquis to eat pork?
It’s good that the grudge is gone! Yun Ye lay on the grass, which had just been dewy, and looked at the clouds floating in the sky, talking to himself. Grandma is still wise! The maid in the family was only driven out for a day, and she did something that Yun Ye had been trying to do for a long time. Having an old person in the family is like having a treasure.
The little girl dragged the pig and ran over, crying. This girl is different from the other sisters. She really likes the pig called Hanhan. The pig is also very intelligent. In just one day, it recognized the little girl. Wherever the little girl went, the pig followed. It didn’t make a fuss, and it just lay there sleeping when it was fine. It was very well received by the whole family.
“Who bullied you? Tell your brother, and he’ll go and chop him up.” Yun Ye felt that it was not enough to express his anger at his beloved younger sister being wronged in this way.
“It’s Brother Tai. He wants to kill Hanhan and eat his flesh.” Leaning on her brother, Xiaoya poured out her grievances.
“This guy, it seems that he hasn’t carried enough water. Tomorrow, I’ll find a big wooden bucket, it must be pointed at the bottom, the kind used by Shaolin monks. I’ll make him forget about eating pork.” Yun Ye said with clenched teeth.
The bell rang for class in the academy, and the noise in the valley disappeared in an instant.
Yun Ye carried Xiaoya on his back and hurried home with five little pigs. The pigs, having eaten, grunted and wiggled their fat butts as they walked in front. Yun Ye felt at peace in his heart, and suddenly felt that it might not be a bad idea to live like this for the rest of his life.