All Heavens Strategy Game

Chapter 54. You don't seem like a young man of this era.

As dusk settled, Su Ming quietly returned to Sishui Village, dragging a simple sled made of branches and vines.

The man on guard at the village entrance was huddled in a sheltered spot, wringing his hands and stamping his feet. When he saw Su Ming come down the mountain path with a rather large prey dragging behind him, he was so shocked that he opened his mouth wide. Just as he was about to shout, Su Ming put his index finger to his lips and gently shook his head.

The man understood and nodded quickly, his eyes full of admiration, but he lowered his voice: "Sanlang, you're back? Wow, what a big guy!"

"Yeah, lucky me." Su Ming replied briefly, and without lingering, he pulled the sled over the frozen mud road in the village and went straight back to his low mud-brick courtyard.

Pushing open the half-closed courtyard gate, Liu was picking a few withered wild vegetables by the kitchen door in the last light of day. Hearing the noise, she looked up and saw Su Ming, then the gray-brown, large wild beast on the sled behind him. She almost dropped the wild vegetables she was holding.

"Sanlang? You—you've gone up the mountain again?"

Liu's voice trembled slightly as she hurriedly put down her work and came to greet him. She didn't even bother to look at the prey; she first looked her son up and down and saw that apart from the plaster on his temples and the old cloth on his hands, he had no new injuries. Only his face was a little pale from the cold wind, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Her eyes immediately welled up with tears: "You child! It's so cold, the wind is like knives, other hunters are hiding at home and don't dare to go out, how could you dare to go into the mountains! Are you crazy?!"

The words were a complaint, but the tone was full of lingering fear and heartache.

She reached out to touch her son's face, but then hesitated, afraid of hurting him with the cold air. She paused in mid-air and simply brushed the snow and fallen leaves off his shoulder.

"Mom, I'm fine. The snow has stopped in the mountains, and the roads are easy to travel."

Su Ming spoke calmly, with a reassuring quality: "Look, everything's fine here, and we even brought back some meat."

""

Only then did Madam Liu's gaze truly fall upon the baby in her arms.

Even in death, this prisoner was quite a large man, weighing at least seventy or eighty pounds. The cut on his neck had frozen, but his thick fur and stout body silently spoke of what a substantial gain this was.

As Liu watched, tears finally streamed down her face. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her rough hands, her voice choked with emotion: "He's grown up—my son has really grown up. He's a man who can support the family now."

"Before—before, Mother was always anxious, not knowing how to get through these days. Now that you're here, Mother—"

Mother can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

She talked on and on, as if she wanted to pour out all the hardships she had endured over the years of supporting the family on her own and the joy she felt at this moment.

Liu, a widow, managed to raise so many children. In fact, she has always been a strong person, and even in the eyes of outsiders, she is a bit shrewish and not to be trifled with.

This kind of person doesn't shed tears easily, nor does he get teary-eyed easily.

But Sanlang is really too good, and he also brings people a sense of security.

That's why she would let down her guard in front of this child, becoming particularly vulnerable and shedding tears from time to time.

On one hand, she felt proud of her child's achievements, but on the other hand, she felt guilty towards him. He often went hunting in the freezing cold to bring back meat, while she couldn't offer any help.

"Alright, Mother, don't overthink it. I'm back now—" Su Ming comforted her simply.

The fourth sister, Su Linlin, and the fifth brother, Su Xiaobao, had long been attracted by the commotion in the yard and hopped out like two little rabbits.

Upon seeing the "big thing" they had never seen before on the ground, the two stared wide-eyed and circled the sled curiously.

"Third brother, third brother, what is this? It looks like a deer, but not quite." Su Linlin, being a bit bolder, stretched out her little finger, which was red from the cold, and poked the prisoner's icy fur.

"He's a criminal," Su Ming replied, starting to untie the binding vines.

"Criminal? Is it tasty?" The fifth child, Su Xiaobao, looked up with his little face and asked expectantly, with a suspicious glint in his eyes at the corner of his mouth.

Looking at his younger siblings' longing yet innocent eyes, Su Ming's stern expression softened slightly.

He had never eaten this in his previous life, but he figured the meat must be pretty good.

"It's delicious," he nodded affirmatively. "Third Brother will make it for you later, it'll definitely be fragrant."

"Wow! Third Brother is the best!" The two younger ones cheered immediately, and the fourth sister puffed out her little chest, looking very proud.

"Third Brother is the strongest person in the world! He can fight off a giant wolf, and he can even take down such a huge cub!"

Is he the most powerful person in the world?

Su Ming smiled but didn't reply. He just ruffled his fourth sister's fluffy head.

The deep, calm gaze in his eyes remained undisturbed by the child's praise.

The most powerful in the world? Of course not yet.

The mountain-like Pig King lurking in the deep mountains, the cunning and ruthless Constable Yang in Linjiang County, and the unknown powerful enemies and turmoil in this chaotic world—the road is still long, and the mountains are still high.

But it definitely will be in the future.

He silently added this sentence in his mind.

At this moment, the eldest brother Su Yuanbao and the second sister Su Yuyu also came out of the house.

Su Yuanbao was also surprised to see the baby in his arms, then grinned and said, "Good heavens! Third brother, you've got some skills!"

He stepped forward to help Su Ming unload the prisoner from the sled, and after weighing him, he was even more astonished.

Su Yuyu didn't speak, but first walked to Su Ming's side, carefully examined his exposed hands and face, and only after confirming that there were no new frostbite or wounds did she ask in a low voice, "You haven't run into any trouble, have you?"

"No, it went smoothly." Su Ming knew that his second sister was meticulous, so he didn't want to talk about the danger of encountering the pig king in the mountains and just mentioned it lightly.

"That's good." Su Yuyu nodded and didn't ask any more questions. She turned around and went to the kitchen to get a basin and a knife: "Big brother, lend a hand and deal with this bundle first. It's cold, and it'll freeze solid if we leave it here."

"Yes!" Su Yuanbao responded loudly.

The brother and sister began to process their prey in the courtyard as the daylight grew dimmer.

Su Yuanbao was strong and was responsible for hanging the baby up and gutting it, while Su Yuyu was meticulous and skillful, using a sharp knife to peel off the skin and remove the entrails with swift movements.

Liu then gave instructions from the side, telling him which internal organs to keep and which glands to remove to avoid bitterness.

Fourth sister Su Linlin also came over to help fetch water and hand over tools.

The spore skin was completely peeled off. Su Yuyu shook it. Although there were some arrow holes and knife marks, it was generally intact. After tanning, it would be a good piece of leather.

The meat was divided into evenly sized pieces: ribs, hind legs, front shoulder, tenderloin—each was neatly arranged.

The bones were also removed completely, ready to be used to make soup.

Even the offal, such as the heart, liver, lungs, and stomach, were carefully cleaned by Su Yuyu, who prepared to either braise or stir-fry them, leaving no stone unturned.

As darkness fell completely, a faint smell of blood filled the courtyard, but there was an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Liu lit an oil lamp and hung it under the eaves. The dim yellow light enveloped the busy family and gave off a sense of warmth.

While other families are facing a food shortage, our family has no shortage of meat.

"Alright, we can clean up the rest tomorrow. Let's cook first."

Madam Liu spoke up, glancing at the portioned meat: "Let's stir-fry some pork belly tonight to celebrate Sanlang's safe return and have a treat."

"Mother, I'll cook dinner tonight," Su Ming suddenly said.

"You?" Liu was taken aback, and Su Yuanbao and Su Yuyu also looked over.

In this family, and even in the entire Sishui Village, cooking has always been a woman's job. Men, especially men like Su Ming who are considered the "pillars" and "capable," rarely touch the stove.

The first time Su Ming cooked was the first time he had ever cooked before, so it's surprising that he's cooking again now.

"Hmm, this wild game has a strong fishy smell. It would be a shame if it wasn't handled properly; it probably wouldn't taste good."

Su Ming explained casually, "I know a few things about it, I'll give it a try."

Before Liu could say anything more, Su Yuyu gently tugged at her and whispered, "Let Third Brother handle it; he's the right person."

Looking into her son's calm yet unwavering gaze, Liu finally nodded: "Then—then be careful of the fire, don't get burned."

.

Su Ming rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and went into the kitchen.

Su Yuyu rekindled the fire in the stove, which reflected on his calm profile.

He sliced ​​a piece of marbled pork tenderloin into thin slices, then tossed it lightly with a little coarse salt and his own homemade, slightly pungent liquor.

They also brought out a few wild scallions that the Liu family had stockpiled in the autumn, chopped them into short sections, and crushed a handful of dried dogwood—the "spicy" flavor of this era.

The flavor largely depends on it.

Finally, my gaze fell on a small earthenware jar in the corner, which contained pickled radishes that Aunt Stone had brought yesterday.

Su Ming lifted the lid, and a refreshing sour smell wafted out. He scooped out a few pieces and cut them into thin strips.

The iron wok was heated, and Su Ming scooped in a small piece of solidified lard—this was the last bit of lard in the house.

The sizzling sound of melting oil filled the air, accompanied by an enticing aroma.

He poured the marinated pork slices into the pan and quickly stir-fried them. The moment the pork slices changed color and curled up, a strong, wild meaty aroma burst forth!

Next, wild scallion segments, dogwood pieces, and pickled radish shreds were added to the pot one after another. With a "sizzle," the domineering aromas of sour, spicy, pungent, and fragrant collided and blended violently under the high temperature, and were further stimulated to the extreme by the boiling oil, transforming into an indescribable, soul-stirring, and strange fragrance, like an invisible mushroom cloud, bursting out of the kitchen and sweeping through the entire courtyard!

Yesterday, it was important to control the heat and the order in which the seasonings were added.

In this era, apart from those in specialized fields, ordinary people have no idea about it.

In his previous life, Su Ming mostly cooked for himself. Besides pursuing martial arts, he also enjoyed food, especially Hunan cuisine.

This technique is used to fill the room with fragrance.

"Cough cough—ho!"

Su Yuanbao, who was tidying up his tools in the yard, was the first to be hit by the hot air, which was mixed with spiciness and sourness, and he coughed twice.

His nostrils flared wildly, his eyes widened, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he muttered, "My goodness—what...what's that smell? It's so pungent, yet so—it smells amazing!"

Liu and Su Yuyu were also drawn by the unprecedented aroma and couldn't help but gather around the kitchen door. The fourth and fifth sons were like little dogs bewitched by the fragrance, craning their necks to look inside, their mouths practically watering the floor.

The dog in the house was the most composed, sitting obediently on the ground with its back to the kitchen, staring intently at the gate, looking like a cute dog diligently guarding the house.

She clearly wanted to eat it so badly, but she pretended to be indifferent, which only made her more adorable.

"Just the smell—" Su Yuanbao smacked his lips, looking utterly captivated, "I could easily devour three large bowls of millet rice! No, five bowls!"

Liu laughed and scolded, "Just smelling it isn't enough! Once the meat's in your mouth, you'll swallow your tongue!"

Su Yuanbao scratched the back of his head sheepishly, but his face showed a mixture of reminiscence and satisfaction: "Mother, you have no idea."

"When I used to work in the city, I was exhausted like a dead dog. When I passed by those restaurants and eateries, the aroma of meat wafting out of them was so tempting."

"At that time, I thought, if I could get in and have a proper meal of meat, even just one meal, it would be worth dying for!"

He looked at Su Ming's busy figure in the kitchen, his voice lowered, but full of emotion: "Now—thanks to my third brother, we can smell and eat such delicious meat at home."

Finally, he added, "Third brother is truly capable."

The dishes in the pot were almost finished, and Su Ming put the stir-fried pork belly, which was glistening and fragrant and coated with red chili oil and pickled radish shreds, into a large earthenware bowl.

The rich, sour, and spicy aroma spread even more unrestrainedly.

The food was served, and the family sat around it.

Besides the stir-fried spicy and sour pork belly, there was also a pot of boiled pork bone and radish soup, a plate of cold pork liver salad, and the main dishes were coarse millet porridge and mixed flour pancakes.

But in previous winters, this was an abundance that one could only dream of.

Liu put a large chopstick of meat in each person's bowl and tasted it herself.

The pork belly was stir-fried until extremely tender, and the refreshing pickled radish perfectly balanced the greasiness. The spiciness of the jujubes boldly awakened the taste buds, while the aroma of wild onions lingered throughout. The various flavors were distinct yet blended seamlessly, creating an unprecedentedly delicious taste.

The earthy smell of wild game has been processed to the point that it is almost undetectable.

"Mmm! Delicious!" Fourth Sister Su Linlin stuffed her mouth full, gasping for breath because it was so hot, but she couldn't bear to spit it out, and mumbled the words.

Su Yuanbao ate meat and bread in one bite each, without even lifting his head, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

As Liu watched her children enjoying their meal, she felt a sense of peace and satisfaction.

She slowly chewed the meat, feeling its firm texture and delicious flavor melt in her mouth, a warm current rising from her stomach and spreading to her limbs.

This is not just the warmth of food, but the warmth of having hope for the future and a sense of security in one's heart.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was lively. Looking at her eldest son, who had grown into a strong and healthy man, Liu suddenly remembered something and said, "Yuanbao, didn't you say the other day that you thought the girl from Carpenter Li's family, Xiu'er, was quite nice, and that she seemed to have a bit of a crush on you?"

"You two are not young anymore. Now that you've fallen for each other, shouldn't you go and marry her? It's not right to keep dragging this on."

Su Yuanbao, who was engrossed in his meal, choked upon hearing this, and his dark face turned red at a visible speed, even the roots of his ears turned red.

He hurriedly put down his chopsticks, rubbed his hands, and stammered for a long time before whispering, "Mother—in a few more days, when spring comes, it will be easier to find work. I'll save up some money, buy some decent things, and then go—"

"That's true. It's not a good time to get married in the snow. Springtime is better. We need to hurry up with this."

Liu nodded, then looked at Su Ming, who was eating quietly: "Sanlang, what about you? You'll be fourteen after the New Year. Many of the people in the village who are about your age are already engaged."

"Have you spotted any girls you like? I'd like to keep an eye out for you."

Su Ming paused, his hand holding the food in his chopsticks.

At thirteen, in this era, especially in the countryside, one is indeed of marriageable age.

If Little Stone from Aunt Stone's family were still alive, he would be getting married in a few years.

However, the knowledge he had from his past life created a huge disconnect between the word "marriage" and the age of "thirteen."

What were you doing at age thirteen in your past life?

When I first entered junior high school, I was naive and immature. My biggest worries were probably homework and games. Starting a family and building a career seemed as far away as another world.

"I'm still young, there's no rush."

Su Ming swallowed the food in his mouth, his tone calm and even: "First, practice your martial arts well and make a good living for the family."

"Our family has meat to eat now, but so many families in the village don't have meat yet. I have to work hard first—"

Liu opened her mouth, wanting to say something like "You're not young anymore" or "Settle down first," but looking at her son's overly calm, even somewhat deep eyes, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

She vaguely felt that what her son held in his heart and the world he saw were probably beyond the confines of Sishui Village and even Linjiang County.

His marriage is probably not something he can decide for himself.

In the end, she only sighed and said, "You have your own ideas, I won't force you."

"But don't be too picky. We're just farmers. We just need someone who's honest, reliable, and good at managing the household."

Su Ming hummed in agreement and said nothing more.

He wasn't picky; he just had a clear goal.

Before achieving success or gaining fame, and while struggling to survive and climb the social ladder in this world, how can one think of a home?

What he wanted was definitely not just a village woman who could "manage the household".

His vision, broadened by his past life's experiences and his present life's ambitions, had reached a height that Liu could not even imagine.

It's too early to talk about these things now.

After the meal, Su Ming set aside a small portion of the remaining stir-fried pork belly, cut off a piece of high-quality hind leg meat weighing about a pound, put it in an old, chipped bowl, and carried it out the door.

The snowy night was cold and quiet, and the moonlight reflected off the snow, making the village road appear hazy.

He walked straight to Cui Jinxi's house at the west end of the village, a solitary courtyard that looked more dilapidated than the others.

The courtyard gate wasn't locked. Su Ming knocked, and a woman's cool voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

"Su Ming."

After a brief silence, footsteps sounded, and the door was opened.

Cui Jinxi stood inside the door, still wearing the faded old clothes. Her figure looked thin in the cold night, but her back was straight.

The horrific scars on her face were somewhat blurred in the moonlight, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

She looked at the bowl and meat in Su Ming's hands, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"Miss Cui—"

Su Ming handed over the bowl: "Thank you for your kindness a few days ago, lending me money in an emergency. This is some pork belly I caught today, I stir-fried some, have a taste."

"The other piece is raw meat. You can keep it and cook it yourself to help the old man recover."

"Also, I hope you can give me a few more days. I can't repay it in ten days right now, but I will definitely repay it later!"

Cui Jinxi didn't answer, her gaze falling on Su Ming's face, as if trying to find something in it.

After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice swaying in the night wind: "Money is a small matter; your safe return is the most important thing."

If you can't pay it back in ten days, then pay it back next month.

She paused, a complex inquiry creeping into her eyes: "I didn't expect you to actually do it—all by yourself, wiped out that wolf pack. Your courage and—your boldness—are unlike that of someone who grew up in this village."

Su Ming retorted, "Then what do I look like?"

Cui Jinxi was momentarily stunned by the question.

What does it look like?

Like those wandering knights-errant in the city who roam the streets and alleys, talking big but actually having little skill.

Unlike him, he was calmer and more ruthless.

Like those scholars who are weak and powerless, yet full of archaic language?

It didn't seem like it at all; the murderous aura and wildness emanating from him couldn't be faked.

He resembled, in some ways, those scions of once-prosperous families who, though fallen on hard times, still retained their dignified bearing, whom she had glimpsed from afar in the prefecture when she was young, and also possessed a touch of the eccentric and unconventional figures of the martial arts world described in folk tales.

Or perhaps, the young man in front of him always gave people a sense of incongruity. He didn't seem like a villager, nor did he seem like a person from the Great Zhou Dynasty. He had a kind of unrestrained and carefree demeanor from an alternative country.

That kind of easygoing confidence, that kind of carefree ease, is not something that can be cultivated by the exploited peasant villagers of Da Zhou. It can only be developed in a country that is unrestrained and carefree.

He didn't seem like a person from the Great Zhou Dynasty, nor did he seem like a person from this era; he always gave people a strange sense of being out of place.

To put it bluntly, he was a down-on-his-luck wandering swordsman from a noble family.

But she didn't say these words aloud; she just glared at Su Ming—although the glare was less effective on her scarred face.

"Anyway, they don't look like villagers."

She finally mumbled something, her gaze returning to the bowl of fragrant, tempting stir-fried meat.

The tangy and spicy aroma kept wafting into my nose, and my mouth involuntarily started drooling.

She wanted to say, "No need, take it back," but the words of refusal lingered on her tongue, and she couldn't quite bring herself to say them.

She couldn't remember the last time she had smelled such fresh, vibrant food aromas.

On ordinary days, they eat nothing more than coarse grains and wild vegetables, barely enough to fill their stomachs.

In the instant she hesitated, Su Ming stepped forward and, without a word, shoved the still-warm bowl of stir-fried meat into her icy hands, then hung the piece of raw meat tied with straw rope on the fingers of her other hand.

The movements were swift and decisive, leaving no room for refusal.

"Just take the bowl back to my house after you finish eating." After saying that, Su Ming turned around and left, as if he really had just come to deliver something and settle a favor.

"Hey! Su Ming!" Cui Jinxi called out subconsciously, taking a step forward while holding the bowl and the meat.

Su Ming, who had already walked a few steps away, did not turn around or respond. He simply turned his back to her, casually raised his arm, and waved it in the air as a response.

The cool moonlight and the reflection of the snow stretched his thin yet upright back long, blending into the deep blue night and the bright white snow. His steps were steady, and his clothes fluttered slightly in the night wind, revealing a kind of free and aloofness that was out of place in this remote and impoverished place.

Cui Jinxi stood there, stunned, watching the receding figure, momentarily speechless and unable to move.

The warmth emanating from the rim of the bowl in my hand, the tangy and spicy aroma of meat lingering in my nose—it all feels so real.

But that silhouette, the air of authority conveyed in that wave of the hand—

"He really does resemble a down-on-his-luck wandering swordsman from a noble family, or a wandering knight-errant straight out of a storybook—" she murmured softly, her voice fading into the wind.

There were rumors circulating in the village that Su Sanlang had single-handedly slaughtered a pack of wolves and carried back the silver-white wolf king, which she had seven or eight parts doubt in her heart.

How could a boy who was not yet twenty and even looked somewhat thin accomplish such a feat in the freezing cold and surrounded by wolves?

This was beyond her entire understanding of "village boys".

But at this moment, watching that figure disappear into the depths of the night, and smelling the bowl of meat and vegetables in his hand, which was made by him and had an overwhelming aroma, those doubts quietly melted away like the remaining snow under the sun.

Perhaps, this Sishui Village truly harbors a dragon yet to fully mature—a dragon crossing the river.

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