Chapter 3
Divine Strength
Collapsed in the pit, the wild boar could only moan. Mu Yangling happily got off the wild boar and raised the 200-pound wild boar with both hands to throw it up. She had no choice, for at merely nine years old, she was still too short and thus could only throw it. Fortunately, she was skilled at utilizing her strength, so the seriously injured wild boar only howled in shock a little.
Mu Yangling then climbed out of the trap and broke the nearby branches to cover the trap again. After which, she hung the rabbit, pheasant, and other prey on her waist. With the wild boar on her shoulder, she left the mountain.
Some villagers who were harvesting food at the foot of the mountain exclaimed when they saw a wild boar moving out of the mountains. It was only when the wild boar approached that they realized Mu Yangling had been completely blocked by the wild boar.
“Oh my god, isn’t this the eldest daughter of the Mu Family?” Ma Dazhuang stared at Mu Yangling, whose waist was full of prey and whose shoulder was carrying a wild boar. Seeing the girl who was buried underneath all that prey, he secretly clicked his tongue and said wistfully, “If only she was my daughter.”
Auntie Ma smacked his head and spat, “If it’s your daughter, are you going to be responsible for her if no one wants to marry her? Geez, Yangling is so… majestic. How can she find a husband in the future?”
Ma Dazhuang muttered, “She’s not ugly, she’s merely a tad stronger. She can even help out with the family expenses…” Under Auntie Ma’s gaze, Ma Dazhuang did not dare to continue.
Mu Yangling gradually approached. It was only when she heard the voices that she saw Ma Dazhuang and his wife, as the prey had previously blocked her vision. She held the wild boar on her shoulder with one hand and waved at them with the other. With a beam, she asked, “Uncle Ma, Auntie Ma, are you working?”
Up close, it was even more astounding. Uncle Ma and his wife looked at the prey on her body in shock. Just then, the wild boar suddenly struggled a few times and let out two weak cries, causing the couple to fall to the ground in fear.
Mu Yangling pressed the wild boar down with one hand, making the latter unable to move.
Auntie Ma pointed at the wild boar with a trembling finger and asked, “Alive?”
Mu Yangling smiled and nodded. “An alive wild boar is more valuable than a dead one.” Mu Yangling felt a little regretful. “It’s a pity that this place is too far from the county. Otherwise, if I carried it to the county, I would be able to get at least 500 more copper coins.”
Mu Yangling felt that it was a pity as she rushed home briskly. Having eaten too little this morning, she was famished right now. She decided she’d better go back and fill her stomach before heading to the countryside. Her father should be back by now, right?
As Uncle Ma and his wife watched Mu Yangling leave in a daze, Uncle Ma smacked his lips and said, “It truly
is
difficult for her to get married…”
The Mu family lived alone at the foot of the mountain, and only had three generations in Nearhill Village.
Mu Yangling’s grandfather was half a
Hu
, but his figure and appearance would suggest he was born from a
Han
mother. Being of a thin and weak frame, he was ostracized by the Hu people, who advocated martial arts. When he was ten years old, he migrated to Nearhill Village.
Seeing that he was honest, the registrar of Mingshui County let him settle down in Nearhill Village. Because her grandfather did not look like a Hu at all, he easily integrated into the village community. He married one of the daughters of the village, her grandmother, and the couple subsequently gave birth to her father, Mu Shi.
Perhaps due to
atavism
, Mu Shi had deep facial features. In addition, he was tall and strong like an ox. As a five-year-old child, he was stronger than the seven-year-olds.
This didn’t bother the adults, but the children often didn’t like people who were different from them. Mu Shi was quickly ostracized by the children in the village, and there were even a few incidents resulting in bloodshed. Considerate of Mu Shi’s feelings, Mu Yangling’s grandfather and grandmother moved to the foot of the mountain, where they had less contact with the village until Mu Shi married and had Mu Yangling and Mu Bowen.
Mu Yangling returned home in a flash. Shu Wanniang, who was cleaning the courtyard with a broom, opened her mouth wide when she saw her.
She knew that her daughter was very strong, but she wasn’t this strong, right?
Having finally reached home, Mu Yangling placed the wild boar on the ground. It was only upon looking up that she realized her mother was staring at her with her eyes wide open. “Mother.” Mu Yangling giggled foolishly. With her hands behind her back, she felt a little nervous. She didn’t frighten her mother, right?
“Yangling, you’re back?” Mu Shi came out of the house.
Mu Yangling’s eyes lit up. She jumped forward and shouted, “Father, there was a wild boar lying in the trap. I brought it back.”
“Good job!” Mu Shi only saw his wife staring at them with wide eyes after he praised her. He immediately became nervous and went forward to hold his wife. “Wanniang, go in and rest first. I’ll sweep the ground later.”
Shu Wanniang knew that they were hiding something from her. With tears in her eyes, she asked, “What are you hiding from me?”
“Nothing, nothing.” Mu Shi waved his hand repeatedly. He was most afraid of seeing Shu Wanniang cry. For a moment, he was at a loss and looked at his daughter for help.
Mu Yangling could only obediently lower her head and admit her mistake. “Mother, it’s my fault. I was too strong. I was afraid that you would be worried, so I didn’t dare to tell you.”
Shu Wanniang was indeed worried. She stepped forward and held her daughter’s hand. She squeezed it and said worriedly, “She clearly looks no different from an ordinary nine-year-old girl, but why is she so strong? Even the strong men in the village aren’t able to carry a wild boar. Don’t do this in front of outsiders again, or I fear no one will dare to marry you in the future.” In this chaotic world, such a talent could trigger jealousy and invite trouble. Her daughter’s ability might seem like a boon, but it also had the potential to incur problems.
Having inherited the teachings of the court at a young age, Shu Wanniang was naturally more discerning than Mu Shi. Therefore, she was not very pleased about her daughter’s extraordinary strength.
However, since they were only living in a small village now, there was no need to say such things to scare her daughter and husband. Shu Wanniang held her stomach and said, “Alright, hurry up and gather the prey. Since Junior Officer has already agreed to help us delay for three days, we have to gather enough tax money as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will make things difficult for Junior Officer.”
“I’ll bring the prey to town now,” Mu Shi immediately said.
“Bring Yangling along too. How can you carry so many by yourself? However, you’re not allowed to carry them over with bare hands. Use a cart to push them over. When you reach town, immediately try to sell them at the inns and restaurants. Don’t linger on the streets for too long, and don’t get into an argument with others…”
“Mother, why do you always have endless instructions when Father goes to town every day?” Mu Yangling’s ears nearly grew calluses from listening. Seeing that Mu Shi was still listening with a smile, she felt that her father was truly a patient man.
Shu Wanniang sighed and said, “With your father’s bad temper, I’m just worried that he’ll get into an argument with someone. Also, I’m afraid that you two will cause trouble outside since you’re both so strong.”
Mu Shi quickly promised, “Don’t worry, Wanniang. I won’t argue with anyone.” He glanced at his daughter and promised, “I’ll also keep an eye on Ah Ling and not let her get into conflict with anyone.”
Only then did Shu Wanniang smile and enter the kitchen. “I’ll prepare some food for the two of you on the way. You guys pack your things first.”
“Aye.” Seeing his wife enter the kitchen, Mu Shi pulled his daughter to the side and instructed, “Why did you come back with the wild boar on your own? You should have told me and let me carry it back. Look, you almost scared your mother.”
- the Hus are a tribal confederation of nomadic people
- China’s majority ethnic group
- recurrence of traits of an ancestor in a subsequent generation