After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 34

Zhou Han placed the prey in the yard and skillfully began to process the two wild rabbits, skinning them and cleaning their internal organs with clean and efficient movements.

“Mother, keep this rabbit meat. You can marinate it or cook it in the next couple of days to nourish your body.” Zhou Han handed over the prepared rabbit meat.

Aunt Zhou waved her hands repeatedly: “No, no, no, I’ll cook this rabbit first thing tomorrow morning, braised! You can take it to town for Sang Ya and the others to try!”

Zhou Han frowned: “No need for that trouble, Mother. You can eat these yourself. I’ll buy whatever she wants to eat in town.”

“What do you know!” Aunt Zhou glared at her son reproachfully, but her tone softened. “Can store-bought food compare to homemade? This is a little something from your mother for your future daughter-in-law! My braised rabbit has a secret recipe, it’s guaranteed to be delicious! Sang works hard taking care of the family, and her younger siblings are growing up, so letting them try it shows that we care about them.”

She looked at her son and said earnestly, “Sometimes, affection isn’t about the price of the gift, but about the sentiment behind it. Take it with you, and listen to your mother!”

Looking at his mother’s earnest gaze, Zhou Han knew he couldn’t go against her wishes. He also understood that his mother was trying her best to maintain this hard-won relationship for him, so he could only nod and say, “…Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

Seeing that he agreed, Aunt Zhou’s face lit up with a smile.

Zhou Han then carefully instructed, “Don’t just worry about me while you’re at home. Burn charcoal if you need to. Don’t be stingy; getting sick from the cold will only cost more money.”

Aunt Zhou laughed and said, “I know! I need to take good care of myself now, so I can stay healthy and strong. I’ll be able to take care of your babies in the future!”

Zhou Han’s ears burned at these words, and he mumbled an “Mmm” in response. He quickened his pace in processing the prey, but his heart was filled with warm ripples because of his mother’s expectant words.

He carefully placed the beautiful red fox in a cool, well-ventilated place, intending to take it to the fur shop in town the next day. The money to buy the cow would then be secured there.

———

The next morning, Zhou Han woke up to a rich and enticing aroma of meat.

The aroma aggressively entered my nostrils, a blend of the salty fragrance of the sauce, the aroma of the spices, and the rich, mellow flavor of the meat after long stewing, instantly dispelling any lingering drowsiness.

He got up, put on his coat, and went out of the room. He saw that the stove in the kitchen was burning brightly, and Aunt Zhou, wearing an apron, was busy in front of the stove.

“Awake? Quickly wash your face, the meat will be ready soon,” Aunt Zhou turned around and saw her son, a kind smile on her face. She gently stirred the large iron ladle in the pot, where chunks of dark red rabbit meat simmered in the thick broth, their color enticing and their aroma filling the air.

After Zhou Han finished washing up, Aunt Zhou had already deftly put the braised rabbit meat into a prepared earthenware pot. The pot had a thick ceramic lid and the body was carefully wrapped with an old cotton cloth, obviously for the purpose of keeping it warm.

“Look, this jar is sturdy, and the cloth is wrapped tightly around it. The meat should still be warm by the time we get to town,” Aunt Zhou handed over the heavy earthenware jar, then pointed to several flatbreads wrapped in a clean cloth next to it. “The flatbreads are also ready. You can eat them on the way.”

Zhou Han took the warm earthenware pot. “Mother, you don’t really need to go to so much trouble…” Zhou Han was touched, but he still habitually didn’t want his mother to work too hard.

“What trouble or not,” Aunt Zhou interrupted him, picking up a freshly baked, still-hot pancake without a word, deftly rolling up a few pieces of trimmed rabbit meat, and stuffing it into Zhou Han’s hand. “Hurry up and eat it while it’s hot! It’s cold, how can you travel on an empty stomach? Eat something to warm yourself up and have the strength.”

Zhou Han looked at the fragrant meat roll in his hand, then at his mother’s face, reddened by the firelight, and the fine lines around her eyes. He said nothing more and lowered his head to eat heartily.

The pancakes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the rabbit meat was tender and flavorful. Eating them hot really dispelled the chill of the morning and warmed my heart.

Seeing her son eating heartily, Aunt Zhou’s smile deepened. She carefully pressed the lid of the earthenware pot shut to ensure it was secure, then straightened Zhou Han’s collar and murmured, “When you see Sang Yatou, give her my regards. Tell her not to overwork herself; she has many younger siblings and it’s not easy for her… Let her and the rest of the family try this meat; don’t be stingy with it…”

“Okay, Mother,” Zhou Han replied, carefully placing the earthenware pot into the basket and then wrapping up the remaining cakes and putting them away.

Once everything was ready, Zhou Han shouldered his basket, pushed open the courtyard gate, and his mother saw him off to the door. Standing in the thin morning mist, she watched her son’s tall and upright figure gradually disappear into the distance.

———

Carrying his heavy prey, Zhou Han trudged through the frost to the busiest and most discerning shop in town, the East Market Fur Shop.

The air was filled with a faint, fishy smell of fur and the mixed aromas of various herbs and goods. Several fur shops had already taken down their doors, and the shop assistants were busy sorting and drying the hides they had collected.

Zhou Han walked straight to one of the shops, “Chen’s Leather Goods,” which had the largest storefront and the oldest signboard.

Manager Chen was a lean, middle-aged man with deep-set eyes, but his eyes were surprisingly bright. He was carefully examining a stack of gray squirrel skins with a magnifying glass.

Hearing footsteps, he raised his head, his gaze lingering for a moment on Zhou Han’s burly figure before landing on the most conspicuous fiery red fox on his shoulder, a glint of barely perceptible shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

“Brother Zhou, do you have any good goods today?” Manager Chen put down his magnifying glass and put on a professional smile.

Zhou Han didn’t say much. He unloaded the prey from his shoulder and gently placed the red fox on the clean wooden board used for counters. “Manager Chen, please take a look.”

Manager Chen’s smile faded, and his expression became serious.

He stepped closer and first examined the fox pelt. Its fiery red fur looked like flowing lava in the morning light, and its fluffy, thick tops indicated that it was a healthy, well-nourished adult male fox in its prime.

He carefully turned the fox over to examine the arrow wounds. He found only a small cut on the side of its neck, which had minimal impact on the integrity of the pelt, and he was even more satisfied.

Next, he stretched out his thin fingers and gently brushed them across the fox fur, feeling its density, softness, and luster. He then parted the outer layer of long hair to check the thickness and color of the underfur. Finally, he even brought it close to his nose to make sure there was no rot or odor.

“Hmm…” Manager Chen straightened up, pondered for a moment, his eyes flashing with shrewdness, and began to bargain. “The fur is good, but unfortunately the location of the arrow wound requires extra care when skinning it, which is laborious and time-consuming. Moreover, there are more furs coming from the north this year, so the market is not as good as in previous years… Here’s the deal, twenty-five taels of silver, I’ll take it,” he quoted a price, which was exactly the price of the cow that the manager of the cattle shop had mentioned.

Zhou Han’s expression remained unchanged, his gaze calm as he looked at Manager Chen. His voice was steady yet carried an undeniable confidence: “Manager Chen, you are an expert. You know in your heart whether this fur color, this integrity, this undercoat, is top-quality. Thirty taels, not a penny less. I’ll take it to another shop and ask.” He made a move to put the fox away.

“Hey, don’t rush, don’t rush!” Manager Chen quickly pressed down, a wry smile on his face. “Brother Zhou, you’re still so straightforward! Thirty taels… that price is really too high, my profit margin will be too small, how about twenty-eight taels! Consider it making friends, how about it?”

Zhou Han knew this was close to a reasonable price, and he had already left room for negotiation, so he decided to take the offer and nodded: “Deal, these badgers are all included.”

Manager Chen breathed a sigh of relief. He then inspected the badgers and found that they were all good quality, with both fur and meat, and priced them at one and a half taels of silver.

Finally, Zhou Han, with twenty-nine and a half taels of silver in his pocket, walked out of Chen’s Leather Goods and strode towards the dock in the morning sunlight. The dock work was expected to be completed in the next two days, and after that, he would have time to prepare for the next steps.