Chapter 2

"Lost." Li Qingshan answered in a hard voice, as if he had been abruptly dragged from a dreamlike world back to the harsh reality.

"Go and find it quickly. If you dare to lose our family’s ox, just wait until your brother comes back and beats you to death, you good-for-nothing! If the ox is gone, you can also roll out!"

"That’s my ox!" Li Qingshan strode out of the door. If he didn’t leave, he might not be able to resist beating this woman, but if he really did, he would no longer be able to stay in the house. When you live under someone’s roof, you have to bow your head.

It wasn’t until dusk that he returned to the ox shed, exhausted. His bright eyes scanned the empty shed and dimmed again.

Li Qingshan’s daily work, besides tending to the ox and cleaning, was to lead the ox to the landlord’s house in the village to help with labor, earning a little money to supplement the family income.

Without the ox today, he could only do the same work as the other laborers, which was hard even for adults, let alone a half-grown boy who hadn’t eaten breakfast.

Compared to the physical fatigue, the insults and scolding from the farm manager were minor daily occurrences. He fell into the hay pile and didn’t want to think about anything, but his stomach growled.

It’s easy to imagine that in such an environment, any aspirations would be worn down, leaving only the most basic physical needs.

Li Qingshan was half-asleep when he heard a loud thud. He opened his eyes and saw a strange face with a pair of long, white fangs, which startled him. When he came to his senses, he realized it was a wild boar that had just died and was still warm.

The blue ox lay by the trough, "smiling" at him. He could already vaguely discern the expression on the blue ox’s face.

As night fell, in the village house, Li Dage’s wife was complaining to Li Dage, "That little bastard, he’s not even human. He actually lost such a big ox. No, he must have secretly sold it. We have to split the family. If we continue like this, he’ll ruin us."

Li Dage was in his thirties, tall and strong, and known for his brutality in the village, but he was extremely submissive to his wife. "But if we split the family, the few good acres of land were divided in front of the village elders." They had taken over the land on the pretext that Li Qingshan was too young to farm it, and now they wouldn’t return it, but if they formally split the family, they would have to.

"Isn’t Liu the manager always after that land? Let’s just sell it to them. If that little bastard has the guts, let him go and ask for it."

"But what if he refuses to split?"

"Starve him for three days, and he’ll have no choice but to agree."

As they were discussing, Li Dage’s wife suddenly sniffed. "Do you smell something?"

"It smells so good, like someone is cooking meat!"

"It’s not a festival, who would be cooking meat? It seems to be nearby."

Following the scent, they came to the ox shed. Inside, a pot was set up over a fire, and the thick soup was boiling, filling the air with a delicious aroma.

The fire flickered in the darkness, casting Li Qingshan’s shadow on the wall.

Li Dage’s wife swallowed her saliva. "Where did you steal this meat, you little brat?" She was lazy and greedy, and the sight of the pot of meat made her forget her anger at Li Qingshan. She picked up a spoon and started stirring.

But Li Dage’s eyes were sharp. He saw what Li Qingshan was sitting on and exclaimed, "A wild boar!"

Wild boars in the mountains were extremely dangerous, with thick skin and tough flesh that were hard to injure. Ordinary hunters would avoid them, let alone capture them.

"I found it at the foot of the mountain while looking for the ox. It was injured, probably cornered by hunters." Li Qingshan gave his fabricated reason. The existence of the blue ox had to be kept secret; otherwise, if the news of a demonic ox spread, the Heavenly Palace might come knocking.

Li Dage was skeptical but laughed. "You’re a lucky fool. Let me take this boar to the market; it will fetch a good price, and I’ll save the money to get you a wife." He also saw the blue ox in the shed and thought, "We don’t need to rush to split the family. The ox can still do farm work."

Li Qingshan watched Li Dage’s wife stirring the pot, wanting to taste a piece. His good mood about cooking the meat was completely ruined. He slapped her hand away. "Don’t touch it."

Li Dage’s wife rubbed her hand and retreated, wailing, "Look at your brother. I told you he bullies me when you’re not home, and you didn’t believe me. Now you see it yourself."

Bully you? Li Qingshan felt a wave of nausea. If you were surnamed Pan, I wouldn’t even consider it a loss.

Li Dage’s face darkened. "Is this how you treat your younger brother?"

Li Qingshan lowered his head. "I have my own plans for this meat. I’m not young anymore, and it’s time for us to split the family." This was something he had been thinking about while cooking the meat. He no longer wanted to bow his head under this roof.

Li Dage hadn’t expected Li Qingshan to bring it up first. He was stunned and then furious. He was a simple farmer, not someone who could control his temper. He clenched his fists and moved to beat Li Qingshan, intending to drag the wild boar away first.

Seeing his approach, Li Qingshan stood up, his face stern, but he felt a bit nervous. His body wasn’t fully grown, and he was exhausted from a day’s work without eating much. How could he stand up to a grown man? He glanced at the blue ox, but the ox just watched the scene like a spectator, showing no intention of helping.

Just as Li Qingshan was bracing himself for a beating, Li Dage stopped and looked at Li Qingshan’s right hand.

In that rough, large hand was a crude short knife, its blade full of impurities, dull even after careful polishing.

This was a short knife Li Qingshan had saved up to buy at the market over the years. It had many uses, and he had just used it to cut the meat.

Li Qingshan immediately understood that his brother was not afraid of him but of the knife. He had never realized that this cheap, inferior knife could have such a deterrent effect.

In his previous life, Li Qingshan was just an ordinary student. Although he had been in a few fights, they were just disputes among classmates. In both lives, he had never faced a weapon.

Understanding this, Li Qingshan gripped the short knife tightly and raised it slightly, like a beast showing its fangs, though he actually dared not use it.

Li Dage immediately stepped back, and Li Dage’s wife stopped her wailing. In the end, they both retreated from the ox shed, looking extremely disappointed. They cursed outside for a while and then returned to their room to discuss their "grand plan."

Li Qingshan paid no attention, not even to the meat’s aroma. He just stared at the short knife, which vaguely reflected his face. This cheap knife, worth only a few silver coins, had just protected him, saving him from a beating and humiliation, and preserving his prize.

Although it was a simple truth, it felt like a sudden enlightenment at that moment.

The blue ox lay by the trough, smiling at him.

The flickering fire cast the shadow of a giant holding a knife on the wall. At that moment, a young man understood the true value of strength.

After a long while, Li Qingshan sat down again, scratching his head and looking at the pot. "How much longer does this meat need to cook?" He was a meat lover, and these past ten years had been a torment. When his parents were alive, he could eat a little during festivals, but since they passed away, the meat Li Dage’s wife cut wasn’t even enough for her.

At that moment, even a bottle of elixir wouldn’t have made him as anxious as this pot of meat.

The wild boar was a large one, and the pot of meat cooked for half the night.

The rising flames, the floating aroma, the crackling sounds, and the focused young man formed a scene that was utterly devoid of sentiment or poetry but was extremely simple and primitive.

In the end, even without a pinch of salt or any other seasoning, Li Qingshan almost swallowed his tongue. He ate several pounds of meat, regardless of whether it was fatty or lean, and drank the broth until it was all gone.

If someone asked Li Qingshan what happiness was at that moment, he would definitely say that happiness was a pot of meat.

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