Chapter 5: Preferring Sons Over Daughters? Trade This Little Trotter for a Thick Cotton Coat

Before the words had even faded, Wei Xiaoxia slapped Chu Long across the face.

Chu Long, stunned by the blow, looked at his mother with a bewildered expression, completely at a loss. Chu Feng stood by, equally taken aback. Up until this point, everything Wei Xiaoxia had done left him confused; he couldn't fathom what she was actually trying to achieve.

"Why are you shouting? Are you afraid everyone doesn't already know the second family has meat?"

Chu Feng’s expression flickered with irony. It seemed they truly viewed his belongings as their own.

Wei Xiaoxia then turned her gaze to Chu Feng. "Mother knows you hold a grudge against me, and perhaps you feel I have been biased. But regardless, Chu Long is your elder brother, and his children are your own kin. You cannot remain indifferent while they have nothing to eat. As the second son of the Chu family, you must fulfill your responsibilities!"

"And when we had nothing to eat, could you remain indifferent? Could you be irresponsible?" Chu Feng retorted.

"I will say it again: everything must be for the sake of the family’s interests. The Chu family can provide for you, but not for worthless burdens. You know there is no grain in the house. If you want grain, tell your wife to produce a son."

Hearing this, Chu Feng nearly laughed out loud.

"Mother, over there!" Chu Long’s eyes were sharp; he had spotted the animal trap on the ground by the light of the fire. There was a pig trotter still caught in it—not a large one, as the pig itself had only weighed a few dozen catties. But the moment he saw it, Chu Long’s eyes turned green with greed.

Chu Feng’s gaze sharpened. He stepped forward and picked up the trap.

"Where did you get an animal trap?" Chu Long asked suspiciously.

"I found it. There was a pig leg in the trap, which we already ate. Since you put it that way, Mother, I’ll give this trotter to Big Brother." As he spoke, Chu Feng pried the trap open and retrieved the trotter.

"Who are you trying to fool, Chu Feng? You’re telling me there was only one pig leg?"

"Do you want it or not? It was just one leg, and we’ve already eaten all the meat; only the bones are left for the dog. If you don’t want this trotter, I’ll feed it to the dog as well."

Benben, who had been lying in its nest, didn't move, but upon hearing this, it immediately sprang up and darted in front of Chu Feng.

"You heartless bastard, have you forgotten you’re a Chu, too? I don't believe you only had one leg." As he spoke, Chu Long started to rush toward the room.

*Swish.*

Chu Feng pulled his wood-chopping blade and brandished it toward Chu Long. "Try me!"

"Woof!" Seeing Chu Feng blocking the other, Benben reacted instantly. It bared its tiny teeth and barked fiercely, though its size held absolutely no intimidation. But Chu Feng did, and so did the blade in his hand.

Chu Long froze, paralyzed by fear. A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. He never imagined that his second brother—the one who had always been the most honest and obedient toward their parents—would now have such murderous intent in his eyes.

In times of famine, food is life. No one is willing to share their own sustenance. Even though Chu Feng was a modern man, he understood this well: if he gave his food away, his own wife and child would go hungry.

"You... you... you damn bastard! You just got lucky and found a pig leg. A whole leg is plenty—what’s the harm in sharing some with your brother?" Chu Long’s arrogance had vanished, and his momentum had weakened significantly.

"Take it or leave it. If you don't want it, get out!"

This stern rebuke made both Chu Long and Wei Xiaoxia instinctively take a step back. Wei Xiaoxia realized that it was likely impossible to get anything more out of Chu Feng.

"I'll take it..." Chu Long muttered weakly. The sight of his cowardly demeanor almost made Chu Feng chuckle.

"Take off your cotton-padded jacket and give it to me, and this trotter is yours."

"What?" Chu Long’s eyes widened. In the dead of winter, he knew exactly what a cotton jacket was worth. He wanted to trade a pig trotter for a jacket? Chu Long felt a surge of indignation. "Mother, look at him! He really thinks he’s something special just because he got lucky on the mountain..."

Wei Xiaoxia stepped forward and personally stripped the jacket off Chu Long.

"Mother, what are you doing? Why? I won't do it!"

"It’s for your wife’s milk, you fool! What is there to refuse? Hurry up!"

Once the jacket was tossed over, Chu Feng threw the trotter to Chu Long.

"Fine, let’s go back," Wei Xiaoxia said.

Chu Long clutched the shriveled, small trotter and turned to look at Chu Feng, who was still standing in the doorway. "What are you acting so arrogant for? You think you’re something just because you got lucky and found a pig leg? If you’ve got guts, keep eating one pig leg for the rest of your life! From this month on, don't even think about taking a single scrap of grain from my house!"

Seeing Chu Feng move as if to charge forward, Chu Long scrambled away in a panic. Wei Xiaoxia followed close behind, and they quickly disappeared from sight.

Only after they had left did Chu Feng let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know what kind of personality the original owner of this body had to allow himself to be bullied like that, but he was not the original owner. He would defend what was his. If not for the jacket, he wouldn't have given Chu Long even a single bone, let alone that shriveled trotter.

"Are you alright?" Zhou Xiaoxiao looked at Chu Feng with concern. Filial piety was paramount in any dynasty; children were not supposed to talk back to their parents, or they would find it impossible to survive anywhere. Yet, she hadn't expected Chu Feng to go this far for her and their daughter.

"I'm fine. Take this jacket and see if you can clean it up," Chu Feng said, handing it to her. After all, he wasn't the original owner, and Wei Xiaoxia was not his real mother.

Watching Zhou Xiaoxiao begin to hang the sliced pork above the chimney to smoke it into bacon, Chu Feng felt a pang of doubt. Truth be told, he didn't like smoked meat, especially without salt. But in this era of scarcity, in Zhou Xiaoxiao's mind, turning it into bacon meant they could eat for months. In reality, once the bones and fat were removed, the pig didn't weigh much at all. Even storing it as frozen meat would have been fine, but there would surely be heavy snow tomorrow.

The thought that the food would be gone quickly gave Chu Feng a sense of urgency. He didn't want his wife and child to continue living such a meager existence. Chu Feng wasn't a scholar, nor did he possess great martial prowess. In this dynasty, which didn't exist in any history book he knew, he had to find another way to survive.

Perhaps he could really try being a hunter. That way, he could satisfy his family's need for meat, and if he caught enough, he could trade the surplus in town for money and grain. As long as the war didn't reach them, they would find a way to live.

The water in the pot bubbled, soaking the pig skin. Pig skin was delicious, but this was wild boar skin, and leather was highly valuable in these times. The house lacked warm clothing, so he was glad that fool Chu Long had brought the jacket; at least they would be warmer at night.

Still, there were many problems to solve: the drafty house, the unfenced yard, and the wooden walls without windows. But the prerequisite for everything was that they had to eat their fill first.

"Wife, I’m going hunting again tomorrow," Chu Feng said.

"Ah? But husband, the village chief asked all the men to meet at his house tomorrow."

"A meeting? I’m not going."

"The village chief has helped us before; wouldn't it be rude not to go?" Zhou Xiaoxiao suggested.

Chu Feng’s memories surfaced once more. It was true that when he had been suffering from a severe cold, the village chief had sent them some medicinal herbs. It seemed those herbs hadn't done much, but since the man had at least tried to help, he would give him the courtesy of attending before heading out.