Chapter Three: The Scramble for Meat

“Judging by your tone, did you catch something good?” Meng Yun asked with a laugh.

“Why don’t you make a guess, my dear?” Lin Sanlang teased.

“A rabbit?”

“No.”

“A pheasant?”

“No, no, try again.”

She chuckled, “Don’t tell me you brought back a wild boar!”

“My wife is truly clever,” Lin Sanlang rewarded Meng Yun with a kiss.

“A wild boar? Seriously? How did you even run into one? Let me see if you’re hurt.” The moment Meng Yun heard it was a wild boar, she grew worried. Though her husband was an accomplished hunter, wild boars were still dangerous.

“My dear, I’m fine, and so is my brother. Do you know? That boar was struck dead by lightning,” Lin Sanlang laughed, taking her hand.

“What? Struck by lightning?” Meng Yun was baffled. “What happened?”

“I don’t even know. That wild boar went mad. I’d just collected a few chickens from the traps when it came charging out straight at us. My brother and I were ready to hunt it, but before we could make a move, it collapsed—struck by lightning! We just carried it home,” Lin Sanlang still felt as if he were dreaming. He’d gotten a pig for nothing.

“Haha, it must be thanks to our little Lucky,” Meng Yun kissed their baby’s plump cheek. “Look at that, the moment our Lucky was born, her father brought home a pig! She really is Daddy’s little lucky star.” She squeezed her daughter’s chubby hand—soft as dough.

The Lin brothers carried the wild boar home, and news spread through the village. Wild boars were rarely seen, hiding deep in the old forest for eight or ten years at a time. That forest was known for fierce beasts; even the most seasoned hunters didn’t dare venture in lightly. Yet the Lin brothers came back with one as if by sheer luck. Most people in Lin Family Village were honest folk. They might envy the Lin family’s good fortune, but rarely complained—after all, no one’s life was as fortunate as theirs. Still, not everyone was so straightforward.

“So, Auntie, what do you plan to do with that boar?” asked Mrs. Tian, their neighbor. Mrs. Tian’s feud with the Lin family went back years. Even as a girl, she’d competed with Old Lady Lin in everything, though Old Lady Lin only had one cherished daughter. Mrs. Tian’s mother had six, and she was the third—never favored, always resentful, and jealous of Old Lady Lin. She compared everything: food, clothes, and later, who married better. Old Lady Lin married into the Lin family and bore three strong sons, while Mrs. Tian had six herself, which should have satisfied her, but Old Lady Lin never paid her the slightest mind—who would indulge such nonsense?

“What’s to share?” Old Lady Lin was irritated the moment she saw Mrs. Tian coming. That woman never brought good news.

Sure enough—

“Obviously, you should share the pork. Or do you plan to keep it all to yourselves?” Mrs. Tian was green with envy. Such a big wild boar—why should the Lin family get it all? Her own family deserved a share, too. If she could take some home, it’d last for ages, and she could even sell the surplus. She dreamed big, but—

The neighbors burst out laughing. Was Mrs. Tian out of her mind? They’d gotten the boar through their own skill—why should she get any? Everyone knew the two families didn’t get along, and every time Mrs. Tian stirred up trouble, Old Lady Lin put her in her place for a few days, until she started up again.

“That’s right! Old Lady Lin, with such a big wild boar, you ought to share some with your neighbors!” Mrs. Tian’s eldest daughter-in-law chimed in. Birds of a feather flock together.

Was Old Lady Lin one to be trifled with?

“Pah! Who do you think you are? My eldest and third sons risked their lives for that boar—why should you get any? Look at yourselves,” Old Lady Lin stood arms akimbo and spat right in Mrs. Tian’s face. “Who do you think you are, coming here demanding our boar? Did your sons help? Did you pay for it? You think flapping your lips entitles you to meat? Dream on!”

“How dare you, Xu San-niang! Who are you calling shameless? That boar came from the mountain—it belongs to the whole village, so we deserve a share!” Mrs. Tian ignored the spittle on her face and shot back. Today, she was determined to get some pork. She signaled her sons to guard the boar—it looked like she meant to take it by force.

“Mrs. Tian, don’t you dare!” Lin’s wife fumed.

“And why wouldn’t I? That meat is just as much ours,” Mrs. Tian brazened it out, as if the boar was already hers.

“Come on, Mrs. Tian, you’ve gone too far. How is their boar yours? I’ve never seen anyone so shameless,” the villagers grumbled. They’d seen shamelessness before, but not like this.

“If I say it’s ours, then it’s ours. Mind your own business,” Mrs. Tian was thick-skinned as ever.

“Fine, Mrs. Tian, just watch me tear that filthy mouth of yours!” Old Lady Lin threatened.

“Pah—who’s afraid of you?”

The two old women started to brawl.

“How dare you hit my mother-in-law! I’ll beat you to death!” Mrs. Tian’s daughter-in-law joined in.

“Oh, the Tian family dares to hit my mother-in-law? I’ll tear that wretched face of yours!” Lin Dalang’s wife was no pushover.

Some were infuriated but didn’t dare intervene—after all, the Tian family boasted six sons, each as strong as a bear, and even all the Lin cousins together weren’t a match. What could anyone do?