Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

Night fell, and the wind and snow gradually stopped.

In the courtyard of the Zhao family's old house, only two red lanterns were still swaying slightly in the wind.

Zhao Shanhe pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in, bringing with him a chill and an unmistakable stench of blood.

"Woof...woof..."

The Azure Dragon and the Black Dragon followed behind him.

The two hunting dogs, who were usually so majestic, looked rather pathetic at this moment.

The Azure Dragon's ear was torn open by Sun Laowai's wolfhound. Although the bleeding had stopped, it was still oozing red fluid.

Black Dragon walked with a limp, a result of the injury he sustained when he crashed into a cannon at Eagle's Beak Cliff while trying to save his master.

Looking at the two dogs that had performed such a great service, Zhao Shanhe felt a pang of sadness.

Instead of going directly into the house, he walked to the doghouse and threw over the two pieces of raw beef that he had prepared beforehand.

After watching the dog finish eating, he turned around and walked to the deep well in the corner of the yard.

He looked down at himself.

The cuffs of the sheepskin coat were ripped open a foot long, and the cotton inside was soaked in blood, turning it blackish-red.

Although his face had been wiped clean at the police station, the smell of gunpowder, blood, and cold sweat just wouldn't go away.

If someone with that ghostly appearance were to enter the house, it would surely terrify Lin Xiu.

Zhao Shanhe gritted his teeth, took off his tattered sheepskin coat, rolled it into a ball, and stuffed it into the deepest part of the woodpile.

This clothing has Sun Laowai's blood on it, it can't be exposed to light, I'll have to find a place to burn it tomorrow.

He stood in the freezing wind, wearing only his inner shirt, turning the well pulley in the minus thirty degree Celsius cold.

Squeak, squeak.

A bucket of icy well water was brought up, with ice crystals still clinging to the surface.

Zhao Shanhe took a deep breath, soaked the towel in ice water, wrung it out, and then vigorously rubbed it on the chapped wound.

"hiss--"

The icy water made his muscles tense up from the piercing pain.

Just then.

With a creak.

The door to the main room opened.

The light in the outer room was actually always on.

That was the light Lin Xiu left on for the men who hadn't come home.

Lin Xiu, wearing a cotton coat and carrying an enamel basin, was about to come out to empty the dirty water.

By the light of the courtyard lamp, she immediately spotted Zhao Shanhe standing by the well.

I also saw the gruesome wound on his bare arm, which had turned white from the icy water.

"The head of the household?!"

The basin in Lin Xiu's hand fell to the ground with a clatter, spilling dirty water all over the ground.

She didn't care that she was stepping on snow; she rushed down the steps and ran to Zhao Shanhe.

When she saw the horrific sight of Zhao Shanhe's torn and mangled arm, her face turned as white as paper.

"Wait...how did this happen?"

Lin Xiu's voice trembled, and tears streamed down her face.

"What happened to you? Why are you bleeding so much?"

Zhao Shanhe couldn't stand seeing his wife cry.

He quickly used his good right hand to pull Lin Xiu back, trying to make his voice sound as relaxed as possible:

"Don't cry, don't cry, it's just a superficial wound."

"We ran into a blind bear."

Zhao Shanhe fabricated the most plausible lie:

"That beast was starving and tried to ambush me. Azure Dragon, Black Dragon, and I fought it."

"Look, I'm back safe and sound, aren't I? That bear was in a much worse state than me; I took care of him."

To make the lie more convincing, Zhao Shanhe pointed to the two dogs lying nearby:

"Look, it scratched the Azure Dragon's ear and bumped the Black Dragon's leg. These are medals earned from fighting the bear to the death."

Lin Xiu became even more frightened when she heard it was Hei Xiazi.

In the hearts of the mountain people, it was a ferocious beast like the King of Hell, capable of smashing a person's head with a single slap.

"How could I be so careless..."

Lin Xiu cried as she tenderly touched Zhao Shanhe's wound, but dared not press too hard.

"I told you a long time ago not to go deep into the mountains because of the heavy snow, but you wouldn't listen... What if you break a bone? What will you do then?"

Watching his wife wipe away tears and scold him, Zhao Shanhe felt a warmth in his heart, but also a little guilty.

But this lie had to be told.

It's better to let her think it's a wild beast than to let her know she killed someone tonight.

Men should bear the burden of this bloodshed and sin.

"Come inside, come inside quickly."

Lin Xiu wiped away her tears and pulled Zhao Shanhe into the house:

"It's cold outside, don't let your wound get frostbite."

The two went into the outer room.

The fire in the stove was still burning, and the room was warm.

So as not to wake their daughter who was sleeping in the inner room, the two of them sat on a small stool in front of the stove.

Lin Xiu found some gentian violet and gauze, and by the light of the fire, she cleaned his wound little by little.

Her movements were very gentle, and tears kept welling up in her eyes.

"Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt. It's like being tickled."

Lin Xiu didn't say anything, silently bandaged her wound, then let out a long breath and sat down on the ground with a thud, as if all her strength had been used up.

"From now on... let's not do this kind of dangerous work anymore, okay?"

Lin Xiu looked at Zhao Shanhe with red eyes:

"Our family is doing quite well now. I don't want great wealth or status, I just want you to be safe and sound."

Zhao Shanhe's heart skipped a beat.

He reached out his uninjured hand, pulled Lin Xiu up, and let her sit on his lap.

"Xiu, I know you're worried."

Zhao Shanhe picked up the gray burlap sack that had been sitting on the stove:

"But this trip was definitely worthwhile."

"Although we got injured, we've earned back the capital to live a truly good life in the future."

"Look what this is."

Zhao Shanhe untied the burlap sack, took out the exquisite birch bark box, and gently opened the lid.

A faint, exotic fragrance wafted out.

Lin Xiu leaned closer for a look.

The firelight from the stove shone into the box.

A glossy black fur lay quietly inside.

It was as soft as water and as shiny as satin. The tips of its bristles gleamed with an eerie purple light in the firelight, like a flowing black gemstone.

"ah……"

Although Lin Xiu was unfamiliar with the subject, she couldn't help but exclaim in amazement and subconsciously reached out to touch it.

Smooth, cool, and soft.

It feels so good that you can hardly believe it's animal hide.

"What kind of leather is this? It's so beautiful! It even glows."

Zhao Shanhe stared intently at the leather, his eyes deep:

"This is called 'Black Pearl'."

"If we hand over this thing when we go to the provincial capital, we'll be able to open the door to a gold mine."

He grasped Lin Xiu's hand:

"Xiu, remember this. This wound wasn't in vain."

"Boss Jin is going to take it to Moscow. I heard there's going to be an international trade fair there, and our country's fur products have always been overshadowed by the Russians. Taking this thing there will be a boost to our country's reputation and make the Chinese people proud."

"On a grand scale, this is called winning glory for the country; on a smaller scale, this is called earning foreign exchange through exports."

Zhao Shanhe paused for a moment, then his tone became serious:

"In this day and age, as long as we can earn foreign exchange for the country, our Zhao family will have the most confidence in Kaoshantun."

Lin Xiu was somewhat stunned.

Moscow, foreign exchange, winning glory for the country... these words are too far removed from her.

She glanced subconsciously at Zhao Shanhe's proud face, then at the blood-soaked gauze on his arm.

Half an hour passed.

Lin Xiu reached out and gently smoothed out a wrinkle between Zhao Shanhe's eyebrows.

She didn't get overly agitated, nor did she say anything discouraging.

She simply looked at her man calmly and earnestly:

"Shanhe, I don't know what foreign exchange is, nor do I know where Moscow is."

"But in my eyes, even the greatest honor is nothing compared to the glory of your finger."

Zhao Shanhe's heart skipped a beat, and he was about to speak.

Lin Xiu rested her head against his chest, avoiding the wound, and whispered:

"However, I noticed a light in your eyes when you brought this up."

"Since this allows you to stand tall in public, then it's a serious matter."

"You are the pillar of the family, and I won't stop you from doing the big things you want to do."

She sighed softly:

"Just remember, no matter how much glory you bring to the country abroad..."

"It's getting dark, remember to go home."

Zhao Shanhe hugged the woman in his arms tightly, his throat feeling a little sore.

"I've got it."

He buried his face in Lin Xiu's neck, his voice hoarse:

"No matter how far I go in the future, I will definitely be home before dark."

Outside the window, the wind and snow continued.

Inside the house, the man and woman guarded the priceless "black pearl," and also this love that was more precious than pearls.