Chapter 33: Another Option Given by Lu Chuan

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What an old fox!

And you call yourself a scholar!

What a foul mind!

Lu Chuan came back to himself.

He glanced around at everyone, then fixed his gaze on Sun Zhi. “Village Chief, what do you think?”

“Heh heh…” Sun Zhi laughed awkwardly. After a brief pause, he continued, “You can discuss this among yourselves. I won’t get involved. However, my family will give up our hunter’s slot for now.”

“Consider it making room for the people of Twin Waters Village.”

Sun Zhi had spoken.

That old man!

Though he was somewhat devious, he genuinely wanted to do something good for the villagers.

The slot was quite attractive.

Giving it up so readily was no easy thing.

“No problem!” Lu Chuan smiled.

Then he looked at the others. “Since everyone feels the division isn’t suitable, we can discuss the proportions.”

At this, Sun Zhi raised his head in surprise. He had not expected Lu Chuan to be so easygoing.

Yet an ominous feeling suddenly welled up inside him.

“However…”

Sure enough, Lu Chuan changed tack.

“I don’t think the number of days is suitable either. Five days is a little too long. Let’s shorten it to three days. Three days in the mountains! Whatever game we bring down, that’s how much we divide!”

Lu Chuan’s voice was calm as he quietly surveyed the people around him.

Fourth Aunt’s spirits immediately sank.

Hunting was hunting!

Sometimes, going two or three days without catching so much as a hair was perfectly normal!

The village had once organized hunting parties as well. Five days was enough to guarantee at least a little game.

But with only three days, unless they found a reliable hunting ground, the outcome was truly uncertain.

“Lu Chuan!”

At that moment, Sun Zhi spoke up. “Three days is far too short. When farm work is slack, people can’t simply stay at home all the time!”

“Then make it five days.”

Lu Chuan shook his head slightly.

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He looked at Sun Zhi. “Village Chief, I understand what you mean.”

“But this offers me no benefit at all. I would have to waste time and energy taking them into the mountains, and they might even learn my hunting techniques!”

“You can’t expect me to keep making sacrifices for nothing, can you?”

Lu Chuan spread his hands.

There was a solemn look in his eyes.

If he was going to take these people into the mountains, he would have to explain many things to them, including various precautions and hunting techniques.

At the very least, he would need to teach them enough to protect themselves, how to fight back when danger struck, and how to make traps.

In these times, it was common enough for a student to surpass his teacher and leave the master to starve.

Thus, unless they were deeply trusted, most people would always keep something in reserve.

“Mm.”

A hint of amusement glimmered in Lu Chuan’s eyes as he looked at everyone before him. At that moment, he was unexpectedly relaxed.

What kind of joke was this?

Even if he suffered a loss, he could not go on suffering losses forever.

Lu Chuan quietly glanced at the people around him. After smiling, he spoke once more.

“Actually, I have plenty of things to deal with too. Apart from me, there are three mouths to feed at home.”

“And none of them can work.”

“I have to find some way to make a living, don’t I?”

At this, Fourth Aunt gritted her teeth. “Chuan, then we’ll take a step back. You can take half of everything.”

“And we’ll still make it five days.”

“If your family ever needs anything,” Fourth Aunt said, “we’ll certainly help.”

Lu Chuan fell silent.

With a helpless shake of his head, he said, “Fourth Aunt, that’s not what we agreed on before. I came here today to decide who would join. I intend to form a hunting team of eleven people.”

“That means ten places besides me.”

“I never intended to haggle over these matters with you here.”

“How about this? I’ll write a hunter’s handbook.”

“I can write down all the precautions, how to make traps, and everything else I know. Uncle Sun can teach you from it.”

“You can learn at your own pace, then enter the mountains and hunt by yourselves.”

“No matter how much game you catch, you can divide it among yourselves. How does that sound?”

Lu Chuan’s voice was soft.

He had never wanted to take the villagers into the mountains in the first place. He had his own space and abilities; alone in the wilderness, he could live exceedingly well.

Besides, he could go wherever he pleased.

“Really?”

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At that moment, Fourth Aunt’s eyes lit up.

Wasn’t it just hunting?

Even a half-grown child with barely any experience could go into the mountains and hunt. If they mastered a few techniques, couldn’t they enter the mountains on their own as well?

“Mm.” Lu Chuan nodded.

“However, I suggest that you still form a hunting team. You can freely divide whatever game you catch.”

As he spoke, he continued, “I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“But you’ll need to purchase some tools yourselves and make your own traps.”

Lu Chuan spoke with utmost seriousness.

“Would that really be appropriate?”

Sun Zhi hurriedly stepped forward and spoke up.

He was worried that Lu Chuan might hold something back while teaching them.

Lu Chuan smiled. “I don’t mind either way, but I’m not going to compromise on the division of the spoils.”

“There are two options. You can choose for yourselves.”

After saying this, Lu Chuan looked toward Sun Zhi.

Sun Zhi seemed about to say something more, but then he saw Lu Chuan give him a slight shake of the head.

Only then did Sun Zhi gradually suppress his anxious thoughts.

“Are you sure that once we learn these things, we’ll be able to enter the mountains and catch game?” Fourth Aunt asked, lifting her head.

Lu Chuan gave a bitter laugh.

“When I enter the mountains alone, whether I can catch anything depends on luck.”

“Sometimes it’s perfectly normal to walk for a day or two without seeing any game. Besides, hunting is dangerous work. One careless mistake, and you could run into tigers, leopards, bears, wild boars, or other beasts.”

“All I can say is that I’ll write down everything I know as thoroughly as possible.”

“But how much you learn and how much you can actually put into practice will depend on your own abilities.”

Lu Chuan continued with a smile, “At least this way, you won’t have to worry about someone else taking a share of your game.”

Everyone began whispering among themselves.

Lu Chuan’s proposal had truly stirred their hearts.

What he wrote might not be enough to turn them into skilled hunters, but entering the mountains to catch a few wild rabbits or pheasants should not be a problem.

As for larger prey, that would depend on luck—and on how well they worked together.

That was something Lu Chuan could not teach them.

“Could we go back and discuss it among ourselves?”

At that moment, Fourth Aunt looked at Lu Chuan, visibly torn.