Journey to the West: The Immortal Clan Begins by Feeding Monkeys at Five Elements Mountain

Chapter 6 There are pigs in the school
As the year draws to a close, the village's lively atmosphere grows stronger day by day.

The air was filled with the aroma of cured meat and the warmth of the stove fire; even the greetings at the village entrance and alleyways had a touch of everyday life.

Liu Xiulian's belly grew increasingly swollen, and she walked as if she were carrying a porcelain jar.

Jiang Yi took on all the household chores, both the rough and the fine.

He chopped firewood, carried water, and occasionally did the laundry with rough hands.

However, my skills are still developing, and the clothes I washed always had more wrinkles and were less clean than before.

Liu Xiulian wasn't annoyed; she just smiled, making Jiang Yi's ears turn red, but warming his heart.

Sometimes the two of them would stand side by side, drying cured meat and sorting New Year's goods, mostly mundane holiday matters.

Stealing a moment from his busy schedule, Jiang Yi would gently press his ear against her round belly while she rested, listening to what was happening inside.

Or he might take those two mischievous little brats in the yard, wrestle and play around for a while, and exchange a few playful curses.

Amidst the noise and commotion, the festive atmosphere of the New Year felt even stronger.

However, Jiang Yi gradually began to sense something was amiss.

In the midst of their playful fight, when the eldest son, Jiang Ming, pounced on them, he was surprisingly driven by a powerful and compelling force.

He's only six or seven years old, his bones haven't fully grown in yet, and he's not very strong.

But that sudden movement caused him to stumble and almost lose his balance.

The strength was strangely solid, unlike that of a child, but more like that of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy.

Jiang Yi's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't tell if it was the breathing technique that worked or if the kid had encountered something else in the back mountain.

However, this doesn't seem to have any downsides; being stronger is always better than being weak.

Jiang Yi didn't want to pry, nor did he intend to investigate further.

As the saying goes, water has its own way; sometimes it forms waterfalls when there are many mountains, and sometimes it forms pools when it is still and deep. It is better to let it flow.

The thought flashed through his mind, but he remained calm and continued to fool around with the two boys.

Amidst laughter and playful antics, chickens and dogs scattered and jumped about, disturbing even the chickens outside, who fluttered up into the trees.

……

That day, Jiang Yi didn't go to the hillside to patrol the land; he stayed in the yard, quite leisurely.

He held sulfur in one hand and rubbed charcoal in the other, with half a piece of torn paper on his knee.

The school was going to close for the New Year holiday in two days, but Jiang Yi had already agreed to make a big firecracker, guaranteed to be louder than the one from Da Niu's house at the village entrance.

The smell of gunpowder grew stronger in the courtyard, while the aroma from the kitchen grew richer.

Liu Xiulian, holding a spoon, stood guard by the pot, refusing to rest despite her pregnant belly, insisting that the fried food for the New Year should not be left to others.

The oil temperature and the thickness of the coating are crucial and cannot be taken lightly; a slight difference will result in greasy crispy pork.

Jiang Yi leaned over to lend a hand, but she glared at him and said his hands were as rough as hoes, and he shouldn't turn the festive atmosphere into a disaster.

He had no choice but to retreat sheepishly, pick up a pinch of gunpowder, and continue fiddling with the firecrackers.

Just as they were busy, a commotion suddenly came from the direction of the village school, as if someone was shouting their life out of their hands.

Before long, Aunt Niu's voice came from outside the courtyard. She was panting like a bellows, and there was a hint of panic in her voice.

"Brother Jiang, hurry! A wild boar has broken into the school! This is serious!"

She hadn't even seen him yet, but her voice was already blaring.

"Your son Ming... oh dear, him..."

She only got halfway through her sentence before her breath caught in her throat, leaving her gasping and coughing.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi's expression changed. Without bothering to ask further questions, he stomped his foot and leaped forward.

The entrance to the private school was already crowded with people, young and old, all peeking in.

There were mothers and daughters crying and calling their babies' names, their voices trembling with sobs.

Some men were also craning their necks to peek into the crowd at their own children.

The air was filled with dust, sweat, and the pungent smell of wild boar.

Several benches in front of the door were crooked and overturned, as if someone had kicked them over while fleeing in panic, and they had fallen flat on their backs.

Jiang Yi frowned, quickened his pace, and squeezed his way into the crowd.

Inside the house, a wild boar, about half a person's height, was being held down by several strong men.

It was kicking wildly, roaring, and had several abrasions on its body, looking like it had been through a lot in the yard.

Jiang Yi was extremely anxious and rushed around the house looking for the person.

Finally, I spotted a familiar group of figures in a corner next to the presentation.

My own son is squatting with the teacher.

His clothes were disheveled, as if they had been torn, and there was a bruise on his exposed shoulder, which looked rather frightening. Jiang Yi's eyelids twitched, but thankfully he hadn't lost any limbs and was still relatively unharmed.

That Master Cen looked like he was still in shock, and there was so much sweat on his forehead that you could wring out a whole vat of it.

But she still lingered around Jiang Ming, sometimes kneading his calves, sometimes massaging his arms, her eyes full of scrutiny and contemplation.

Judging from his expression, it seemed less like he was checking for injuries and more like he was admiring some kind of treasure.

Jiang Yi squeezed through the crowd and walked to his son's side.

After searching himself thoroughly and confirming that he was alright, he finally managed to exhale completely.

The surrounding voices were chaotic, but it wasn't difficult to pick out a few words to listen to.

It is said that this wild boar somehow managed to crawl into the village from the mountain, and following the scent, it went into the schoolhouse.

The children had never seen anything like this before, and chaos erupted with chickens flying, dogs barking, and cries filling the air. This only enraged the beast further, causing it to rampage wildly around the house.

Unlike outside, boys in the village with some strength are all sent out to work at a young age.

Master Cen is quite old and his legs are no longer agile. Relying on him to protect the whole field is asking too much of him.

Just at this critical juncture, that kid Jiang Ming popped up.

Without saying a word, he began to deal with the wild boar, dodging and weaving, managing to entangle the beast for a while.

This gave the strong men in the village time to arrive.

Only after the wild boar was tied up and held down did the people inside the house regain their composure.

One by one, they stepped forward and thanked Jiang Ming.

They say this kid is a real man, courageous and insightful, and his future is sure to be bright.

Some people patted Jiang Yi on the shoulder and laughed at his excellent parenting skills.

Jiang Yi remained silent, his face showing no joy, his eyes fixed intently on the bruise.

My heart was pounding. I wondered whether I should praise his courage first or scold him for being reckless and showing off when we got home.

On the other side, Master Cen was still looking Jiang Ming up and down, staring at him like he was choosing a mule or a horse.

His eyes revealed undisguised astonishment and affection, and he murmured to himself:

"Such talent... such a promising prospect, wasted, wasted..."

Jiang Yi heard it clearly; his ears twitched, but his face remained expressionless.

He immediately took his leave politely, pulled the boy away from the teacher, and went ahead to Doctor Li's pharmacy.

Doctor Li remained as experienced as ever, not even raising his eyes as his hands continued moving.

He pinched and pressed the boy up and down, praising him as he did so, saying that the boy was tough and had strong bones, and wouldn't get hurt from a fall.

After saying that, he opened a pot of medicinal wine, a prescription for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis.

Jiang Yi was relieved and led his son back home.

Winter days are short, and the sunlight slants across the road, scattering fragments of gold.

Jiang Yi pondered for a moment, trying to figure out how to bring it up.

Finally, he raised his eyes first and said in a calm tone:
"You did a good job today. You didn't panic or back down. You're a man who can handle things."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ming's eyes lit up immediately, and he hurriedly replied, "Dad, I remember!"

Jiang Yi changed the subject and said:

"But remember this: you were lucky today. If you ever encounter something this dangerous again, try to avoid it if you can, and if you can't avoid it, protect yourself first."

Jiang Ming responded loudly, nodding his head vigorously.

Jiang Yi noticed that his eyes were darting around, and there was a hint of smugness on his lips.

Judging from his appearance, he probably listened to the praise, but he might not have listened to the reprimand.

Jiang Yi understood the temperament of this half-grown child, so he didn't say much, only sighed.

When they returned home, Liu Xiulian was already waiting at the door. As soon as she saw them come back, she quickly went to greet them.

Jiang Yi just laughed and said, "It's nothing. A wild boar came into the school and he tripped and fell, only getting a few scrapes."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiulian's tense nerves finally relaxed.

After seeing that her son only had a bruise on his shoulder and was indeed not seriously injured, she frowned and scolded him:
"Clumsy and always causing trouble."

She carefully applied the medicine, her touch gentle, but her heartache was palpable.

Jiang Ming cried out in pain, but his eyes still held a hint of pride from the praise he had just received, and his eyebrows were practically raised to the sky.

Seeing that, Jiang Yi chuckled and went out of the house with his hands behind his back to continue fiddling with the firecrackers.

(End of this chapter)