A *zengzi* is a type of ancient cookware. In the past, they were mostly made of pottery, but with the changing times, they have gradually evolved into "wooden *zengzi*." The outside resembles a wooden bucket, but the steaming rack inside is a conical base made of woven bamboo slats that arches slightly inward and upward. It is perforated with many small holes and can be placed over a pot to steam food.

The wooden *zengzi* in Li Xiang’s home was made of fir wood. Fir is a relatively common wood, and its light, soft texture and straight grain make it an excellent material for crafting these steamers.

There’s no set size for a *zengzi*; they can be made as large as needed. The one at Li Xiang’s house had a bottom diameter of about thirty centimeters, a top diameter of about forty centimeters, and was about fifty centimeters tall. Half a *zengzi* of rice would be at least seven or eight catties. By the standards of a city dweller’s appetite, eating in small bowls, that half a steamer of rice could serve at least thirty bowls.

Before Li Xiang returned to his hometown, his grandmother’s meals were simple. She would usually just cook some porridge with a single vegetable dish, or perhaps add a plate of pickled vegetables. They rarely ate meat. On the rare occasion she wanted to eat rice, she wouldn’t go to the trouble of making properly steamed and drained rice, but would just cook a small amount in a clay pot.

Thank goodness for the two dogs and cat at home, or she would have cooked even less.

Now that Li Xiang was home, able to earn money and with a hearty appetite, the variety of their meals had flourished.

Today’s dinner included Radish and Pork Rib Soup, Tofu Stewed with Pickled Vegetables, Braised Lion’s Head Meatballs, Spicy and Savory Marinated Beef, Stir-fried Wild Boar with Dried Red Chilies, and Braised Winter Bamboo Shoots. Granny Li Xiang was a decent cook; with decades of experience, every dish was perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

After dinner, Li Xiang grabbed his Three-pronged Steel Fork and went for a walk outside. He was mainly patrolling the area around the village to see if any wild boars had encroached on their territory.

For the past few days, he had been making these evening patrols. Thankfully, there were none.

In truth, wild boars are social animals with their own territories. When they appear, they usually do so in groups. The solitary boar from last time was likely an outcast driven from its sounder.

’Could it have been a loser from a fight for dominance?’ Li Xiang wondered. ’Kicked out by a younger, stronger boar? If so, wouldn’t that stronger boar have even greater potential?’

The news reported several incidents in other places where entire groups of wild boars had emerged to invade villages and vegetable fields.

Sichuan Province was said to have 800,000 wild boars, but spread across such a vast province, their density wasn’t that high. They usually hid deep in the mountains and old forests. If it weren’t for the heavy snow sealing off the mountains, you wouldn’t just see them casually.

When Li Xiang returned home, his grandmother was already asleep. He turned on his computer, began filling out and uploading various documents, and submitted them for review. Then, he ran some hot water, sat in the bathroom enjoying a pleasant foot soak, and checked his fan group chat.

The group was already buzzing with discussion.

The news was quite a hot topic, and since Li Xiang had mentioned in the group that he was planning to sweep the mountain in the coming days, everyone’s excitement was even higher. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Why is the official buy-back price higher for live ones than dead ones?" a fan asked.

Someone replied, "Probably because live ones taste better. A live boar, killed and sold on the spot, is naturally fresher."

"Whoa, seriously? Could it be that some high-ranking official got a craving for fresh meat and issued this bounty?"

"It’s not impossible. Otherwise, why insist that live ones are more expensive, and also ban the use of poison?"

"Yeah, how can you eat something that’s been taken down with poison?"

"I find it a bit hilarious that you now need a clean criminal record just to qualify for catching a pig."

"Haha, of course. People with a criminal record have been deprived of this right."

"It might be for safety reasons. After all, those who have committed crimes are ruthless characters. If they’re deep in the mountains with weapons, they could end up committing murder."

"We can’t use this, can’t use that. Do they want us to catch them with our bare hands?"

A fan pointed out, "You can use a lot of things, like traps, nets, spears, daggers, bows and arrows, steel forks, etc."

"Didn’t they say bows and arrows are banned?"

"No, the regulations only ban crossbows. Bows are allowed. A crossbow and a bow are different."

"That’s right. A crossbow has a firing mechanism and a sight. It has a fast firing rate and is powerful, capable of reaching over 200 pounds of draw weight. It can easily pierce an iron plate. At close range, it’s even more lethal than a gun."

"When I play PUBG, I can take out enemies with one crossbow bolt. The guys with guns stand no chance against me."

"A typical compound or recurve bow only has a draw weight of 80-100 pounds. You have to draw it back, and it takes long-term practice to be accurate. Give twenty people crossbows—even the old, weak, sick, and disabled—and you can quickly form a fighting force. But give twenty people bows, and the requirements are much higher. They’re not in the same league."

Another fan added, "Crossbows are small and easy to hide, while bows are usually larger and easily spotted."

Everyone was eagerly sharing their opinions, and the chat was on fire.

One fan asked with great curiosity, "Why the Forestry and Grassland Bureau, not the Department of Forestry? Isn’t it usually ’Department’ at the provincial level and ’Bureau’ at the city or county level?"

Someone explained, "It’s the National Forestry and Grassland Administration now, under the Ministry of Natural Resources. The subordinate provincial agencies have long since been renamed, though some have kept their old names."

"Oh, I see."

"I feel like this bounty is a godsend for Brother Xiang."

"Totally. Isn’t this just free money for Brother Xiang? Without guns, crossbows, or poison, who could be more efficient at hunting than Brother Xiang?"

"It sucks being a city slicker who has to work even when it’s snowing heavily. Otherwise, I’d totally go boar hunting with Brother Xiang!"

"This bounty came at the perfect time. It’s like it was tailor-made for Brother Xiang."

Li Xiang quickly chimed in with an explanation, "It’s just a coincidence."

His appearance made everyone even more excited, and they all started asking how his preparations were going.

Li Xiang said he had already formed a team and registered. He was just waiting for the application to be approved to get the hunting permit. Once the sleds were ready, he would start sweeping the mountains for boars.

He also took pictures of the supplies he had prepared and posted them in the group.

Everyone started commenting, pointing out things he was missing, but Li Xiang felt he had enough and couldn’t be bothered to go buy more.

「In a mansion somewhere...」

A young girl with an otherworldly and refined beauty, like a Celestial Immortal, smiled faintly. The corners of her lips curled up with interest. In a rare move, she posted in the group, "Brother Xiang, do well on this trip into the mountains. If you perform well, Auntie will give you a reward. A really big one."

Everyone laughed. "Weren’t you calling yourself ’Sis’ before? Why ’Auntie’ now? Who calls themselves old like that?"

Luo Feifei raised a delicate eyebrow and replied, "Because Auntie is happy. Auntie is 43, more than old enough to be your aunt."

"So from now on, we’ll call Top Sis ’Top Auntie’."

Luo Feifei: "Let’s make it Little Aunt, haha."

Everyone started egging Li Xiang on to hurry up and call her "Little Aunt" to earn a reward for the new title.

Li Xiang: "..."

He naturally couldn’t bring himself to say it and immediately found an excuse to go offline.

「In a grand mansion far away...」

Luo Feifei covered her dainty, cherry-like lips and let out a honking laugh.

Soon, nobody was paying much attention to her anymore. Because Top Aunt was so ugly, they thought—judging from her profile picture—that "Big Auntie" or "Fat Auntie" would be more fitting.