Chapter 2 Eating Meat

  Having tasted hunger, Yang Yun immediately put eating a full meal as the top priority at the moment.

  Thinking of the white hair on his parents' heads, and his little sister's frail body that would fall with just a gust of wind, Yang Yun gritted his teeth in secret, vowing that not only would he and his family have enough to eat, but they would also become extremely wealthy and noble, enjoying all the blessings of life. Only then would this reincarnation be worthwhile.

  Recalling things from his past life, Yang Yun remembered that he was probably around 16 or 17 years old when he left home to seek the Tao. Twenty years had passed in a flash, and only after achieving some minor success in his cultivation did he think of returning home.

  At that time, however, he found that his hometown had suffered from war, and his relatives were scattered. Yang Yun searched for a long time, but only learned from occasional encounters with fellow villagers that all his family members had escaped and there was no other news.

  At that time, Yang Yunxiu was still young and inexperienced. The methods of searching for gods and tracing tracks were only a few miles away. How could he find his scattered relatives?

  After Yang Yunxiu had been gone for many years, thinking that his family must have passed away long ago, he completely gave up the idea of searching for relatives and cut off all worldly ties to focus on spiritual cultivation.

  Cultivation knows no time, Yang Yun strolled forward, and suddenly broke through the layers of heavenly boundaries, finally becoming a top-notch figure in the cultivation world. At this point, it's unknown whether it's been thousands or tens of thousands of years, Yang Yun entered the True Fantasy Stage, a realm that makes everyone in the cultivation world change color with fear.

  Cultivating immortality is difficult, with numerous calamities. Among them, the most formidable are the three calamities of heaven, earth, and man. Within these, there are further distinctions between major and minor calamities. During the True Illusory Realm, one will encounter what is known as the "Great Calamity". The boundaries between reality and illusion become blurred, with the false and true intertwined, making it difficult for people to distinguish between them, to the point where they may not even want to try.

  Adding to the deliberate and meticulous ones, as well as the external heavenly demons pushing the waves, those who can break through the true fantasy period are less than one in ten. Most people will get lost in the fantasy world, slowly grinding away their cultivation, dying a tragic death, or going crazy and starting a killing spree, only to be eliminated by the combined efforts of the cultivation world.

  Yang Yun encountered one of the illusions during his true fantasy period, which was reuniting with his own parents.

  The most frightening thing is that although it's an illusory person, the scene is completely real. What Yang Yun saw in the illusion was exactly what happened to his family members who got separated back then.

  The old father fled in the chaos and got separated from his family, when he returned home alone, he encountered looting soldiers, the last bit of food buried in the courtyard was also forced to be searched and taken away, and finally died of injury and starvation at home.

  Big Brother was captured by the Northern Liang army while fleeing and became a strong soldier, filling the moat like cannon fodder in the Battle of Qianjiang City.

  Yang Yun also had a second brother Yang Yue. Due to poverty and lack of land, at the age of 14, he followed someone to sea and became a sailor. The fleet to which Yang Yue belonged lost business in the chaotic world, and after disbanding, he and a group of sailors became thieves. In a naval battle, he lost his life.

  Little sister Yang Lin, accompanied by her elderly mother, wandered and suffered humiliation, but finally managed to survive. After the chaotic world had slightly calmed down, the two of them found a broken house in a ruined city to settle down, Yang Lin searched everywhere for odd jobs or picking up scraps, while her mother went out every day to beg, and also opened up a small piece of wasteland in the courtyard to grow vegetables. The mother and daughter relied on each other for survival, living a hard life.

  In the early years, there were also people who wanted to take Yang Lin as their wife or concubine, but Yang Lin couldn't bear to part with her old mother, so nothing came of it. As time passed, youth faded away, and after Yang's mother passed away, no one asked about Yang Lin anymore. In the end, she spent her final years in loneliness, dying without any children, a desolate figure. The villagers simply wrapped her body in a straw mat and sent her off to the pauper's cemetery.

  In the fantasy realm, Yang Yun must adhere to his Daoist heart and not take action no matter what kind of encounter he has with his relatives. If he moves even a single finger, he will immediately become lost forever.

  Although he had been a human being for two lifetimes, Yang Yun's face changed greatly when he thought of these things, and his cold sweat dripped down.

  The failure of the Great Tribulation might be a good thing, losing the opportunity to ascend to immortality, but gaining rebirth instead. Those regrets and resentments will have themselves in the future, surely they won't happen again. Yang Yun thought this way, clenching his fists tightly.

  "In this life, I don't seek to attain the Tao and become an immortal, but only wish for freedom and leisure, following my heart's desires, with my family being wealthy and prosperous, having a vast and expansive world at my disposal, allowing me to roam freely. As for cultivation, it can be done as I please, and having the power to protect myself in chaotic times is sufficient."

  Disregarding the two streams of tears falling down her cheeks, Yang Yun looked up at the sky and laughed loudly, feeling that the lump in her chest had vanished, and it was extremely refreshing.

  The laughter had not yet subsided when a rumbling noise came from the belly, those bamboo shoots were no match for the meal, and now they had been digested to a great extent.

  Yang Yun sighed twice, thought that the rehearsal had been successful, and there was nothing to do here, so he tucked two books under his arm, walked out of the bamboo forest, and slowly headed home.

  Not long after walking, a burly man with a shiny pig-killing knife at his waist and several pieces of pork and offal in his hand came face to face on the road.

  Yang Yun took a look at this person and recognized him as Wang, the butcher from the east end of the village.

  "Uncle Wang, where is this going?"

  Wang Tudou was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and replied: "So it's the third son of the Yang family. How did you know to call someone today?"

  If it were the original Yang Yun, who was diligent in his studies, he would have looked down on Wang Tuhou and his family, especially since they could afford to eat pork almost every day, which made him feel a bit inferior, so they rarely greeted each other when they met.

  Nowadays it's different, in Yang Yun's heart, butchers and emperors are no different, they're all just ordinary people.

  "Uncle Wang is going to his mother-in-law's house in town, right? But sending these things to the old people's home might not be welcome." Yang Yun said with a smile.

  "How did you know?" Wang the butcher's heart skipped a beat, he was big and tall, but his wife was petite and delicate. He loved her dearly, but also feared her. He often sent gifts to his mother-in-law's house, but she never looked at him with kindness, always speaking in a lukewarm tone.

  "When you go to your mother-in-law's house, change into another set of clothes and don't forget to put away the knife. Have all these aunties instructed you?" Yang Yun asked.

  "Yes, all the clothes are in the package."

  "That's the gift. Your mother-in-law's family is also one of the wealthy families in town, they don't lack a few pieces of meat to eat. You're so bloody-minded about it, it's actually embarrassing."

  "This is what I'm saying, but I'm just a butcher, apart from this meat there's nothing else worth sending. If I were to buy something expensive and useless, I'd be afraid of being scolded by my mother-in-law." King Butcher hesitated.

  "It depends on whether you're careful or not. Now that the Spring Festival is approaching, your aunt's body is weak, and she has been coughing these days? Your mother-in-law is older, so I guess her cough is even worse. Let me give you a suggestion: when you go to the town, ask Chun Tang for a nourishing prescription, match it with this pig lung in your hand, package it well and send it over, let the elderly simmer it into porridge and take it morning and evening, nourish the body and moisten the lungs, isn't that good?"

  Wang Tudou was overjoyed, "You're indeed a scholar! I'll do as you say."

  "This is a gift, take it!" Wang Tuhou flung over a piece of five-flower pork.

  "Thank you, Uncle Wang." Yang Yun's eyes were quick and her hands were fast, and she caught it in one swift motion.

  Watching Yang Yun's agile movements, Wang Butou was slightly surprised, but he had just received a hint and hastily bid farewell and left.

  Yang Yunxi carried the meat home with a smile.

  When he saw his home from afar, Yang Yun suddenly stopped in his tracks and slapped his forehead with force.

  "Ah - I'm not muddled, am I? Only giving ideas to Wang the butcher, but didn't think of this path earlier." Yang Yun suddenly thought that behind the village was Xiao Yue Mountain, where the grass and trees were lush, with many valuable medicinal herbs, only ordinary people lacked knowledge and couldn't identify them.

  "This isn't a way to make a fortune? A lot of money is growing on the mountain, and when I pick it, others won't suspect anything, at most they'll just think I'm lucky. This way of making money has no consequences, it's as safe as can be."

  Yang Yun thought of a way and walked into his home with ease, humming a little tune.

  She handed over the five-flower pork, which weighed more than four catties, to her mother's hands and said, "Mother, this was given by Uncle Wang from the east village. Clean it up and cook it for dinner tonight."

  Yang was taken aback, "Why did he give you such an expensive thing?"

  "I met him on the road and he was happy to talk, so he threw this at me. I don't care why, as long as it's edible. If worst comes to worst, we can just use the official gifts from the government this year to return some favors to his family."

  Yang thought for a moment, the Wang butcher's family is rich, these pork are nothing to his family. His son Yang Yun is now also a Xiucai, it's okay if the Wang butcher sends some gifts, so he stopped asking and planned how to deal with this five-flower meat.

  According to Yang's intention, it was to be made into cured meat, eating a little bit every day. Yang Yun is now starving in his stomach, so he directly urged Yang to make a braised pork dish.

  Yang's most favored youngest son, and seeing Yang Yun's poor complexion, also wanted to supplement him, but was still hesitant, "Making braised pork is fine, it's just that we don't have soy sauce or sugar at home."

  Yang Yun knew that soy sauce was nothing special, but sugar was quite expensive. At home, they usually only bought some during the Chinese New Year, and now it had all been used up.

  "What's difficult about that? Just go next door to Old Man Changsheng's house and borrow some, then when the braised pork is done, send a bowl back to their house." Yang Yun suggested.

  Yang heard and really went to borrow seasonings, also borrowed two catties of new rice, and started bustling in the kitchen.

  When cutting the meat, Yang couldn't bear to part with it, and from the five-flower pork, he cut off seven or eight liang of fat, which he stir-fried in an iron pot until it was half dry. Together with the lard that had been fried out, he stored it in a ceramic jar and hid it away in a corner of the stove.

  Yang Lin carried a basket of freshly cut grass into the yard, and before she could put down the basket, she exclaimed loudly, "What's cooking? It smells so good!"

  She rushed into the kitchen, lifted the lid of the pot, and saw a pot of red, oily braised pork belly rolling around in the thick soup.

  At that moment, Yang Lin's saliva flowed down, and she stretched out her hand to scoop up the meat from the boiling pot, but was slapped away by Mrs. Yang.

  "Dead girl, don't be afraid of scalding your paws! Wait till tonight when your dad and big brother come back, then we'll eat together."

  Poor Yang Lin was not giving up, taking advantage of helping with cooking, she ran to the stove more than a dozen times in no time.

  Unfortunately, Yang held a wok and guarded her like a mother tiger protecting her cub, not leaving her side for an inch, so Yang Lin had no chance to make a move.

  Yang Yun's room was next to the kitchen, and he could hear every sound inside clearly. He held a book in his hand, pretending to read with a nodding head, but had already secretly laughed several times in his heart.

  The braised pork had been stewed for a long time, the soup was gradually drying up, and a strong fragrance wafted everywhere, straight into Yang Yun's nostrils, enticing the hungry worms in his stomach to emerge one by one.

  Yang Yun couldn't help but feel a little ashamed, "Yang Yun, Yang Yun, where is your spiritual state? You're already at the Tribulation stage and you still crave a bowl of braised pork belly. If others find out, I'll lose face in front of fellow cultivators."

  Yang Yun swallowed a mouthful of saliva and muttered to herself like this, even holding her book upside down without realizing it.

  After finally enduring until the sun sets in the west, the two people who were tilling the fields returned home, and inevitably there was another round of questioning and explanation.

  Yang finally put out the fire and lifted the lid. The fragrance wafted up, making everyone's mouth water.

  Yang took out the best porcelain bowl from home, carefully filled it up and handed it to Yang Lin: "Go, take this to your uncle Changsheng's house."

  Yang Lin was so happy that she ran with the bowl in her hands, and Yang chased after her, shouting "Be careful, don't drop the bowl!"

  Yang Lin came back with a greasy mouth and a sly smile on her face, as if she had just stolen a chicken. Everyone in the Yang family pretended not to notice, including herself. Thinking that no one had discovered her secret, Yang Lin smiled even more complacently.

  The Yang family didn't have any particular rules when it came to eating, several people sat together in a circle, Mr. Yang first picked up a piece of meat, as if they had received some kind of signal, the whole family suddenly started eating like rain pouring down, with loud chewing sounds filling the air.

  "Delicious!" - A mouthful of braised pork was swallowed with a mouthful of white rice, "It would be great if I could eat it every day", Yang Yun exclaimed in her heart, the chopsticks in her hand constantly reaching for the plate.