While Su Ya was curious about the mistress's actions and imagined whether she would have a little master or a little mistress in the future, thinking of such a soft little baby made her heart melt!
Inside, Su Ya helped Zhao Jiaqi get dressed. Outside, Ying Xiong and Fan Zehao returned with their haul.
Chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits were ordinary prey. Behind them were a wild sheep, a wild ox, a roe deer, a sika deer, and even a wild boar, grunting and ready to attack.
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the wild boar and thought that if it hadn't been injured, its tusks might have sent her to the roof!
Ying Xiong smiled at the game behind him and said, "How do you like these catches? We didn't give up on anything we could catch!"
How was it?
It was excellent, of course. They hadn't missed a single thing that could be roasted!
"You're in for a treat tonight. Get someone to clean them up. I'll show you a skill tonight – roast whole pig!"
As for the oxen, sheep, and chickens, they were child's play!
Hearing about the roast whole pig, Fan Zehao was the most excited. "Ying Xiong, today is truly a feast! Roasting a whole pig takes time and effort, and the process is complicated. Even if you watched, your amazing memory couldn't retain the tedious steps. In the years we've been married, we've only had it once or twice in the summer, and that was only if my wife was in a good mood!"
Ying Xiong was intrigued by Fan Zehao's words and couldn't believe he lived such a constrained life!
"Brother, don't lie to me. Your wife doesn't seem like an unreasonable person. How can she refuse to cook food you like? Don't worry, I'll talk to her later. A man needs to be given enough face at home. She needs to know the three obediences and four virtues!"
Fan Zehao was so scared by the mention of the three obediences and four virtues that he almost lost his soul. He quickly grabbed Ying Xiong and said, "I think this is just fine. If we ate it often, everyone would get tired of it, don't you think!"
He understood the matter of the three obediences and four virtues, but they were not rules he had set for his wife; they were rules his wife had set for him!
It had been quite some time since he had experienced the three obediences and four virtues. If Ying Xiong reminded his wife, he would inevitably be subjected to rules again!
Two words were clearly written on Fan Zehao's forehead!
Henpecked!
Ying Xiong finally believed that this once formidable figure was truly afraid of his wife, and it was too obvious!
However, in his opinion, Old Master Fan was more doting on his wife. Otherwise, how could a woman less than 1.7 meters tall with an ordinary appearance capture a man's heart!
The two chuckled at each other, unaware of each other's thoughts!
Shi He was thinking about his discovery on the mountain. Since his master was chatting with Ying Xiong, he couldn't voice his concerns. On the other hand, the mistress was cooking, so he couldn't rely on her.
Seeing that they were having tea, Shi He stepped forward, bowed, and whispered a few words in his ear before standing respectfully by his side.
Fan Zehao, who had been laughing happily, frowned and his face darkened after hearing Shi He's words. Clearly, he had connected some dots.
Looking at the calm and composed Ying Xiong, he raised an eyebrow subtly and said with a forced smile, "Brother Ying, this roast whole pig will take over an hour. I happen to have made a discovery. Why don't you come with me to take a look? We can solve it and come back to eat the roast meat. How about it, are you interested in joining?"
Ying Xiong was not foolish. He had seen them whispering and Fan Zehao's change in expression. He just didn't know what had caused such a quick shift.
Since Fan Zehao was unwilling to say, but invited him to go ahead, it was likely a test.
Ying Xiong made a gesture to invite him. "Brother Fan's invitation, I will naturally accept. Please lead the way, Brother Fan!"
Fan Zehao got up and left a few men, Feng Xiao and the Dragon Guards, behind to protect his wife and son in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
He and Ying Xiong followed Shi He towards the place where the horse tracks were found. Along the way, Fan Zehao spoke directly, "Brother Ying, have you had any involvement with the horse bandits?"
Ying Xiong was surprised and didn't understand the meaning of Fan Zehao's words.
"Brother, are you mistaken? I'm a businessman, how could I be colluding with horse bandits, who are a scourge?"
"If our two sides were colluding, what would be my motive?"
He was a businessman, the richest man in the Yun Kingdom. Why would he need to cooperate with a bunch of hoodlums!
For wealth?
He already had more money than he knew what to do with!
To harm someone?
Even if he wanted to kill someone, it wouldn't be so blatant. He could hire some professional assassins for a sum of money. Wouldn't that be faster and more discreet? Why go to such lengths to create a fuss here!
"If it's a crime of passion, that's even more incorrect. I've only had one wife in my life, and she died in a war. I can't say I've been chaste, but I truly haven't had any other women. Therefore, it's even more impossible to have contact with horse bandits. Brother Fan, don't you agree!"
Hearing this, Fan Zehao thought it made sense.
Now, he didn't know who was telling the truth and who was lying. However, the truth was only one, and he believed it wouldn't be far away.
This made Ying Xiong hate the horse bandits to the core. His relationship with Fan Zehao had just begun to improve, and now there was such a suspicious incident, his good mood instantly plummeted.
He decided to resolve the matter of the horse bandits together with Fan Zehao.
First, to prove his innocence!
Second, to remove the suspicion between them, so that they could become true friends, as he was sincere and had no intention of using him!
Shi He led them to the area around the horse tracks, and the group began to explore the surrounding terrain. Ying Xiong had traveled extensively and was familiar with riding horses in plains and wide forests, but he had never seen hoofprints on a slope.
Ying Xiong pointed to the surroundings and said to Fan Zehao beside him, "Brother, look at the surroundings. The trees are dense, the grass is overgrown, and the forest is thick. Let alone horses running, even people running and jumping at high speed could easily bump into trees. How could horses be raised here?"
One horse, or two horses, would be possible, but a herd of horses appearing in this dense forest was completely impossible!
Unless it was a hunting forest with more open spaces, where horses could run. In this place, a horse would hit a tree after just a few steps!