"Your family really treats you well!" Noticing how pleased Caleb looked, Master Chen followed along and commented with emotion.
"Of course, Ran and I are really close. We're like real siblings!" Thinking of the small and skinny Ran, Caleb's smile deepened, and even his eyes were glowing.
"Master Chen, I'm taking the pheasant home first." Without waiting for a reply, he strode off.
Along the way, whenever he ran into villagers, he proudly lifted the pheasant in his hand so they could see it. Then he grinned and said, "Yes! This pheasant was a gift from Ran!"
He thought they would all look envious after hearing that.
But to his surprise, their expressions turned strange. Still, he couldn't figure out what was different.
"Big Dad, Second Dad!" Caleb entered the yard and called out when he saw the two figures working inside.
Robert casually asked, "Weren't you helping that Ran kid build a house? Why are you back now?"
"Ran went into the mountains today and caught a pheasant. He asked me to bring it home so the family could enjoy something fresh."
As he spoke, he lifted the pheasant and gave it a shake.
Only then did Robert look up. When he saw the pheasant in his hand, a smile immediately appeared on his face.
He nodded again and again. "Didn't expect that Ran kid to treat you so well. Gave you a pheasant he caught himself. You really have been working hard for her these past few days."
"Big Dad, what are you saying? Ran just arrived and he's so thin a gust of wind could blow him over. How can I not take extra care of him?"
"Besides, I'm helping build the house and he's paying me. Honestly, he's the one looking after me!"
Hearing that, Caleb immediately got upset and spoke up in protest.
"Alright, enough with the nonsense!" Robert knew how stubborn he could be and didn't want to argue.
He walked over, took the pheasant from his hands, gave it a shake, and nodded with satisfaction.
"This pheasant is really fat. At least two or three pounds!"
"Then let's make soup with it! That way you and Second Dad can have more to eat!" Caleb said with a smile.
"We're not eating it," Robert appreciated the thought but still refused.
"I'll clean it up later. Then you can bring it to Sarah so she can get some nourishment. Once you're married, she can give you a daughter or two, and you'll have someone to depend on."
"We don't have to give her the whole thing!" Caleb's face turned red with embarrassment after hearing that, but he still insisted.
"This pheasant is so fat. Even after we give her part of it, there'll still be plenty left. Let's keep half so you and Second Dad can also get some nourishment!"
"We just had meat a few days ago. Let's not keep any of this one."
No matter what Caleb said, Robert wouldn't let him keep a portion.
Their family didn't have a matriarch. His wife had died giving birth to Caleb during a great drought.
She hadn't survived.
The other sons had all married out early. Now only Caleb was left at home.
Sarah from the village chief's house had taken a liking to him.
They were just waiting to match their birth charts, and the marriage would be set.
But their family didn't have much dowry. Sarah already had several husbands, so when Caleb married in, he could only be a concubine.
In this world, women are rare, so every country has made many laws to protect them. But because there are so few women, many men can't get married. To find a wife, they must not only be good-looking but also prepare a generous dowry.
Even so, many men still can't get married. So the law requires that all men must marry before the age of twenty-five. If they don't, eighty percent of the family's assets will be taken by the state, and their taxes will double.
Disabled men are excluded from this rule. Female rulers must marry at least five husbands before the age of twenty-five. If not, the court will assign husbands, and what kind of men they get depends on luck.
Usually, they are not too bad. Most men in this world are tall and good-looking. But there are still many who are ugly, lazy, and only care about eating, drinking, and gambling.
To avoid being assigned that kind of husband, almost all female rulers choose their husbands early. Many families receive marriage proposals as soon as their daughter comes of age. It doesn't matter if the proposal is for the position of main husband or not.
Because of this, many families start saving for their son's dowry when he is born. They are afraid their sons won't be able to marry when they grow up. So many families don't treat their sons well and just make sure they don't starve.
In their eyes, sons are a financial burden. Caleb was already twenty-two, and the deadline was getting close. His marriage had become the family's most important concern.
So when they learned that Sarah had taken a liking to Caleb and wanted to take him into her household as a concubine, the whole family was thrilled. After the excitement, worry followed. They wanted to save more money before the wedding so Caleb would have something to fall back on.
They hoped it would help him feel more confident after entering her household. Sarah's main husband was the young master of Drunken Fragrance House in Suzhou. Saying he was rich would not be an exaggeration.
"Uncle, just relax and eat. Sarah doesn't care about these things," Caleb said with a smile, knowing what Robert was worried about. "She already knows everything about our family. If she cared, she wouldn't have come to propose."
Seeing that Robert still looked worried, Caleb spoke again. "If it's really that bad, I'll go hunting with Ran tomorrow and let her teach me!"
"No. Hunting is dangerous. You're about to get married, and nothing can go wrong right now," Robert said, hitting Caleb on the arm and scolding him with a serious face.
"I got it!" Caleb didn't dare talk back after getting hit. He smiled and coaxed, "Don't worry, Uncle. I'll take care of myself. After I marry, I'll beg my wife to give me a child soon, and then you and Uncle can help raise the baby!"
"You shameless thing, already thinking about kids before you're married!" Robert was amused by his words. But he still glanced at the door.
Only when he saw no one was around did he finally relax. After all, it was only a verbal promise from Sarah. They hadn't officially exchanged betrothal gifts.
If outsiders heard what Caleb said, it might harm his reputation. Robert couldn't argue with Caleb and didn't want him to just send over half a chicken. So he ended up stewing the whole bird to help nourish Caleb.
Lately, Caleb had been working hard to save for his dowry. He left early in the morning and came back after dark. Every day he was so tired he didn't even want to move.
Seeing that Robert wasn't planning to give the wild chicken away, Caleb finally nodded with satisfaction. Then he turned and walked down the mountain.
On the other side, Ran arrived at the village chief's house. She took a wild rabbit out of her grass basket. She had caught it earlier and had just taken it out from her storage space before entering.