Is Killing the Pig Really Necessary

An unknown amount of time later, the noises from upstairs had long ceased.

Su Yang remained seated under the scorching sun, leaning back in his chair with a faint smile.

The tranquility of the village was something he hadn’t experienced in a very long time. Sitting here, memories of his childhood at his grandparents’ countryside home came flooding back.

Thud, thud, thud—footsteps descended from inside the house.

Su Yang’s ears twitched slightly as he opened his eyes.

"Su Yang!" Lu Yun called out softly from behind him.

He stood up and turned to look at her, tilting his head with a grin. "What’s up?"

Lu Yun had already stopped crying earlier, but seeing Su Yang’s smile, she couldn’t help but burst into tears again.

"Hey! Why are you crying again? Uncle Lu is fine now, what’s there to cry about?"

"Wahhh—" Sobbing, Lu Yun rushed forward and threw herself into Su Yang’s arms.

Su Yang froze for a second before chuckling. "It’s alright." He gently patted her back.

"Thank you, Su Yang," Lu Yun managed between sniffles.

"Don’t mention it. Stop crying now, your eyes are all swollen."

Lu Yun slowly pulled away, stepping back with her face flushed pink, tear-streaked and tinged with a faint blush.

"I have a small request—wonder if it’s possible?" Su Yang suddenly said with a grin.

Lu Yun wiped her tears and looked at him. "What request?"

"I want a good meal tonight."

"Uh... that’s it? I thought..."

"You thought what?"

"N-Nothing."

[Ding! Detected Lu Yun’s affection for host has reached: 100 (Love). As the first bound target to reach 100, reward granted: 30 million, +1 to physique, +1 to charm, one stat-boosting card, one Cure-All card.]

—What the—?

—So this is the reward for 100 affection? Doesn’t seem like much.

—But getting another Cure-All card is nice. That thing’s insanely powerful—if sold, it’d probably fetch a sky-high price.

[The Cure-All card can only be used by the host. Others cannot activate it.]

—Seriously? So if I sell it to someone else, it’s just a useless piece of paper?

[Correct.]

—Damn. I was thinking I could sell it for billions.

[No one would believe it, so no one would buy it.]

—Hah, fair point. Without seeing it in action, no one would trust it anyway.

—Fine, I’ll keep it then. It’s basically an extra life.

"Su Yang?"

"Hm? What’s up?" Su Yang snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Lu Yun.

"You spaced out all of a sudden."

"Ah, nothing. Just got lost in thought. It’s hot out here—let’s go inside."

Lu Yun took his hand shyly. "You come too."

"Alright, let’s go."

Upstairs in the living room, Lu Huai'an and Li Xiurong sat on the sofa, deep in conversation.

When they saw Su Yang and Lu Yun come up, Lu Huai'an immediately stood up, ready to express his gratitude again. "Xiao Su, I—"

Su Yang cut him off with a wave. "Uncle Lu, no need to say anything. This is just fate between us."

Lu Huai'an nodded, eyes brimming with tears. "Good, good! Then let’s not dwell on it. Xiurong, slaughter a pig and a chicken—today, we’re giving Xiao Su the grandest welcome!"

Li Xiurong, her earlier gloom completely gone, beamed as she stood up. "No need to tell me twice!"

"Xiao Su, sit down! Don’t just stand there. Yunyun, go get some fruit for Xiao Su."

Lu Yun nodded cheerfully. "Okay~"

Su Yang chuckled helplessly. "You’re being too polite. No need for a pig—just a chicken is enough."

"Wait, I didn’t even see any pigs around here."

"Hahaha, we don’t raise pigs ourselves. Old Liu next door does—we’ll buy one from him. Xiurong, go check if Old Liu’s home. Make sure to get the biggest, fattest one!" Lu Huai'an called out to Li Xiurong, who was still rummaging for her bag.

"Got it, just a sec!"

"Whoa, seriously, Uncle Lu, no need for all this. A few simple dishes are fine."

"Absolutely not! You just relax and leave the rest to us. Today’s a day worth celebrating—we’re going all out!"

Su Yang sighed with a smile. "Alright then. Oh, wait—give me a moment."

He turned and headed back downstairs.

Lu Huai'an followed. "Where are you going, Xiao Su?"

"Nowhere far. Just grabbing something from the car. No need to come, Uncle Lu."

"I’ll go with you."

As they stepped out into the yard, Lu Huai'an spotted a striking two-tone Maybach parked on the empty lot to the right. His jaw dropped.

"Xiao Su, is... is this your car?"

Su Yang glanced back with a grin. "Yep, Uncle Lu."

"Damn, this must’ve cost a fortune!" Lu Huai'an circled the car, inspecting it from every angle.

Su Yang scratched his head, not keen on showing off in front of elders. "Nah, not that much."

He deflected the question and popped open the trunk.

"Uncle Lu, do you drink?"

"Me? I used to, but I stopped when my health started acting up. After the diagnosis a few days ago, I definitely didn’t dare touch it. But now? Heh, I’m drinking tonight!"

"What about cigarettes? Do you smoke?"

"I do, but not much. Maybe less than a pack over two or three days."

Su Yang nodded. "That’s good. Smoking’s something you really should cut back on."

As he spoke, he lifted a case of Moutai from the trunk and set it on the ground, then bent down to pull out two packs of Hetianxia cigarettes and a box of Jin Jun Mei tea.

Lu Huai'an walked over and stared in astonishment.

"You... what’s all this?"

"I brought these as gifts for my first visit. I didn’t know about your condition when I bought them, but since I already had them, I figured I’d bring them along."

"Now that you’re healthy again, I can finally give them to you."

"Xiao Su, you’re too kind! You’ve already done so much, and now..."

Lu Huai'an glanced around and lowered his voice. "You cured an incurable disease, and now you’re giving me all this? I—I really can’t accept it. This case of Moutai isn’t cheap!"

"Don’t worry about it, Uncle Lu. Keep it for special occasions—when relatives visit during the holidays, you’ll have something nice to serve. Here, take these two, and I’ll carry the wine."

Su Yang shoved the cigarettes and tea into Lu Huai'an’s hands, then hoisted the case of Moutai and headed back inside.

Just then, Li Xiurong came out and froze at the sight. "Xiao Su, what’s this?"

"Oh, just a case of wine I got for Uncle Lu. Didn’t bring it in earlier since he was bedridden."

"Goodness, you..."

Lu Huai'an followed, shaking his head. "Xiao Su, I... I’m not great with words, but I’ll say this now—from today onward, if you ever need anything, I’ll do it without hesitation. Even if it costs me my life!"

Su Yang let out a hearty laugh, "Oh come on, Uncle Lu, enough with that talk—keep it up and I’ll just drive off, you hear?"

"Alright, alright, fine! Not another word. You go on inside now. Your aunt and I are off to buy the pig."

…