Chapter 123: The Trickster

Shen An and Shen Ning had planned to nap before the strenuous task of carrying their belongings over the mountains, but with departure imminent, their restlessness kept them awake in bed.

Just as they were finally succumbing to sleep, another two knocks at the courtyard gate startled them awake again, fully alert.

Sang Luo, having no choice, didn't bother trying to sleep either.

Accompanied by Shen Lie, she went out to greet the visitors. Hearing it was Shopkeeper Xu and the Dong brothers, they quietly opened the gate and welcomed the Xu family inside.

By this time, Shen An and Shen Ning had put on their cotton jackets and left their beds. They met face-to-face with the three Xu cousins, who had just entered, each carrying a bundle on their backs and in their arms.

The siblings belatedly realized they were about to gain three new companions.

After brief introductions, the children slowly started to interact. Shopkeeper Xu inquired about where to deliver the grain and how the handover would be coordinated.

With conscription looming, Shen Lie's group couldn’t delay their journey for them. They needed to leave tonight, so they arranged a meeting point and time for Shopkeeper Xu to deliver the grain, where he would wait until Shen Lie’s group could take over.

Before then, the Xu family only had some dried food, jerky, and fruit preserved in their bundles. They would need to rely on Shen's grain supply until theirs arrived.

Shen Lie and Sang Luo had no objections. While their grain stock wasn't the largest among the five families, their household had the fewest mouths to feed, making their per capita share of grain relatively the richest.

With the same consumption pattern, Shen Lie and Sang Luo, along with their two children, could stretch their grain supply almost a year longer than the others.

The designated meeting point needed to be shown, not just described, so Shopkeeper Xu and his family had to accompany them for a while. The Dong brothers quickly went downhill to dismiss the coachman and send him back to the county.

People from the various families began arriving at the courtyard, carefully spaced out. Arriving in small groups, carrying or wearing their belongings, they were so cautious that they barely made a sound, ensuring their journey from the village to Shen's courtyard went unnoticed.

As the Xu family watched the other families arrive, barely having time to feel anxious, Sang Luo had already efficiently rolled up the bedding and quilts.

Chen Popo distributed a bag of medicinal powder, instructing everyone to stuff it into the cloth wraps around their legs. When it came to Madame Xu's turn, it was evident from their attire, though plainly purchased for the journey, that they weren't accustomed to wearing leg bindings.

Sang Luo rummaged through her own bundle and pulled out a large roll of cloth strips, handing them to the Xu family and teaching them how to properly tie the leg bindings.

They served two purposes: protection against snakes and leg support.

The Xu family was unfamiliar with this, but fortunately, the members of the other five families were helpful, guiding and assisting them until everyone was ready.

They were all set to depart, and it wasn’t even the fourth watch of the night yet.

Only then did the Xu family realize that although Shen Lie’s group didn’t seem to have many young and strong members, everyone was armed.

Aside from various metal tools and knives carried in backpacks or handheld, Wei Qinghe recognized that Shen Lie, Lu Erlang, and Lu Sanlang were equipped with military swords and bows. Even the women and children each had at least a bow or slingshot.

The three Xu children were stunned, especially Wang Yunzhen, who was usually quiet. He saw even younger children, each with a bow on their back and a sizeable pouch slung across, bulging with stones. He learned from his cousin, after asking the boy named Shen An, that they were all filled with pebbles.

And boys around his age, or a year or two older, were even carrying bamboo bows and arrows.

As Wei Qinghe stood bewildered, Shen Lie asked him, “Do you know how to use a bow and arrow?”

Seeing him shake his head, Shen Lie handed him an axe to put in his large basket, “Then take this for self-defense.”

Indeed, besides carrying his own belongings, Wei Qinghe was also helping the Shen family by carrying some of their items, balancing a large basket on one side and a bamboo chicken cage on the other, which housed three chickens and three ducks.

The chickens and ducks were not particularly calm and made some noise due to their anxiety, but since the Shen residence was situated in a secluded location, it wasn’t a concern. Even if the sounds reached the village, it was unlikely anyone would pay attention.

Among the five families, only the Shen family attempted to bring live chickens and ducks. The other families had quietly slaughtered theirs earlier during the month and made them into dried meat.

Shen Lie, seeing that everything was ready and everyone had arrived, took two prepared torches from a basket, lit them using the house's oil lamp, then extinguished the lamp and poured out any remaining oil. He wrapped the lamp and stashed it in a backpack, then whispered to the group, “Let’s go.”

The torches were held by Chen Popo and Lu Lao Tai Tai, the elder ladies who didn’t carry baskets, leading the way for everyone to see the path under their feet.

Shen Lie and Sang Luo, accompanied by Shen An and Shen Ning, were at the rear, personally closing the gate of the small courtyard.

Sang Luo touched the wooden gate and looked back at the small courtyard in the night, sighing before asking Shen Lie to remove the external lock and take it with them.

The group merged into the procession, with Shen Lie and Lu Erlang, the most familiar with the terrain, leading at the front and covering the rear.

As they crossed the ridge, it was unclear whether it was Shen Lie at the front or Zhou Cunzheng in the middle who first halted, prompting everyone to stop and look back.

Shili Village.

Most of them were born and raised here, but now they had to leave. Whether they could return was uncertain, and even if they did, they didn't know when that would be or if Shili Village would still be the same place.

Unnoticed, tears welled up in their eyes.

Zhou Cunzheng wiped his eyes, lifting his smile, “Let’s go. We’re heading towards life.”

……

The mountain path was uneven, and the night still dark, but over the past two months, everyone, young and old, had been purposefully training. The children often started exercising at the crack of dawn, carrying half-filled baskets of stones up and down the hills. Accustomed to the weight, they didn’t tire as easily, at least not so soon.

Though it was midnight, the torchlight made visibility similar to, if not better than, their early morning training sessions, not causing much inconvenience.

The only ones struggling to keep up were the members of the Xu family.

It couldn’t be helped; none of them, from the oldest to the youngest, had ever endured such hardship.

But the group was mindful of them. The Xu family was placed in the middle of the procession, and with Shopkeeper Xu and the Dong brothers helping to carry some of their belongings, the elder Xu and the children managed to keep pace.

The light from the torches twisted and turned, finally disappearing completely into the forest, taking the group with it, leaving behind only the dark night and the low humming and soft chirping of unseen insects in the grass – a night like any other in Shili Village.

……

Shen Jin, like on every other night, awoke just before dawn.

Over the past two months, he had grown accustomed to waking at this hour.

The Shen family had no way of telling time, and in this remote village, there were no watchmen to sound the hour. Shen Jin didn’t know the time, so he lay with his eyes closed, ears alert, waiting for the familiar ‘bird calls.’

After a long wait without hearing them, he began to wonder if he had woken up too early, perhaps before he had even properly slept, mistaking the time?

As he pondered, he thought he saw a faint light through the window. It was still dark outside – maybe it was an illusion?

Then Shen Jin heard the roosters in the village start to crow.

Surely the roosters hadn’t risen early too?

Restlessly, he waited, glancing towards the window now and then, wondering. After a significant time, he realized it was indeed getting lighter. By this time of day, wouldn’t everyone usually be gathering?

Shen Jin thought maybe Shen An had forgotten about him.

Quietly, he got up, slipped on his cotton jacket, and tiptoed to the door, opening it bit by bit, just enough to slip through, then stealthily closed it behind him.

He repeated the process with the main house door and courtyard gate, being extra careful not to make any noise and wake his parents. Slipping out into the cold, Shen Jin felt a slight sweat from the effort.

Once outside, he joyfully ran straight to the small hill where his brother often took them.

However, as he excitedly reached the foot of the hill, he heard no sound. Looking up towards the hillside in the dim light of dawn, he saw no one.

He paused, perplexed, looking up at the sky. It was indeed getting lighter.

Shen Jin ran up to the middle of the hillside, circled around it, and then raced to the top. There was no one there…

Shen Jin sat for a while on the rock at the mid-hill where they often rested, but no one came. Finally, unable to wait any longer, he ran down the hill, skillfully navigating the turns towards his brother’s house.

From the base of the hill, the small courtyard was eerily silent, not a sound to be heard. Approaching to knock, Shen Jin was surprised to find the wooden gate moved when he touched it.

Was the gate not closed?

Shen Jin pushed the gate open slightly and peeked in, "Shen An, Shen Ning? Are you up?"

After calling out once, still no response came from the courtyard, making Shen Jin feel increasingly uneasy. He pushed the gate open and entered.

The quietness in the courtyard was unsettling, making Shen Jin's heart race for reasons he couldn't comprehend. He slowed his pace, "Shen An? Shen Ning, are you home?"

“Big brother?”

“Sister-in-law?”

No one replied.

In the entire courtyard, only Shen Jin's own voice echoed.

Now at the main house’s door, which was slightly ajar but not latched from inside, Shen Jin wouldn’t normally dare to push it open as it was usually off-limits to everyone.

But today, driven by an inexplicable anxiety, he found himself gently pushing the door open.

The dim morning light that had barely revealed silhouettes earlier was now kind enough to illuminate the room somewhat better, allowing Shen Jin to clearly see inside.

Except for the time he helped his sister-in-law carry grain, this was only Shen Jin’s second entry into this room.

But the room was too empty. It was so bare that even the mats, bedding, and pillows on the two beds were gone, leaving only thick straw on the bed frames.

Shen Jin stood frozen, rubbing his eyes and looking again, but the scene remained unchanged.

He rushed to the kitchen, which was just as empty except for some items that couldn’t be taken. He then sprinted out of the courtyard, only to find that the chicken coop, duck pen, and goose pen were all empty too.

How could this be?

Recently, his brother had been teaching him how to deal with refugees, saying what could happen if they entered the village. Shen Jin's first thought was that refugees had looted his brother's house.

But that didn’t seem right. The looting was too thorough, and everyone from his brother's family was gone.

A thought struck Shen Jin, and he ran down to the village, taking a wide detour to avoid running into his parents. He checked the Zhou, Shi, Lu, and finally the Chen households. At first glance, the courtyards seemed closed, but if pushed, the gates would open. Without exception, every house was empty, the inhabitants gone.

They had all left…

Stunned, Shen Jin hardly knew how he made it back to the small mountain courtyard. Staring blankly at the empty space, his confusion turned into a sense of betrayal.

Everyone had left, all of them, leaving only him behind.

From a tingling nose and sore eyes to the pain that caused tears to well up, Shen Jin’s eyes brimmed with tears in the dim pre-dawn light. A single tear finally broke free, shimmering white at his eyelash edge before falling.

That first tear seemed to signal an emotional collapse, and the child’s mouth opened wide as tears and snot streamed down his face in long trails, contorting his face into an ugly cry of helplessness.

After sobbing quietly for a long time, his cries eventually grew louder.

“Liars, you said we’d practice with the slingshot together.”

The tears just wouldn’t stop flowing.

The image of his brother and Shen An calling him out yesterday came back to Shen Jin, and every ordinary word they spoke now had a new, deeper meaning.

Hiding places, escape tactics, hunting skills, recognizing edible and poisonous plants, precautions in the woods, dealing with refugees, digging multiple hideouts, storing extra food and water, and that last line about not blaming his brother…

Even the tasks his brother had been busily doing since returning, when strung together with the recent conscription and taxes, made sense. His parents argued and sighed last night, and his mother hesitantly suggested fleeing to avoid the chaos and conscription.

His father had scolded her, "Are you crazy? Do you think being a refugee is easy?"

So, his brother and the others had indeed fled, becoming refugees themselves.

This realization made Shen Jin even more heartbroken and inconsolable, crying until he finally squatted down, trying not to make noise, his body convulsing with sobs.

It was almost dawn when he managed to stop crying, wipe his tear-streaked face, and close the doors of his brother's house and kitchen. He left the courtyard, closing its gate, then ran back to the village.

Shen Jin checked every house he had quietly visited – the Zhous, Shis, Lus, and Chens – making sure their courtyard gates were properly closed. He then hurried home, bolting the doors before slipping back into his room.

Shen Yin, who had just woken up, was surprised to see Shen Jin returning and whispered, "Third Brother, why are you back so early?"

Shen Jin, with his head down and not daring to show his face, didn’t respond. He just crawled under the covers and curled up.

Puzzled, Shen Yin asked, "Third Brother, aren’t you going to practice with the slingshot today?"

From beneath the blanket, Shen Jin’s muffled voice replied, "No practice. Big brother went to the county. I’m going back to sleep."