Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Days passed quickly in the repetitive rhythm of daily labor, and in the blink of an eye, Zhong Yizhu had been in Liushan Village for nearly half a month. The villagers had gradually grown accustomed to his presence, no longer treating his every appearance as a novelty.

Sun Yunniang's illness had improved considerably after this period of rest, and she no longer needed constant care. It had rained the previous day, so Zhong Yizhu packed his basket and decided to go up the mountain to gather mushrooms.

Ever since the Wu family had sent a matchmaker to propose marriage a few days ago, several other households in the village had followed suit, probing Sun Yunniang's intentions. Naturally, the Wu family's matchmaker had been driven out, but the village aunties and uncles were more tactful. Some came to check on her health, others to ask Sun Yunniang for advice on embroidery patterns.

Zhong Yizhu furrowed his brow and wanted to drive them away, but Sun Yunniang stopped him. The Wu family's proposal was a blatant scheme—unwilling to accept that Zhong Yizhu had taken back the fields, they sought a crooked path to get them back. Everyone in the village could see through it; no one would fault them for driving away the matchmaker, but since visiting neighbors was a normal part of village life, turning them away would only invite gossip.

Sun Yunniang understood the real intentions behind these visits, so she sent Zhong Yizhu out to occupy himself while she dealt with them.

Zhong Yizhu went to sit by his father's grave for the afternoon. On his way back to the village, he ran into Zhou Shaofen, and they returned together. The next day, Zhou Shaofen sent her young son, Tao Geer, to fetch him and take him up the mountain to gather mushrooms.

Having grown up in the prefectural city, Zhong Yizhu found these wild activities utterly novel. He wandered about, cheerfully picking a basketful of poisonous mushrooms that others had left behind. Even after learning they were inedible, his spirits remained high; he exuded a lively vitality.

Zhou Shaofen's son, Tao Geer, was named Liu Mingtao. He was fifteen years old, and everyone called him Tao Geer. He had a delicate, refined appearance but a very lively personality.

Tao Geer helped Zhong Yizhu sort through the mushrooms, teaching him to identify the edible ones, and even poured half of his own basket into Zhong Yizhu's.

Zhong Yizhu felt too embarrassed to accept, but Tao Geer insisted. Zhou Shaofen, carrying her own basket, smiled and said, "Zhu Ge'er, just take it. He wouldn't give them to just anyone."

Looking into Tao Geer's bright eyes, Zhong Yizhu smiled as well. "Then thank you, Tao Geer. Another day, I'll make you a sachet. I guarantee you'll like it."

He turned to Zhou Shaofen. "And for you too, Auntie. Thank you."

Zhou Shaofen gently patted Zhong Yizhu's shoulder. "Good child."

Over the past few days, Zhong Yizhu had been spending time outdoors. He had learned not only to gather mushrooms and wild vegetables but also to pick soapberries and use them to wash clothes. The mushrooms Tao Geer gave him were used in a soup that he and Sun Yunniang both loved for its umami flavor. After finishing it, they craved more.

Today, Tao Geer had gone with Zhou Shaofen to his maternal grandparents' home in Hewei Village. Zhong Yizhu had already familiarized himself with the path, so he decided to go mushroom picking alone.

Behind the village lay a vast mountain range. They usually entered through an opening on the western side, where the forest was not dense and the paths easy to remember. Both Zhou Shaofen and Tao Geer had warned him never to venture into the deep forest, only to stay at the periphery. Zhong Yizhu kept this firmly in mind and didn't stray a single step deeper.

But luck was not on his side today. After searching diligently for a long time, he found very few mushroom clusters. He had set out ambitiously, but ended up glumly collecting some branches as filler to avoid returning with an empty basket and looking like an idiot.

Looking up and seeing the sun already descending, Zhong Yizhu finally gave up on mushrooms and turned to head downhill.

The mountain path was slippery, so he tread carefully and paid close attention. Suddenly, a living creature darted past his side, startling him so much that he grabbed a nearby branch to keep from falling.

"Shwoosh—" The sound of an arrow being shot rang out. Before Zhong Yizhu could pinpoint what had startled him, he noticed a man walking down from above.

It was the man who had saved him from the river that day.

Pei Mu walked forward, picked up a rabbit, and tossed it into his basket. Turning around, he caught sight of the stunned person standing there and paused in his movements.

By now, Zhong Yizhu had recovered. His eyes lit up. "It's you."

After that day, Zhong Yizhu had considered asking around, but he had no clues. Asking about a strange man didn't seem right. Meeting him here unexpectedly was a surprise.

Zhong Yizhu felt for the money pouch at his waist. Since the man didn't want to be disturbed, offering money should suffice—a clean break, better than constantly feeling indebted.

Even though he now knew this was Zhong Laoer's son, Pei Mu's expression remained impassive. He nodded coldly in acknowledgment and turned to leave, but Zhong Yizhu called out to stop him.

"Wait. Could I trade this basket of firewood for a few fruits?"

Pei Mu had a cloth bag tied to his bamboo basket, filled with red and pink wild fruits—the season's best sweet wild berries called "pao'er." But the ripe ones on the outer mountain had already been picked; only deep in the forest could fresh ones be found.

Pei Mu turned back and looked at the half-dry, half-wet firewood in the offered basket, pausing for a moment.

Zhong Yizhu, as if afraid he would refuse, shoved it toward him again. His hands were shockingly white, and the scratches and cuts on them were all too obvious.

"I only want two. Can we trade?" Pei Mu heard him say.

Zhong Yizhu watched Pei Mu expectantly, seeing him reach into the cloth bag. Just as he was about to offer the basket and reach for the fruits, he felt his basket suddenly heavier.

When he came to his senses, Pei Mu had already withdrawn his hand and turned to stride down the mountain.

"Hey—" Zhong Yizhu took two steps after him but stumbled. His footing was already unsteady, and carrying the basket made things worse. He flailed around for a moment before finally steadying himself.

When he looked up again, Pei Mu's figure had disappeared into the forest.

Zhong Yizhu clutched the basket, staring at the pile of fruits on top of the firewood. His face burned all the way to his ears.

His original intention had been to stuff some money into the basket as an exchange, since he figured the man wouldn't accept cash directly. But now, not only had he failed to give the money, he had taken the fruits for nothing, how shameless.

When he got down the mountain, Zhong Yizhu dropped off his basket at home and headed straight for the village head's house.

Tao Geer had already returned from his maternal grandparents' home and was about to take the ducks out. Seeing Zhong Yizhu, he waved excitedly. Zhong Yizhu said hi to Aunt Zhou in the yard and joined Tao Geer in herding the ducks toward the river.

Tao Geer led Zhong Yizhu to a shaded bank where the ducks could feed in the river. They sat on the bank to keep an eye on them.

With no one else around, only the ducks' quacking and the splashing of water, the May breeze was cool and nice. Leaning against a tree trunk, Zhong Yizhu felt really cozy.

He let Tao Geer chatter on about the visit to his grandparents, then, as if offhand, asked, "Tao Geer, are there any hunters in our village?"

Liu Mingtao nodded. "Yes, there is."

"How many hunters?" Zhong Yizhu placed a hand on his chest. "I saw how deep the forest is in the mountains, and I'm always afraid beasts might come out and hurt people."

"Don't worry. If a hunter finds signs of a beast approaching, he'll let my dad know, and the village will organize a hunt."

After earnestly reassuring him, Tao Geer answered his earlier question. "There's only one hunter in the village now. His name is Pei Mu. He came back from military service. My father says he's very skilled."

Pei Mu... Zhong Yizhu had just silently repeated the name when Tao Geer added, "But he's very mean."

"..." Thinking about the two times he'd met Pei Mu—once saving him, once giving him fruits—the guy was cold, but not mean. Curious, he asked, "How mean?"

"Not long after he returned last year, he broke his younger brother Pei Jin's leg. He paid for the medical treatment and announced right in front of the whole village that if Pei Jin or his parents provoked him again, he'd break another one of their legs. He said he had the money to cover it."

Zhong Yizhu's eyes widened. "What's the grudge about?"

Tao Geer looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then whispered, "I heard it from others. Hunter Pei's parents were forced together by the elders. They were a miserable couple from the start, and ever since they married, the Pei house was in chaos nonstop, never a day of peace."

"Later, when Hunter Pei's mother was pregnant with him, everyone thought things would calm down. But they kept fighting right up until she gave birth. Hunter Pei's mother died after giving birth. Before the seventh day after her death, Hunter Pei's grandfather also passed away..."

Zhong Yizhu took a soft breath as Tao Geer continued.

"The Pei family held two funerals in a row. Carpenter Pei was dazed and depressed. When he came to his senses, he found that the baby was missing. The locals helped search for two whole days. In the end, Hunter Wang was the one who carried the baby out of the mountains, saying he'd found him deep in the forest. Everyone said the kidnapper got lost and dumped the kid. Wolves had been seen in the area then. The fact that such a tiny baby wasn't carried off by a wolf or frozen to death was a real miracle."

"Later, some said that Hunter Pei had a tough fate—even surviving in a wolf's jaws—and that maybe he had "killed" his mother and grandfather with his bad luck. Carpenter Pei treated him very coldly as a result. He later remarried, to the current Tian Shi, and had three more children. When the army came conscripting soldiers a couple of years back, the Pei family was well-off but refused to pay for a substitute. They insisted that the recruiters take Hunter Pei away, who had just turned fourteen at the time."

This war was fierce, and it wasn't until the winter two years ago that Great Yan finally put an end to the chaos, allowing the conscripted soldiers to return from the border. Hunter Pei only came back to the village in the summer of last year. Over a dozen villagers from our village were conscripted back then, but only Hunter Pei came back alive. After returning, he built his own house, became a hunter, and never set foot in the Pei family home again.

As for the matter of Hunter Pei beating Pei Jin, it was probably because Carpenter Pei and Tian Shi thought that after years of fighting, Hunter Pei must have received military pay. They came to my father to mediate, claiming they hadn't divided the family property and demanding that Hunter Pei give them money. Hunter Pei then broke Pei Jin's leg and paid them silver.

At this point, Liu Mingtao lowered his voice a little more. "You don't know how fierce Hunter Pei is. It took three or four men to restrain him — he's like a demon. Father told me and my brothers to stay away from him. I wouldn't dare. He could kill me with a single punch. You should steer clear of him too. Even though he doesn't go around hitting people randomly, he's still terrifying."

Zhong Yizhu had never imagined that Pei Mu's background and experiences were so complicated. He listened with a mix of emotions, opened his mouth to say something, but swallowed his words.

Liu Mingtao's mouth was dry from talking. He glanced at the sun, then simply got up and drove the ducks ashore, saying to Zhong Yizhu, "Let's go back, Zhu Ge'er. I'm really thirsty. I want to go home for a drink of water."

Zhong Yizhu assented and walked back with him. Just before they parted, Liu Mingtao remembered something: "Oh, right, Zhu Ge'er. There's a big market in town the day after tomorrow. My mother said she'd take me. Do you want to go?"

Sun Yunniang's health was now almost fully recovered, and the household was short of just about everything. Zhong Yizhu nodded. "I think I will. I'll ask my mother and let you know."

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Liu Mingtao happily drove the ducks away. He was always carefree, so naturally he couldn't see the heavy thoughts weighing on Zhong Yizhu's mind.

On the way back, Zhong Yizhu counted the newly bloomed wildflowers along the roadside, knowing in his heart that he would probably never have the chance to give the silver coins meant as thanks.

A person who had gone through so much had become a recluse. He clearly didn't want to be disturbed, and since Zhong Yizhu himself had plenty of his own troubles, it was better to keep his distance.

Author's note:

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