10: Learning to hunt

On the threshing floor, golden wheat grains were spread out like a thick carpet, emitting the unique fragrance of wheat under the autumn sun.

Adults and children alike held wooden shovels and bamboo rakes, turning over the wheat.

The Clan Chief's little grandson, who had just learned to walk, tottered around the edge of the threshing floor chasing a barred chicken; his joyful laughter mingled with the shouts on the floor, adding a touch of liveliness to the labor.

At this time, Li Qinghe held a wooden shovel that was nearly as tall as he was, following his eldest brother Li Qingshan as they turned the wheat grains over bit by bit.

The sun had tanned his small face dark red, and sweat trickled down his forehead.

Fifteen-year-old eldest brother Li Qingshan already showed the silhouette of a farmhand in his shoulders; he was as steady as a rock, and the wooden shovel in his hand was stable and powerful.

Thirteen-year-old second brother Li Qinglin would straighten his back after working for a while, wipe away sweat, and wink at the girls on the neighboring threshing floor, only settling down after being glared at by their father, Li Dashan.

Twelve-year-old third brother Li Qingfeng had a face full of bitterness, whispering complaints about backaches and pains, his movements noticeably slowing down.

"Fourth Brother, not bad! Your strength is growing!"

Panting, Li Qinglin nudged his Fourth Brother beside him with his elbow.

Li Qinghe smiled without speaking, just swinging the wooden shovel with more force.

Half a year had passed, and he was no longer that skinny monkey who would fall over if the wind blew.

Continuous farm work and bitter cultivation in the dark of night had significantly strengthened his bones and muscles; although he was still smaller and thinner than his three brothers, his movements appeared more powerful than before.

The old locust tree at the village entrance turned from bright green to dark green, and then to withered yellow under the scorching heat of the Autumn Tiger.

Finally, in a sudden heavy downpour, more than half of its leaves were clattered down.

Raindrops pitter-pattered on the ground, turning into a muddy yellow soup that rushed through the village roads, swirling with withered branches and fallen leaves, flowing into the small stream that had become turbid and turbulent.

This rain lasted for three full days and nights, also trapping Li Family Village for three days.

On the day the rain stopped, not long after the sky cleared, a crude stage was set up on the threshing floor in the center of the village.

Several highly respected clan elders in the village pooled some money to invite a traveling troupe to perform a grand opera, saying it was to ward off bad luck and to reward everyone for the recently completed autumn harvest.

As the gongs and drums sounded, the warbling operatic melodies drifted across the open field; adults and children crowded below the stage, craning their necks to watch.

Li Qinghe also came with his family, squeezing into the crowd and listening to the incomprehensible libretto, but his mind had long since drifted to the small stream on the west side of the village.

He had been in this world for nearly a year!

During the day, he was still that Li Qinghe who barely kept up with the progress in the Clan School.

Except that one evening three months ago, besides the coarse grain pancakes and wild vegetable porridge on the dinner table, there was also a rare small dish of diced stir-fried rabbit meat.

This was a wild rabbit Li Qinghe had caught in a trap he set by the stream that afternoon.

"Fourth Brother's trapping skills are truly something else!"

Third brother Li Qingfeng praised indistinctly, his mouth glistening with grease.

Eldest brother Li Qingshan didn't say much, just placed a bone with meat on it into Li Qinghe's bowl.

Second brother Li Qinglin reached out with a grin to snatch a piece of meat from Li Qingfeng's bowl:

"Third Brother, eat less, let Fourth Brother nourish himself!"

Li Dashan looked at his fourth son, Li Qinghe, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes seemed to smooth out a bit.

He picked up a pancake, took a bite, and looked at Li Qinghe:

"Qinghe, regarding the characters at the Clan School, the Old Scholar told me a few days ago that you've learned most of them?"

Li Qinghe swallowed the pancake in his mouth and nodded:

"Yes, Father, I've basically learned everything the Clan Uncle taught."

He paused, put down his chopsticks, and spoke with a hint of testing.

"Father, Mother, I was thinking... knowing enough characters is fine, so I won't go to the Clan School anymore, alright?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shi immediately became nervous:

"You're not going to the Clan School to learn characters? Then what do you want to learn or do?"

"I want to learn some skills from Second Great-Uncle at the east end of the village."

Li Qinghe met his mother's worried gaze.

"Learning to hunt and set traps, learning to catch fish in the river; Second Great-Uncle has traveled and seen the world, he has great skills. If I learn them, the family can have more meat to eat, just like today."

The dinner table went quiet for a moment.

Eldest brother Li Qingshan was burying his head in his pancake; hearing this, he looked up at him but didn't speak.

Second brother Li Qinglin's eyes lit up:

"Hunting? Great! We can get some meat to eat!"

Third brother Li Qingfeng, the most restless one, immediately clamored:

"Fourth Brother! Take me with you! I'll go with you! I want to go too!"

Li Dashan's hand holding the tobacco pipe paused; he took a puff of the dry tobacco, his expression obscured by the swirling smoke.

"Do you really want to learn?"

"Yes!"

Li Qinghe nodded vigorously.

Mother Zhang Shi's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but seeing her son's serious gaze and the rare dish of rabbit meat on the table, she ultimately just sighed and silently added half a ladle of porridge to his bowl.

Li Dashan silent for a moment, then tapped his pipe against the edge of the kang:

"Alright! I'll prepare some things later and take you to ask, but whether it happens or not depends on your Second Great-Uncle's decision."

A few days later, the work in the fields was almost done, and things were more relaxed.

Li Dashan carried a small bag of freshly milled wheat and picked up the jar of cloudy grain liquor that the family had been reluctant to drink—exchanged for with coarse grains—and called out to Li Qinghe:

"Come, follow me to Second Great-Uncle's house."

The small courtyard at the east end of the village, built exceptionally neatly with stones, was Li Shouxin's home.

The courtyard gate was open, and a kind-faced woman with graying hair was tidying up firewood in the yard; she was Li Shouxin's wife, Liu Shi, and Li Qinghe had to call her Grandma Liu.

"Dashan is here? Come in, come in and sit!"

Seeing the father and son, Liu Shi's face broke into a smile; she lifted her apron to wipe her hands and then looked at Li Qinghe.

"Oh! Qinghe came too. Look at this child, now that he's recovered, he looks much more spirited!"

Li Dashan placed the items on the stone mill in the yard, rubbing his hands together, explaining his purpose with some nervousness:

"Auntie, is Uncle Shouxin in? I brought Qinghe over today because I wanted... wanted him to learn some hunting and fishing skills from Uncle Shouxin, so he can help support the family later on."

"Heh, I thought it was something major. Learning skills is a good thing! Your uncle has wanted to take an apprentice for a long time. The old man went up the mountain early this morning with his staff to check the traps he set a few days ago; he should be back soon."

Liu Shi warmly invited them into the house to sit and brought out a bowl of water.

While they were talking, footsteps were heard at the courtyard gate.

A lean, dark-skinned middle-aged man appeared at the door.

His left leg was somewhat stiff, and his walking was noticeably half a beat slower than his right; this was the lame Li Shouxin.

He leaned on a sharpened wooden stick as a cane in his right hand, while his left hand carried two strings of fat fish tied with straw rope, their tails still flapping weakly. Under his arm, he also carried a pheasant and a rabbit that was still kicking its legs! It was quite a harvest!