By now the sun had fully set, and the room was so dim they could barely see one another as they spoke.
But the moment the pheasant appeared, its dazzling plumage seemed to light up the whole room and catch everyone’s eye.
They thought they must be imagining things—until they heard the bird’s low, guttural cluck, which snapped them back to reality.
Chen Xiuzhi scrambled off the brick bed at once. “Lei, hurry and light the kerosene lamp—let me get a good look. Am I seeing this right?”
Had Ye Qing really brought home a wild pheasant?
The rest of the family was equally stunned. Only after being called twice did Xiao Lei finally come to his senses and rush to light the lamp.
A few seconds later, a warm yellow glow filled the room. Chen Xiuzhi held the lamp close to the bird, turning it this way and that, examining it from every angle.
Finally she lifted her head, staring at Ye Qing in disbelief. “Ye Qing… did you catch this pheasant yourself?”
Ye Qing nodded firmly. “Of course. I went up the mountain today exactly to look for food. Our household is barely scraping by as it is—if we don’t find a way soon, we’ll all go hungry.”
Her words left Chen Xiuzhi at a loss for what to say. “No matter how hard things get, we can’t have you risking your life alone in the mountains. It’s far too dangerous.”
Her mind was in a whirl, her feelings tangled and confused. On one hand, she had to admit that bringing back so many wild vegetables and a pheasant showed real skill. On the other, the thought of a young woman wandering the mountains by herself filled her with dread—she simply could not bear the idea of Ye Qing going again.
The rest of the family felt the same way. Just moments earlier they had been furious; now they were equally astonished.
Ye Qing paid no attention to their conflicted thoughts. She reached out and nudged the pheasant with her foot.
Bound tightly all the way down the mountain, its sharp beak even secured with thin vines, the bird had endured a rough journey and now lay looking utterly defeated.
At Ye Qing’s nudge, it flapped its wings again and let out another series of clucks.
Ye Qing nodded calmly. “Still alive, good. None of us have eaten supper yet, so let’s kill it and get it cooking. After going hungry for so long, our bodies are running low on nourishment—you all work in the fields every day; you can’t keep going without proper food.”
Still unwilling to let the matter rest, Chen Xiuzhi glanced back and forth between the bird and Ye Qing, her mouth falling open. “How on earth did you manage to catch it?”
“Same way anyone does—by digging a trap,” Ye Qing replied, sounding almost regretful. “It’s a shame I don’t have a bow or a slingshot; if I did, I could bring back even more next time.”
Xiao Lei stepped forward and stared at the pheasant as if questioning his own experience. “You caught it with just a trap? Are you pulling my leg?”
“Have you never tried setting traps yourselves?” Ye Qing asked in return.
“Of course we have,” Xiao Lei said, baffled. He explained, “When the wheat, sorghum, and millet ripen, flocks of pheasants come down from the hills to steal the crops. They’re cunning creatures—more clever than thieves. The brigade leader has tried every trick he knows, but we only ever catch a few. The moment we get close, the rest fly off in a flurry. And as for traps? They never fall for them.”
Ye Qing smiled. “The birds you see near the foot of the mountain have grown wise from living close to people. But this one came from deep in the hills—they’ve rarely seen humans and are far more trusting. Scatter a handful of dried corn, and they’ll walk right in.”
“What? You went deep into the mountains?” Chen Xiuzhi gasped, her face flushing red with anger. “Have you no sense of danger? How could you be so reckless? Weren’t you afraid of running into bears or worse?”
“Mother, please calm down—I haven’t finished yet,” Ye Qing said quickly, patting her back, terrified she might give herself a fit.
She recalled the same question the brigade leader had asked earlier and repeated the same explanation. “You know how hard life was for me back home. To fill my stomach, I had to wander the hills alone from childhood. I know those mountains far better than most folks.”
“I’ve been meaning to tell you,” she added, “while you’re all out working the fields, I could go up and gather things we can trade for grain. During the busy season, I’ll come down and help in the fields too. I just want to contribute in my own way.”
Her words left the whole family speechless, their jaws hanging open in shock—both at her boldness and her plan.
But the Xiao family was not easily convinced. After a moment of silence, Xiao Yang spoke up. “That doesn’t add up. If you’ve been foraging in the hills since you were little, how did you become so thin and frail? When we first brought you home, you were skin and bones—hardly the look of someone who’d found enough to eat.”
Chen Xiuzhi quickly agreed. “Exactly! When we took you to the clinic, the doctor said you were severely malnourished. How does that fit?”
Ye Qing’s heart skipped a beat. She had nearly slipped up. As an outsider from another village, her story might have satisfied Tian Xingfa, but it would not fool the family she lived with.
She thought quickly, then answered with a mixture of truth and invention. “You know my mother died a long time ago. My father remarried, and with a stepmother came a cold-hearted father too. They worked me like a beast—laboring in the fields all day, then cooking and washing for them all night. Even worse, I had to beg for every bite of food. If I asked for a second bowl, my stepmother would throw her chopsticks down in anger. If I hadn’t learned to find food in the hills, I would have starved long ago.”
The words brought tears to Chen Xiuzhi’s eyes, and her face turned red with pity.
Shi Fengxia, meanwhile, felt her blood boil. “What kind of parents are those? They don’t deserve the name! And you—you spoke so sharply to me just now, but why didn’t you stand up to them back home and let them treat you like that?”
Ye Qing sighed. “I grew up without a mother—no one to protect me. Back then I was foolish and afraid to fight back. But looking at it now, what could they really have done? With village officials watching, they wouldn’t dare kill me. If they tried to use my marriage as an excuse to exploit me, I could have gone to the town and reported them. I was just too naive before. After nearly drowning in the river and waking up to this new life, I’ve seen the truth: those people have no conscience. Slaving away for them and going hungry gained me nothing. From now on, I’m cutting all ties and focusing on building a good life for myself.”
She had not only answered their questions but also explained the sudden change in her behavior, before swiftly steering the conversation back to her original request.
Chen Xiuzhi’s expression grew heavy, her heart aching for all Ye Qing had endured. Still, she shook her head. “My dear, I just can’t feel at ease letting you go alone. Those mountains are too dangerous. If anything happened to you, I would never be able to face your mother’s memory.”
She paused and made a promise. “Don’t worry about food. Our difficulties are only temporary. Once Xiao Yang starts his job and earns a wage, things will get better. We have four strong hands in this family—even if you can’t earn a full day’s work points, you can still contribute half.”
Her tone became earnest. “We were born and raised in these hills; our ancestors have lived here for generations. Why do we still stick to working the fields? Because the mountains are unforgiving. To go up there is to gamble with your life—you never know when you might not come back. It’s too risky to go alone. I simply won’t agree to it.”
Xiao Lei nodded in full agreement, speaking with the authority of the eldest son. “As long as I’m head of this household, we will never split up. So long as Shi Fengxia and I have a bite to eat, you two will never go hungry. There is no need to risk your life in the mountains.”
To everyone’s surprise, Shi Fengxia spoke up next, her expression thoughtful. “Actually… I don’t think Ye Qing’s idea is so bad. Look at her—she went deep into the hills alone today and came back safe and sound. If she doesn’t want to work the fields, she can search for wild vegetables and catch game. Every so often we’d have meat on the table. What’s wrong with that?”
Xiao Lei’s face darkened. “Fengxia, this is a matter of life and death. Even if you’re worried about feeding two more mouths, you shouldn’t encourage something so reckless.”
It took a moment for Shi Fengxia to understand what he meant. She flushed with anger and snapped back, “Xiao Lei! What kind of person do you take me for? Do you think I care that much about food? Xiao Yang has his own salary and can support his wife. I’m saying this because Ye Qing is quick on her feet and knows the mountains well—she deserves a chance to try.”
“You don’t understand how dangerous it is—going alone…”
Before the two could argue further, Ye Qing rubbed her temples, finding their bickering giving her a headache. She turned directly to Chen Xiuzhi and Xiao Lei. “Mother, Elder Brother—what qualities does someone need to go into the mountains alone?”
In the old days, a few families in the village had made their living by venturing into the hills to hunt and gather, though fewer people did so now.
Chen Xiuzhi thought for a moment before answering. “At the very least, they need to be sharp-witted and quick to react. There are all kinds of dangers up there. Someone slow or dim-witted would end up injured within half a day.”
“Ye Qing is certainly quick,” Shi Fengxia chimed in sincerely. “Several times today I tripped over stones and nearly fell, and she caught me every time. And I’ve noticed she’s very clever.”
“Look how she marked her path today and found her way back without getting lost—doesn’t that prove she has what it takes?”
“Being quick isn’t enough,” Xiao Lei objected. “Let’s set aside bears and tigers for a moment—even a wild boar is more than a match for anyone. If one charges, can you outrun it? Can you climb a tree fast enough to escape?”
“So if I’m strong enough and fast enough, you’ll let me go?” Ye Qing seized on his words and gestured for everyone to follow her out into the courtyard.
The family exchanged puzzled looks but stepped outside after her.
Under their watchful eyes, Ye Qing took a deep breath, wrapped both arms around the large stone water jar—half-filled with water—and, steadying her stance, lifted it clear off the ground.