The mountain rain came as quickly as it had gone. By daybreak it had already stopped.
Han Xiuxiu opened the door and stepped into the courtyard. She took a deep breath. The air was especially fresh, carrying the damp scent of wet leaves and earth, brimming with the vitality of life.
In the apocalypse, the sky had always been gray and overcast. Every gust of wind carried sand and dust. Whether animals or plants, only those with the strongest vitality could survive, living by stealing life from other living things. Han Xiuxiu had never liked that world. Ever since arriving in this one, she felt as though even the air she breathed was sweet.
Lu Yunfei had also gotten up. Seeing Han Xiuxiu standing in the courtyard, he walked over. The morning breeze stirred the loose strands of hair around her forehead as she gazed absentmindedly into the distance, wearing an expression he couldn’t quite understand.
“What are you looking at?” he asked.
Han Xiuxiu turned with a smile.
“Don’t you think the morning air smells especially nice?”
“The air?” Lu Yunfei repeated, puzzled.
There probably wasn’t even a concept of “air” in ancient times, Han Xiuxiu thought with a smile.
“I mean… what you’re breathing.” She took another deep breath. “Try it.”
Lu Yunfei copied her, taking several deep breaths before thinking for a moment.
“My father used to say that just before dawn, when yin and yang meet, is the best time to practice martial arts. It’s probably because, like you said, the air is better then. The yang energy is strongest.”
“Do you practice every day?”
“Mm. Whenever I have time. This boxing style strengthens the body.”
Hearing that, Han Xiuxiu’s heart stirred.
She had always felt this body was rather weak. Perhaps she should train with Lu Yunfei to improve her strength.
“Can I learn too?” she asked.
Lu Yunfei looked surprised.
“You want to practice boxing?”
Han Xiuxiu lifted her chin, her gaze resolute.
“Didn’t you say yesterday you’d take me into the mountains? I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up.”
Lu Yunfei looked her up and down before nodding honestly.
“With your current physique, the mountains would be hard on you.”
He thought she had a point.
If his wife was going to accompany him into the mountains, stamina really would be a problem. This boxing style had been passed down by his father, and there was no issue teaching it to his wife. His only concern was whether she’d be able to stick with it.
Then again, even if she only learned the movements without much power behind them, it would still help. She wasn’t planning on fighting anyone. If her goal was simply to strengthen her body, then it was worthwhile.
“If you really want to learn, I’ll teach you,” Lu Yunfei said. “But if you decide you don’t want to continue, don’t force yourself.”
“I’ll learn properly.”
“Then I’ll perform the whole routine once for you first.”
As he spoke, Lu Yunfei assumed his stance and began the boxing routine.
His punches and movements were powerful and imposing. Watching him up close was even more striking.
Han Xiuxiu had already seen him practice several times over the past few days. Now that she had his permission, she carefully copied each movement.
The young couple took their roles as teacher and student quite seriously.
The sight left Han Xiaoxiao, who had just gotten up, standing there dumbfounded.
“Sis… Brother-in-law… what are you doing?”
“Xiaoxiao,” Han Xiuxiu replied, “your brother-in-law is teaching me boxing. Why don’t you join us? Then no one will dare bully you in the future.”
Han Xiaoxiao’s eyes immediately lit up.
She happily joined in.
Naturally, Lu Yunfei had no objections.
One student or two—it made little difference. Teaching one sheep or herding two sheep was all the same.
Fortunately, the Lu family lived alone, far away from the rest of the village, so no one would see them.
Since it was only the first day, Lu Yunfei taught them just the opening move.
He demonstrated it once, had them imitate him, corrected their postures one by one, then had them repeat the movement on their own.
“If you get tired, take a break,” he instructed. “There’s no shortcut to martial arts. It only comes through perseverance.”
Han Xiuxiu was exhausted after practicing for only a short while. Sweat poured down her face.
This body really was too weak.
She rested briefly before continuing.
Han Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, fared much better, probably because children naturally had more energy.
After Lu Yunfei finished another complete round of the boxing form, he watched the two sisters practice again.
Their postures already resembled the real thing, though they lacked any real force.
Still, for the first day, it was good enough.
Learning the framework came first.
By the time the three of them finished their practice, the sun had only just risen.
Smoke was beginning to rise from the village below as families started cooking breakfast.
The timing was perfect.
Practice first.
Then begin the day’s work.
Lu Yunfei went to fetch water.
Han Xiuxiu prepared breakfast.
Han Xiaoxiao tended the fire.
None of them sat idle.
Breakfast was, as usual, plain rice porridge with pickled vegetables.
The bamboo shoots Han Xiuxiu had pickled a few days earlier weren’t ready yet.
The pickled radishes in the crock had been soaking for too long and had become almost overly sour.
Lu Yunfei spent every day hunting. Even those radishes had only been pickled last year whenever he’d found a little spare time.
As for other preserved vegetables…
As a man living alone, he simply didn’t know how to make them.
So he’d made do.
While eating, Han Xiuxiu began thinking aloud.
“How about we dig up some wild scallions today? If we pickle them, they’ll be ready in just a few days.”
Lu Yunfei wasn’t particularly picky about food.
But after eating Han Xiuxiu’s cooking these past few days, he’d finally realized how miserable his previous meals had been.
Back then, he hadn’t been living well.
He’d merely been surviving.
“Let’s go together,” he said. “I don’t have much to do today anyway.”
“All right.”
Han Xiaoxiao was perfectly happy as long as she could stay with her sister.
Besides, gathering wild vegetables was practically the same as going out to play.
She naturally had no objections.
Han Xiuxiu washed the dishes.
Lu Yunfei carried the chicks outside.
Since everyone would be leaving, he didn’t let them roam freely.
He was afraid hawks or snakes would snatch them away, so he simply placed their basket somewhere sunny.
The two hens had already grown accustomed to their new home.
They’d been laying eggs these past few days.
When they went out later, he’d cut some fresh grass for them.
For now, he scattered a handful of bran into their pen as feed.
Once everything was ready, the three of them set out with Black Panther.
Han Xiuxiu carried a basket.
Lu Yunfei wore a bamboo backpack.
Han Xiaoxiao walked empty-handed behind her sister.
Their footsteps were light as they made their way up the mountain path.
Because of last night’s rain, the roadside grasses were covered in dew.
Walking in front, Lu Yunfei used his sickle to sweep aside the vegetation, but his trouser legs were soon soaked anyway.
Fortunately, it was spring, so the dampness wasn’t particularly cold.
Although Han Xiuxiu had come to gather wild scallions, she couldn’t resist picking other wild vegetables whenever she spotted them.
Lamb’s quarters, cudweed, shepherd’s purse, wild scallions, and wild garlic shoots all found their way into her basket.
They were especially tender this time of year.
Once blanched, they could simply be tossed with seasoning and eaten.
If one was willing to use a little oil, stir-frying them made them even more delicious.
Han Xiuxiu recognized about half of these wild plants from the original owner’s memories.
The other half she knew from books she’d read during the apocalypse.
To most people, those books had been worthless—fit only for kindling.
But Han Xiuxiu had treasured them like priceless possessions.
She often stared at their words and illustrations, imagining what the world must have been like when all those plants and animals were still alive.
Now…
She was finally seeing that world with her own eyes.
As she walked and gathered vegetables, she suddenly heard the sound of flowing water.
Without realizing it, they had reached a mountain stream.
Several small streams wound down the mountainside.
The water was crystal clear.
Whenever travelers grew tired, they could simply scoop up a handful to drink.
The streams also teemed with fish and shrimp.
Thanks to the abundant moisture, many fiddlehead ferns grew along the banks.
Their tender shoots had only just emerged.
With a gentle pinch, each one snapped cleanly from the stem.
Before long, Han Xiuxiu had gathered a large handful.
Fiddleheads could be eaten cold, stir-fried, or dried for later use.
Picking extra would never go to waste.
After helping gather some fiddleheads, Lu Yunfei noticed the stream was full of fish and shrimp.
They were especially plump this season.
He removed his shoes and socks and waded into the water to catch them.
These little fish had a poetic name—Peach Blossom Fish.
They only appeared when the peach blossoms bloomed.
People said they fed exclusively on fallen peach petals.
Their silvery bodies shimmered with a faint pink hue, and they were at their fattest this time of year.
Lu Yunfei was remarkably nimble.
Before long he’d caught quite a few Peach Blossom Fish, along with a lively batch of tiny shrimp that jumped wildly in his hands.
He lined the basket with a few sweet potato leaves to keep them from leaping back out.
The shrimp were tiny, only about as long as a finger.
Their bodies were almost transparent.
Stir-fried with wild scallions, they turned a bright red.
There wasn’t much meat on them, but every bite was packed with sweetness and freshness, complemented perfectly by the fragrance of the scallions.
As for the Peach Blossom Fish, frying them in just a little oil until both sides turned golden made even their bones crisp enough to eat.
After chewing them a couple of times, the bones practically melted away, leaving only the rich flavor of the fish.
These foods were eaten more for their taste than for their meat.
There simply wasn’t much flesh on them.
In the village, only children usually bothered catching them.
Even Lu Yunfei thought they were a bit too small.
“If we go farther upstream, there’s a deep pool,” he said. “The fish there are much bigger. Next time, when we have time, we’ll bring a fish trap.”
After eating well these past two days, Han Xiaoxiao had regained some of a child’s natural liveliness.
Her eyes sparkled.
“Brother-in-law, when are we going?”
Seeing that Han Xiuxiu was looking at him expectantly as well, Lu Yunfei thought for a moment before replying,
“If you’re not too tired… we can go this afternoon.”