Search the house inside and out though she did, there was not even a table to be found—could the owner of this house never have kindled a fire to cook?
Shi Yin let out a sigh; today, they could only fill their bellies simply on the ground.
A pot of thick porridge simmered on the stove, millet mixed with wheat grain, its sweet, clear rice aroma spreading all around by now.
She fetched that jar of preserved winter vegetables, found a few cleaned oyster shells to serve as small bowls, and snapped off fine branches to act as chopsticks. Surrounding the hot porridge, the mother and her two children ate in peace and comfort.
Downing a bite, Rong’er immediately tilted her small face upward and opened her mouth, soft and sweet as she begged for more.
Shi Yin fed her bite by bite; once the little creature was full and satisfied, she began running and playing about inside the empty room.
The child’s mind was naive, already treating this crude dwelling as her future little home.
As the night grew darker, the two children snuggled close, curling up on the sheepskin mat and falling into a deep sleep.
Shi Yin stepped into the yard, first moving stones to brace against the broken palisade gate, then fitting and shutting the loose wicker window panes. She added enough firewood into the stove cavity to trap the warmth inside the room.
The night wind on the October sea island was biting, wrapped in salty moisture, yet inside this crude dwelling, warmth filled the air, shutting out the cold outside the house.
Beneath the moonlight, the entire deserted island village was so silent that only the sound of the wind remained.
Shi Yin loaded bolts into both crossbows and placed the remaining two fire bombs beside her before lying down beside the sheepskin mat to sleep in her clothes.
Shi Yin slept lightly; in the middle of the night, even a faint, tiny sound could startle her awake.
Usually, it was merely the sounds of small rodents, yet this time it was not.
“Chengzhou, wake up.”
Shi Yin nudged Chengzhou awake and looked out from the window; several black figures had already crossed the fence, acting sneaky by the door.
She did not hesitate. Her movements were swift and precise; raising her hand, she squeezed the trigger of the crossbow, sending a sharp bolt straight toward the villains outside the door.
“Ah—”
A sharp scream burst out all at once.
“That woman is awake! Quick, brothers, charge in and snatch those crossbows! From now on, we’ll be the kings of this Heishan Island!”
A voice rang out with greedy urgency.
Shi Yin swiftly scooped up a fire bomb, ignited it, and threw it straight out.
*Boom—* The fire bomb exploded, sending crimson sparks flying in all directions and setting their ragged hemp shirts ablaze.
Chengzhou also raised his crossbow at this moment, his bolts missing nothing amidst a wave of wailing.
Screams rang out one after another.
Shi Yin opened the door and stood at the threshold, a crossbow in one hand, calmly watching this wild, chaotic dance.
“Ahhh—help—”
“Fire—fire—”
“Save me!”
The moonlight and the firelight illuminated the small yard as bright as day.
There were about seven or eight people in total; at this moment, some rolled wretchedly on the ground to put out the flames, while others fled in panic, all thrown into complete chaos.
Shi Yin did not spare them. Those who ran far were shot through directly; those rolling on the ground were finished off with the ring-pommel sabre.
At this moment, the people on the island who came out to watch felt only that this woman was like a demon, moving through the fires of hell, harvesting life after life.
“Big Brother, fortunately we listened to you.”
The Jiang family brothers were all standing in their yard at this moment, craning their necks to watch this scene; a wave of lingering fear arose in Jiang Xie’s heart.
“How did that woman burn them? What was that sound just now?”
Jiang Ting was extremely curious.
Jiang Song shook his head: “I don’t know. This woman is wicked beyond measure.”
Jiang Lou had just stepped out the door and moved a few paces forward, but upon being glanced at by that woman, he was so frightened that he scampered back again:
“Big Brother, it’s Zhou the Skinflint’s gang.”
“What a bunch of fools,” Jiang Ting mocked.
Jiang Song shot him a sideways glance without speaking; Jiang Ting rubbed his nose, coughed dryly, and felt somewhat guilty.
“Listen up, all of you! As for these fire bombs, I have as many as I want! And as for these lives, however many of you come, that’s how many I will take!”
At this moment, within the firelight…
Shi Yin was covered in dirt and ash, her clothes soaked with dark red blood, a terrifying aura of violence surrounding her entire body.
Her voice was rendered raspy and cold by the night wind and the blaze, every word striking with resounding force, truly like a denizen of purgatory.
At this moment, Jiang Song felt immensely grateful that he had held back his brothers.
The seven or eight corpses in the yard were still burning. Shi Yin stood in the yard while Chengzhou held the crossbow at the doorway; that scene was recounted with legendary flair by those who witnessed it that night.
Yet at this moment, Shi Yin, who had just put on a grand show, felt somewhat annoyed.
When the fire bomb exploded just now, it had not only burned that gang of villains; the scattered dry branches and stray firewood nearby had also been ignited by the sparks, giving rise to spots of open flame.
Fortunately, the sea island had heavy moisture, and the firewood was damp, making the fire spread extremely slowly.
However, the open flames burning on the corpses grew hotter and hotter, and under the continuous roasting of the open fire, it threatened to suppress the surrounding moisture, showing signs of reigniting the surrounding dry branches.
Left with no choice, Shi Yin had to suppress the churning nausea in her heart and step forward to stomp out the sparks flickering in all directions one by one.
An idea struck Jiang Song’s mind, and he turned to his wife and said, “You go back first. My brothers and I will go earn some goodwill in front of her.”
With that, he pulled on his slung coat, tightened it, and led his brothers forward.
The two properties were close together, separated only by an open space about thirty feet wide.
Shi Yin looked up, saw the middle-aged man from earlier in the day bringing men over again, and immediately rested her index finger against the crossbow trigger, watching the group guardedly.
Jiang Song stood at the gate and cupped his hands together in greeting, his tone steady:
“We met in a hurry during the daytime, and never had the chance to exchange names. I am Jiang Song; we four are brothers, and we bear no ill intent.”
After speaking, he looked down at the corpses on the ground, counted them in his mind, and sneered internally: *The whole nest came out for this.*
“I presume Lady Shi feels disgusted by these corpses on the ground as well. They have no living companions left to gather their bodies; would you require us brothers to lend a hand?”
Hearing his words, Shi Yin did not let down her guard by much, yet a smile appeared on her face nonetheless:
“Then I must trouble you brothers to help out; it is indeed a bit repulsive.”
Jiang Song said no more, immediately joining his brothers to fetch sand and gravel to smother the lingering fires on the corpses. He then had Jiang Xie push over their own wheelbarrow, working together to haul away all the corpses scattered across the ground, cleaning everything up thoroughly.
After a bout of hard labor, the night grew even deeper, and without the reflection of the firelight, neither side could see each other’s face clearly.
“That whole gang has been wiped clean by Lady Shi. With no more disruptions, you may rest with peace of mind. At the hour of Chen tomorrow, I shall pay a visit to your door again, if that is agreeable?”
Shi Yin’s voice echoed out from the night: “Very well. At the hour of Chen tomorrow, I shall await you all.”
The crowd gradually dispersed, and the odor in the air scattered with the sea breeze as well, as if nothing had happened just moments ago.
There were no crowing roosters or barking dogs on the sea island; only after sunrise did the busy sounds of people emerge.
Shi Yin waited for Chengzhou to wake up, then held Rong’er and slept for a bit longer.
When she woke up again, rice porridge was already simmering on the stove.
It was Chengzhou.
“Chengzhou, come here.”
Shi Yin lazed on the sheepskin mat, calling out to Chengzhou.
Chengzhou thought something was wrong, set down the firewood in his hands, walked right over, and asked with an earnest expression, “Mother, what’s wrong?”
Shi Yin yanked Chengzhou into her arms all at once: “What’s wrong? Let Mother give you a kiss!”
With that, she planted a firm kiss right on his cheek.
Chengzhou’s face turned beet red: “Mother, how old am I already!”
“No matter how old you are, you’re still Mother’s treasure. What’s wrong with showing some affection!”
His mother’s love had always been direct and passionate, never hidden. Toward him and toward Rong’er, she had always been full of doting affection, never holding back in the least.
Chengzhou had observed early on that mothers in other families rarely showed such intimacy and tenderness toward their children. This allowed him to harbor a unique sense of pride deep down in his heart.
Only whenever his father appeared would his mother grow distant, pulling back all her gentleness and acting strictly according to rules and decorum. Back then, Chengzhou had felt somewhat resistant to his father’s presence.
Fortunately, the times he met with his father were few, so putting on a show wasn’t much of a hassle.
As he grew older, his mother’s intimate gestures had indeed become much fewer, and he also understood how to temper his nature, learning to be mature and dignified.
Yet in the deep recesses of his heart, he still craved this unique warmth.
Though his mouth put on an awkward show of pushing away, his heart felt warm, a wave of joy surging within him.
“Mother, it’s almost the hour of Chen. Hurry up and get dressed to wash up.”
Though Chengzhou craved the affection, time waited for no one; an appointment had been made with the Jiang family for this hour last night.
Shi Yin looked out the window; the sunlight was glaringly bright.
“Up we get, to work! Another bright and sunny day!”
Shi Yin stretched her body and finally emerged from the sheepskin mat.
Rong’er fluttered her eyes open and woke up a short while later as well.
Only after the mother and daughter finished washing up did they see the neighboring door open, and the four Jiang brothers walking over toward them.