Poor families generally ate only two meals a day.
Breakfast and dinner.
Dinner was usually eaten shortly after five in the afternoon.
After dinner, while there was still some daylight, Wei Ning picked up the axe her second uncle had bought the day before and prepared to head toward the wasteland.
When the guards had taken them to see the land yesterday, Wei Ning had noticed a small grove of zelkova trees nearby.
“Ning’er, why are you taking the axe?”
Her mother became worried when she saw Wei Ning carrying it toward the door.
“To chop some trees.”
Wei Ning answered briefly and had already stepped outside.
“Ning’er, you…”
Her mother was about to chase after her when Grandmother spoke.
“Don’t worry. Ning’er is sensible and has her own ideas. Don’t bother her.”
“Xiao Xiao, go and see if your sister needs any help.”
“Okay!”
Wei Xiao immediately ran out after Wei Ning.
Her mother turned around and looked reproachfully at Grandmother.
“Mother, what are you…?”
Grandmother spoke earnestly.
“Ning’er hasn’t spent much time with us, and you don’t really know her. She doesn’t know us well either. We need to give her some time. Everyone needs to slowly get used to one another.”
“If you control everything she does, Ning’er will only feel uncomfortable.”
Her mother listened, her eyes turning red.
“Mother, I understand.”
Her father gently put an arm around her shoulders and patted her softly.
The wasteland was at the western end of their settlement, about twenty minutes away on foot.
Wei Xiao followed beside Wei Ning, chattering nonstop.
“Your legs are so short. How are you walking so fast?”
“What are you chopping trees for? Don’t we already have the firewood we chopped yesterday?”
“Do you know what? We spent the entire day turning over the soil today. Our hands are covered in blisters, and some of them have even burst.”
“Big Brother’s face was as pale as a sheet. He couldn’t even straighten his back.”
“Luckily, I’m strong. This little bit of work is nothing to me.”
…
Wei Ning didn’t even turn her head.
“Then why were your chopsticks shaking so badly when you were picking up food just now?”
Wei Xiao was speechless.
He scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh.
“Well… we only started yesterday! I’ll get used to it in a few days.”
Wei Ning didn’t say anything else.
When they reached the zelkova grove, she went inside and selected several trees that weren’t too large.
She chopped one down and chose a branch of moderate thickness, leaving it about three chi long.
Then she went over and chopped down a bamboo stalk.
She cut it into several sections and tied them together with vines.
Wei Xiao was completely confused.
He kept asking questions nonstop.
Wei Ning acted as though she hadn’t heard him.
Only after she finished tying everything together did she straighten up and look at him.
“Here. Carry it back.”
“You haven’t even told me what you’re going to do with it!”
Wei Xiao said indignantly.
“Tell me, and I’ll carry it.”
Wei Ning was speechless.
She crouched down and was about to carry the wood herself.
But Wei Xiao was faster.
He hoisted everything onto his shoulder.
After taking two steps, he looked back.
“Come on!”
Seeing Wei Ning still standing there, he urged her.
“Your incredibly brave and invincible second brother is here. Why would I let you carry anything?”
The corners of Wei Ning’s lips curled upward.
What an arrogant little brat.
By the time they returned home, it was already dark.
Wei Ning sat on a thick piece of wood in the courtyard. Under the light of the moon, she used the dagger she had bought to shave down the zelkova branch and the split pieces of bamboo.
Wei Xiao had asked why several times, but after receiving no answer, he eventually gave up and went inside to wash and collapse onto the brick bed.
After all, he had gotten up before four in the morning and spent the entire day doing physical labor. He couldn’t hold out any longer.
The others had probably received the same instructions from Grandmother—or perhaps they were simply exhausted—and had also gone to bed early.
After washing up, Wei Yan noticed Wei Ning had started a small fire in the courtyard.
She was holding the shaved wooden branch over the flames.
He walked over and sat on another piece of wood nearby.
He watched in silence.
Eventually, Wei Ning took a rope and slowly bent the heated branch, then tied the rope tightly around it to hold the curved shape.
After putting out the fire, she picked up the bamboo pieces.
She sharpened one end and split the other end, then wrapped a strip of cloth around the split section.
Wei Ning was so focused on what she was doing that she didn’t notice the solemn expression on Wei Yan’s face.
Although the wooden branch she was working with was relatively short, and the sharpened bamboo pieces were much shorter than normal arrows, Wei Yan could still tell what she was making.
A wooden bow and bamboo arrows.
“Ning’er, what are you making these for?”
“Are you going hunting?”
“There are many wild animals in the mountains. This thing is too small. It won’t shoot far enough, and it might not even kill anything. It’s dangerous.”
Wei Ning still didn’t answer.
Wei Yan suddenly reached out and pressed down on the hand holding her dagger.
Wei Ning was forced to stop.
She was short on time and needed to finish as quickly as possible.
She raised her eyes toward Wei Yan and lifted an eyebrow, silently asking what he wanted.
Wei Yan lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear.
“You’re not making these for hunting, are you? What are you planning to do?”
“What do you think?”
Wei Ning looked steadily at her brother and asked quietly.
Wei Yan met her eyes.
They were the same eyes he’d seen the night she killed the old constable.
Cold.
“You’re planning to finish them.”
“It’ll be extremely difficult for you alone. Not to mention catching up with them, you’re a weak girl facing two grown men. It’s dangerous.”
He wasn’t asking.
He was stating a fact.
“Yes. I know.”
Wei Ning calmly answered.
“But if I don’t do it, I won’t be able to get rid of the resentment in my heart.”
“I…”
Wei Yan was anxious.
Wei Ning interrupted him before he could finish.
“I know you want to help me, but you can’t leave. If you do, you’ll attract the border army’s suspicion.”
Wei Yan was silent for a long time.
Eventually, he released Wei Ning’s hand and lowered his head as he returned to sit on the piece of wood.
“Sometimes I really hate myself.”
“I should have learned martial arts instead of studying. Then I could have protected even my own sister.”
“And now I can’t even help you get revenge.”
Wei Ning had thought he would try to stop her.
She hadn’t expected him to blame himself for being unable to help.
“You’re very intelligent.”
“Whether you study literature or martial arts, they’re both merely ways to accomplish what you want to accomplish. Neither is inherently better than the other. What matters is how you use what you’ve learned.”
“As for protecting me, you protected me very well that night.”
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be sitting here safely now.”
“Brother, you’re a good person. Don’t underestimate yourself.”
“The revenge is something I want to take myself. It’s not that you aren’t capable of helping me. Do you understand?”
Wei Yan raised his head and looked at Wei Ning.
Her expression was completely sincere.
After a long while, he finally spoke.
“Don’t destroy the bodies.”
“The return documents they’re carrying need to be sent back to the capital and officially filed.”
“Someone needs to discover their bodies and report the deaths. Only then will our household registration here truly be settled.”
“When we came through Liaoyang, there were bandits around that area.”
“If you can make it look as though bandits robbed and killed them, no one will have any reason to investigate further.”
Wei Ning looked at Wei Yan and nodded.
“See? Who says studying is useless?”
“You understand things better than I do. You even thought this through more thoroughly.”
“You’re a pretty good strategist.”
Wei Ning smiled.
Wei Yan raised his hand and gently patted her head.
“If the timing isn’t right, don’t do it.”
“Protecting yourself is the most important thing.”
“I’ll definitely avenge you someday too.”
“Mm. I know.”
“Finish what you’re doing and get some rest early.”
After saying that, Wei Yan went back inside.
From inside the room, Wei Xiao’s voice immediately rang out.
“What did you and Ning’er talk about? Tell me!”
“Hmph! You two didn’t tell me anything. Dad, look at them! Brother and Sister are keeping secrets from me!”
Wei Qian’s helpless voice followed.
“You’re already fifteen and still running to your parents to complain. Who’s going to pay attention to you?”
“Waaah…”
Wei Xiao began pretending to cry.
The corners of Wei Ning’s lips lifted slightly.
She continued working on what she was making.