“Brother, why don’t we go up the mountain to take a look?”
Neil had been quietly following behind Lai Yi, not interrupting when the adults were talking. Only after Kelly left did he ask curiously.
“We shouldn’t disturb their lives now.”
“Neil, what do you think of these Goblins?”
Neil thought for a moment before answering seriously.
“They stole the birds from the village—they’re thieves! But then, they helped repair the village tunnel without taking a single copper coin. I don’t know whether they’re good or bad people anymore.”
Neil frowned in confusion.
“If someone who has done many bad things suddenly does a good deed, would you say they’re a good person or a bad person?”
“A bad person!”
“And if someone who has done many good things suddenly does a bad deed, are they a good person or a bad person?”
“This… I don’t know that either. Brother, tell me, is that person good or bad?”
Neil looked at Lai Yi earnestly, wanting him to provide the answer.
Lai Yi didn’t answer Neil directly, instead letting his gaze drift toward the barren mountain.
“Whether it’s a good deed or a bad deed, what matters is doing what you believe is right and having the courage to bear the consequences.”
Neil repeated Lai Yi’s words, his expression thoughtful.
Haggard stayed for a short while before saying goodbye to Simon and leaving. He first dropped the brothers and their belongings off at home before driving the ox-cart back to his own house.
After washing the small vat and clay pots clean in the yard, Lai Yi returned to the house to rest.
“Brother, why did you buy so many clay pots?”
Neil couldn’t quite understand his brother’s actions—there were still a few old clay pots at home.
“The autumn harvest is coming soon. Once all the vegetables are ripe, we won’t be able to eat that much. I’m going to pickle and ferment the extra vegetables and store them in clay pots. That way, we’ll have vegetables to eat during winter.”
“Not dried vegetables?”
“No, we’ll sun-dry some vegetables too, but not too many.”
Hearing Lai Yi’s answer, Neil grew excited.
Brother always knew how to make lots of delicious food—listening to him was definitely the right thing to do.
“Brother, I’ll help you when the time comes!”
“Alright.”
“Should we go pull vegetables now?”
“Not yet, we’ll wait a bit longer.”
“Then what should we do later?”
With the wheat about to ripen, school had given a long break, and Neil had been staying home lately to help Lai Yi with chores.
It was getting late, with less than an hour until dinner. There was still some meat at home, so after thinking it over, Lai Yi decided to make steamed buns for dinner tonight.
“Go pick a cabbage and a cucumber.”
“Okay.”
Lai Yi added warm water to flour and mixed in a little sugar. Once it formed a crumbly texture, he tore off a piece of fermented dough starter, added more water, and kneaded everything together. After kneading, he placed the dough in a bowl, covered it tightly, and set it in a warm spot to rise.
There was no yeast here—people usually kept a piece of fermented dough starter and added a chunk when kneading dough.
Neil had already washed the vegetables and, following Lai Yi’s instructions, cut them into shreds.
Lai Yi took out some wood ear mushrooms that had been dried, grabbed a handful, and soaked them in hot water to rehydrate. He also cracked three bird eggs and scrambled them. He planned to make pork and cabbage filling as well as cucumber, bird egg, and wood ear mushroom filling for the buns.
After preparing the fillings, the dough still hadn’t risen fully.
Lai Yi cleared the table and went to the garden to weed the newly sprouted radishes. Neil was feeding the birds – since his vacation started, Lai Yi hadn’t needed to worry about their red prairie bird anymore.
After two hours of fermentation, the dough finally developed a honeycomb-like texture.
While rolling out the dough, Lai Yi taught Neil how to create beautiful pleats. The two of them worked quickly, soon filling two steamer trays.
Boiling water bubbled in the steamer, with steam gently rising. Lai Yi placed the steamer trays over the pot, waiting until steam filled them completely before covering with the lid.
“Let’s make some soup too.”
Muttering to himself, Lai Yi went to the garden and picked two fresh cucumbers. After washing and slicing them, he prepared a cucumber egg drop soup.
Just as the soup was served, the steamed buns were ready.
After washing their hands, the two began their meal. The long fermentation time meant dinner was later than usual, and both Lai Yi and Neil were quite hungry.
“Brother! Are you home?”
Halfway through their meal, Lam entered carrying a deer leg still dripping with blood.
“You’re still eating? I would have come later if I’d known.”
In their small mountain village where times were hard, everyone made a point of visiting neighbors outside mealtimes.
“Come sit. What’s up?”
Lai Yi set down his bowl and chopsticks to greet Lam.
“Lis hunted a young buck today. Dad asked me to bring you a deer leg. Where should I put it?”
Lai Yi found a large basin, and Lam placed the deer leg inside.
“Come wash your hands over here.”
“Alright.”
Lai Yi added another set of tableware for Lam. Though Lam initially refused, Lai Yi pressed him into a seat.
“What’s this? It smells amazing.”
Lam picked up a steamed bun, sniffed it, and asked.
“Brother made these buns! There are meat-filled ones and wood ear mushroom with bird egg ones. Try them!”
Neil enthusiastically promoted Lai Yi’s new creation to Lam.
“Okay.”
Lam took a bite that consumed half the bun.
The soft texture combined with the savory meat filling pleasantly surprised him.
After finishing one bun in a few bites, Lam tried the other filling that Neil highly recommended.
Though not as fragrant as the meat version, the combination of bird eggs and cucumber offered a refreshing taste, enhanced by the crunchy wood ear mushrooms – a completely different experience.
“This one’s delicious too!”
“Have more if you like them. I made plenty.”
Lai Yi served Lam several more warm meat buns, as they were best eaten hot.
After two more buns, Lam politely set down his chopsticks, refusing despite Lai Yi’s urging. Lai Yi and Neil quickly finished their dinner and cleared the table.
Lam wasn’t really a guest who needed formal treatment. While wiping the table, Lai Yi chatted with him.
“Brother, when are we going hunting? You promised me ages ago.”
Neil glanced secretly at Lam, a smug smile curling his lips.
Brother already took me hunting! Hehe~ I knew I was his favorite!
Lai Yi thought for a moment, recalling that he had indeed made such a promise.
“Tomorrow.”
“Really!?”
Lam jumped excitedly from his chair.
He had gone hunting with his father and two older brothers before, but his father and second brother complained he was too restless, while his eldest brother only let him carry things.
It had been boring.
“Promise you won’t change your mind!”
“I won’t. Come find me after breakfast tomorrow with your gear.”
“Deal!”
After settling the matter, Lam happily returned home. Lai Yi noticed Neil looking at him with eager anticipation.
“You want to go too?”
Neil nodded vigorously.
“I’ll bring you along.”
“Yes!”
Neil jumped up excitedly.
The cubs born this spring had already grown, and prey was abundant in the forest. Various wild fruits had reached their ripening season, making it the perfect time to go up the mountain for gathering.
Lai Yi planned to take them slightly farther tomorrow, though not too deep into the woods. They would hunt some wild birds and Longtooth Beasts, practice their archery, and essentially treat it as an autumn outing with the children.
In the morning, Lai Yi used last night’s leftover buns to make a plate of pan-fried buns. Worried it might not be enough, he also cooked a small pot of oatmeal porridge.
Neil came downstairs with dark circles under his eyes, looking excited but unable to hide his fatigue. It seemed he had been too excited to sleep.
Lai Yi pretended not to notice and didn’t ask any questions.
Shortly after breakfast, Lam arrived.
He carried a leather bag slung over his shoulder, bulging with various items. On his back were a bow and a fully stocked quiver, with a dagger tucked at his waist.
It was an exaggerated setup—anyone unaware might have thought he was hunting large game.
Neil’s getup was no less impressive than Lam’s. The basket on his back contained a small hoe and a sickle, with a small knife similarly tucked at his waist.
Seeing the two fully equipped, Lai Yi suddenly felt that his plans for the day were too simplistic.
After packing up, the three set out, following the village path into the woods.
It was still early autumn, and the forest remained lush, the leaves deep green with a hint of yellowing. They passed through the outskirts where villagers usually frequented and continued onward, not stopping even when the path disappeared.
From this point on, they had to clear their way with sticks and sickles, using the sticks to beat the grass and bushes to scare away any snakes. The weeds were too tall and had to be cut down with the sickle.
Lai Yi led Neil and Lam to the location of the fruit tree he had discovered earlier, following the markers he had left.
It was an apple tree, its fruits ripe and emitting a tempting fragrance. The moment the three arrived, a flock of birds noisily took flight from the tree, and squirrels swiftly scampered up other trees.
Carrying apples on the journey would be too heavy, so Lai Yi taught the two how to set traps near the apple tree. They would return later to pick the apples and check if any prey had fallen into the traps.
The three continued on their way but didn’t manage to catch any prey along the route. Even if there had been any, the commotion they made would have scared it off. This wasn’t working.
Lai Yi had each of them set a trap in different locations. They found a hidden spot to hide in, scattered insect-repelling herbs around, and placed bait not far away.
After the noise of their movements died down, faint rustling sounds soon emerged from the grass. Lai Yi signaled for silence, and Neil covered his mouth tightly, not daring to breathe loudly.
After a long while, a small, snow-white creature ran up to the bait. It cautiously surveyed its surroundings before finally settling down to eat.
Lai Yi gestured for Lam to nock an arrow.
Lam carefully drew his bow, aiming at the small creature. With the bow fully drawn and his arm muscles taut, the arrow was ready to fly.
“Release.”
The arrow shot forth with a whoosh. It grazed the creature’s fur and embedded itself in the tree trunk behind. Terrified, the little beast fled desperately and vanished in an instant.
“Ah, what a shame.”
Lam was visibly disappointed.
“It’s fine, there will be plenty more opportunities.”
Lai Yi went to pull the arrow embedded in the tree. The arrowheads were all made of metal—good materials shouldn’t go to waste.
He hadn’t realized until he tried pulling it—what a shock! The arrowhead didn’t budge at all. Good grief, Lam had shot the arrow at least fifteen centimeters into the tree trunk. How much strength had he used?!
Even with all his might, Lai Yi couldn’t move it. Left with no choice, he secretly used a bit of magic to successfully retrieve it.
Hunting is a grueling process. Sometimes, even experienced hunters might spend an entire day in the mountains and still not catch their desired prey.
The purpose of this hunt wasn’t to bag as much game as possible, but to train the two children in skill and patience. Lai Yi wasn’t in a hurry, accompanying Lam and Neil as they hunted in the nearby area.
Gradually, Lam finally mastered the technique and successfully shot down a wild bird.
Lam’s confidence began to swell, and he turned his attention to larger prey. Of course, he was bound to fail.