Old Madam Xia quickly pulled San Bao into her arms to comfort him, shooting Xia Li a fierce glare as she angrily said, “Why does Li Girl always stir up trouble the moment she comes home?”
Xia Li ignored her, turning her gaze to the left wall where a large bow hung—the very one Old Man Xia had used for hunting in his younger days. Even after all these years, he had kept it preserved.
Looking at the bow filled Xia Li with excitement. In her previous life, she had been skilled in archery, and combined with her excellent eyesight in this life, it would be quite nice to occasionally hunt rabbits or pheasants in the future.
She tugged at Old Man Xia’s sleeve, pointing at the large bow as she said, “Grandfather, I want to learn archery from you.”
Old Man Xia laughed heartily, “Such a delicate little girl should properly learn embroidery from your mother. Why learn archery? That’s something for men.”
Xia Li pouted and said, “Archery can strengthen the body. If I were more physically robust, I wouldn’t have been pushed into the river so easily, nor would I have been sick for so many days, nearly dying.”
Xia Zhu deeply agreed, “Li Girl really should exercise more—she’s too weak. Country girls ought to be sturdier; it’ll make them more favored by future in-laws.”
Old Madam Xia interjected, “If a girl wants to exercise, she should walk and move around more, help her mother with household chores, or go work in the fields with your aunt. Look at Dani and Erni—they’re as strong as boys.”
The old lady certainly knew how to secure labor.
Xia Li didn’t respond to her, instead tugging again at Old Man Xia’s sleeve and coaxing, “Grandfather, I just want to learn archery.”
Unable to resist his granddaughter’s pleading, Old Man Xia reluctantly stopped objecting and stood up, saying, “Alright, Grandfather will teach you.”
Xia Zhu went to take down the bow while Old Man Xia limped into his bedroom and brought out five arrows. Xia Li examined the arrowheads—two were iron, three were bamboo. The iron ones had already begun to rust.
The iron-headed arrows were likely for larger game, while the bamboo-headed ones were probably for smaller animals.
The group went out into the yard where Old Man Xia taught Xia Li how to hold the bow and nock the arrow, though they didn’t actually shoot.
Old Man Xia used the “Mongolian draw,” while Xia Li had learned the “Mediterranean draw” in her previous life—the techniques were different.
Xia Li didn’t dare use her previous method, instead carefully following Old Man Xia’s instruction. Thanks to her foundation, she quickly managed decent form, though her strength was insufficient to fully draw the bow.
Old Man Xia nodded repeatedly, praising, “Truly the daughter of the God of Literature—so clever, you learn even faster than Shanzi. With more practice to build your draw strength, your arrows will fly farther.”
Xia Li then negotiated with Old Man Xia, “Grandfather, could you lend me these bow and arrows to practice with?” She didn’t feel comfortable asking to keep them, only to borrow.
Old Man Xia had always treasured his bow and arrows, but feeling that his daughter had contributed greatly to the family and that his granddaughter rarely asked him for anything, he generously agreed, “Take them if you enjoy practicing, just be careful not to hurt anyone.”
Old Madam Xia quickly objected, “That bow and arrows cost a fortune—they were the breadwinner’s tools…”
Old Man Xia said sternly, “You said it yourself—’were the breadwinner’s tools.’ I’m disabled now, what use do I have for them?”
Just as everyone had returned inside and settled down, Little Mrs. Yang returned from the fields with Xia Erni.
Little Mrs. Yang bore some resemblance to Old Madam Xia—petite in stature with features that could barely be considered delicate. However, her clothes were filthy and grimy, stained not only with today’s mud but also with lingering, unwashed dirt.
Xia Erni took after Little Mrs. Yang, her features somewhat delicate, but her skin was poor—dark and rough. Sweat dripped down her face, making it clear she worked even harder than her mother. Her clothes were patched in many places; her outer trousers not only had several patches but were also too short, revealing the inner trousers beneath, which were slightly longer but still insufficient, exposing her ankles. She was dressed even worse than Xia Sanbao.
It was spring, not yet warm enough for single-layer clothing. She must have been freezing dressed like that. Moreover, at eleven years old in ancient times, she was no longer a child—many girls her age were already being considered for marriage.
Like most families in ancient times, the Xias favored sons over daughters, with the exception of Xia Li. Xia Dani still had her birth mother, Li, to care for her, but Xia Erni was like a neglected blade of grass, unnoticed and unloved.
After washing their faces and hands, Little Mrs. Yang went inside, grabbed a handful of peanuts, and sat down to eat. Old Madam Xia shot her a glare and then ordered Xia Erni to herd the chickens into their coop in the backyard.
Little Mrs. Yang’s eyes darted toward Xia Li as she chuckled, “A sweet tongue sure is useful—not only do you avoid work, but you even get roasted peanuts to eat.”
Old Madam Xia glared and scolded, “Eat, eat, all you know is eating! Were you a hungry ghost in your past life? She doesn’t work because she’s blessed with good fortune.” The first part was directed at Little Mrs. Yang, while the latter carried a double meaning.
Little Mrs. Yang added, “Li Girl, Erhu and Sanbao are both your cousins—don’t be so biased. Why do you only give food to Erhu and not my Sanbao when he visits your house…”
What an idiot—her brain must have been squashed by a door.
Xia Li smiled sweetly and replied, “Because Erhu is likable. The moment he comes to our house, he says he wants to show respect to my mother. But as soon as Sanbao arrives, he claims everything in our house will be his someday and even says he’ll drive me far away… Second Maternal Uncle’s Wife, aren’t you teaching your child to outright steal? That’s not right.”
Little Mrs. Yang pursed her lips and retorted, “That’s not stealing! He’s just helping you guard your things so others won’t take them…”
Xia Li had no patience to argue with Little Mrs. Yang and ignored Old Madam Xia’s remark about her bickering with a child. She stood up and went outside.
Xia Erni had already returned to the front yard. Xia Li slipped a piece of candy into her mouth. The poor girl was only eleven—still a child who should be in elementary school.
Xia Erni was momentarily stunned; her cousin had never paid her any attention before. Her face flushed even redder, and she gave Xia Li a shy smile.
Xia Li added, “Come by my house when you have time. I’ll find some fabric scraps to lengthen your trousers.”
Xia Erni nodded, her face still red. She was well aware that at her age, showing her ankles was embarrassing.
Just then, Xia Tie returned from the town’s blacksmith shop with Xia Daxiong in tow. The freshly turned nine-year-old Daxiong was as sturdy as a little black bear. Father and son looked like carbon copies—both dark, robust, with broad, square faces.
Xia Li took out two pieces of candy and asked Xia Erhu to give them to Xia Daxiong. Xia Daxiong cheerfully ate one himself and, noticing Little Mrs. Yang watching him, handed her the other.
Little Mrs. Yang was unpleasant, but Xia Daxiong and Xia Erni were decent kids. Only Xia Sanbao, spoiled by his mother, was as disagreeable and selfish as she was.
Once the meal was ready and dishes began to be brought to the table, Xia Li felt too awkward to keep sitting idle and helped set out bowls and chopsticks.
The meal today was exceptionally sumptuous: garlic sprouts stir-fried with fatty pork, braised pork knuckles with soybeans, crispy peanuts, dried tofu stir-fried with chives, cabbage stir-fried with cracklings, mixed cucumber, and pork bone broth with Chinese cabbage and vermicelli. There was also steamed brown rice, and the men had liquor.
The stir-fried fatty pork and braised pork knuckles were placed by the elderly lady in front of the old couple, indicating that no one else was to touch these two dishes casually. The other dishes were placed in the center of the table for everyone to share freely.