10
Most people from the nearby villages relied on Heiku Mountain for their livelihood. Many went into the mountains every day, and this time happened to be when everyone was heading home for a meal. So quite a few villagers saw He Tian coming down the mountain, carrying a pile of firewood taller than herself and lugging three wolves.
It was genuinely astonishing.
Leaving aside the fact that a young girl was carrying such a heavy load of firewood, those were three full-grown wolves!
Not until He Tian had walked far away did people start murmuring among themselves in twos and threes—
“He Tian girl, she’s actually this capable!”
“Absolutely. Much better than my own Da Tou. Even now, the best he can do up the mountain is catch a rabbit!”
“Never noticed it before. Why the sudden big change?”
“Old He died. She has no choice, right?”
“Hey? Didn’t Old He say he wouldn’t let his daughter learn to hunt? So how…”
“What’s that saying? A tiger father has no dog of a daughter. Following her father around every day, she was bound to pick up some skills…”
Though she didn’t care much, He Tian was still somewhat relieved to hear that they weren’t treating her like an outcast. Her body was terribly weak right now; if these people decided to kill her as a demon, she could probably escape, but Liu Erniang would be in trouble.
This was just right.
In the future, when she went up the mountain and caught something rare, she wouldn’t have to think about how to explain it—they had already provided a reasonable excuse for her.
The villagers had started cooking, smoke curling from every household chimney. The aromas of rice and dishes wafted through the air, a scene of peaceful domesticity that dispelled the disgust He Erlang and Mrs. Li had brought her.
Villagers who saw He Tian returning with her bounty couldn’t help but praise her as well.
Especially for bagging three wolves at once—that took real skill, and the praise wasn’t hollow at all.
Some soft-hearted people sighed inwardly. Her father had died of illness, her elder brother had perished in battle, and her mother was sick. If she couldn’t hold things together, this family would soon vanish.
A few greeted He Tian, but eager to get home and cook, she only responded with simple grunts, nothing more.
The gate had been locked from the outside. As soon as she opened it, she saw Liu Erniang sitting in the courtyard, holding the little gray rabbit and soaking up the sun. Seeing her, Liu Erniang hurriedly tried to rise. “You’re back. Why did you cut so much firewood all at once? Carrying that heavy load back must have been so tiring.”
He Tian quickly gestured for her to stay put. “Sit down, don’t get up. I’ll put these things down and then start cooking.”
Only then did Liu Erniang notice that her daughter hadn’t just gathered firewood, she had also hunted three wolves.
Wolves!
Three of them!
Forgetting her own frail condition, Liu Erniang hurriedly set down the little gray rabbit and forced herself to walk over.
As she drew near, the strong smell of blood from her daughter hit her, along with the sight of her covered in dried bloodstains. Thinking her daughter was injured, Liu Erniang’s face instantly turned pale.
“You…” Her hands trembling, she pulled He Tian close, inspecting her front and back. Fear choked her, preventing her from asking the words ‘Were you hurt?’
But He Tian understood the unspoken question. She smiled at Liu Erniang. “I’m not hurt. This blood is from when I bled the animals, it got on me. It’s not mine.”
As she spoke, she patted herself down and turned around to show Liu Erniang.
Seeing that she was indeed unharmed, Liu Erniang finally caught her breath. The relief brought on a coughing fit, and her body seemed to drain of strength; she could barely stand. He Tian quickly helped her back to her seat.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, as long as you’re okay,” Liu Erniang said, red-eyed, after resting for a while. She held He Tian’s hand and urged, “You must take care of yourself. It doesn’t matter if I eat or not, but you must never take risks.”
He Tian agreed.
But Liu Erniang insisted. “Look me in the eyes and promise me.”
So, He Tian looked directly into Liu Erniang’s eyes and made a sincere promise. “I promise you, Mother, I won’t take risks. I’ll take care of myself and put safety first.”
Seeing that she wasn’t just trying to reassure her, Liu Erniang released her hand, her heart at ease.
Noticing her mother’s complexion was still poor, He Tian brought over the pheasant she had ‘found’ to show her. “Let’s have a nice meal today. We’ll have chestnut chicken for lunch.”
Though reassured, Liu Erniang’s heart hadn’t yet settled. Still, she managed a smile. “Alright.”
“Just sit and wait,” He Tian said, rolling up her sleeves. “I’ll start preparing the chicken.”
With that, she headed to the kitchen to get a cleaver.
“Hey? Tiantian, what’s that crawling out of your basket?” Liu Erniang suddenly called towards the kitchen.
She spotted a living creature, yellow with black stripes, and for a moment, she dared not identify it.
He Tian came out with the cleaver and saw the now-awake Dahuang crawling out of the basket. Once steady on its feet, it began shaking its fur.
Liu Erniang could now see clearly, but she still couldn’t believe it. She looked at her daughter, then at the tiger cub still shaking itself in the yard, then back at her daughter. “A tiger?”
He Tian hummed in affirmation. “When I went up the mountain, I came across a wolf pack fighting a tigress. Both sides were devastated, and the tigress died too. I got lucky. Not only did I pick up the wolves the tigress killed, but I also brought back her cub.”
With his fur settled and his mind clear, Dahuang trotted eagerly towards He Tian.
He Tian crouched down and stroked his head, saying to Liu Erniang, “He’s very gentle. I’ve named him Dahuang. His head is so soft. Mother, would you like to pet him? He feels wonderful.”
She temporarily set the pheasant on the ground, picked up Dahuang, and presented him to Liu Erniang.
Back when He Da was alive, he had even hunted a black bear. Liu Erniang wasn’t afraid of wild animals. The little tiger cub, with his round eyes fixed curiously on her, tilted his head. Liu Erniang was charmed, without thinking, she reached out and stroked his head.
Indeed, it was soft and fuzzy, a completely different sensation from the little gray rabbit.
Liu Erniang smiled. “Mm, very gentle.”
Human sorrow and grief can be healed by soft, adorable little animals.
Seeing that Liu Erniang wasn’t resistant, He Tian placed Dahuang into her arms. “I’m going to cook now.”
Liu Erniang settled Dahuang on her lap and affectionately stroked his head and back.
The cleaver hadn’t been used for cutting meat or bone in a long time; it was dull. He Tian first fetched water to sharpen the blade.
“Honk!”
“Honk, honk, honk—”
Just as He Tian was sharpening the knife, ready to deal with the pheasant, she heard the commotion. Turning her head, she saw that Dahuang had somehow jumped down from Liu Erniang’s lap and was now chasing the pheasant around the yard. The pheasant, its legs bound, was flapping its wings desperately.
Seeing that the cub was just playing and not trying to bite the pheasant, He Tian stopped paying attention.
But Liu Erniang seemed to notice something. “Is Dahuang hungry?”
He Tian looked at the now-sharpened knife, confirmed it could dispatch the pheasant in one clean cut, then turned her head towards the yard for a moment. “Maybe.”
Liu Erniang: “What does a tiger cub this size eat? Milk? Or meat?”
He Tian: “…”
She thought about it seriously. “It should be able to eat meat by now.”
As she spoke, she headed towards the scene of the tiger-chicken standoff.
She picked up the pheasant, securing its wings and head, and gently nudged Dahuang with her foot towards Liu Erniang. “Go over there. Stop playing. I’ll give you a drumstick later.”
Two drumsticks. One for Dahuang to eat as meat, and the rest of the chicken to stew with chestnuts.
After slitting its throat, she tossed the pheasant aside to bleed out. He Tian went back inside to boil water. “Mother, keep an eye on him. If he tries to bite the pheasant, call me.” They were going to stew it with chestnuts, so she couldn’t let him mess with it.
Watching Dahuang, who had now started chasing the little gray rabbit, making it puff up in anger, Liu Erniang: “…”
Once the water boiled, she scalded, plucked, and gutted the pheasant, then carried it into the kitchen to chop up the meat.
Chop. First, she cut off one drumstick and set it aside. Later, she’d debone it and mince the meat for Dahuang.
The rest she chopped into bite-sized pieces.
That pheasant was surprisingly plump, with a large chunk of golden-yellow fat. Perfect, since they were out of cooking oil. This fat would render enough oil for several meals.
After rendering the chicken fat, she scooped out some for later use. Then she dropped the chicken pieces into the hot oil.
Sizzle…
The aroma of oil and meat filled the air.
After stir-frying a few times, she added water and a pinch of salt. Brought it to a boil over high heat, then let it simmer slowly over a low flame.
Once the chicken was nearly done, He Tian added a full basin of washed chestnuts to the pot and continued stewing.
Chestnuts were sweet. Yao Yao’s journal said that chestnut chicken was best when it had a sweet taste, so you should add plenty of chestnuts. Once the chestnuts were stewed and had absorbed the broth, each bite was pure bliss!
Thinking of this, He Tian, tending the fire, had a bright sparkle in her eyes.
**
In the corner, Lin Yunfeng: Do you know how wronged I feel?
Little Wild Boar: What do you have to feel wronged about? It’s not like you’re going to get neutered [eye roll]