Madam Liu had already grown used to Gu Nianzhi bringing things home every day.
She took the four- to five-jin grass carp from Gu Nianzhi’s hands and asked how she planned to cook it.
Gu Nianzhi thought about it—there weren’t many seasonings at home anyway. How else could they eat it?
In the end, Madam Liu went to the village and spent one copper coin on a piece of ginger, brought back a few vegetables as well, and cooked a pot of fish soup.
Perhaps because the original body had been malnourished for so long, Gu Nianzhi found the soup unbelievably delicious.
“Big Sis! Can I come with you tomorrow when you go fishing and hunting?”
Gu Nian’an looked at her expectantly.
He loved going up the mountain with his sister!
Sure, it was dangerous—but they could catch prey! They could make money!
He thought that once he learned most of his sister’s skills, he could go hunting every day and earn money, so she wouldn’t have to work so hard anymore.
After all, he was the only man in the family. He had to shoulder the responsibility of supporting them!
“What are you daydreaming about?”
This little radish-head—she hadn’t even said anything yet, and he was already staring off into space with a silly grin. Whatever he was thinking about, it was honestly kind of funny.
“When Sister Chunhua got married last year, she had three taels of dowry! I was thinking—once I learn how to hunt, I’ll save up a dowry for you too, Big Sis. I’ll definitely save more than Sister Chunhua!”
Hearing that such a small child was already thinking about saving dowry money for her made Gu Nianzhi feel warm inside.
“You little brat! How much money do you think hunting can make? If you really want to save up a dowry for me—or protect me—you should be studying instead.”
What future was there in hunting your whole life in this village?
She didn’t want her family to be trapped in this quiet mountain village forever.
If they could live peacefully their whole lives, that would be best. But if disaster ever struck, people like them would only be at the mercy of others.
Little Gu Nian’an didn’t understand what studying was good for, or why his sister and grandparents always said scholars had prospects. All he knew was that once Cousin Chengwen started studying, he looked down on everyone else, couldn’t do any chores, and only knew how to ask the family for money.
No! He didn’t want to become like that!
Gu Nian’an shook his head hard.
“I’m not studying!”
Seeing how resistant he was, Gu Nianzhi didn’t push the issue further.
Fine. Since he was her little brother—and her loyal fan—she’d protect him herself.
“Then tomorrow, you can come to the mountains with me.”
“Yay!”
Gu Nian’an was thrilled. He jumped up, ran outside, picked up a rock the size of his head, struggled to lift it, and hurled it forward.
“What are you doing?”
“Learning from you, Big Sis! Smashing prey!”
Gu Nianzhi: …
Madam Liu: …
She hadn’t expected her daughter to hunt like this in the mountains. It was… quite something.
Gu Nianzhi stepped forward and caught the rock.
“First, you watch and see how I hunt. Once you’ve learned enough, I’ll teach you how to do it yourself.”
A proper hunter should set traps or use bows—not smash pigs to death with rocks like she did…
Gu Nian’an nodded, half-understanding.
The next day, Madam Liu didn’t cook porridge as usual. Instead, she made rice balls for them.
“Eat these if you get hungry on the mountain. You must be home before dark.”
“Got it!”
Watching her steady daughter and her toddling little son, Madam Liu felt a thousand misgivings—but still didn’t stop them from going up the mountain.
At the Gu family’s old house, Zhang Cuihua ran excitedly to Old Madam Gu.
“Mother, Liu has been going out early and coming back late digging wild vegetables these past few days. Those two kids are also going up the mountain every day looking for food. They must be running out of things to eat.”
Hearing this, Old Madam Gu smiled contentedly and lifted her bowl of sugar water for a sip.
So sweet!
She wanted to see how long that family could hold on.
Daring to oppose her—she’d make them regret it!
In the mountains, Gu Nian’an felt the cool air of the deep forest, so refreshing that every pore seemed to open.
“Big Sis, we’re really deep in the mountains!”
It was already June. Outside, the heat was unbearable—the crops’ leaves were curling from the sun, and many farmers were carrying water bucket by bucket to irrigate their fields.
“The mountains may be cool, but you can’t let your guard down,” Gu Nianzhi warned. “If you’re bitten by snakes or insects, it could mean anything from temporary pain to instant death.”
“Ah!”
Gu Nian’an’s legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed.
“Big Sis… you mean that thing?”
Following his pointing finger, Gu Nianzhi saw a viper over a meter long coiled on a tree ahead.
She signaled him not to move and slowly approached the tree. When the viper wasn’t paying attention, she grabbed it in one swift motion.
“Wow! Big Sis is amazing!”
He nearly fainted just seeing the snake, yet his sister dared to grab it with her bare hands—she was even fiercer than the grown men in the village!
“When catching a snake, you mustn’t startle it,” she explained. “Otherwise, it’ll attack.”
She brought the snake closer.
“Look—this is the snake’s vital point, the ‘seven inches.’ Remember where it is. If you grab a snake by the seven inches, it won’t be able to bite you.”
So that’s how it works.
Gu Nian’an was itching to try, but Gu Nianzhi didn’t let him.
He was only six. Understanding the theory was enough. He didn’t have the strength yet—if he slipped and got bitten, where was she supposed to get antivenom?
Gu Nianzhi put the snake into a hemp sack she’d brought along, made sure it was secure, and continued forward with him—this time in a new direction.
The surroundings were lush and green. Squirrels popped up now and then, and the forest echoed with birdsong.
Gu Nianzhi took out some rope and set a snare trap, leaving Gu Nian’an staring in awe.
How did Big Sis have everything in her pockets? First a sack, now rope—this was magical!
In truth, she’d taken them from her spatial storage. Her pockets were just an excuse. If anyone asked, she could always say she bought them in town.
After setting traps in several spots, she took Gu Nian’an wandering around.
There were plenty of small animals in the mountains. Determined not to return empty-handed, Gu Nianzhi smashed a gray wild rabbit to death with a stone. Later, by a small river, she blocked an opening with rocks and soon caught four to five jin of small river fish.
Gu Nian’an watched as she once again “magically” pulled out a small sack and put the fish inside.
“Big Sis, let me carry it! I’ll carry it!”
They’d caught so much—enough to eat for several more days!
When it was nearly three in the afternoon, Gu Nianzhi went to check the traps. Several were empty, but the last one had caught a wild chicken.
She tied it up, carried it, and called Gu Nian’an to head home.
On the way back, even the breeze felt sweet to Gu Nian’an.
“Big Sis, what about that snake?”
It was poisonous—he definitely didn’t dare eat it.
The last big snake had sold for one tael of silver. This one was so thin—it probably wasn’t worth much, right?
“Tomorrow we’ll take it to the medicine shop in town and ask if anyone wants it.”
“Okay!”
Gu Nian’an hopped happily down the mountain.
Back in the courtyard, Madam Liu was delighted to see their “abundant harvest.”
The children had grown up—they could take care of themselves now!
Gu Nian’an chattered nonstop about everything they’d seen in the mountains. When he mentioned that Gu Nianzhi could catch snakes, Madam Liu froze.
She looked at her daughter with a probing gaze.
Gu Nianzhi tied up the chicken and the sack with the snake, warned them not to touch it, then carried the rabbit and fish to the pond to clean them.
Madam Liu told Gu Nian’an to light the stove while she went to fetch water and start cooking.