Return to the Village, Ox-Horn Bow

Li Xiao carried the herbs and firewood on his back, carefully preparing to head down the mountain.

On the way down, he ran into other villagers.

They too seemed to have gone up the mountain to gather firewood and dig for herbs, but very few had found anything.

Seeing that Li Xiao, that former hooligan and scoundrel, had actually turned over a new leaf and knew to help support his family, quite a few people clicked their tongues in amazement.

Yet no one dared step forward to speak to him. Most simply kept their distance and walked away.

Looks like my reputation really has traveled far and wide, Li Xiao thought with a wry smile.

Still, it was nothing. In times like these, a bad name was far more useful than a good one.

"Why isn't Little Brother back yet? It'll be dark before long."

Li Yu spoke worriedly.

The snow on the road was slowly melting now, so she could return home to look after her father instead of staying overnight in the Laundry Room.

The millet porridge on the table had already been cooked, but neither of them had touched it. It was nearly cold.

Tap tap!

A series of footsteps sounded. Li Yu hurried to open the door and saw Li Xiao entering the courtyard with a basket on his back.

His trouser hems were caked with mud. Clearly, the Mountain Path had not been easy.

"Little Brother, you're back. Old Dad and I were so worried."

Li Yu hurried over as she spoke.

"Mm. I'm back." Li Xiao panted heavily.

The firewood and herbs in the basket were not heavy, but the mountain road was slick and slippery. He had to watch every step, and several times he had nearly taken a fall.

When he entered the house, Li Youde finally let out a long breath of relief upon seeing Li Xiao return.

"Dad, Eldest Sister, I got lucky this time. I dug up some herbs."

Li Xiao set down the basket and took out the firewood. Most of it was deadwood, which he had already chopped into short lengths.

But after days of heavy snow, it was still somewhat damp. It would need to sit for a while before it could be used.

"I found quite a lot of herbs on that slope. Good thing I went early. When I came down the mountain, I saw people from the village coming down from that direction too. They must have gone to dig for herbs as well.

"If I'd gone any later, they would have dug them all up."

Li Xiao said with a smile, taking all the herbs from the basket and laying them on the ground.

There were not many herbs spread across the floor, but each kind was clearly sorted.

The roots of the Bupleurum bore fine vertical striations, the old roots of the Dandelion were thick and full, and several Fang Feng plants still carried the dampness of the soil.

Most eye-catching of all were the yellow-and-white Gastrodia. The rings on their tubers stood out in clear circles.

"This Gastrodia... You actually found Dong Ma?"

Leaning on his cane, Li Youde moved closer. Light flashed in his clouded eyes as his rough fingers gently touched the Gastrodia buds.

"This stuff is precious. The medicine shops in town pay well for it."

"Just luck. I found it beneath a tree on Rubble Slope."

Li Xiao wiped away his sweat and picked up a Fang Feng plant.

"And this too, Dad, look. The roots are intact. Once it's dried, it can be used as medicine."

Li Yu had already turned and gone into the kitchen. She poured the cooled millet porridge back into the pot to reheat it, then added more firewood to the stove. The glow of the flames painted her cheeks rosy red.

"Little Brother, you must be hungry, right? The porridge will be hot soon."

Once Li Xiao had finished taking out the herbs, he tossed the plump rabbit onto the table.

The Wild Rabbit had been tied up tightly by Li Xiao, yet it still thrashed wildly atop the table.

"This—Xiao'er, you even caught a Wild Rabbit? Oh, it's so fat. That's a rare sight indeed."

Li Youde clicked his tongue in amazement at the sight of it.

"These things aren't easy to catch. In the past, I could only hit one with arrows. Barehanded, a person can't outrun one."

"Exactly. I just got lucky too. I ran into it in the pine forest. My luck was pretty good."

Li Xiao grinned as well.

At that moment, Li Yu came in carrying the porridge. The millet had been exchanged with labor, and she had also received her wages, so they had enough millet to last them for a while. Thus, she had added more millet when cooking the porridge.

"Ah, what a fat rabbit! Little Brother, where did you catch it? It could fetch quite a few copper coins in the city!"

Li Yu cried out in surprise.

"We're not selling this one. We have enough millet for now. We can sell its hide, and the meat will last us several meals."

It had not been easy to get a taste of meat. Li Xiao could not sell it—he was counting on the Rabbit meat to replenish his nutrition!

Li Youde spoke up as well.

"The rabbit was caught by Xiao'er. Let him decide how to deal with it."

Li Yu said nothing more.

"Dad, tomorrow I plan to learn archery from you. Training my strength requires meat to replenish myself.

"Once I learn archery, I'll be able to bring back more Wild Game."

A sharp gleam shone in Li Xiao's eyes.

"Good. I'll teach you tomorrow. But your body hasn't fully recovered yet. Take it easy, and don't wear yourself out."

Li Youde nodded with a smile.

"Don't worry. I'm almost fully recovered already."

Li Xiao nodded.

"Enough, tomorrow's matters can wait until tomorrow. Eat quickly, before it gets cold."

Li Yu urged them.

Only now could it truly be called millet porridge—more millet and less water. Li Xiao drank two bowls in a row.

After finishing the porridge, Li Yu dealt with the firewood in the kitchen while Li Xiao handled the medicinal herbs.

Li Xiao sorted the herbs by type and arranged them on the windowsill. He wrapped the Gastrodia separately in a sheet of oiled paper and placed it in the most conspicuous spot.

Li Youde watched from the side with great interest.

This boy had only read one book, yet he could handle these herbs in such neat order, no worse than those old herbalists in the village. It seemed that putting his mind on the right path really was useful.

Li Youde thought to himself.

There were too few herbs at the moment, and Li Xiao had no plans to sell them yet.

Selling such a small amount would not bring in much money anyway. He intended to keep the herbs useful to his body and use them to nurse himself back to health first.

After dealing with everything, Li Xiao slowly went to sleep.

Early the next morning, Eldest Sister had already gone into the city for work, while Li Youde was up as well.

Old Dad sat on a stool with a gleaming Ox-Horn Great Bow in his hands, clearly having polished it since early morning.

"Dad, is this the bow you used for hunting?"

Li Xiao asked with great interest.

"Mm. I had this made at a shop in the city. I don't know how many Wild Game I've shot with this bow. It was this bow that helped me raise you two siblings."

Li Youde stroked the bow in his hands, overcome with emotion for a moment.

Li Xiao looked at the Ox-Horn Great Bow, his eyes gleaming with wonder.

In his previous life, he had never come into contact with such things.

But he also knew that bows and arrows were immensely lethal. Without practice built up day after day, not to mention shooting prey, one would not even be able to draw the bow.

"Dad, let me have a look."

Li Youde handed the bow to Li Xiao.

This Ox-Horn Great Bow stood more than half a man tall. Its belly was faced with ox horn, its back was reinforced with ox sinew, and cloth was wrapped around the grip.

Li Xiao took the bow with both hands and immediately felt its weight. It was far heavier than he had imagined.

He tried resting the bow body across the crook of his arm. The cold ox horn pressed against his sleeve, and he could faintly feel the texture of the ox sinew—a smooth warmth polished by hands over the years.

"This bow may look plain, but it packs quite a force."

Li Youde said from the side, "When I first got it, I practiced for three months before I could steadily draw it more than halfway.

"Don't rush. First, try the proper posture for holding the bow."

Following his instructions, Li Xiao placed his left hand on the grip and loosely hooked the bowstring with his Right hand, standing as he had seen his father do when hunting.

But the moment he tried to exert force, his arm began trembling on its own, and the bow body swayed with it.