A Tautening String

"Flap, flap—"

Another wild duck by the stream took fright and flew up. Its gray-brown form skimmed swiftly over the water before vanishing into the withered weeds shrouded in mist.

Watching the direction it had disappeared, Cui Hao sighed inwardly. If only he had a well-trained hunting dog.

It could track prey, flush it out, and even retrieve fallen game and arrows. His hunting would be far more efficient.

The thought passed in a flash. He focused on gathering down and feathers, and out of the corner of his eye caught sight of a black-backed crucian carp, palm-wide, gliding slowly through the shallows among the water plants. Its dorsal fin cut through the clear surface, plain as day.

An opportunity! It was less than three zhang away.

Cui Hao drew an arrow, nocked it, raised his bow, took aim, and loosed! His movements weren't as smooth as a veteran hunter's, but they were clean and decisive.

"Whoosh—thwack!"

The arrow sliced through the air and struck in an instant, piercing the fish with perfect accuracy! The fish gave a violent twitch, splashing water, then its struggles quickly weakened.

The panel updated at the perfect moment.

[Archery: Beginner]

[Progress: 20/300]

[Effect: Soreness -5, Arm Strength +5, Accuracy +5]

His progress had risen again. He was feeling pleased with himself when a rustling sound came from the treetop overhead on the bank.

He looked up. A gray squirrel clutched a pinecone, its little black-bean eyes curiously studying him.

Should he try a moving target? As soon as the thought struck, Cui Hao nocked another arrow and aimed at the nimble little creature. It was about four or five zhang away, smaller than his fist, appearing and disappearing among the branches.

He drew a deep breath, pulled the bow to its full draw, and released!

"Whoosh—thwack!"

The wooden arrow shot out, its fletching spinning. It grazed the squirrel's bushy tail and embedded itself deep in the tree trunk. The shaft couldn't withstand the force and snapped in two with a crack.

Startled, the squirrel shot into the depths of the woods and vanished.

The arrow was ruined, but Cui Hao grinned.

Compared with yesterday, when even drawing the bow halfway had been a struggle and he'd shot crookedly at a stationary grass target, today he could draw it fully—and his aim was already quite impressive.

Missing a nimble little squirrel was only natural. But what if it were a larger hare, a pheasant, or... a person?

Cui Hao couldn't help gaining a more practical sense of a bow's power.

He glanced at the sun, estimated the time, and continued searching along the stream. Luckily, he found two temporary resting spots where wild ducks had left behind down that was still warm, and gathered even more feathers.

He also shot a foolish wild duck that had thought hiding deep in the withered grass would keep it safe.

At last, Cui Hao chopped a bundle of hardwood that would burn for a long time and tied it with a grass rope.

With the game and firewood, his bundle had grown huge and heavy, but Cui Hao felt much more at ease.

There was still time before the end of the month. He planned to take it steady and build up his gains bit by bit.

The tax silver was a great sum, but it wasn't beyond reach.

With his heavy haul on his back, he crossed Bald Mountain and set off for the village. As he passed Little Stone Village, the closest settlement to the mountain, several villagers sitting in the sun or digging for wild greens at the entrance noticed him.

His bulging, weighty bundle, and the faint, gamey freshness wafting from it—nothing like the smell of an ordinary poor household—instantly drew every eye.

Greedy gazes swept back and forth between his bundle and the bow on his back. Throats bobbed involuntarily.

Some wore envious expressions; others had deep helplessness and hunger hidden in their eyes.

In this world, not everyone had the means, the courage, or the skill to make a living in the mountains.

Bows were expensive and hard to come by.

And the danger of wild beasts in the mountains made most people shy away.

Cui Hao stayed alert, but kept his expression calm. He merely shifted the bow a little higher and walked past with steady steps.

The worst didn't happen. As the sun sank and dusk was just beginning to fall, Cui Hao returned to the low wall surrounding his home in Willow Tree Village.

He knocked and called, "Sister Yun, I'm back."

The creaky wooden gate opened, and a slender figure appeared before him.

Su Yun had deliberately finished work early that day and gone home to make dinner. She had waited and waited, but her husband still hadn't returned. As the sky darkened, she had paced the courtyard countless times, nearly asking a neighbor to go out of the village with her to look for him.

"Brother Hao!" Her voice trembled with lingering fear. "Why did you get back so late? I thought... I thought something had happened to you!"

She looked Cui Hao up and down. He was covered in dust and bits of grass, but all his limbs—and everything else—were intact. Only then did she relax a little. Her gaze soon fell on the enormous bundle.

"There was a lot of good stuff in the mountains. I got held up," Cui Hao said, setting the bundle down and brushing dust and grass from himself with a smile. "Don't scare yourself. Come see what I brought. You'll love it."

Su Yun hurried to look.

Cui Hao first set down a small bundle of duck down, then untied the firewood and revealed a fish over a foot long and a plump wild duck.

There were also chunks of snake meat, beheaded and skinned, pale with a rosy tinge!

"Oh!" Su Yun's eyes lit up at once, as though starlight had fallen into them. "So much! Fish! A duck! And... is this snake meat?"

She stared at Cui Hao, hardly daring to believe it.

"Mm. Three king cobras. Took a bit of work," Cui Hao said evenly, though the corners of his mouth lifted with pride. "I've realized I might have been born to make a living hunting."

"Brother Hao is amazing!" Su Yun praised him sincerely. A rare, carefree smile bloomed on her face. "The hunters from the east end of the village came back empty-handed today."

Being watched with admiration and praised to his face by his own woman gave Cui Hao a powerful sense of accomplishment. Even his voice held a hint of pride. "Tonight, we'll make snake soup. Wash the meat several times and make sure it's cooked through. I heard there might be little worms inside."

"Mm!" Su Yun nodded firmly. Then she thought of something, and her smile faded a little. She lowered her voice. "Brother Hao, while you were sick, we really ran out of food. I... I borrowed half a sheng of brown rice from Aunt Li next door, a spoonful of lard and two bundles of firewood from Uncle Li at the end of the village, and Aunt Yang shared a handful of wild greens with us... We owe them..."

Willow Tree Village had a jumble of surnames. Most of its residents had fled here from famine and war in the west long ago.

Cui Hao looked at the game on the ground and replied without hesitation, "Let's give them half the snake meat and half the fish. We'll pay back everyone we owe."

With her husband's approval, a smile returned to Su Yun's face. She set to work briskly, cutting the snake meat into pieces with a cleaver and splitting the fish in half. She wrapped them separately with grass rope, took a small basket, and headed out.

Cui Hao carefully sorted the duck down and feathers, thinking that if he gathered a little more, he could make padded jackets for himself and Su Yun. Perhaps there'd even be enough left for kneepads or a hat. Then winter wouldn't be quite so hard to endure.

Before long, Su Yun came back, beaming, her eyes shining. "Brother Hao! Everyone was so happy to get the food. They all said our family has a pillar to lean on again and that there's hope for the future! Aunt Li even whispered to me that Father is watching over us from heaven!"

Cui Hao smiled. That unseen father of his had indeed done something wonderful—he had brought Su Yun home to him early.

That alone had made it worth it.

Dinner was soon served. The snake meat had been fried in lard until lightly golden, then stewed with well water. The broth quickly turned a rich, creamy white, filling the room with its fragrant aroma.

The only seasonings were coarse salt and a little dried wild onion, but the rich, savory smell was more than enough to make their mouths water.

As usual, Su Yun divided the rice into two unequal portions and pushed the noticeably larger bowl toward Cui Hao.

This time, Cui Hao didn't refuse. He needed strength for the work ahead.

Still, he felt for his wife. He picked up a large piece of snake meat and a large piece of fish and placed them in Su Yun's bowl. "You should eat more, too."

Su Yun gazed at her husband, lost in thought. At that moment, she was absolutely certain: Brother Hao had changed. He had become better, and their lives finally had hope.

After dinner, Su Yun carried a small stool into the courtyard and began preparing the wild duck by the bright moonlight.

Cui Hao brought over another stool and sat beside her, helping pluck the tiny feathers.

"Sister Yun..." Cui Hao looked at her profile, especially gentle beneath the moonlight, and asked softly, "Do you have to do this tonight? Couldn't it wait until tomorrow?"

"Go to bed first," Su Yun said without looking up, her fingers moving quickly. "I'll take my time. I'll be done soon."

Cui Hao didn't move. Instead, he leaned closer. His warm breath brushed Su Yun's sensitive ear, and his voice dropped even lower. "Sister Yun, I want to..."

Su Yun shivered. Her ears turned scarlet, and she lowered her head further, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "N-no... we can't... it still hurts..."

Yet a little while later, the tattered curtain to the bedroom had been lowered.

The crude plank bed creaked in the darkness, muffled and rhythmic, mingling with a woman's stifled sobs and a man's ragged breathing.

After a long while, everything finally fell quiet again, leaving only their mingled breaths.

Su Yun peered out of the covers, her face flushed and warm, and rested against Cui Hao's sweat-damp chest. Suddenly, she remembered something and whispered, "Brother Hao, Aunt Li told me quietly that she saw Zhou Menghu prowling around outside our courtyard at noon."

Zhou Menghu!

The name was like a basin of ice water, dousing the last warm embers in Cui Hao's heart.

That greedy, vicious face, the kind that never gave up until it got what it wanted, appeared clearly in his mind.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Open the door! Hurry up!"

The violent pounding and arrogant shouts jerked Cui Hao awake.

He looked out the window. It was already broad daylight! He had slept too little the night before, spent the previous day hunting and hiking, then exhausted himself for half the night. His utterly worn-out body had overslept.

Su Yun had woken, too. She hurriedly pulled the quilt over her chest, alarm on her face. "Brother Hao, someone's at the door..."

"I'll see who it is." Cui Hao quickly pulled on his trousers and shirt, threw on his old navy-blue cross-collar robe, took a deep breath, and went into the courtyard. He opened the wooden gate, which looked ready to fall apart from all the pounding.

A minor official stood outside.

"Cui!" Spit nearly flew into Cui Hao's face as the official shouted, "When are you going to pay your Head Tax and Mountain-and-Water Tax? Give me a straight answer!"

Cui Hao steadied himself and replied as calmly as he could, "Sir, didn't we agree last time that I'd pay it all by the end of the month?"

"The end of the month? Hmph!" The official's voice abruptly rose. "You have seven days at the latest to pay in full! If you don't, don't blame us for getting rough. Seizing your ox and burning your house would be the least of it. We could even take people as payment!"

Soon, the sudden calamity engulfed all of Willow Tree Village.

Cries, pleas, curses, and despairing sighs rose one after another.

Families that had barely been able to catch their breath were suddenly driven to the edge of a cliff.

Before long, people began rushing about, trying to borrow money from relatives and neighbors who were a little better off. But usurious loans, where you paid back nine for every three borrowed, were like venomous snakes. Once you got tangled up with them, they could be the beginning of selling your children and breaking up your family.

Cui Hao closed the courtyard gate again and turned back inside.

Su Yun had already dressed. Her face was ashen, and her fingers clutched the hem of her clothes. "Brother Hao... seven days... three taels of silver... What are we going to do?"

For Su Yun, the small hope she had just begun to see had vanished beneath a thick bank of clouds.

Cui Hao felt the pressure pressing down on him, too. The time he'd thought he had was suddenly cut short, and all his plans had been thrown into disarray. He wanted to go kill Zhou Menghu right away; that would remove the threat and get him the money, too.

"Don't be afraid," Cui Hao said, taking Su Yun's cold hand. His voice was steady. "We're short on time, so we'll hunt something valuable. Wild boar, deer, musk deer... We'll find a chance."

"Wild boars aren't easy to hunt!" Tears welled in Su Yun's eyes. "Father... Father was such a skilled hunter. Maybe he met his end because he ran into a wild boar..."

Su Yun couldn't bring herself to say more.

"Trust me, Sister Yun." Cui Hao squeezed her hand. "Where there's a will, there's a way."

Su Yun fought back her grief, nodded, and silently headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.

But without meaning to, her back seemed to sag a little.

In the middle of that oppressive atmosphere, someone knocked on the gate again.

Standing outside was Zhou Menghu himself, broad-shouldered and wearing a false smile. He seemed to have been waiting nearby, choosing this moment to show up.

"Xiao Haozi," Zhou Menghu said, folding his arms across his chest. His gaze slipped over Cui Hao's shoulder, as if he wanted to peer into the courtyard. "Three taels of silver—that's a fortune. What are you going to do?"

A wasp's sting lay in its tail. Cui Hao smiled ingratiatingly. "You're right. I'm worried sick."

"Here's what I'll do," Zhou Menghu said, lowering his arms. "I'll add five taels to the price we discussed last time! Fifteen taels of silver! Cash! Give Su Yun to me, and you can pay the taxes right away. You'll still have twelve taels left—enough to study in peace for two years and take the xiucai exam again!"

Cui Hao saw the greed Zhou Menghu couldn't hide and felt an even deeper chill in his heart, but he smiled and said, "Brother Zhou, give me three more days."

Before Zhou Menghu could reply, a shrill, terrified scream suddenly came from the direction of the village entrance.

"Something's wrong! Something terrible has happened!"