The Haul

Fearing he might run into Kai patrols during the day, Wenlong traveled through the night. If his whereabouts were exposed inside Wan Family Town, he would be in grave danger. He cautiously crossed the main street, then sprinted toward the outskirts.

On the way back, Wenlong remained cautious, afraid of encountering a large group of Kai people. Once again, he skirted the Wasteland on his way to the Ancestral Grounds.

By the time he reached the Wen Ancestral Grounds, Wenlong was so exhausted he could barely walk. His body was only nine years old, after all, and he had long since spent every ounce of strength.

He was already swaying on his feet when he entered the Ancestral Grounds.

His mother had been waiting at the entrance for a long time. Seeing him in such a state, she hurried forward in anguish and gathered him into her arms, her tears falling onto his face.

Wenlong's heart ached for her too, and he comforted her. "Mother, I'm all right. I've come back safely."

Seeing his mother's eyes swollen from crying, Wenlong felt a pain like a knife twisting in his heart. He wiped away her tears.

"Mother, look what I brought back for you," Wenlong said with a smile, hoping to distract her.

But Long'er's mother said, "Long'er, nothing matters more than you being safe and well. As long as you come back safely, I don't want anything else."

For a moment, Wenlong was speechless. Indeed, how tender were the hearts of parents everywhere. What could possibly compare with the safety of their own child? Fortunately, his father and the other members of the Lineage arrived as well, all asking after him with concern.

Wenlong took out some of the grain and told his father that, apart from what they set aside for seed, the rest could be eaten.

If they did not sow grain now, next year would be no different: there would still be no guarantee of enough food to fill everyone's bellies.

Then he took out the fabric and gave it to his mother, asking her to lead the aunts in making clothes to distribute among the Lineage.

Fortunately, needles and thread were all there too. At the Kai Embroidery House, Wenlong had bundled everything into his storage space, whether it was useful or not.

Everyone was both surprised and delighted to see so many supplies brought back by Wenlong. Looking at his thoughtful son, Long'er's father had eyes full of pride and relief.

Wenlong continued, "Father, we still need to find ways to strengthen the defenses of the Ancestral Grounds. If the Kai people find us, we'll at least be able to hold them off for a while."

Wenlong's father nodded in agreement and immediately gathered the men and women of the Lineage to continue building the perimeter wall.

Then Wenlong designed a cloak for himself, the kind with a hood. He asked for one in black and one in white. The black one would serve as his night stealth outfit, while the white one would be suitable for moving through snow.

It seemed they would have to wage a long, covert struggle against the Kai. The Wen had so few people, and most were women; there was no way they could fight the Kai head-on. Revenge was a heavy burden, with a long road still ahead.

His father now led the Lineage in practicing martial arts. A large area had been cleared in front of the Ancestral Hall to serve as a training ground.

Under Shitou's guidance, a dozen or so boys studied their letters and practiced martial arts. Wenlong also taught them hidden-weapon techniques to practice. Reaching his own level, however, would be impossible.

None of his young companions had awakened their Psychic Ability. Even those with good natural talent would still fall short in certain respects.

Wenlong took out the several dozen taels of silver he had taken from the Kai and gave them to his father to buy farming tools in the County Seat. He stressed that whoever went to buy the tools must disguise themselves properly to avoid inviting unnecessary trouble.

Long'er's father was cautious too. He selected people to enter the town, then sent others to meet them on their return, making sure the members of the Lineage would be completely safe. They had so few people now, after all, that they could not afford to lose anyone.

Wenlong emptied all the grain out of his storage space and told his mother to have someone keep it safe. This was the Lineage's only supply of grain to survive on.

His mother did not dare take it lightly either. She had his father lead a group in building a granary so they could protect the grain better.

The following afternoon, the members of the Lineage who had gone into town to buy farming tools returned. Fortunately, despite some scares along the way, they had come through unharmed.

Once the fields reclaimed by the Lineage were sown with grain, their future food supply would be assured. Only after the problem of food and clothing was solved could the Lineage slowly grow stronger.

One day, after spending several days training hard in the Ancestral Hall's secret passage, Wenlong had only just emerged when his mother came hurrying toward him.

Her face full of worry, his mother said, "Long'er, could you make a trip to your maternal grandmother's home and tell them we're all safe? I'm afraid your two younger uncles might do something foolish."

His mother was very close to her two younger brothers. If they learned that their elder sister had been harmed by the Wan family, she truly feared they would storm the Kai's home. That would be disastrous.

His father also said, "Take Shitou with you and deliver letters to your aunts' birth families to let them know they're safe. Pass along as many as you can, so we can prevent anything from going wrong."

I nodded in agreement to each request. "Have the aunts write their letters first, or have someone write for them. I'll deliver them."