Chapter 2: The Capable Hunter and the Pheasants
When Bai Li finished his meal, he found the little ones clinging to Xiao Han's side again; Xiao Han himself had drifted back into sleep.
The day was not yet half-spent. After a moment of contemplation, Bai Li set out toward the Village Head's house.
In his past life, Bai Li had hailed from a wealthy family. He was an active youth who harbored a great passion for physical exercise and had undergone formal training in archery. He had even ventured out on a few hunting trips with his companions.
While hunting in his previous life had been bound by numerous regulations, this world was ancient and primitive, teeming with lush mountains and forests. There seemed to be no restrictions at all. Why, then, should he refrain from hunting?
However, in this ancient era, weapons were a rarity, and the original Bai Li's home possessed neither bow nor arrow.
According to his memories, the Village Head and his sons often ascended the mountains to hunt whenever they were free from farm work; thus, they likely owned a bow. Bai Li intended to try and borrow it.
Guided by fragmented memories, Bai Li wandered until he reached the front of the Village Head's house. There, he collided head-on with the Village Head's wife, a woman from the Du clan. He offered her a small, polite smile.
"Auntie Jiang..."
In the memories, the previous inhabitant of this body used to smile at everyone in a similar fashion. The difference lay in the nature of the smile: Bai Li's was simple and earnest, whereas the original Bai Li's smile had always been steeped in craftiness and malice. However, the Village Head's wife did not care whether the smile of a person she loathed was straight or crooked. The moment she laid eyes on the Bai family's "trash," her face contorted in a sneer.
"Who is your auntie?! What are you doing here?"
Her hostility was so blatant that Bai Li felt a twinge of embarrassment. He rubbed his nose and looked past her into the house, raising his voice slightly.
"I have a bit of business! I've come to see the Village Head!"
Du Shi wanted nothing more than to drive him away, but since the master of the house had already heard the voice of that "trash," she could only grit her teeth in frustration. Bai Li avoided looking at her; he knew she would try to kick him out. He knew only the Village Head could be reasoned with, and so he wished to speak only with him.
As expected, the Village Head's voice drifted out from inside.
"Who is it? Come in. What are you doing standing at the gate?"
The moment he heard the voice, Bai Li dashed into the house, no longer paying any mind to Du Shi's expression.
It was currently the autumn harvest season, and everyone was exceptionally busy. The Village Head and his family had returned home for lunch. In these ancient times, people typically ate only two meals a day: once around ten in the morning and again around four in the afternoon. At other times, if they were hungry, they would only have small snacks.
Only then did Bai Li realize the truth. Du Shi had likely been worried that he arrived at mealtimes specifically to leech a meal.
Realizing this, Bai Li approached the Village Head with a wry smile. He glanced at the table and saw yellowish rice, stir-fried cabbage, and vegetable soup. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This was a farming village; even the Village Head could not afford to eat particularly well. In a place like this, being able to eat solid rice instead of watery gruel was already considered a luxury.
Upon seeing the visitor, the expressions of the Village Head and his sons shifted. The Village Head looked uncertain, unable to fathom why Bai Li would come seeking him.
"So it is the second son of the Bai family. What business do you have?"
Though the Village Head did not care for the youth, he was the leader of the village and was bound to listen to the words of the villagers.
Despite not being invited to sit, Bai Li took a seat anyway and quickly explained his purpose.
"It's like this, Village Head. My ge'er is ill at home, and we have no money for medicine. I was thinking of going up the mountain to hunt. I was wondering if I might borrow your bow?"
He had to get straight to the point. Du Shi had stepped out with a bowl—likely to deliver food to a neighbor—and would be back shortly. Once she returned, borrowing the bow would be an impossibility.
The Village Head and his sons stared at him with utter disbelief. The eldest son, who had been the one to drag Bai Li and Xiao Han together for their marriage, was the most skeptical. He barked out in anger:
"How dare you spout such nonsense! We would sooner believe a paralytic from the village was going hunting than believe you were!"
Bai Li: "..."
Hey, that's a bit much.
As the other sons prepared to voice their own disdain, Bai Li looked at the Village Head with deep sincerity and spoke up first.
"Village Head, I was foolish and ignorant in the past, and I regret it deeply now. I still have many days ahead of me, don't I? Why won't you give a young man a single chance to reform? I wouldn't dare misuse your bow for fear of the magistrate's court. Just let me borrow it this once. I will return it this evening."
Elders often say that the young are prone to error, and they take great pleasure when a wayward soul returns to the right path. The Village Head was a fundamentally good and reasonable man. Seeing the earnestness in Bai Li's eyes and hearing what seemed to be heartfelt words, he eventually nodded.
Seeing their father's reaction, the sons were indignant.
"Father! This fellow's mouth is like a dog's mouth—why do you believe him? What 'change'? What 'regret'? Trash like him will be trash until the day he dies! Even if he actually goes up the mountain, how would he know how to shoot? He'll probably just lose the arrows!"
"That's right, Father! We only have this one bow in the house. We rely on it to hunt during the off-season. How can we lend it to someone like him?"
They wanted to argue further, but the Village Head raised a hand to silence them, and they dared not breathe another word.
The Village Head looked at Bai Li with a steady, composed gaze.
"You are right. Young people make mistakes, but if you keep making them, it becomes too much. You are no longer a child; you even have two sons. If you truly wish to change, it is not too late. Think carefully about your future."
Bai Li accepted the advice with composure.
"I understand, Village Head. From this day forward, I will strive to change."
The Village Head seemed slightly impressed by Bai Li's newfound politeness. In the past, he had tried to counsel the second son of the Bai family several times, but the boy had been anything but respectful. He used to respond with mocking, insulting remarks like, "Am I spending your money?" or "Old man, are you jealous because you can't have fun like me?" or even "Why don't you come to the brothel with me? I'll pay." Eventually, the Village Head had simply given up on him.
He used to think this youth was the personification of three lifetimes of bad luck for the Bai family, and he could only feel pity for them.
But today, the youth before him seemed different, so he decided to trust him just this once.
"Qing'er, go and get the bow for the Bai boy."
Jiang Qing was the Village Head's youngest son. Upon hearing his father's command, he wanted to protest, but one look from his father sent him scurrying to fetch the bow. Their father was the village authority, possessed a natural dignity, and was extremely strict with his sons; Jiang Qing did not dare disobey.
As soon as Bai Li received the bow, he stood up immediately.
"I shall not forget your kindness today, Village Head. Even if I catch nothing for my own house, I will ensure I bring back a pheasant for you."
The Village Head was not used to such gallant talk from Bai Li and simply waved him off.
"What are you prattling on for? The day is half-gone. If you're going into the woods, go quickly."
With a smile, Bai Li cradled the bow and turned to leave, hearing the sons muttering behind him as he walked away.
"What a braggart. He probably can't even draw the string."
"If he ends up as tiger bait on the mountain, at least the Bai family will be free of their burden. Come on, let's eat."
"I don't care if he becomes tiger bait, but if anything happens to that bow, I'll beat him to death."
Bai Li sighed repeatedly at those words. Not only the elders and his peers, but even the children in this village viewed him with a mixture of loathing and fear. He was truly helpless.
Despite his inner sighs, his steps were brisk. By the time Du Shi returned home, Bai Li was already far in the distance.
In his previous life, Bai Li had been an active and energetic young man. Thus, even though he was not yet fully accustomed to this new body, his pace was swift. Once he entered the forest, he discovered many pheasant nests filled with eggs. He also managed to bag five pheasants.
He had no intention of venturing deep into the forest today. He had only come to scout the mountain. Having secured five pheasants and several eggs, he wandered around for a bit. In a small valley, he found some wild apple and pear trees. The trees were not very large, so he picked some fruit for the children and made a mental note of the location so he could transplant them closer to home in the coming days.
Speaking of the children and Xiao Han, Bai Li felt that since he had taken over this body, he had a responsibility to look after this family. In his past life, he knew he was gay, but because of his traditional family, he had never dared to act on it. He didn't yet know if he would like someone like Xiao Han, and for now, he felt nothing. As for the two little ones, since he loved children, he figured it would be fine. He believed their run of bad luck should end here.
Whether he liked Xiao Han or not didn't matter. Whether he could truly accept those little ones as his sons didn't matter either. What was certain was that he had to protect them.
As Bai Li made his way from the mountain back to the village, he spotted the Village Head's family busy in the fields. Before Du Shi could start cursing him, he called out.
"Village Head! Auntie Jiang! I've returned from the mountain! As I promised, I've brought a pheasant for you!"
Bai Li was a naturally spirited person. He had tried to maintain the original Bai Li's persona, but he couldn't quite hold it back.
The Village Head and his family stopped to look. The youth had a bamboo basket slung across his back. In one hand, he held four pheasants by their legs; in the other, he was waving a single pheasant by its feet.
Everyone: "..."
Du Shi had wanted to scream the moment she saw him. She hadn't believed for a second that a piece of trash like Bai Li would actually go hunting; she suspected he would sell their bow for money. One couldn't blame her—a bow was worth many silver strings, and Bai Li's reputation as a scoundrel was well-earned.
But now, staring at the pheasant in Bai Li's hand, she found herself utterly speechless.
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* Du Shi : "-shi" denotes a married woman's maiden family name.
(Example: Tu Shi, a woman from the Tu family)
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