Chapter Three: Your Sister-in-law Holds You as She Sleeps

“My goodness, such a huge wild rabbit? It’s practically a pig!”
“This thing runs faster than a ghost, even wolves can’t catch it! Could it really be that a rabbit crashed into a tree and Qin Zhen just happened to pick it up?”
The old village chief rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be mistaken. “Zhen, where did you find these rabbits?”
“Found them? I hunted them!” Qin Zhen replied proudly.
“You hunted them?” Chen Shu, who had been silent, finally spoke. “How did you manage that?”
He spent much time in the woods himself, well aware of how clever rabbits were, especially their ears, which could catch the slightest sound of a bowstring being drawn. Every time he pulled the string taut, the rabbit would vanish without a trace—he himself could barely catch one.
Qin Zhen was just a child; how could he have such skill?
Qin Zhen raised the wooden crossbow in his hand. “With this.”
“You didn’t get hurt, did you?” Liu Juan anxiously examined Qin Zhen, worried he might have been injured.
“Sister-in-law, I’m fine! Didn’t some people come recently to buy wild pelts? They’re worth quite a bit! I’ve already decided: I’ll hunt a few more animals over the next few days, sell them for money, and pay the tax!”
That way, Liu Juan wouldn’t have to be taken away.
Hearing that Qin Zhen was risking the woods for her sake, Liu Juan was moved to tears once again.
From childhood, she had rarely felt warmth, let alone anyone’s care.
“Silly child.”
She smiled at Qin Zhen, yet couldn’t help but want to cry.
“That thing really works for hunting?” The old village chief was dumbfounded.
Chen Shu asked, “Qin, can I take a look at that thing in your hand?”
“No way! This is my livelihood. I’m counting on this to give my sister-in-law a better life!” Qin Zhen quickly stowed the wooden crossbow away.
He had worked hard to make it; he couldn’t let it be snatched away.
Seeing Qin Zhen return safely, the villagers dispersed.
Qin Zhen carried the rabbits and returned home with Liu Juan.
“Hey, one male, two females!”
“You can tell the difference?” Liu Juan asked curiously.
“A male rabbit’s feet are restless, a female rabbit’s eyes are dreamy,” Qin Zhen replied with a smile, then sighed. “If only we could raise them. They breed so quickly—one litter every three months. If we could keep them and let them reproduce, we’d never worry about food again.”
Breeding livestock is an investment.
It requires upfront costs.
Take rabbits, for instance: you need space, feed, and constant health checks. Right now, Qin Zhen barely had enough wild vegetables for himself—how could he afford to raise rabbits?
Breeding was possible, but only after ensuring they themselves could eat their fill.
“So what should we do with these rabbits?” Liu Juan asked.

Normally, she made the decisions in the household, but after today, she began to regard Qin Zhen as a young adult and sought his opinion.
“Kill them and skin them.”
“Kill them?” Liu Juan seemed at a loss. She glanced at the rabbits. “How?”
“I’ll do it!”
Qin Zhen ran inside and fetched a knife.
Though, calling it a knife was generous; it was more like a sharpened piece of stone.
Iron tools were regulated, ordinary folks didn’t have them. Only the homes of high officials might possess iron implements.
People like Qin Zhen, at the bottom of society, could only rely on stone.
Before crossing over, Qin Zhen had served as a soldier for several years, and had cooked as well—he was reasonably skilled.
He grabbed the rabbit by the ears and struck at its throat.
Blood gushed forth.
He tied the rabbit’s feet with a grass rope and hung it upside down from a wooden stake, waiting for the blood to drain so he could skin it.
“Sister-in-law, bring a basin!”
Liu Juan, stunned by the scene, hurried inside and brought out a wooden basin.
That basin, as it happened, was made by Qin Zhen himself.
Taking the basin, Qin Zhen placed it under the rabbit.
“What are you doing?” Liu Juan asked, curious.
“This blood is valuable. Rabbit blood is the most pungent. If you crush it together with a few rotten fish, it makes perfect bait for fishing.” Qin Zhen smiled. “I’ll catch a few fresh fish for you to eat, sister-in-law!”
“How do you know all this?” Liu Juan was hesitant—how did Qin Zhen know so much?
“My brother taught me,” Qin Zhen replied casually. “Even though I was young, I remember everything he said.”
Mentioning his late brother, Liu Juan fell silent. After so many years, she could scarcely recall Qin Zhen’s face.
“What else did your brother say?”
In the moonlight, Qin Zhen’s eyes were earnest.
“He said, take good care of sister-in-law.”
“You’re still a child. Who’s to say who’s taking care of whom!” Liu Juan teased gently, reaching out to touch Qin Zhen’s head. “It’s late, let’s go inside.”
“Alright!” Qin Zhen grinned foolishly.
Like most of the poor in this world, their house was drafty on all sides, the bed blackened by smoke.
The bedding was laid atop a mound of earth—that was the only bed they had.
They extinguished the candle and lay down, but Qin Zhen couldn’t sleep.

He watched as Liu Juan sat at the bedside, counting the few copper coins they owned again and again, as if by counting them enough times, she might have enough for the tax.
He remembered how every winter was so cold; he and his sister-in-law shivered, hugging each other for warmth, enduring the chill together.
He thought of the rabbit pelts—each worth at least seven or eight copper coins. If he hunted just over a hundred rabbits, he could gather the ten taels of silver needed.
But were there so many rabbits in the forest?
And if he paid this year’s taxes, what about next year?
It was autumn, and the night was chilly. Qin Zhen felt a bit cold.
Just then, a familiar pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, holding him as usual.
The warmth and gentle breath made the young man’s heart race.
Brother’s death, younger brother’s succession—it was nothing rare in this world, especially among the poor; it was commonplace.
“Sister-in-law, I want to marry you,”
Qin Zhen whispered.
He was afraid to wake Liu Juan, yet afraid she wouldn’t hear him clearly.
It seemed she was asleep; there was no sound from behind.
Yet Qin Zhen’s resolve was firmer than ever.
He did not wish to change the world, nor had the power to do so.
To speak of equality under the feudal dynasty was nonsense! The ignorance of the people and the crushing wheels of feudalism would grind any force to dust.
As the saying goes—
When poor, one should tend to oneself; when prosperous, one should tend to oneself.
He had no grand ambitions; he only hoped that he and his family could live better, at least not worry about food and warmth, not fear the tax collector. At most, he would protect the villagers of their little fishing village.
As for anything else, he couldn’t spare a thought.
The next morning.
Liu Juan’s cheeks were flushed; the bedding was soaked with sweat.
She’d had a dream.
In the dream, she married Qin Zhen.
“This is madness!”
She touched her burning face, grateful that Qin Zhen had already left.
“I’m so old—how could I ruin a child? I… but I’m his sister-in-law!”