Chapter Four: The Hunt

In the courtyard, Qin Zhen was boiling meat.

In these times, ordinary folk only had two meals a day—one in the morning, one at noon. On most days, Qin Zhen would skip breakfast, saving the wild greens for lunch, sometimes pairing them with wild fruits, just enough to barely fill his stomach. But today was different—he had caught a rabbit! Excited, he cut the meat, grabbed a handful of wild vegetable roots, and set about boiling a pot of meat broth.

The finest ingredients often require only the simplest methods. After half an hour of busy work, Master Qin tasted a spoonful with his wooden ladle.

Hmm. He’d forgotten the salt.

He casually grabbed a handful of sea sand, tossed it in, and began to stir.

"Zhen! That smells amazing!"

Li Han, lured by the aroma, came over, clutching the earthen wall and swallowing hard.

The village was poor; even during the New Year there was seldom any meat to be had. Fish could be caught now and then, but for ease of storage, most villagers dried them. Few would boil a whole pot of meat soup like Qin Zhen was doing now.

"Come in and eat," Qin Zhen called, waving him over.

"Is that really okay?"

Despite his words, Li Han honestly pushed the door open and came in. With no stool in sight, he simply sat on the dirt floor, right by the pot, greedily inhaling the delicious fragrance.

"Han, you’re here!" Liu Juan had just woken and walked outside.

"Good morning, sister-in-law!" Li Han greeted her with a silly smile.

Seeing Qin Zhen making meat soup, Liu Juan hurried over, concern in her voice, "Why did you cook it all into soup?"

In her heart, dried rabbit could be eaten for a long time.

Boiled into soup, it would only last one meal.

"Don’t you worry, Juan. From now on, we’ll eat meat every meal!" Qin Zhen patted his chest and boasted, "Forget rabbits—one day I’ll catch a wild boar for you!"

"Call me sister-in-law!" Liu Juan gave him a playful smack, both touched and comforted by his words.

"Zhen, I want to go with you into the woods next time. Will you take me?" Li Han asked eagerly.

Li Han might seem simple-minded, but he wasn’t foolish. Why was Chen Shu the only hunter in the village for so long? Because hunting was a skill. Fishing was different—you just needed courage to dive into the sea, and you’d likely catch a few fish. But hunting required experience and technique; without it, you could spend all day in the mountains and come back empty-handed.

There were plenty of stories about apprentices starving their masters, so trades like hunting, blacksmithing, carpentry—skills that put food on the table—were usually passed from father to son.

Li Han had no wish to compete with Qin Zhen. He knew Qin Zhen risked his life in the mountains to buy his sister-in-law’s freedom. All he wanted was companionship and, perhaps, to bring home a better meal for his family.

"Of course," Qin Zhen agreed readily, handing Li Han a bowl of meat soup. "Try it."

Li Han hurried to take a sip, flinching at the heat but smiling with honest delight. "Zhen, your meat is delicious!"

"Eat as much as you like," Qin Zhen said, serving Liu Juan a bowl as well.

The savory broth brought a flush to Liu Juan’s cheeks.

"Zhen, the villagers have helped us a lot. We must remember their kindness. Later, make sure you share a portion with every household, understand?"

"Yes!"

After their meal, Qin Zhen and Li Han took the meat soup around to their neighbors.

Liu Juan was right—Qin Zhen had grown up eating at every family’s table; gratitude was owed.

The villagers were overjoyed at the rare treat.

"Zhen, you’re too generous!"

"We haven’t tasted meat in years—almost forgotten what it’s like!"

"I’m not exaggerating, but Zhen’s soup is the sweetest and freshest I’ve ever had!"

Even the usually stern old village chief was smiling broadly.

When they reached Chen Shu’s house, Qin Zhen not only brought soup, but also slipped him an entire rabbit on the sly.

"I can’t accept this!" Chen Shu protested, knowing the value of a whole rabbit, especially as the village’s only hunter. "I’ll have some soup, but you must take the rabbit back. Otherwise, the villagers will talk!"

"Uncle Chen, let’s not stand on ceremony. You’re my uncle, and as your junior, it’s only right that I show my respect! Besides, who else in the village has your connections? I’ll need your help selling pelts!" Qin Zhen insisted, pushing the meat back. "If you don’t accept, I won’t dare set foot in the mountains again!"

Chen Shu was greatly pleased by these words.

"You rascal!" he laughed, accepting the rabbit. "Since you call me uncle, your matters are mine as well!"

With that assurance, Qin Zhen felt at ease.

"What about mine?" Wang Wu, the village troublemaker, was unhappy to see everyone else with meat soup but none for himself.

"Sorry, there’s none left," Qin Zhen replied, pointing to the empty pot.

"I don’t care! If everyone else gets some, I want it too!" Wang Wu scowled. "If you don’t give me any, I’ll smash your pot!"

"Go ahead and try," Qin Zhen responded coolly, unafraid.

"Getting bold, are you?" Li Han had no patience for nonsense. He stepped up, glaring fiercely. "Zhen worked hard for this soup. You’ll drink it if he offers, and if not, get lost! What, you think Zhen is easy to bully? Want a taste of my fists?"

The villagers began to scold Wang Wu as well.

Raised on the kindness of the village, how could two men be so different?

Wang Wu glared daggers at Qin Zhen. "Just you wait, Qin Zhen! This isn’t over!"

It was a trivial episode, nothing more than a local hooligan’s tantrum. Qin Zhen paid it no mind.

The day was still early. The old village chief urged the young men to head out to sea and fish, calling for Qin Zhen and Li Han as well.

"Hunting takes skill, you know. Relying on that wooden crossbow won’t last. You’d better come with us and fish at sea! The fish are valuable—one sea fish weighing a pound can fetch a good number of copper coins!"

Qin Zhen knew hunting wasn’t a long-term solution; with his crude wooden crossbow, he could only hope for rabbits at best. But even so, he was less willing to dive into the sea bare-handed for fish.

Watching Qin Zhen and Li Han head into the forest, the old chief sighed helplessly.

Aunt Wang, standing nearby, asked curiously, "Chief, if Zhen can catch rabbits, why not let him go into the woods? I was hoping for another taste of his meat soup!"

"Why don’t you go yourself?" the chief retorted.

"There are wild boars and bears in those woods! I wouldn’t dare!" Aunt Wang shivered.

"Then why let Zhen go?" the chief said sternly. "No, when he gets back, I’ll break that wooden crossbow of his! If anything happened to him, how could I answer to his late brother?"

Meanwhile, as soon as Qin Zhen entered the forest, he ran into Chen Shu, who was clearly waiting for him.

"Uncle Chen!" Qin Zhen exclaimed, surprised.

"The woods are deep—stay close, and don’t get lost," Chen Shu said with a smile, bow slung over his shoulder.

"You shared your meat with me, so I ought to teach you something real in return."