Volume One, Chapter 11: Each with Their Own Thoughts

Shen Lingshuang’s afternoon nap was more restful than the one she took in the morning. Upon waking, she stepped into the courtyard for some fresh air and noticed a pile of items stacked there—saws, bamboo strips, thin hemp ropes, and a heap of sharpened wooden sticks. One end of each stick was incredibly sharp, clearly designed to pierce flesh and skin.

Shen Aodong had mentioned the day before that he wanted to use the terrain in the mountains to set traps for wild chickens and field mice, making hunting easier. She hadn’t expected him to have made so many traps in such a short time.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Shen Aodong caught her admiring gaze and glanced lightly toward the courtyard gate. “I didn’t make these alone. I had help.”

Help?

No sooner had he spoken than a half-grown boy in a deep blue padded jacket entered, carrying a stack of wooden sticks. Gu Xianglin wasn’t wearing a hat at the moment, and his unruly black hair stuck out wildly like untamed grass. His hair was jet black, a stark contrast to the image Shen Lingshuang had of him as an older man with a head full of gray.

At fifteen, Gu Xianglin was delicate and handsome, with clear, bright eyes. He hadn’t yet experienced the undercurrents of naval battles, nor had he held a comrade’s uniform or ashes in his arms. There was no lingering sorrow or bitterness etched into his features. His purity was like the morning dew.

Shen Lingshuang couldn’t take her eyes off him. As she looked, her gaze caught the scar on the left side of Gu Xianglin’s forehead. She had seen it in her past life, but then it was just a small, wrinkled patch about half a fist in size. Now, the scar was still scabbing over, clearly a fresh wound from the past year.

“Shen Lingshuang!” Shen Aodong suddenly called her full name.

Snapping back to reality, she ran over to him calmly. “Brother, you tell me—how should these traps be set? I think the places where traps are buried should be marked so the villagers know at a glance to avoid them and prevent accidents.”

Shen Aodong licked his molars, half amused, half exasperated. “...How did I never realize before how much nonsense you can talk?”

“What nonsense?” she argued earnestly. “I’ll go get some red cloth from Mom right now! We can tie the red cloth to branches as markers!”

Turning away, she exhaled and made a funny face in secret. Brothers were really something—no respect for her dignity at all!

...

Gu Xianglin stayed for dinner at the Shen household. Shen Lingshuang abandoned her homework and plunged into helping in the kitchen.

“Mom, I’m quite skilled! Let me fry the raccoon dog meat!”

Seeing her enthusiasm, Li Lanfang assumed it was just gratitude for the twenty jin of sweet potatoes and didn’t stop her. Moreover, Shen Lingshuang’s knife skills looked decent; she quickly sliced the marinated raccoon dog meat into even, slender strips.

Li Lanfang thought quietly, children really had grown up.

Her worries eased, she focused on the wild chicken eggs frying in the adjacent stove. But her brief relief was cut short by the smell of burning.

“Lingshuang, what’s burning?”

Li Lanfang used a fire poker to remove the wild chicken eggs and set them aside, then quickly helped check the pan. Unfortunately, the raccoon dog meat was already burnt black beyond saving.

Li Lanfang was speechless.

Shen Lingshuang stood nearby, holding the spatula, frustrated. This shouldn’t be happening. In her previous life, she had been a skilled female cook in charge of the kitchen for several years, known for her private recipes that everyone praised and that brought back countless repeat customers. How had she suddenly lost her touch? Even if her muscle memory was gone, basic knowledge should remain. No matter what, a dish shouldn’t burn this badly!

“Mom, hit me!” Shen Lingshuang said, knowing Li Lanfang wouldn’t say it aloud, but since her brother began patrolling the mountains, she hadn’t been able to sleep peacefully at night. So the meat he brought back was even more precious than what they bought themselves. She had treated the meat so poorly; Li Lanfang must be upset!

“Mom, it’s all my fault. Please don’t be sad!”

She took down a rattan rod from the wall and handed it to Li Lanfang.

“Mom!”

Shen Aodong, drawn by the burnt smell, entered to see this and immediately stepped protectively in front of Shen Lingshuang.

“Mom, Lingshuang definitely didn’t do it on purpose... hit me instead!”

Li Lanfang looked at the siblings and suddenly smiled softly. “Why would I hit you? Of course I know Lingshuang isn’t wasting it on purpose.”

She put away the rattan rod and ushered them out of the kitchen. “Enough, I’m here now. You two go set the table and arrange the bowls. I’ll finish cooking the wild chicken eggs, and we can eat.”

Outside the kitchen, Shen Lingshuang remained distracted, as if half her soul had drifted away. Shen Aodong thought she felt guilty and comforted her, “We’ll go hunting again tonight. It’s just one piece of meat, no big deal.”

She shook her head silently and sat alone on the stone stool in front of the house, lost in thought.

Shen Aodong flicked her forehead playfully, “Well, maybe this is good. Let it be a lesson for you—to be more steady with everything you do and not rush to show off just because there’s a guest around!”

Shen Lingshuang said nothing. Cooking wasn’t really about attitude. She had watched the flame closely; the fire in the stove was barely alive before she put the meat in. It shouldn’t have burned like that all at once...

Shen Aodong patted her shoulder and left her sitting, then called Gu Xianglin to help set the table. Gu Xianglin had been outside in the courtyard and had heard the kitchen commotion but, as an outsider, didn’t speak up. However, he had taken Shen Aodong’s words to heart.

Shen Lingshuang didn’t often cook. Today, she only did because he stayed for dinner. She had meant well but had ended up spoiling everything, and her disappointment was probably doubled.

Passing by Shen Lingshuang, Gu Xianglin stole a glance. She looked dazed and unhappy. The red mark on her neck—was that from just being hit? If so, then this whole matter was even more his fault.

...

Dinner was unusually quiet. Except for Li Lanfang and Song Qiuran, no one wore a smile. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts; the meat in the bowls seemed less flavorful than usual.

After dinner, darkness had fully fallen. Shen Aodong carried his gun and led Shen Lingshuang and Gu Xianglin up the mountain. He noticed Gu Xianglin wanted to say something to Shen Lingshuang, snorted coldly, quickened his pace, and cleared the path ahead with his machete.

Shen Lingshuang’s mood had improved slightly compared to before dinner, not so stunned, but still far from her lively little rabbit demeanor from last night.

“Did your mom hit you?” Gu Xianglin pointed to his own neck and said, “I saw this at your place this evening...”

Shen Lingshuang shook her head. “That wasn’t from today. It was from the last time when I lied about the sweet potatoes. My mom was disappointed, so she hit me.”

Gu Xianglin frowned. Getting hit was never good, but judging by her tone... she seemed completely indifferent.

“Gu Xianglin,” she suddenly grabbed his sleeve and pointed toward a nearby grove. “Look over there!”

He looked puzzled. “What?”

“The thirty jin of sweet potatoes I brought home last time were dug from there,” she whispered. “But my pockets were too small, so I didn’t finish digging. If you dig through the loosened soil deeper, there’ll definitely be more sweet potatoes!”

Gu Xianglin grew even more confused. “Shen Lingshuang, why are you so nice to me?”

She laughed. “This is just the start of being nice. There’ll be even more times I’ll be good to you.”

“Cough!” Shen Aodong coughed from ahead. “You two, if you’re not going hunting, then head home!”