Chapter 4

Under the veil of night, Tian Yao climbed the great mountain behind his house. That mountain was a treasure trove; it held everything.

Tian Yao’s father, Tian Ming, had been a hunter in life. He often told Tian Yao to hold the Mountain God in reverence, to accept the mountain’s gifts with a grateful heart.

He walked to the traps he had set earlier. Inside, sure enough, was a listless pheasant. Probably starved these past days, it was terribly thin. Normally, if he had such a catch, he’d take it to Town to sell for money. Today, this bird was so skinny, he’d just take it home to nourish Yu Nian’s health.

He casually tossed the pheasant into his bamboo basket and continued deeper into the mountain, hoping for other gains.

His father was a hunter; he had learned all his hunting skills from him. Although his Little Dad often said, where was the Ger who hunted? He never stopped them.

And it was fortunate his Father taught him everything, otherwise, a Ger like him would have either starved to death or been devoured down to the bone by those with ill intentions.

As dawn broke, the forest was silent, but Tian Yao wasn’t afraid. He had roamed this mountain since childhood and felt even more at ease here than at home.

Autumn had arrived, and animals appeared less frequently. Tian Yao only caught two rabbits. However, he picked quite a lot of the last crop of honey mushrooms and other wild fungi.

Seeing there was little else, and knowing he had to go to Town today, Tian Yao decided not to wait any longer and prepared to head straight down.

Halfway down the mountain, on the path he had to take back to the village, he heard a few dog barks, very faint. Tian Yao approached to look and saw a dog panting heavily, tongue lolling. Beside it was a tiny puppy. Compared to the adult dog’s gaunt frame, the puppy was plump.

The adult dog was at death’s door. Tian Yao moved closer and saw its belly and legs covered in bloody wounds. Mount Huailing was vast; in the deepest parts of the deep mountain, there were wolves. The puppy’s grey fur was matted with bloodstains, leaves, and dust. He didn’t know how the adult dog had protected it and still managed to keep it so fat.

The dog lay on the ground, its round, glossy eyes fixed directly on Tian Yao. Tian Yao’s heart softened. Under the adult dog’s pleading gaze, he picked up the puppy.

The adult dog seemed to use its last ounce of strength to slowly crawl over and gently lick Tian Yao’s hand. Tian Yao brought the puppy closer to it; the dog licked its pup too, then closed its eyes.

Looking at the dog’s expression before it died, Tian Yao truly couldn’t harden his heart and leave the puppy to fend for itself in the mountain forest. Taking it back could give Yu Nian some company. Just one more mouth to feed, no big deal. Raised up, it could guard the house and yard, and maybe later even go up the mountain to help him hunt. Wouldn’t be too bad a loss.

Tian Yao set the puppy aside, used his hatchet to dig a hole and buried the adult dog, then carried the puppy down the mountain.

He smiled. The household had already gained two new members. It would be even livelier in the future. That was good.

Back home, he first checked on Yu Nian in the room. Yu Nian was asleep again. He didn’t disturb him. He found a few of his old clothes, made a bed for the puppy, and gave it some water to drink.

Yu Nian was already a light sleeper. Hearing him return, he opened his eyes.

Tian Yao, as if presenting a treasure, brought the dog before him. “I found you a companion. When I’m not home, it can keep you company.”

Yu Nian glanced at the dog in his hand; it looked different from ordinary dogs. He recognized it immediately—it was a wolfdog pup, which was why it still looked somewhat docile due to its youth.

“I just picked it up on the mountain. The big dog died, so I brought it back to keep you company.” Tian Yao washed his hands clean. “I need to make a trip to Town. Do you want to sit outside for a while?”

Yu Nian nodded. Tian Yao then carried him out and sat him in the rocking chair Tian Yao usually favored. “It’s about half a shichen’s walk to Town. I’ll hurry back. Are you sure you don’t need to… relieve yourself?”

Yu Nian’s usually expressionless face cracked for a moment. Seeing his ears redden, Tian Yao, disregarding his refusal, forcibly helped him to the outhouse and assisted him in resolving the matter.

After helping him, Tian Yao found two pieces of animal hide from the side room—ones his Father had processed while still alive. He’d originally intended to use them when he got married, to spread on the bed or for other uses. But now, with the family so poor, he had no choice but to sell them first for emergency money.

Before leaving, he placed the water flask and bowl within Yu Nian’s reach. “If you get hungry, bear with it a little. I travel fast and will come back to cook.”

By now, the sky was bright, a gentle breeze accompanying the sunlight falling onto this small courtyard. Tian Yao moved Yu Nian, person and chair together, into the yard, draped a blanket over his legs, and moved the puppy’s bed next to his feet.

“Guard the house well.” Tian Yao went out the door, not sure if the words were meant for Yu Nian or the dog.

The trip from Huailing Village to Town wasn’t too far, and Tian Yao’s pace was fast, so it didn’t take long to arrive. Town was always crowded. Tian Yao navigated through several alleyways before finding a shop that bought hides.

The boss was familiar with Tian Yao. Back in the day, Father Tian sold his hides here, so the boss wasn’t too surprised to see Tian Yao.

“Boss, still buying hides?” Tian Yao placed his rolled-up hides in front of the boss.

The boss carefully unrolled them. At a glance, he could tell it wasn’t Tian Yao’s craftsmanship. “Your father made these before he passed, right?”

Tian Yao nodded, a little embarrassed.

“I’ve been coveting those few hides of your father’s for a long time. Finally, my turn to get them, eh?” The boss pulled out the money box. “I know your difficulties. Holding onto them this long is no easy feat. I definitely won’t shortchange you on the price.”

The boss was honest, and more importantly, Father Tian’s hides were truly excellent. So he directly gave Tian Yao five taels of silver. Holding the money, Tian Yao knew the boss’s price was genuinely not low. He also gave the boss one grey rabbit as a little extra.

Clutching the money, he looked back several times before taking a deep breath and leaving the shop.

Five taels of silver—neither a lot nor a little. Tian Yao counted on his fingers all the things he needed to buy: two outfits for Yu Nian. The household’s seasonings were all gone, and many other daily odds and ends were also needed.

Tian Yao’s father, Tian Ming, wasn’t a native of Huailing Village; he fled famine to get here. Later, he married Tian Yao’s Little Dad, who was also a famine refugee. They eventually settled down in Huailing Village but were never allocated farmland. Naturally, they bought their grain. However, even without land, they still owed taxes. Those with fields paid tax based on the yearly harvest, one part in fifty. Those without land, like them, paid tax silver based on the number of people in the household.

The silver Tian Yao had saved was originally meant to build two more rooms, and with another two years of saving, buy a few mu of land. Although he couldn’t farm, he could find people to help plant and harvest; he’d just pay some wages. Still, it would be his own foundation, right?

Thankfully, he’d paid the taxes before losing that money, or else things would be truly difficult.

What a pity. The hard-earned silver was entirely paid out. Tian Yao thought he really should venture deeper into the mountains. If he could hunt other prey, at least there’d be a few more taels of silver coming in. Then this winter could be manageable.

Tian Yao went to the Clothing Store and looked at two ready-made outfits. Bright colors, soft fabric, but expensive. He thought it over. Why not buy cloth and ask the village Aunties to sew them? Much cheaper and better value. The leftover material could be used for other things too.

He selected a bolt of fabric, not overly bright, but soft and comfortable to the touch. After a long bout of haggling with the Shopkeeper, he finally got the boss to relent. He spent one tael of silver on two bolts of cloth.

Then came buying daily necessities, which cost about another tael of silver. Carrying his bamboo basket, he was leaving Town when he saw the Carpenter’s workshop on the roadside.

He walked in and asked, “About how much silver to make a wheelchair, one convenient for someone with disabled legs?”

The Carpenter was in the middle of planing wood shavings. Hearing Tian Yao’s question, he stopped his work and found an illustrated catalogue in the shop. “You mean this?”

Tian Yao leaned in to look at the picture, imagined Yu Nian sitting in a wheelchair, and nodded emphatically.

“The craftsmanship for this needs to be exquisite. I only made one once, long ago, for an old master in the Prefectural City. At that time, the asking price was ten taels of silver.”

Tian Yao did some mental math. “If I provide the wood, could it be cheaper?”

“Materials are secondary. You know, for something like this, the main cost is the workmanship. In the whole Town, I’m the only one who can do it.”

Tian Yao pouted. “It can be a little cheaper, right?”

“If you sincerely want it, and bring your own wood, I’ll calculate it at nine taels of silver.”

Tian Yao sighed. Still terribly expensive. Looked like he really needed to earn more money.

Tian Yao asked again, “What kind of wood is best? Needs to be sturdy and durable.”

“Furniture wood commonly uses nanmu. Easy to work with and resistant to decay.”

Tian Yao nodded. “Okay, thank you. Once I find the timber, I’ll come pay the deposit.”

The Carpenter waved him off.

Tian Yao recalled the mountain behind his house. The deep forest was full of pines and cypresses. The nanmu the Carpenter mentioned, he’d never actually seen. But Yu Nian would probably know. He’d just go back and ask him.

On the way back, his pace was even faster. From Town back to Huailing Village, there were ox carts. Spending just two copper coins, one could ride. Tian Yao was still a bit reluctant to spend. He shouldered his bamboo basket and hurried home swiftly.

Going from morning until now, he figured Yu Nian was probably hungry by now; he needed to get home quickly.

As he reached his doorstep, he heard the puppy’s still soft and weak barks, mixed with some exceedingly vulgar curses. Tian Yao rushed into the courtyard and immediately saw Yu Nian thrown to the ground. The blanket he’d draped over Yu Nian was trampled and covered in dust.

Tian Yao let out a furious shout and pushed open the gate. A large man stood with his back to him, shouting things at Yu Nian that Tian Yao couldn’t understand. Enraged, he raised his foot and kicked the man. Not holding back any strength, he sent the large man flying, crashing heavily against his brick house.

Another man, seeing his companion hurt, came at Tian Yao. Tian Yao seized his wrist, lifted and flung him, also slamming him against the brick wall. The two men rolled on the ground, groaning in pain.

Tian Yao set down the bamboo basket on his back and rolled up his sleeves. “Coming to my house to bully my man? Sick of living?”

He’d never formally learned to fight; his moves were all brute strength, utterly lacking finesse. Yet that was exactly what made it impossible for the two men to fight back.

Just as Tian Yao was about to knock their teeth out, Yu Nian finally spoke. “Tian Yao, stop hitting. Any more and there’ll be a death.”

Only then did Tian Yao pull his punches and get off the two men. “Get lost, now!”

The two men, enduring the pain, scrambled up cursing and fled his courtyard gate.

Tian Yao was still huffing with anger but first helped Yu Nian up from the ground, patting the dust off him. “Are you alright? Did they hit you?”

Expecting no answer from Yu Nian, Tian Yao directly took action, inspecting Yu Nian from head to toe. Not finding any wounds on him, he finally felt relieved.

Yu Nian recalled the way he’d fought just now and understood a bit more why this was a Ger who couldn’t get married.