The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 180: Hunting

After more than ten days of traveling and building nearly a full day and night of defenses for the Zhou family, Shen Lie and his group returned to the valley, having briefed the others on the situation outside.

Throughout the journey, Sang Luo’s mood was low. Shen Lie noticed this and wanted to offer some comfort, but Sang Luo had already been trying to adjust on her own.

Enduring this was still better than being trapped in the county or in the previous plight of Zhou Laizi’s family. Her situation was much improved. If they could hold on and manage to change their fortunes outside, life might get better.

The only uncertainty was how long this process would take.

She asked Shen Lie, “Since everyone is trapped in the county and the refugees have been recruited, are there not many people left in the mountains?”

Shen Lie saw her thoughts had shifted and nodded reassuringly. “There are far fewer than I initially expected. Most of them are the ones who had already escaped earlier or a few refugees who fled the county or refused to join the rebels. The inner regions aren’t easy to navigate, and with food still available outside, no one would risk coming further in.”

Sang Luo nodded. “Then let’s stock up on supplies while it’s autumn. I’ll go out with you tomorrow.”

She was familiar with the resources in the mountains and wanted to scout for herself. Once Shen Lie was acquainted with the area, she would then bring Shen Jin along.

With this in mind, she told Shen Lie, “I’ll prepare some food. You should also wash up and get a good day’s rest.”

After more than ten days on the road, she noticed that apart from Shen Lie and Chen Dashan, the Xu family members were visibly exhausted.

Shen Lie, feeling warmed by her concern, thanked her and went to fetch water.

Their return was quiet, and a few children who could read were staying in Shen Jin’s cave. By the time they were about to help with the meal, Shen Lie had already cleaned up, enjoyed a hot meal, and gone to sleep.

As soon as Shen An and Shen Ning entered the cave and were about to call their sister-in-law, Sang Luo placed her finger on her lips to signal them to look at the bed.

Realizing their elder brother had returned, they quickly silenced themselves and walked carefully to avoid making noise.

Sang Luo smiled and pointed to the kitchen, signaling them to go and eat their dinner.

This half-day and night of rest were rare for Shen Lie. The next day, he and Chen Dashan would hardly have any free time throughout the autumn. They had responsibilities not just to the Chen and Shen families but also to everyone in the valley and the Zhou family outside the valley.

With so many people, it was crucial to ensure survival in the deep mountains, to persist as long as possible, and to hold out until peace was restored. The capable few had to take on more responsibility, uniting their efforts to the fullest extent.

—

The next morning, after a full day of work, the men returned, and by nightfall, the other three caves were completed, along with the simple wooden beds. They all returned to the valley together.

The following day, Shen Lie was set to take Sang Luo out of the valley. Before leaving, he gathered the younger ones and briefly explained that they wouldn’t be back for a while. He made sure to leave instructions for managing things at home.

Whether it’s Shen An, Shen Ning, or Shen Jin, they are all now capable of managing household affairs well. They can handle tasks such as raising sheep, feeding chickens, growing vegetables, and cooking without much concern. Even milking the sheep has become something Shen Ning can do quite skillfully.

Shen Jin also knows that his sister-in-law is familiar with many things, so there’s no rush to go out in the fall; he will just wait for his elder brother to take him on the next trip.

In the valley, experienced elders and people like Zhou Cunzheng and Shopkeeper Xu remain to oversee things. Each family has also kept a few young and strong members behind. Although the mountains are becoming increasingly chaotic, it was decided that Shi Da, who is relatively experienced and has seen bloodshed, would oversee things in the valley. Others would assist, and the valley entrance was sealed from the inside with guards posted around the clock. There was nothing to worry about; Shen Lie and Chen Dashan just needed to gather everyone and could then set out for the autumn hunt.

At this point, Lu Dalang finally sensed something was off.

Previously, Lu Old Man had accompanied everyone to cut trees for doors and plant soybeans. At that time, Lu Dalang thought it was just about chopping wood. The soybeans had been soaked, and Lu Old Man had avoided him, letting Chen Old Man help with soaking them. However, the entire Lu family lived in one large cave. Even though they had woven cloth from ramie in summer to maintain privacy and each bed was draped with curtains, many items were still on shelves and inevitably seen during cleanup.

Lu Erlang and Lu Sanlang not only brought weapons but also carried animal skins, thin blankets, a water boiling pot, and two sets of bowls and chopsticks.

After just a quarter of an hour of brooding, Lu Dalang couldn’t hold back and went over to check what Lu Erlang was carrying in the basket.

Seeing the basket and then his two younger brothers, who were still packing salt into small bamboo tubes, he tentatively asked, “Why are you bringing these things on this trip?”

Lu Erlang’s expression didn’t change. He replied, “With autumn coming, we need to go deeper into the mountains to find and store or dry mountain goods. We might not return for a while and want to avoid leaving obvious traces. It’s better to process the mountain goods outside and bring them back in batches.”

Upon hearing they would be going even deeper, Lu Dalang was unnerved. The journey so far had already encountered frightening beasts in the inner regions, and encountering them twice on a single trip was common. Going deeper into the mountains?

He immediately stopped asking questions.

As for processing the mountain goods outside and saving traces, it was better for the valley’s safety. He kept quiet, not asking how Lu Erlang and Lu Sanlang would stay safe or how they would manage outside.

Seeing this, Mrs. Lu told Lu Erlang and Lu Sanlang to hurry and not keep others waiting.

Once the brothers had left, Liu Niang, with Ah Xu, also saw them off. Then she glanced at Lu Dalang and said, “A Lie went out and found the situation outside is chaotic. We don’t know how long we’ll need to hide in the mountains. We have only so much food and limited land in the valley. You need to conserve food even more. The family is divided, so don’t expect your brothers to support your family if food runs out. They risk their lives out there too.”

Lu Dalang’s face reddened with embarrassment. He replied, “Mother, I understand.”

Turning to Lu Daniu, he said, “Did you hear what your grandmother said? Use even less beans from now on. Don’t do any heavy work. Eat and lie down, conserving food whenever possible.”

Lu Daniu quickly agreed.

The skill had been turned to the children, and Mrs. Lu was done saying anything more.

The family hadn’t wanted to reach this point, but with the eldest unable to help and Wang Chunniang making foolish decisions, the couple’s relationship with the valley families and even with their own brothers had dwindled to mere formality. She had to play the villain herself.

Mrs. Lu stayed inside the cave, taking up some tasks at the entrance.

Lu Shanzhu wanted to say he could go hunting too, but he knew it wasn’t about whether he dared to go or not. He kept his head down silently.

The only thing he could do was to take good care of his mother and avoid causing any more trouble.

—

Lu family matters were handled by Lu family members. Shen Lie and his group were out, and Shi Da and Zhou Sanlang were assigned to guard the cave.

The situation in the mountains was still unsettled. Shen Lie and Shi Da, along with Zhou Sanlang, agreed that they might only return once every five to ten days, with the exact time uncertain. The entrance would be sealed with stones, and they were given a knock code to be vigilant and help unfasten the latch when they returned.

The two men noted everything down. Shen Lie lifted the hidden door, checked the surroundings for any unusual activity using the plants blocking the door, and, seeing nothing amiss, left with the group.

The entrance and nearby area were well-hidden with large stones and various obstacles. They cleared any obvious tracks near the entrance and took measures to erase traces. Once everything seemed normal, they set up the cave, arranged the bedding, and placed the bowls and chopsticks inside. Other than that, they did not make further adjustments.

Chen Dashan brought a load of water buckets and collected water from a mountain spring. After watering the soybeans planted outside, everyone equipped with weapons and baskets set off.

Among the group, only Sang Luo and Shi Erlang’s wife were women, due to the lack of young and strong members in these two families.

Shen Lie carried a water pot, water, a few neatly stacked large and small burlap sacks, and a piece of animal hide in his basket. He gave the two women some safety instructions and quietly told Sang Luo, “Stay close to me.”

Sang Luo, holding her pointed hoe, nodded.

Shi Erlang’s wife was initially nervous. Originally, it was the elder sister-in-law Mrs. Gan who was supposed to come, but since the outside cave was small and not very comfortable, she volunteered to go when she learned that Sang Luo and later Shen Jin would be joining.

Seeing Sang Luo, her nerves eased somewhat.

In fact, besides Shen Lie keeping watch, the others in the group subconsciously kept Sang Luo and Shi Erlang’s wife in the center, and they did not delay, heading straight for the mountain where the Zhou family lived.

Lu Erlang hadn’t lied to Lu Dalang about their destination. They had cleared out most of the nearby areas, including wild chickens and rabbits. There might still be wild boars, but not as many as in the inner regions, so they hadn’t spent much effort looking for them. They were indeed heading straight into deeper exploration.

Zhou Laizi and his son were setting up wooden stakes around the planting area, while his wife and daughters were working the land and planting soybeans. They heard a faint noise from afar, and at first were startled, but upon realizing it was Shen Lie and his group, they were overjoyed and hurried to greet them.

Hunting and foraging were risky for them, and they only dared to venture out in the company of three men, never straying far.

Seeing the weapons and bows Shen Lie and his group carried, Zhou Laizi’s sunburned face broke into a smile. “Going hunting today?”

Shen Lie and Chen Dashan both smiled. Chen Dashan replied, “Yes, we’re here to take you along. We’ll need two people. Uncle, who will you be sending?”

Without hesitation, Zhou Laizi said, “I’ll go with my second son.”

He then told his eldest son, “Continue building the fence at home and protect your mother and sisters.”

Zhou Dalang, knowing the area was full of wild beasts, nodded quickly.

Zhou Laizi’s wife and eldest daughter came over. Seeing Sang Luo and Shi Erlang’s wife, they were very happy. After being hidden in the mountains for so long, meeting villagers, especially women, was exciting. They approached to chat.

Sang Luo observed Zhou’s wife and daughter. They were very thin, and their faces, as Shen Lie had described, were pale from long periods of hiding in the cave. While she was not close to them, she greeted them. Shi Erlang’s wife, who had been in the village for many years, was familiar with them and exchanged a few friendly words.

Zhou Laizi’s wife saw that Shi Erlang’s wife and Sang Luo were also carrying baskets and carrying knives, and knew they were coming along. She was envious, saying, “With my condition, I can’t do much of anything.”

Zhou Laizi’s eldest daughter greeted Shi Erlang’s wife and Sang Luo, informed her mother, and hurried back to the cave to prepare water for her father and second brother using bamboo tubes.

Shen Lie and his group didn’t have much time to spare. After a few casual words, Zhou Laizi and his son went back to grab their baskets, took the two bamboo tubes filled with water from their daughter, and collected their protective hoes and chopping knives left outside before joining Shen Lie’s group.

After informing Zhou’s family that their return time was uncertain, Shen Lie and the group headed into the mountains. Zhou Laizi’s wife and children watched them leave until they were out of sight, then returned to their work.