A playboy attracts peach blossoms
The early autumn wind whipped up dust, swirling it along the bumpy dirt roads of Kaoshan Village.
On the crooked old locust tree at the entrance of the village.
Zhao Biao swayed listlessly like a dried-up piece of cured meat, becoming an unprecedented "spectacle" in this remote and impoverished area.
Ever since the tax collectors and their gang fled back from the foot of the mountain in a panic, they had been avoiding that "inauspicious place" for several days. As a result, the entire village was shrouded in an inexplicable and thick fear, like miasma in the mountains.
The newly built thatched hut at the foot of the mountain seemed to have become the lair of a man-eating beast.
However, life goes on.
Fear, like autumn frost, can be melted away by the sun in the face of hunger and the daily grind.
Especially when the aroma of meat wafts from that "haunted house" at the foot of the mountain—
As gusts of wind blew into the noses of the villagers, who were starving.
The women under the old locust tree at the village entrance couldn't stop talking.
As usual, several village women gathered by the stone mill, a little distance from the old locust tree where Zhao Biao had once hung, while sewing endless shoe soles and twisting hemp rope, exchanging the latest "information" about the village.
The sun shone lazily, blending with the refreshing feeling of early autumn; it was very comfortable.
Aunt Wang, in her early forties, has a round face and a loud voice; she's the village's "loudspeaker."
"Oh my goodness! You didn't see it yesterday afternoon, but when Widow Zhang from the east end went to the stream to wash clothes with a wooden basin, her face was so red, like she'd put on rouge!" She rubbed the needle in her hand with oil on her scalp, her eyes darting around, and lowered her voice, but it sounded even more excited: "I was just going to cut pig feed, and I saw it from afar! Tsk tsk, her eyes were like they were covered in honey, drifting straight down to the foot of the mountain!"
Li Ersao, around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, had slightly high cheekbones and a habitually downturned mouth, revealing a shrewdness and a hint of meanness.
"Hmph! Who else could he be so arrogant about? It's just that slick-haired, powder-faced Shen family brat!"
After saying that, she spat disdainfully, twisting the hemp rope in her hands rapidly: "That kid, I could tell at a glance he's not a peaceful person! He's dressed in rags, but his face is so handsome, and his mouth is as sweet as honey, he's good at fooling those naive old women who've never seen the world! Widow Zhang? Humph, she's only been a widow for two years and her heart has already become wild? Doesn't she know her place? Do you think anyone would even look at her? If my brat dares to run down the mountain, I'll break her legs!"
Aunt Liu, with gray hair and a slightly hunched back, is a respected elder in the village: "What a tragedy..."
She sighed slowly, her cloudy eyes filled with worry. "My second daughter, the other day, was sent by her mother to carry a small basket of tough, chewy wild vegetables, saying it was a 'little gift' for the new neighbors... She came back blushing and wouldn't say a word. Later, her sister-in-law secretly told me that the young man from the Shen family... sigh!"
Aunt Liu shook her head, unconsciously clasped her hands together, and muttered, "Amitabha... All that nonsense! 'Report my name,' 'Go through fire and water,' 'I'll protect you from now on'... Listen to that! What kind of talk is that! How old is Erniu? Isn't she deliberately ruining her reputation? Buddha, please protect her, don't let this evil outsider corrupt the village's atmosphere, let's go quickly..."
Squatting nearby was Zhang the Cripple, an old bachelor in his fifties, smoking a pipe.
With one leg crippled, his eyes darted around the women, a smug, almost lewd glint in them: "Heh heh... Second sister-in-law, you can't say that." He exhaled a puff of smoke, squinting: "That Shen boy, he's really handsome! I've never seen such a good-looking young man, even more handsome than the leading men on the city stage! And his voice is pleasant too... If you ask me, it's normal for Widow Zhang to have feelings for him. That young widow, her figure..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was glared at by Li Ersao with a sharp look, and he shrank back sheepishly.
Aunt Wang immediately chimed in, as if trying to drown out Zhang the Cripple's foul words: "That's right! What good is all that talk! That widow Zhang is muddle-headed too. I heard that yesterday, that young master Shen 'kindly' helped her rub her fine cloth shirt by the stream, and good heavens! It's all frayed! She was so heartbroken she cried! And do you know Cui'er, the new maid the landlord bought? She's from the city, and I heard she used to work for a wealthy family, so she's got high standards! Yesterday afternoon, she also went down to the foot of the mountain to 'accidentally' meet him, and what happened?"
Aunt Wang slapped her thigh, becoming even more vivid in her description, "She ran back crying! She even threw away her basket! I heard that Chen Yan has gone mad again, saying that 'eight-bearer sedan chair' and 'phoenix coronet and wedding gown' are his standards for taking a concubine! My God, he's just daydreaming! That girl Cui'er is so proud, how could she stand such disrespect? When Master Qian found out, his face turned black with anger!"
Just then, a figure carrying a huge roe deer walked from the village entrance along the path leading to the foot of the mountain.
Heavy footsteps pounded on the earth, making a dull "thump-thump" sound as they approached.
It's Ling Zhan.
The roe deer on her shoulder must have weighed at least several hundred pounds, its fangs dripping with dark red blood, yet it seemed to carry almost no weight on her shoulder.
She carried with her a strong, almost tangible wildness of the mountains and forests, and a faint, lingering smell of blood.
His tattered clothes were covered in grass clippings and mud, his face was expressionless, and his eyes were like two bottomless ancient wells.
The lively discussion that had just been going on suddenly stopped abruptly, as if it had been choked.
Aunt Wang almost pricked her finger with the needle.
Li Ersao froze as she twisted the hemp rope, her face turning pale.
A deep fear flashed in Aunt Liu's cloudy eyes, and her lips moved silently, as if she were chanting Buddhist prayers.
Even Zhang the Cripple instinctively hid his pipe behind his back, not daring to breathe loudly.
Their gazes darted around, avoiding eye contact with Ling Zhan. They only dared to glance quickly at the ferocious roe deer and Ling Zhan's frighteningly calm face out of the corner of their eyes.
Ling Zhan didn't pause for a moment, as if their discussion and the presence of this group were nothing more than a few stubborn rocks and weeds by the roadside. She walked straight past the stone mill, bringing with her a gust of cold wind carrying a strong smell of blood and the chill of the mountain forest, leaving behind a deathly silence and a few wildly beating hearts.
Only after that imposing figure disappeared at the end of the path leading to the foot of the mountain did a long, suppressed sigh emanate from beside the stone mill.
Aunt Wang patted her chest, still shaken: "My goodness...that scared me to death...did she hear me?"
Li Ersao forced herself to remain calm, but her voice was a little weak: "So what if we heard? We didn't say anything wrong! That man surnamed Chen is a menace! Sooner or later..."
Aunt Liu quickly interrupted her, her voice trembling: "Stop talking! Buddha protect us! This evil star... we can't afford to mess with him! Erniu, stay away from the foot of the mountain from now on! Do you hear me?" Her heart was pounding.
Zhang the Cripple clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath, "Tsk... this strength... this roe deer... really something..."
Besides fear, there was also a hint of inexplicable covetousness hidden in his eyes.
Ling Zhan carried the roe deer to the stream, preparing to quickly process his prey.
The cool stream flows gently over the blue stones.
She had just put the deer down when she heard a suppressed sob coming from upstream.
Ling Zhan looked up.
The widow Zhang was indeed quite beautiful, with willow-leaf eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes. At that moment, her eyes were red-rimmed, and she was shedding tears over a fine cloth shirt in her hand.
The cuffs of the shirt were clearly overwashed, with rough edges and uneven fading of color.
The other clothes were piled up haphazardly in the wooden basin next to her.
Widow Zhang wiped away her tears while muttering curses under her breath: "...that damned Shen Yan...that smooth-talking liar... Waaah...this fine material of mine...I saved it up for so long before I was willing to make it...and you ruined it...waaah...now it's all ruined...what a charming gentleman...what a tenderhearted woman...it's all bullshit! Bullshit!"
She felt both angry and regretful. She was angry at his frivolousness for ruining her clothes, and even more regretful that she had been so bewitched by his sweet talk. Thinking of the smell of sweat and cheap soap that clung to him when he was close, her face flushed with shame and anger.
Ling Zhan withdrew his gaze expressionlessly, drew a dark short knife from his waist, and with a flick of his wrist, the blade precisely cut into the joint of the fur. His movements were fluid and highly efficient.
Skinning and bleeding were performed with a clean, almost cold-blooded efficiency, as if handling an object unrelated to them. Only the warm blood splattered on the rocks proved the passing of life. The gushing animal blood instantly stained a small section of the stream downstream a dark red, spreading out in wisps with the current.
Hearing the noise, Widow Zhang looked up and saw Ling Zhan. She trembled with fear and held back her tears.
She hurriedly stuffed the tattered shirt into the basin, picked up the wooden basin and was about to leave, not even bothering to wash the clothes. She was terrified, afraid that this jinx would take his anger out on her because of Shen Yan's flirting with her.
Ling Zhan didn't even lift his eyelids, focusing intently on the work in his hands.
Widow Zhang felt as if she had been granted a pardon and fled in a panic.
The heavy smell of blood remained by the stream, along with Ling Zhan's lonely figure.
At this moment, at the foot of the mountain, in the open space in front of the new house, the sun was shining brightly.
Once Chen Yan had eaten and drunk his fill and his sense of crisis subsided, his restless heart began to stir again.
He strolled around with his hands behind his back, weaving among the rows of animal hides and herbs drying in the sun—Ling Zhan had recently collected quite a lot—with an air of command. Several older children, including Hu Zi, Dou Ya, Da Niu, and Da Ya, surrounded him, while the younger ones crawled and played on the grass.
"Cough cough!"
Shen Yan cleared his throat, flicked his non-existent bangs, and struck a pose of a "life mentor."
He shouted, "Children! Today, your father will teach you some real skills for navigating the world and making a living!"
His popularity in the village has been soaring these past few days. Widow Zhang, Li Er's daughter, and the charming Xiao Cui'er... hehe, he's incredibly charming!
Teach the children so they can benefit from it too.
Tiger's eyes sparkled: "Dad! Is it as powerful as Mom beat Zhao Biao?"
Bean Sprout sniffled, "Dad! Is it like when Mom hunts the wild boar?"
The older girl, her face most earnest, exclaimed, "Daddy's the best!"
Chen Yan, flattered and a little arrogant, said smugly, "Hey! Fighting and killing are inferior skills! What your father taught you is superior skill—it's all about this!"
He pointed forcefully to his mouth, "It's all thanks to this silver tongue that can talk the dead back to life and the living to death! When you're out in the world, what's the most important thing? It's knowing how to flatter! It's daring to speak! It's knowing how to pat your chest and make guarantees! That's called presence! Do you understand?"
Tiger nodded vigorously, mimicking Shen Yan's chest-thumping gesture: "I understand! Just like I told Xiao Hua: 'Little Hua! From now on, I, Tiger, will take care of your cow! If anyone dares to steal your cow, I'll break three of their legs!' Xiao Hua was so happy!"
Shen Yan patted Hu Zi on the shoulder approvingly: "That's right! That's what you call taking responsibility! Full of vigor! Look, the effect is immediate! Isn't Xiao Hua treating you even better now?" He automatically ignored the embarrassing incident of Hu Zi being chased all over the mountain by a cow.
Bean Sprout immediately raised her hand, as if to claim credit: "Dad! Dad! I learned it too! Aunt Wang's ball of yarn fell on the ground, and I picked it up for her. Then I said, 'Aunt Wang, you're so beautiful! Even more beautiful than Widow Zhang! When I grow up, I'll make a lot of money and marry you!'"
Shen Yan's smile froze on his face instantly. He couldn't catch his breath and coughed violently, his face turning red: "Cough cough cough... cough cough! Bean Sprout! My good son! This... this..." He coughed and glanced nervously at the closed door, his voice even lower, "Your partner! You have to choose the right one! Aunt Wang, she... cough... is a little older... compared to your mother... no, compared to your father, she's an elder! But!"
He quickly straightened his chest, trying to regain his authority as a 'mentor,' saying, 'Your intentions are good! The key is to make people feel that you are responsible and have a promising future! Got it?'
Da Niu was a little anxious because she didn't get any praise. She ran to the side and practiced in front of the stream: "This...this young master...this humble woman sees that your...brow is dark...I'm afraid there will be a bloody disaster...I need...I need...um...'spending money to avert disaster'? No, no...'a benefactor's help'? Oh dear! I forgot the words!" Her face turned red with anxiety, and she stomped her feet.
Just then—
With a creak, the sturdy wooden door of the new house was pushed open.
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