The setting sun blazed like fire, as slight ripples formed on the lake surface, reflecting spots of red light.
Near the lake, a shirtless boy tied his boat securely, carrying a half-bucket of fish and shrimp towards a cluster of lit homes nearby.
Chen Yi's lean upper body, bronzed by years of fishing, exhibited a wiry strength despite his seeming malnourishment.
Arriving at a thatched roof cottage with a bucket of squirming fish and shrimp, he pushed open the simple wooden door:
"Mother, I'm home". He handed the bucket to a middle-aged woman with flecks of white in her hair.
She took the bucket and tossed the dead fish and shrimp into a simmering pot, saying,
"Go wash your hands and rest a bit, it's almost dinner time."
Soon, three people were seated around the sunken hearth in the cottage—Chen Yi's Mother, Chen Yi, and his twelve-year-old sister, Chen Ran.
The middle-aged woman, Chen Yi's Mother, spooned fish soup into three old bowls. She vigorously dredged the bottom of the pot to serve all the broken pieces of fish and shrimp in Chen Yi's bowl,
Lastly, she handed the only yellow pancake to Chen Yi, saying, "Eat up."
Chen Yi took in the clear, thin soup in his mother and sister's bowls, and his sister's disciplined effort to keep her eyes off the bread and fish meat, swallowing her saliva with difficulty, he couldn't bear it.
He broke off half of his pancake and tried to give it to his sister, but Chen Yi's mother knocked it back with a chopstick:
"You eat the pancake. After the death of your father, you're the backbone of our family, you need the strength for heavy work. Ranran and I don't work at night; a little soup to warm the stomach will do us fine."
Chen Ran, the girl sitting beside, quickly added, "Brother, you eat. I'm not hungry." After saying this, she took a large gulp of her soup and smiled at Chen Yi, her crescent-shaped eyes unable to hide the bitterness underneath.
She was only twelve, in the midst of growth, how could she not be hungry?
Chen Yi silently bit into his pancake, made from inferior barley flour that was both rough and hard to swallow. It was the most unpalatable bread he'd ever eaten in his previous thirty-or-so years of existence, but 16 years into this life, he'd gotten used to it and cherished every bite tonight.
"Xiao Yi, how much money have you saved from selling fish?" After the meal, Chen Yi's Mother asked.
"21 coppers, Mother."
The next moment, Chen Yi's Mother took a deep breath, her demeanor indicating a significant decision, "Ranran, stay and behave, and don't go anywhere. Come with me, Xiao Yi."
Outside, it was already dark. Chen Yi's Mother led him to the lakeshore and, regardless of the cold water, bent down to grope through the reeds,
Soon, the sound of trickling water filled the air as she pulled up a red rope twisted into a string, attached to a small oilcloth bag the size of two fists.
Ensuring there was no one around, she led Chen Yi back to the cottage. In the dim lamplight, she solemnly handed him the oilcloth bag:
"Xiao Yi, this bag contains 180 copper coins left by your father. Together with yours, it makes 200 coins.
Tomorrow, take this to the martial arts school in town to pay for a month of martial arts training,
Remember, never fear hardship. Be observant. Even if you don't learn much right away, remember as much as you can to practice at home later.
Your father's gone and you're the only man in the house. You must take up the mantle!
Also, your sister is now 12. Lai Tou Liu from our village has been passing our house often, casting frequent glances inside.
You should know what this means. I'm giving you a year. If things don't improve, I'll have no choice but find a good family for her."
"Lai Tou Liu?" Chen Yi's gaze hardened.
Lai Tou Liu, a thirty-year old bachelor in the village, was said to have some martial skills. For many years, he'd been engaging in nefarious activities like stealing and bullying widows and orphans, yet nobody dared to confront him.
But now, with Chen Yi's father no more, he'd set his sights on his twelve-year-old sister.
Regrettably, Chen Yi's weak physique wasn't much of a match for Lai Tou Liu...
Abandoning any unrealistic thoughts of killing Lai Tou Liu, Chen Yi realized that the key to changing his family's fate was to learn martial arts as quickly as possible.
Of course, before that, something else needed to be done:
"Mother, from tomorrow, we should disguise my sister's face and body, shouldn't we?"
Wiping her face, Chen Yi's Mother asked, "Like me, with the fake leprosy spots all over my face? Alright... I guess, even if it means making Ranran uncomfortable."
"Mother, don't worry. Ranran is understanding, she will comply. Also, I will learn martial arts as soon as possible, so that we can live our lives openly and afford to eat meat every day!"
Chen Yi took the heavy purse full of coppers from his mother. The clinking sounded heavy.
Chen Yi understood the significance of this money—it was the savings of more than ten years from an ordinary family in these troubled times. They got it by living frugally and avoiding taxes and protection fees from both the underworld and the officials.
These funds for his martial arts education also represented the scarce hope for the Chen family to lead a better life.
It has been 16 years since Chen Yi arrived in this world, living in poverty. Aside from earning his living by fishing, which also honed his swimming skills, he hadn't found a way to improve his life conditions.
Poverty and hunger were his dominant memories.
Though he knew of many ways to make money, in a lawless world without physical strength, having money was like signing a death warrant. He didn't dare exhibit anything out of the ordinary. At most, he used small tricks from his previous life to make their lives slightly more bearable.
This was why Chen Yi's Mother was willing to give their life savings to the 16-year-old Chen Yi—because he was clever and mature.
In these troubled times, and through his inquiries, Chen Yi had learned that The Great Swamp where they lived belonged to Yue Country but was extremely far from the capital.