Chapter 42: Taking the Bow
Qin Yao was just thinking of letting Dalang do it again to test his potential.
There was a knock on the door.
Today's 'fight' has to be put on hold for the time being.
Liu Ji had just gone out, and Qin Yao asked the four children to go back to the house and wipe their sweat, "It's windy, don't catch a cold."
I watched them enter the shower room, which was also a washroom. There was a long rope nailed to the wall with their face towels hung on it for them to use.
Qin Yao then threw the stick in her hand back into the firewood pile and went to open the door.
At the door was a thin old man with gray hair, leading a donkey. When he saw Qin Yao, he asked,
"Is this Liu San or Liu Ji's family?"
Qin Yao nodded, "Yes, who are you looking for, old man?"
"Then you are Madam Qin, right?" the old man asked with certainty.
Qin Yao nodded again, "I am."
The old man found the person and breathed a sigh of relief. He told Qin Yao that he came from the town to deliver some things to his relatives in Liujia Village. When he passed by Xiahe Village, he met the Yang brothers. The two brothers asked him to give a message to Qin Yao.
"They said they have already made what you want, and asked you to go to Xiahe Village to find them when you have time."
Having said this, the old man led the donkey and was about to leave.
Qin Yao suppressed her surprise, called him over, and went back to the kitchen to get him a bowl of hot water from the warm pot.
"Thank you for helping to bring the message. Drink some hot water. It's cold. Warm yourself up so you can continue on your journey."
The old man did not refuse. He happily took it and drank it, then handed the bowl back to Qin Yao, waved his hand, asking Qin Yao to stay, and turned to leave.
Liu Ji came from the riverside holding a jar of pickles, glanced at the old man suspiciously, walked to the door of his house, and asked curiously:
"Madam, what is that old man doing in our house?"
Begging?
Not really. Besides, he was leading a donkey, so he must be rich.
Qin Yao asked him to come in, and after closing the door, she said, "A messenger, I'll go to Xiahe Village tomorrow morning and bring back some things."
As he said this, he didn't care what was in the jar of pickles in his arms and went straight into the storage room next to the stove.
He opened the lock and took out the six knives that had been hidden inside.
Liu Ji had just put away the vegetable jars when he saw her take out the knives. He was shocked and the memories that had already faded came to his mind again. The scene of ruthless killing and killing one robber after another with a knife suddenly emerged, scaring Liu Ji.
He quickly turned to face the stove, grabbed a handful of firewood and threw it into the stove hole, mumbling in a pretentious manner:
"Ask Dalang to help watch the fire. This kid only knows how to play with that broken stick. If I come back later, the fire will be out."
He didn't stop until he heard the door of the bedroom opposite close, and then he patted his chest with a feeling of having survived a disaster.
But what was the purpose of taking the six knives from Xiahe Village?
Of course, they were to be sold!
Qin Yao found a backpack, broke the six knives and put them inside, stuffed them with straw, and laid a layer of firewood on the surface to ensure that they would not be discovered.
Qin Yao didn't know what the situation was in other places, but in Kaiyang County, except for officers and soldiers, yamen runners with special professions, hunters, and escort companies, ordinary people did not carry knives.
If you carry a knife with you, it will be very troublesome if you cannot tell your origin when you are checked into the city.
In addition, there were people who were tattooed and exiled to the border and would carry weapons with them.
It was a farm knife called a Po knife. The blade was like a hatchet, short and wide, and the handle was hollow cylindrical. It could be mounted on a wooden stick or a gun barrel and used as a weapon.
The knives that Qin Yao seized from the six robbers had obvious signs of damage on them, and the shapes of the knives were basically the same as those of official knives.
She originally wanted to take it back and use it herself, but the iron smelting technology in ancient times was not yet fully developed, and the knives were not durable. For example, the short knife in her hand was already very blunt after only cutting six necks.
Now when I saw its shape and mark, I instantly gave up the idea of using it.
She didn't want to commit suicide, but it would be a pity to throw it away. She was going to Xiahe Village, so she might as well sell it to the blacksmith.
Anyway, the blade had been broken and no trace could be seen. Together with her original blunt dagger, they were all recycled, which should bring her two taels of silver.
Qin Yao had already taken back the long sword and dagger that she had made from the blacksmith. She also brought back the slingshot body and marbles, except for a rubber band.
After living in the apocalypse for many years, Qin Yao has developed the habit of carrying weapons when going out.
Before going out, he checked the dagger and half a bag of steel balls he was carrying, made sure they were correct, took three freshly baked white flour buns that Liu Ji had just made, and left.
The sky is just beginning to get light, and the chill is strongest in the early morning.
In such cold weather, those who had cotton-padded clothes had already changed into thick cotton-padded clothes, but Qin Yao only had two sets of cotton clothes.
After eating the steamed buns, I blew a breath into the air. White mist lingered, and then quickly dissipated with the wind.
She guessed that the temperature was almost below zero.
Qin Yao got up early and didn't meet anyone on the road. She walked alone with a backpack on her back for an hour and a half and successfully arrived at Xiahe Village.
The blacksmith shop had just opened, and Qin Yao was the first customer of the day, but she was not here to buy anything, but to sell something.
Qin Yao and the blacksmith were acquaintances, and knowing that she had some skills, the blacksmith only looked at the quality of the knife materials, confirmed that they were correct, threw them into the pile of materials, and gave Qin Yao the money.
The total amount was one tael and eight qian of silver, which was a little different from the two taels Qin Yao had estimated.
But it was not easy to talk about such stolen goods, so Qin Yao collected the money and went up the hill to Yang's house.
As if they had expected that she would come impatiently, Qin Yao had just reached halfway up the slope when she saw from afar the son and daughter of the Yang family standing on the dam in front of their house, looking around.
Seeing her, the daughter quickly ran into the yard and shouted, "Dad! Lady Qin is here!"
Ever since the little girl knew that Qin Yao had killed a black bear, she has admired her very much. After notifying her father, she immediately rushed down the hill to pick her up.
The fourteen-year-old girl, whose name is Fang, is full of energy and has a bright smile, which makes people happy just by looking at her.
Qin Yao nodded at her, and the girl enthusiastically led her into the main room and sat her down.
The main hall in Xiahe Village is different from that in Liujia Village. The ground in the middle of the main hall is raised to form a square platform with a fire pit in the middle of the platform. In winter, people cook by the fire.
Qin Yao sat down on the wooden bench beside the fire pit, and Yang Fang brought her a cup of hot tea.
Qin Yao drank tea and sat by the fire, feeling warm all over.
Two rows of rabbit meat are hung on the beam and slowly smoked over a fire. Some of it is sold, and the others are cut off for cooking at home when one wants to eat meat.
Yang's wife came over with a kitchen knife to cut the meat, and smiled as she invited Qin Yao to have breakfast with her, but Qin Yao quickly stopped her.
"I just came from home after eating. Don't worry about me. I'll just sit for a while and then I'll go back with my bow and arrow."
"Stay and eat." Yang Er also stayed.
Qin Yao refused again, and everyone saw that she was really not hungry, so they gave up.
Yang Da and his son came in with the finished bows and arrows, and everyone's attention was immediately shifted to the bow that was longer than ordinary bows and arrows.
Yang Da handed the bow over. Qin Yao took a closer look at it in the light of the fire and her eyes suddenly brightened.
He couldn't wait to take the bow and arrow outside, shot a few arrows, and simply couldn't let it go.
Yang Fang and her brother wanted to give it a try, but they couldn't even pull the bow, which made everyone laugh.
(End of this chapter)