"These were brought by my cousin," Guan Xiaorou said, blushing. "She said they're a wedding gift for us."
Jin Feng immediately understood—her cousin must have been worried that Guan Xiaorou would go hungry after marrying him.
"Did you thank her?"
"You're not angry?" Guan Xiaorou asked tentatively.
Back in Guanjiawan, she had heard that Jin Feng, who prided himself on being a scholar, cared deeply about his reputation. She was afraid he might see her cousin's gesture as an insult.
"Why would I be angry?" Jin Feng chuckled. "No matter what, your cousin meant well. She cares about you, and I'm grateful for that. Besides, she even sent such a generous gift."
Lin Yunfang's husband, Zhang Liang, had lost an arm in battle years ago while serving in the army, leaving him unable to do much work. Their son, Zhang Mancang, had broken his leg as a child and had been lame ever since, making a living by chopping firewood and burning charcoal. The family had always struggled, barely managing to eat a few full meals a year. For Lin Yunfang to send a bundle of wild vegetables was indeed a significant gift.
Given the current state of Jin Feng's household, they usually skipped lunch. But when Guan Xiaorou heard that Jin Feng planned to go hunting in the mountains that afternoon, she insisted on cooking some wheat porridge. No matter how much Jin Feng tried to dissuade her, even scolding her as he had the day before, she refused to back down. She stubbornly squatted in the yard, examining the crossbow.
Although crossbows existed in the Great Kang Dynasty, their primitive construction made them cumbersome and impractical, so they were rarely seen among the common folk. Hunters still preferred the simpler longbows.
"Husband, is this a bow? Why does it look different from the ones the hunters in our village use?" Guan Xiaorou asked, curious as she saw the crossbow for the first time.
"This is called a crossbow," Jin Feng explained, taking it from her. He drew the string, loaded an arrow, and aimed at a tree about twenty meters away. With a pull of the trigger, the arrow shot out and embedded itself into the trunk, the shaft quivering from the impact.
"That's... amazing!" Guan Xiaorou exclaimed, startled. "Husband, did you make this?"
"Who else could have done it?" Jin Feng replied, feeling a sense of pride as he saw the admiration in her eyes.
After explaining how the crossbow worked to Guan Xiaorou, Jin Feng slung the quiver over his shoulder and headed out of the yard. Just as he stepped outside, he ran into a group of women on their way to the mountains to forage for wild vegetables.
"Jin Feng, shouldn't you be at home with your new bride? What are you doing out here?" a girl with two pigtails teased, grinning mischievously.
She was the village chief's daughter, known for her lively personality. Among the unmarried girls and young wives in the village, she was something of a ringleader.
"Going hunting in the mountains," Jin Feng replied casually.
"You? Hunting?" the girl, Xiao Yu, laughed. "Since when did you learn to hunt?"
"None of your business," Jin Feng retorted, not in the mood to banter with a group of women. He quickened his pace and walked away.
Some of the women were curious about the crossbow in his hands, but before they could ask, Jin Feng was already out of earshot.
"Don't get lost in the mountains!" Xiao Yu called after him. "If you don't catch anything, come back soon. Don't keep your bride waiting!"
The other women burst into laughter.
The area near the foothills was often frequented by people, so there weren't many animals to hunt. To find game, Jin Feng would have to cross another ridge and venture deeper into the old forest. In his previous life, Jin Feng had grown up in a mountain village, where he had often gone hunting with his grandfather. He was no stranger to the wilderness. With the crossbow loaded and ready, he moved deftly through the woods, scanning for any signs of animals.
It was late spring, and the mountains were lush and green. The dense canopy overhead filtered the sunlight, creating a dappled pattern on the forest floor. This was the season when animals were most active. Before long, Jin Feng spotted a gray rabbit drinking from a small puddle.
Wild rabbits were extremely cautious. Even while drinking, the rabbit kept its eyes darting around, alert for any danger. Patience was a hunter's most essential trait. Though the rabbit was within range, Jin Feng didn't rush. He held his position, waiting for the perfect moment.
When the rabbit finished drinking and turned to leave, Jin Feng didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger, and the arrow flew across the distance in an instant, pinning the rabbit to the ground. By the time Jin Feng reached it, the rabbit was already dead.
"Not bad, it's a fat one," Jin Feng muttered to himself, stuffing the rabbit into the bag at his waist. He retrieved the arrow and continued his search for the next target.
---
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, the women foraging at the foot of the mountain began to pack up and head home.
"Hey, has anyone seen Jin Feng come back?" Xiao Yu asked the group.
"No, I haven't."
"Me neither."
"Do you think he got lost?"
"Or maybe he ran into a wolf?"
"If it's a wolf, he might still escape. But if he ran into bandits, he's done for."
"I heard there are mountain ghosts near Old Ox Ridge. He just married a so-called 'jinx.' What if he's been cursed?"
The village women, though often harsh and superstitious, were fundamentally kind-hearted. While they enjoyed teasing Jin Feng, none of them truly wished him harm. As the sun neared the horizon and Jin Feng still hadn't returned, they began to worry.
Xiao Yu turned to the hunter's concubine, Cui Hua. "Your husband knows the mountains well. Maybe he should go look for him."
"My husband went to town today to get his bow repaired. He won't be back until tonight."
"I'll go back and ask my father to gather some men to search the mountains," Xiao Yu said, growing anxious.
"Look over there! Someone's coming down the mountain. Is that Jin Feng?" Cui Hua pointed toward the ridge.
In the fading light, a figure emerged from the hills, descending toward them.
"That's him!" Xiao Yu muttered, visibly relieved.
"Do you think he caught anything?"
"My husband says the rabbits and pheasants in the mountains are smarter than people. They're gone in a flash," Cui Hua said. "Jin Feng's never hunted before. It's a miracle he didn't get lost."
"Yeah, if hunting were that easy, everyone would be up in the mountains," another woman chimed in.
But as Jin Feng drew closer, they noticed the bulging bag at his waist, dripping with blood.
"Jin Feng, did you catch something?" the women asked, crowding around him as he approached.
"Of course!" Jin Feng replied with a hint of pride, tossing two rabbits onto the ground.
"Those are huge! And two of them!"
"The bigger one must weigh six or seven pounds."
"I'd say so. These two rabbits could fetch at least forty pounds of grain in town."
The teasing stopped, replaced by looks of envy. During the off-season, many villagers tried their luck in the mountains, but without bows or arrows, most returned empty-handed. Yet here was Jin Feng, returning from his first hunt with such a impressive haul.
Forty pounds of grain! Mixed with wild vegetables, it would be enough to get a couple through the winter.
"Jin Feng, did you catch these with that thing?" Xiao Yu asked, pointing at the crossbow. "Can I take a look?"
"Sure," Jin Feng said, handing it over without hesitation. They were all from the same village, after all.
"Can I try it?" Xiao Yu asked, fiddling with the crossbow, her eyes gleaming with excitement.