Volume One, Chapter 11: Giving Away a Gun

“Qingshan, go borrow the hunting rifle from Huzi’s house,” He Yulin ordered angrily.

“Why do you need to borrow a gun, Dad?” He Qingshan asked.

“What do you think I need it for, you little brat? Your sister has suffered such a great injustice, and not only did you not stand up for her, you even kept it from me. Do you think I’m dead? Why didn’t you tell me? Are you trying to drive me crazy?” He Yulin shook with anger, pointing a trembling finger at He Qingshan.

He Yulan hurried forward and said, “Dad, it was me who didn’t let big brother say anything. I was afraid you’d get upset.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me at all? Do you even consider me your father?” He Yulin looked at the two brothers.

“You! Hurry and go borrow the rifle, then come with me to the Lin family,” He Yulin said, staring at He Qingshan.

“Grandpa, please don’t go,” Lin Xiao began to say, but before she could finish, He Yulin pointed at her and scolded, “You little brat, siding with your father, are you?”

“Grandpa, please calm down and let me finish!” Lin Xiao pleaded.

“Go ahead,” He Yulin grumbled.

“Mom is taking me and my sister away to live on our own. We won’t be going back anymore. I can support Mom and my sister,” Lin Xiao said firmly.

“And we’re doing very well now, very happy,” she continued.

“A few days ago, Lin Mu came looking for us, but I chased him off,” Lin Xiao added.

“If anyone else comes to cause trouble for my mother in the future, I won’t let them off,” she declared.

“Then I have to go and reason with them,” He Yulin said, his anger abating considerably upon hearing Lin Xiao.

“What good would reasoning with them do? If we wanted to return to that family, your talking to them might help, but we’ve decided not to go back. What use is there in you reasoning with them?” Lin Xiao comforted her grandfather.

At that moment, their aunt returned from outside. Hearing their voices, she came into the east room, breaking the tense atmosphere. She pretended not to notice everyone’s expressions and cheerfully spoke with Lin Xiao’s family before moving closer to Lin Xiao.

“That child is amazing, still so young yet able to hunt down two big wild boars without a gun. So sensible, knowing how to honor her elders by giving us all this wild boar meat,” said He Qingshan’s wife.

Hearing this, everyone began to praise the thoughtful child.

“I’m sensible too,” Lin Xi said, seeing that no one had complimented her, and the whole family burst into laughter.

He Yulan felt the time was right to leave with the children, but their aunt grabbed her firmly, refusing to let them go. Everyone else blocked their way as well.

In the end, Lin Xiao made the decision: they would stay for dinner.

Lin Xiao chatted with great-grandfather, grandfather, and uncle about what had happened since moving into the cabin, while her mother helped aunt and grandmother prepare the food. Lin Xi happily ran back and forth between the inner and outer rooms.

Whenever Lin Xiao recounted how she played dead to stab the muntjac, bursts of laughter escaped the group.

When she described making wooden skewers to pierce the wild boar, everyone felt a pang of anxiety, imagining the deadly struggle that would ensue if she fell.

But after all, Lin Xiao was still a child.

After Lin Xiao finished, He Shoulin turned around and opened the cabinet on the heated bed, taking out a crossbow.

He looked at Lin Xiao and asked, “Do you like it?”

Lin Xiao examined the crossbow before her.

It retained the charm of traditional craftsmanship. The main body was made of resilient hardwood, meticulously carved by a skilled artisan. The grain was simple and natural, exuding the rich fragrance unique to wood.

The bow arms were clearly reinforced with elastic sinew.

The crossbow body was decorated simply, with occasional geometric carvings highlighting a rustic and practical style.

Though the trigger and metal teeth were less precise due to industrial limitations, their handmade texture was rich. The surface had been quenched, shining with a cold luster, sturdy and durable.

The string was made from cow tendon, evenly thick and strong, able to withstand great tension to ensure the arrow’s stability and lethality upon release.

“This is the crossbow I used when I caught my first prey. I was going to keep it as a memento, but now I’m giving it to you. Consider it a sign that the mountain guard has a successor,” he said.

Lin Xiao knew that “successor” meant the next mountain guardian.

“Great-grandfather, such a precious thing—I can’t accept it,” Lin Xiao said, speaking the opposite of what she felt.

“Take it! In your hands, it can still be useful. If it stayed with me, it’d just be a keepsake,” he insisted.

“I haven’t even returned the things I borrowed from the woodshed in the cabin yet. How can I accept your things?” Lin Xiao looked down at the crossbow.

“Those things were meant for the next mountain guardian anyway. So no need to return them—just keep using them,” He Shoulin said.

“Meeting you and having you as their owner is also their destiny,” he added, recalling the times he hunted with those tools.

Lin Xiao’s family left the He household and returned to the cabin. He Yulan felt a heavy weight lift from her shoulders.

Zhao Hu arrived at the He family’s house in a rush. “Lin Xiao has left?”

Seeing Zhao Hu, He Qingshan went out to meet him.

“She’s gone. She should be home by now. What do you want with my nephew?” He Qingshan emphasized “nephew,” as if asserting his claim to Zhao.

Zhao Hu replied, “Ah! Didn’t I just bring a gun for Lin Xiao? We can’t go back on our word!”

“Hey, you kid. Don’t just say ‘nephew.’ Yulan grew up with us and is also my sister. She’s not just your nephew—she’s mine too,” He Qingshan said, then turned and ran toward the cabin.

“Nephew, nephew!” Zhao Hu called out as he followed.

Lin Xiao recognized the voice as Captain Zhao Hu’s.

“Thought we just got inside and didn’t notice anyone behind us. Where did this tiger uncle come from?” she wondered.

She opened the door and saw Zhao Hu running toward her with a gun on his back.

As Zhao Hu neared the cabin, Lin Xiao said, “What’s up, Tiger Uncle?”

Zhao Hu panted heavily, silent for a moment.

After catching his breath, he said, “I came to bring you a gun. Look, the whole team only has eight bullets left. I got you five. Does your Tiger Uncle keep his word or not?”

“Of course, of course!” Lin Xiao was thrilled to see the gun.

“Do you know how to load bullets?” Zhao Hu asked skeptically.

He intended to teach her, but to his surprise, Lin Xiao gestured for him to toss the gun over.

She caught the gun and bullets, pocketed the bullets, then mimed shooting motions.

Next, her right hand skillfully pulled a bullet from her pocket, tilted the rifle slightly, and pushed the bullet in with her thumb. It clicked perfectly into the chamber.

At the same time, her left hand quickly pulled back the bolt, hearing the crisp mechanical sound before it snapped back into place, completing the loading smoothly and fluidly.

The next moment, she deftly pressed the eject button and pulled the bolt again. With a clang, the bullet was ejected onto the ground.

From picking up the gun, chambering a bullet, to ejecting it, the whole process was flawless.

Zhao Hu applauded repeatedly. “Kid, your speed is incredible. I can’t even do it this fast. How do you manage it?”

“I just watched once and learned. Didn’t I tell you before?” Lin Xiao didn’t reveal her past, fearing Zhao would be shocked.

“Just one look and you’re this skilled? I’ve trained for years and still can’t match that,” Zhao Hu thought.

After Zhao Hu left, Lin Xiao stared at the worn hunting rifle before her, frowning as she muttered, “It really is a broken old rifle.”

The rifle’s paint was chipped and peeling, revealing rusted metal beneath like scars left by time.

The wooden stock was scratched and worn, the grip polished smooth by use.

Yet she soon shook her head gently, thinking quietly that even a broken gun is better than none at all.