Chapter 9
1137 Words
We ate a little bit later compared to usual. All of my brothers eat furiously. ‘This dish was the product of our own tears and sweat. See how I eat every last drop of you.’ They thought it was not a little bit less concealed as soon as I placed the plate containing the dish. I let out a laugh and just allow them to fool around. We finish all the remaining steamed taro and the braised meat.
I already manage all the vegetable plants in the backyard turning it into their peak state. Dage and Erge continue to plow the small plot for the seeds later. Uncle Jiang and Cree just came back from the bamboo grove when I heard Elder Brother Zhong's voice, calling from the outside. We all washed our hands and greeted him.
“Bellona-mei, you are quite lucky this time! Our trophy was bought directly by a restaurant. Your pheasant was sold for 30 liang and the two big rabbits snatched 40 liang” He handed over the goods and sat down.
“The price of your living trophies are quite higher compared to mine. Eh?—speaking of it, how can your trophies be alive after you hunt it? Ever since I was born I had never seen alive animals after it was trapped”
“It was my meimei’s idea to change the trap” Elder Brother simply boasted.
“Eh? Did you learn to hunt before?” He turned around and faced me. I did hunt but it was in my previous life.
“Elder Brother Zhong, we are from the Qing-an Province so it was normal for us to hunt” I just lied to him because we can never tell him the truth like ‘Hey! We came from the capital and belong to a Marquis family’
“Oh! You don’t look like a hunter’s family though”
“Elder Brother Zhong's parents are not hunters. We managed a small business in a town and sometimes our father would take us to the mountains and hunt” It was a white lie. First, we do manage a business but it was not considered small because it is inside the Capitol. Second, Father never took us to hunt, it was my mother who let me be wild.
“Elder Brother Zhong, can you tour us around the village and the nearby places?” I need to find a way to make money right now.
“Okay. But where could we go? It was not safe to go to the mountains because it was getting late. Hmm! I know! We could go to the dock down the village. I know a short way how to get there”
“You go out first I will just change clothes” Fortunately, I do own a set of men's clothes and change into it.
They were shocked when I first came out of the door wearing this so before they showered me with all of their questions I just smiled and said “I’m comfortable with it.” It was truly troublesome when I wore girl clothes because of tightness that constricted my movement and also, this face of mine will cause trouble. It was normal for a boy to be handsome but if a girl was beautiful it would bring disaster.
“This is the secret passage down the dock, only my two brothers and I know about this” We are quite surprised how to open Brother Zhong is to us.
“Why?” I stopped and looked at him directly.
“Eh? What why?” He questioned back with confusion in his eyes but I did not answer him immediately and just stared at him.
“Why did you share your secret with us?” I pursed my lips.
“Since you all call me Elder Brother then I should do my part as your Elder Brother. I know that it was not too long ago that we had shared fate but I feel like we are longtime friends” He slightly paused and laughed
“Since you share a secret with us then we are now close, you can find me anytime you need help” Little Cree spoke and patted his chest like a matured soldier. We all laughed and continued to tease each other. Seeley took my hands and smiled at me. I was never a stingy person, and for those who are good to me I would return their favor a hundred time.
We are about to get down when Elder Brother Zhong stops. He faced us and spoke to us with a serious face “This path down on the other side is dangerous, so must remember it carefully okay?”
“Elder Brother Zhong, where does this path lead to?” Dage asked
“This is the other entrance for the Dark Forest. Since I was a child, every elder of each family never allowed us to venture inside. They said that all of the hunters that dared to go there were never seen again.” This information piqued my interest. We continued walking and by this time I could already hear the bustling sound of the dock. We came out from a small unsuspicious alley, no wonder it was never discovered. I can have a small ship and a lot of rough men carrying loads in and out of the different ships. It was lively indeed. We continued to roam around when a small boy aging between 8-10 years old called Zhong-dage.
“Cousin Lian, what are you doing here?”
“Mother asks me to deliver food for father” then he curiously looks at us “Who are they Zhong-dage?”
“They are my neighbor that just moved in days ago” Zhong-dage then introduced their name “and this is—t-his is” He flustered when it was my turn.
“I’m Euno, Big brother Lian. Seeley and I are twins”
“Eh? Is that blood dripping out from your basket?”
“Oh! This is chicken gut. My mother asked me to throw it away in the creek and now it’s already leaking! Aigoo! I will bid my farewell first” He then ran.
“Zhong-dage, why is he throwing the chicken gut?”
“Eh? Why would he not throw it? Chicken guts are smelly. No one eats it when they buy chicken from Auntie Lu”
“Eh?! You are wasting it! Did you know how delicious chicken gut and chicken blood is?” Doubt was evident in his eyes.
“He! I will just show you at a later time so please when your Aunt kills some bring it to me” He just shrugged and then we headed home.
- Writer
