"Ouch!"
From where she was gathering pine needles, Sun Shi suddenly cried out in alarm.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Yang Ruoqing sprang to her feet and ran toward her mother.
"I don't know what it is, but something's caught my heel. I can't get it off!" Sun Shi bent over, tugging at her foot, which was entangled in a tangle of brush and weeds.
"Don't pull on it, Mom. Let me take a look first!"
Yang Ruoqing quickly stepped over, brushing aside the dry leaves and weeds. She squatted down to examine the situation.
"It's a rabbit snare. Don't move, Mom. I'll get it off you."
She bent down to untangle the trap.
She had seen many traps like this in her previous life. They were often made from sharpened bamboo strips. The top of the bamboo would be notched, and fine wire wound into those notches to form a loop. The bamboo was then staked into the ground along paths where rabbits and pheasants often appeared, with the wire loop left above ground. As long as it wasn't too obvious, these traps could usually catch something overnight.
Yang Ruoqing originally thought removing the snare would be easy, but as she tried to loosen the wire, she realized she had underestimated the trapper's skill.
It was a double-layered snare. The person who had set it likely understood how wild rabbits struggled fiercely, and to avoid them injuring themselves in panic, had added a secondary loop to cushion the restraint.
This way, the rabbit couldn't escape, but wouldn't be choked to death either.
Because she hadn't figured out the mechanism right away, Yang Ruoqing struggled with the snare for a while without success, and in the process, Sun Shi's ankle had been scraped raw and was now bleeding!
Frustrated and sweating, Yang Ruoqing cursed the trapper in her heart.
Just then, a voice called out from nearby: "You won't be able to undo it. Let me help."
Yang Ruoqing looked up and saw a tall teenage boy striding quickly out of the forest.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in a patched-up coarse linen outfit, with a machete strapped at his waist. He moved swiftly, pushing away thorny branches with one hand and holding a bow in the other. A bamboo basket on his back carried bundles of homemade arrows.
"Dang'er?" (lit. "Boy Tang?" – a familiar nickname)
Yang Ruoqing looked up at Sun Shi when she heard her exclaim in surprise. "Mom, you know him?"
"He's from our village, the nephew of Luo the blacksmith from the north end of the village. His name is Luo Fengtang, but everyone calls him Tang'er. He's the best hunter in our village!" Sun Shi explained, her tone laced with admiration typical of an elder toward a capable young man.
Yang Ruoqing instantly realized that this kid—Luo Fengtang—was the one who'd laid the trap!
Turning her gaze toward the approaching youth, she gave him a good look.
Raised in the mountains, he was about sixteen or seventeen, but taller and more robust than most boys his age. He had broad, thick shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs.
His facial features were striking, with a well-defined jawline, strong eyebrows, and deep-set, expressive eyes. Though his skin was rough from constant sun and wind, it wasn't dark but rather a healthy, wild wheat-colored tan. Sunlight filtered through the trees and shimmered on his forehead, where sweat glistened, adding to his outdoorsy, radiant appearance.
After a full top-to-bottom scan, Yang Ruoqing nodded to herself. If this were her past life, she would have long since lured this guy into her organization. With his physique and agility, he was elite material!
Unfortunately, they were in a poor, remote village. No matter how much skill he had, he was destined to remain a mountain hunter, catching game just to survive.
What a waste. What a shame.
Luo Fengtang reached them, catching his breath. He had been staking out a pheasant nest when he heard movement and came to investigate. That's when he saw Aunt Yang standing right on top of one of his rabbit trails and her daughter crouched in the grass, tugging at something.
He immediately sensed something had gone wrong and ran over.
As he arrived, he noticed Yang San's daughter—Fatty Girl—staring at him intently with her round eyes.
His lips pressed into a tight line, and his cheeks flushed slightly. He had never liked being close to people, and being stared at by a girl like this made him even more uncomfortable.
Even though Fatty Girl was known throughout the village as a simpleton, he still felt uneasy.
He stood there, blushing, for a few seconds before finally mumbling, "Aunt Yang, don't worry. I'll take care of the trap."
With that, the boy set his large bow down, crouched, and reached into the grass. After a soft click, the snare loosened, and Sun Shi's foot was finally free.
"Thank you, Tang'er!" Sun Shi beamed gratefully at him.
Luo Fengtang didn't say anything. He picked up his bow and turned to leave—only to be stopped by Yang Ruoqing's voice.
"Hold it!"
He paused, thinking he must have misheard. But then a round figure stepped into his path, blocking his way.
Her face was pudgy to the point of distorting her features, but her eyes—though squeezed into slits—were bright and alert!
It was none other than Yang San's so-called "simple" daughter, Fatty Girl!
Yang Ruoqing looked up at the much taller Luo Fengtang and said coldly, "This is the forest's edge. If you're going to set rabbit traps, you should do it deeper in the woods. Setting them out here in broad daylight along walking paths—isn't that just asking for someone to get hurt?"
Luo Fengtang: "…"
He had scouted this spot for a long time and picked a time when no one typically came through. Besides, he had been nearby, keeping watch. It was only because he got momentarily distracted by a pheasant that this mistake happened.
Wait a second—wasn't Fatty Girl supposed to be barely verbal, a well-known simpleton in the village?
Why was she speaking so clearly?
Surprise flickered in Luo Fengtang's dark eyes.
"I asked you a question! Why aren't you answering? Is this how you behave after injuring someone?" Yang Ruoqing was truly annoyed now, her voice rising. "At this hour, you had no business setting traps here. Now my mom's ankle is scraped and bleeding—what do you intend to do about it?"
Bleeding?
Luo Fengtang froze again.
He quickly turned to look at Sun Shi, then lowered his gaze in guilt. In a quiet, remorseful tone, he said, "Aunt Yang… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"
Sun Shi had been tending to her ankle this whole time. Now, hearing her daughter speak so forcefully, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
This girl!
Just as she was about to smooth things over, she looked up and saw Luo Fengtang bowing his head and apologizing.
She chuckled and said, "Tang'er, don't take Qing'er too seriously—she's just teasing you. Auntie's fine, I'm not mad at you!"
Then she turned to scold Yang Ruoqing lightly, "Qing'er, don't bully Tang'er. Your mother's not made of paper, this little scrape's nothing. Let him get back to his business."
(End of Chapter)