Chapter 18: No Killing

Midnight had arrived. Xiang Dayong waited anxiously while weaving a bamboo basket.

Mrs. Su helped beside him. Neither of them had the slightest urge to sleep, occasionally glancing down the path from outside the door.

Meanwhile, He Suian had already closed his eyes to rest. His ears twitched slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes. Turning his head, he saw Xiang He’s figure in the distance—with a massive beast behind her.

“She’s back!” In the dim light, Mrs. Su ran over, only to see the giant cat and froze in fear, pointing at Xiang He’s back. “He-He girl! What are you carrying!”

“Uh… a big cat.”

Xiang He, expression calm, carried the tiger into the yard. When she set it down, it kicked up a cloud of dust. She patted her hands and sleeves, stretched her waist, completely exhausted.

Xiang Dayong, already not good with words, opened and closed his mouth several times, but still couldn’t say a word.

Mrs. Su saw him pointing at the big cat and instantly understood what he meant. “Y-you killed it?”

“No,” Xiang He nudged the tiger. “Someone else killed it. I just picked it up.”

The astonishment on their faces was beyond words. Xiang He remained calm. “By the way, she’s gone.”

The words stuck in their throats, their shocked expressions now tinged with sorrow. Mrs. Su lowered her head, eyes turning red, while Xiang Dayong turned away to hide his expression.

Everyone knew—it was only a matter of time.

He Suian quietly observed them, trying to guess who they were talking about and why there was suddenly so much sadness.

For a moment, the atmosphere fell silent. Xiang He glanced at He Suian, and perhaps sensing her gaze, he turned and met her eyes with a gentle smile. “Miss Xiang is truly impressive—able to carry such a heavy beast back.”

“Born with great strength,” she replied calmly.

Sensing the heavy mood in the air, Xiang He walked over and gently patted Mrs. Su’s back. “Mom, this big cat has to be sold in the city. Let’s make a trip there tomorrow, okay?”

Mrs. Su choked up a few times but managed to hold it in. “The city… it’s too far. And we don’t even have a cart. I don’t know how we’d carry this thing…”

Now Xiang He was troubled. “Does Fourth Aunt’s family have one? I can go borrow it tomorrow?”

“They do, but if you push a big cat through the village like that, I’m afraid…”

That’s true—they were boldly pushing such a valuable big cat around, which would definitely attract attention, especially from that Fourth Uncle’s family, who would surely make a scene again.

Xiang Dayong was thinking about his daughter, and Mrs. Su wasn’t in the mood to care about other things. But Xiang He had her mind set on making money—this matter had to be settled first.

When her gaze shifted back to He Suian, her eyes twitched playfully, and her smile deepened. He Suian immediately had a bad feeling and forced a smile.

“Miss Xiang, is something the matter?”

Xiang He approached with a smile and squatted down. “Sir, why don’t you come to the city with us tomorrow?”

One glance and he already saw through her little plan. He Suian replied with a helpless, gentle smile. “Of course. My leg isn’t well, and I was planning to return to the city anyway…”

With that settled, Xiang He clapped her hands in satisfaction.

“Good! Then everyone should rest early—we’ve got to be up early tomorrow!”

She helped Xiang Dayong up and brought the couple inside, grabbed a clean set of clothes, went to a secluded spot to change out of her bloodstained ones, then returned in a cotton coat and used the soiled clothes to cover the tiger. Afterward, she sat cross-legged outside the fence, closed her eyes, and began to rest.

Seeing that she didn’t go inside, He Suian couldn’t help but ask, “Why don’t you go in and rest? Are you worried someone will come for the field?”

“Someone might come cause trouble. Besides, there’s only one bed inside—it won’t fit everyone.”

“This house looks quite run-down. Have you all been living here the whole time?”

“Moved in just yesterday. Haven’t got the money to fix it up yet.”

The two exchanged words back and forth, and the conversation didn’t feel awkward or cold.

He Suian pulled the thin blanket tighter and glanced at the tiger covered on the ground. “Why don’t you skin it first? Selling the hide and meat separately might fetch a better price.”

“I don’t kill living things.” She paused for a few seconds. “Things already dead can be traded, but I won’t harm any spirit again.”

Be it person or animal—life and death follow fate. As long as she doesn’t harm eggs, younglings, or waste life recklessly, she sees it as keeping balance.

And since the tiger had already died and could now be useful to her, putting its value to good use could also help this family through hardship.

Hearing her words, He Suian grew even more curious. Resting his head on a wooden board, he looked up at the night sky. “You speak like a monk. Are you on some kind of personal spiritual journey?”

“Life itself is a spiritual journey. Sir, you’d better get some rest now.”

At her urging again, He Suian fell silent, mentally replaying her words. He couldn’t shake the feeling that, although she was still young, her thoughts were far more mature—almost like someone who had seen through the illusions of the world.

His gaze drifted back to her sitting silhouette, wrapped in a coat and meditating. He began to wonder if she really was cultivating some path.

Meanwhile, Xiang He, fully aware of his gaze, felt the intensity of his eyes. She, too, was deep in thought about He Suian’s purpose—why did black-clad men appear on the mountain after he arrived? And not just one group—two sides fought fiercely.

Were those black-clad men connected to him? And why did he come to gather herbs in the middle of the night? It was all too suspicious.

With questions lingering in her mind, the quiet night passed. When she opened her eyes again, dawn had broken, and in the distance, people had already started working in the fields.

Xiang He rubbed her eyes and stretched. “Wow, they really start early…”

Now that she thought about it, unless she had to run up the mountain for work, she usually slept in until the sun was high. It had been a long time since she woke up this early.

“Aren’t you going to the fields?”

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice came from behind. Xiang He turned around to see He Suian had already folded his quilt and was getting up, leaning on the doorframe.

“No field work today. I’ll fetch some water to wash my face. Just wait here for a while.”

Early in the morning, she was already getting busy. After washing her face by the river, she carried two buckets of water back. By then, everyone in the house was up. The two younger ones were crouched beside He Suian, blinking their curious eyes and asking him questions.

“What do you think of the two of them, sir?”

He Suian nodded slightly. “They’re not bad. Have they studied before?”

Xiang He paused and looked toward Mrs. Su. “Mother usually teaches them. They can write a bit and recite poems and such.”

“Auntie’s been educated?”

Mrs. Su’s brows furrowed slightly. She forced a smile. “You could say… I studied a little…” She quickly went to take the water buckets from Xiang He. “I’ll go warm up the steamed buns Fourth Aunt gave us. We’ll eat them with some meat.”

Seeing that Mrs. Su clearly didn’t want to talk about it, Xiang He didn’t press the issue. From memory, it was indeed Mrs. Su who taught them, but she had never mentioned her maiden family—not even to Xiang Dayong.

Since she didn’t want to talk, Xiang He decided to wait until she was ready to speak on her own.

“Xiao Yang, Yun girl, you’re watching the house today. If anyone dares to mess with our land, fight them off. Go to Grandpa Village Chief if you need to. Got it?”

The two kids immediately stood up straight. “Got it!”

——

That morning, after eating the last of their meat, they packed everything neatly and brought along 100 copper coins. Xiang He went to Fourth Aunt’s house to borrow a pushcart. The tiger was covered with clothes, and though Fourth Aunt knew exactly what it was, she didn’t dare say a word.

Xiang He pushed the cart. Fourth Aunt and Mrs. Su walked arm-in-arm behind her, while He Suian limped along using a tree branch as a crutch.

As they passed through the village, curious villagers eyed the bloodstained bundle on the cart.

One older lady came closer. “He girl, what did you hunt? Looks like something good!”

Xiang He glanced at Mrs. Yu, who was chatting with the other women but keeping a sharp eye on them. Xiang He smiled casually. “Nothing much.”

But curiosity is human nature. That older lady, lacking a sense of boundaries, reached out and tugged at the cloth—only for the tiger’s head to roll into view, giving her a huge scare.

“Aiyo, dear heavens! It’s a tiger!”

Her loud exclamation drew a crowd. Xiang He instantly felt a headache coming on. Mrs. Yu turned and bolted toward her home…