When the bandit troubles finally settled, it was already late in the winter month.
Before this, Kang He had waited for several days with Fan Jingsheng, and once the wind had calmed and there were no reports of other bandits or stray troublemakers, he went up the mountain to bring his family back down together.
“Is the mountain life hard?”
Kang He, having not seen the children for two days, was naturally worried. On the way back, he and Fan Jingsheng took turns holding the children.
The mountain path was narrow and unsuitable for carts or horses, so they only brought two mules to carry everyone’s luggage. They all walked down the mountain on foot, which surprisingly wasn’t very tiring.
“It’s too cold in the mountains. We had to keep the fire going all the time. In the morning, it even snowed. It rained almost every day. Grandma wouldn’t let me go running in the woods.”
This was Da Fu’s first time going up the mountain since he was born, staying for several days. From birth until now, he hadn’t once experienced such hardship.
Kang He had worried he might cry or fuss from the mountain life’s discomfort, but instead, the child was surprisingly obedient and listened well to the family. Still, he asked frequently about Kang He and Fan Jingsheng since he couldn’t see them every day.
His small face was chapped and red from the harsh mountain wind, and if he hadn’t been carefully smeared with ointment, the cold would have been even more severe.
He told Kang He, “But there are many little birds in the mountain, and they sing so beautifully all day long. I even saw a little spotted deer running outside the door. Uncle Xiao Qiu gave me a big, fragrant chicken leg to eat.”
Kang He laughed and said, “There are indeed many little animals in the mountains, but they’re much smarter than the ones we keep at home. You can’t catch them easily.”
Da Fu nodded. “Yes, grandma said so. She said that before, Dad and Uncle lived in the mountain and had to go out hunting the mountain’s feathered chickens and hiding rabbits every day. They exchanged them for money to buy food.”
He hugged Kang He’s neck and spoiled him a little, “When I grow up, I’ll study and become a high official. Then I’ll teach Dad and Uncle not to go up the mountain anymore.”
Kang He smiled, “Even if you don’t become a high official, your dad can still support you. As long as you have ambition in your heart, Dad and Uncle will be happy.”
Back at the house, everyone was quite tired. After tidying up and resting for most of the day, they gradually regained their energy.
The afternoon after the bandits were caught, Kang He and Fan Jingsheng made a trip up the mountain with rice, grain, and warm clothes. They only said that the bandits were captured in the village, without detailing how exactly it happened.
After Chen Sanfang’s father came down the mountain, he heard from the villagers that the bandits had attacked their home that day and had been trapped inside.
That day had been extremely terrifying, with the entire village brightly lit by lanterns.
Chen Sanfang was shaken and couldn’t sleep well that night. The couple tossed and turned anxiously, afraid to think in detail about the bandits breaking into their home. With Da Fu still so young, what would they have done if something had gone wrong?
They weren’t the only ones; many families in the village carried a shadow of fear in their hearts until the authorities issued a notice that all the bandits had been captured. Only then did people finally feel at ease.
The county office’s notice was brief, but the details were explained to Kang He by Xu Yang.
“This batch of bandits started from the west, in Cangwu Prefecture. It’s said a dragon vein appeared at the headwaters there, and some people took advantage of this to gather many restless individuals with rebellious intentions.”
“The bandits who came to our county mainly wanted to stockpile grain and money for warfare and to disrupt local stability. Such trouble didn’t only occur in our county but also in neighboring regions.”
People were caught one after another, and during interrogations, the full story came to light. Following leads, many accomplices were gradually arrested.
The imperial court took the matter seriously and sent officials and troops from the capital to Cangwu Prefecture. Local authorities also increased patrols.
Upon hearing about these official actions, Kang He breathed a long sigh of relief. When the government intervenes, it’s always more reliable than civilians defending themselves. The bandits with rebellious schemes surely wouldn’t dare to act openly anymore.
As the saying goes: Better to be a dog in peaceful times than a man in troubled ones. Now, even a single bandit gang had thrown ordinary people’s lives into chaos. If war really broke out, how miserable would it be? The common folk all despised those who caused upheaval.
Xu Yang said, “The county office rewarded your family again, praising your courage in assisting with capturing the bandits. They credited you with merit.”
Kang He laughed, “Such a small achievement, and just a verbal commendation?”
Xu Yang felt the county was stingy. In past years, when Kang He and Fan Jingsheng caught kidnappers, the county awarded twenty taels of silver. This time, they only praised loudly with no real reward, despite Kang He speaking well on their behalf.
But Xu Yang was just a low official and couldn’t openly criticize the county, so he told Kang He, “The new county magistrate might have different rules. People and officials vary.”
Kang He understood the implication, feeling neither happy nor upset—after all, his efforts weren’t for the government’s sake.
After chatting for a while, Da Fu came out and asked Xu Yang, “Uncle Xu, has Shi Wu come back?”
Seeing Da Fu, Xu Yang picked him up, noting he was heavier than his own child. He said, “We were just talking about going to bring him back these days. His father misses him so much. Hearing from his grandfather, he’s already longing for home.”
Da Fu was very happy and bounced around all day.
Days gradually stabilized, and Kang He and his wife reopened their business. The bandit chaos had disrupted the shop’s trade—no business, no income, and they had to borrow money, causing considerable losses.
That early morning, the couple brought a pig they had slaughtered the day before into town. While busy setting up their stall, they saw He Xiao Qiu return to open his shop.
Seeing him wasn’t surprising. When they went up the mountain to fetch family, He Xiao Qiu had said he planned to come down on a clear day.
The mountain was cold and harsh, and he couldn’t stand it for long, constantly coughing. Also, he worried the food supplies would run out.
The next day, Zhang Shili came down to Fan’s home and borrowed a docile mule to bring He’s father down the mountain.
Chen Sanfang was very grateful for his care during their mountain stay. She had initially heard he had a serious lawsuit against his life and was reluctant to get too close to Kang He, but now no longer held that prejudice.
She prepared a good meal and invited Zhang Shili to eat at their home as thanks.
Returning to the early morning scene, seeing Xiao Qiu was not odd, but what was surprising was that Zhang Shili, carrying a load on his back, accompanied He Xiao Qiu to the shop.
Kang He’s eyes shifted, exchanging a glance with Fan Jingsheng.
Around familiar people, Kang He couldn’t help but talk. While helping Zhang Shili carry things, he casually asked, “Did you come down the mountain yesterday?”
Zhang Shili wasn’t good at hiding things, especially not in front of Kang He. Yet he didn’t answer directly and said, “You two should come to my place for a meal sometime.”
“To whose place? The wooden house up on the mountain? I’m not going there, if you invite me, it’ll be in the county.”
He Xiao Qiu heard Kang He’s teasing and went into the shop with the goods, pretending to be busy but blushing all over.
“Who said you need to go all the way to the mountain? I said come to the house in Xiaotan Village.”
Kang He smiled and teased Zhang Shili, “That’s your home then. Just invite people over.”
Zhang Shili said, “From now on, that will be my home! Just say if you’ll come or not.”
“All right, all right, how could I not go?”
Hearing this, Kang He was delighted, and after getting that promise, he asked what had really happened.
That day, Zhang Shili came down the mountain to sell goods and naturally went to see He Xiao Qiu. At the time, he didn’t know about the bandits in the county. He found Xiao Qiu worried and uncertain.
After learning the bandits had robbed and killed, a serious matter, Zhang Shili suggested they hide in the mountain until the trouble passed.
Life is paramount, and He Xiao Qiu agreed. But his father was weak and couldn’t travel far, especially deep into the mountains. They had no livestock at home.
For several days, they couldn’t get animals. Renting from others was refused, and time was tight. Zhang Shili then went to He’s home and arranged to carry He’s father up the mountain.
He and his wife were deeply moved.
During those mountain days, under one roof, seeing each other day and night, Zhang Shili took good care of the He family’s three members. Not long after, the Fan family also brought their people to hide in the mountain, and Zhang Shili cared for them as well.
He Xiao Qiu’s father noticed Zhang Shili’s rough exterior but acknowledged he was steady, decisive, and capable when facing big matters.
Such a man was stronger than many others.
He let go of his previous grievances, and they had a peaceful, heartfelt conversation.
Zhang Shili told He’s father everything that happened and explained the initial troubles weren’t his fault, which greatly changed the elder’s view.
Zhang Shili admitted he had been reckless and hot-headed when younger, acting without enough care for consequences.
Now older and tempered, he was more gentle and said that if he could do it over, he would still confront that man but not so impulsively.
He Xiao Qiu’s father said, “A man must have spirit. If he always suppresses himself, he loses dignity and looks easy to bully. When the family’s troubles began, I was too weak as a father. Otherwise, Xiao Qiu wouldn’t have suffered so much.”
They opened their hearts and talked half the night.
Returning to the village, He Xiao Qiu’s father invited Zhang Shili to their home for meals whenever he had time. He said they had already set a marriage date, sharing the same thoughts, and would live together.
Having the father-in-law’s approval, Zhang Shili stayed at the He home the night after coming down the mountain from selling goods. The next morning, he came with Xiao Qiu to open the shop.
He kept his joy to himself but couldn’t help showing off a little in front of Kang He and Fan Jingsheng.
Kang He hadn’t sent family up the mountain before and didn’t know the mountain situation, but Fan Jingsheng saw Zhang Shili getting along with the He family like one big household.
He was preoccupied thinking about Kang He and didn’t ask much. He just entrusted Zhang Shili to look after their family, then hurried down the mountain. Seeing how things were, he thought this hurdle crossed, and the two would surely succeed.
That day, the four of them warmly received the Fan family. Zhang Jinggui and Fan Xin saw He Xiao Qiu and Zhang Shili together and felt a complicated mix of emotions.
Though that farce was already in the past, meeting again under one roof stirred up many feelings.
“As they say, adversity reveals true feelings. Everyone in the county suffered because of the bandits, but you’re the only one who got lucky.”
Kang He couldn’t help but joke.
Zhang Shili replied, “If you say adversity reveals true feelings, I agree. That day, Fan Jingsheng sent family up the mountain, hurriedly entrusted me to look after them, barely catching his breath, then rushed back. Really admirable.”
“Hey, you’re not telling the full truth. Jingsheng and I aren’t just friends through hardship; that’s true friendship.”
“Go on with you!”
They laughed and enjoyed the moment, though it couldn’t last long.
The pork and braised meat shops had been closed for over half a month, making shopping difficult for nearby residents. Everyone was eager for the shops to reopen, fearing once closed, customers might never return.
Fortunately, the trouble passed, and business resumed as before.
Beforehand, not just the countryside but even in the city, people mostly stayed indoors, going out only when necessary. Food was scarce.
Who had the mood to cook meat every day? Even if they did, they feared the aroma might lure bandits to their door.
Now with stability restored, city commerce resumed as usual. With the year’s end approaching, those needing to buy New Year goods made the place lively again.
Business was good that day. They sold a whole pig in less than half a day.
In the afternoon, Kang He and Fan Jingsheng went to the village to slaughter another pig and bring it back. After selling pork the next day, the couple, along with Zhang Shili and He Xiao Qiu, all rode together in a cart to He’s home for a meal.
“You really need a beast of burden to come and go easily at the mountain foot,” Zhang Shili said, patting the mule’s back. “Though there’s a bullock cart at the village entrance for going to town, it’s hard to find a suitable one for everyday trips.”
Kang He said, “The roads at the mountain foot are mostly flat, unlike the mountain itself. You don’t necessarily need an animal to pull a cart to get around. If you always stay in the mountains, you won’t notice, but after ten or fifteen days living down here, you’ll appreciate the convenience.”
Hearing this, Zhang Shili started planning to buy an animal of his own. Then he wouldn’t have to rely on others to get to the village entrance or catch rides on other people’s carts.
That morning, he and Xiao Qiu waited early at the village entrance, enduring the cold wind for fifteen minutes until their noses were red.
Many people wanted to ride the bullock cart, and the driver invited a relative of theirs first. Being early actually made them have to squeeze for space.
Zhang Shili was a little unhappy but knew relying on others sometimes meant taking such frustrations.
If he wanted to avoid this in the future, the best solution was to have their own bullock cart.
“Do you have any strong livestock now? I’ll go get one soon.”
Kang He said, “Of course. If you want one, I’ll get you a good one.”
He Xiao Qiu, sitting in the back with Fan Jingsheng, heard them talking about buying livestock and said to Kang He,
“Don’t listen to him; I can’t learn to drive a cart. Two years ago, I said I wanted to buy livestock. Jingsheng even taught me for a while. When he’s on the cart, I dare to tug the reins and the cart moves a bit. But if I have to drive alone, I break out in a cold sweat and dare not try.”
Kang He remembered this. Fan Jingsheng had patiently taught He Xiao Qiu for over half a month, but he was always afraid he wouldn’t learn well.
One time, he pulled the reins hard with his eyes closed, and the mule bolted. The cart smashed into a tree, and He Xiao Qiu nearly fell off, frightening him into illness.
After that, Fan Jingsheng said he probably wasn’t suited to driving and stopped teaching him. The matter was dropped.
“Xiao Qiu, now that he’s down the mountain, you won’t have to be afraid.”
He Xiao Qiu’s ears turned red. “Who knows when he’ll go back up? If the livestock isn’t taken down, someone has to keep the feed and take care of it.”
Zhang Shili said, “I’m not going back to the mountain anymore. I’ve already talked with my father. We’ll run the business here together.”
Hearing this, He Xiao Qiu felt warm inside but still teased him, “Clumsy and awkward, you can’t even entertain customers well. Today you scared off two familiar young ladies. I’m running the shop; you better find other work. The shop isn’t suited for you.”
Kang He couldn’t help laughing at Zhang Shili being scolded.
Zhang Shili was helpless. People were different. Kang He initially couldn’t hunt in the mountain and had to rely on Fan Jingsheng’s watchful eye. He even joked Kang He was like being tied by his belt.
But now in the county, Kang He was thriving in business and running things smoothly. Zhang Shili couldn’t handle that kind of work, so Xiao Qiu watched carefully to avoid more blunders.
Then Fan Jingsheng, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, “Why not teach him to slaughter pigs?”
Kang He replied, “That’s a good idea! A hunter turning into a pig butcher would be easier. Our business is doing well now, with many things to manage. Finding someone to watch the shop is easy; my mother and wife can take turns. But slaughtering pigs still needs Jingsheng’s personal care.”
Sometimes when their own business was busy or someone was having a feast, they had to pay others to slaughter pigs and bring meat to the shop. The cost was high, and finding a skilled butcher wasn’t easy.
Pig butchers were always busy and couldn’t be summoned on short notice like street vendors.
Kang He had wanted to find a reliable person to learn pig slaughtering, so he and Fan Jingsheng could take turns, but they never found the right person.
At the end of last year, Hu the butcher stopped slaughtering due to back pain. The countryside was short of experienced hands, and pig slaughtering was even harder to arrange during the holidays.
They had been running around for the whole winter month, exhausted.
If Zhang Shili learned to slaughter pigs, that would be excellent.
First, he’d have a steady job down the mountain, earning well.
Second, since their businesses were already close, Fan Jingsheng could teach him and they wouldn’t have to look for an outside master.
Fan Jingsheng remembered how hard it was to learn from Hu the butcher, so it made sense not to look further.
Considering everything, there was no one more suitable than Zhang Shili to learn this skill.
He Xiao Qiu was pleased to hear this but said it also depended on Zhang Shili’s willingness.
Zhang Shili scratched the back of his head, “I’m fine with doing this work, but will I be taking business away from you two?”
Kang He clicked his tongue, “What nonsense are you talking? How would you be taking our business? We’re working with Xiao Qiu. When you two get married, what difference is there between you and me? If you learn to slaughter pigs, there’ll be one more person helping out. That way we share the work and earn more together.”
Hearing this, Zhang Shili said, “Then what’s there to say? I’m the lucky one here. I wouldn’t refuse. Doing this is better than hauling goods around town.”
He had tried to find stone carving work through some friends in the county, but that was hard labor with little pay, and he’d often have to travel out of county for months.
He hesitated; this was worse than staying in the mountain. At least hunting up there meant he could come down from time to time.
Kang He said, “It’s settled then. You call Jingsheng your master.”
Fan Jingsheng glanced at Kang He, thinking this guy sure knows how to get himself an apprentice.