It was raining here, so Kanghe stayed in the wooden cabin and didn’t go out.
He gathered some timber and made wooden planks about a finger’s width, crafting four boxes from them.
The tools weren’t complete, so the boxes were somewhat rough, not looking very neat in shape.
However, he pressed and tugged at them with force, and the boxes were sturdy and didn’t deform.
Satisfied, he placed four beehive frames in each box.
To allow the bees to enter, he drilled a row of appropriately sized holes at the front of the beehives, making them into bee entrances.
Making beehives was actually quite simple; the key was figuring out how to attract bees to build their nests inside.
Kanghe took the collected honeycomb scraps and wrapped them in cloth, boiling them.
Once the water boiled and bubbled, he removed the foam, let it sit for an hour or so, and after cooling, obtained beeswax that resembled an ointment, golden and shiny like honey.
Coating the beehives with beeswax was the best way to attract bees.
He had previously scouted a few spots in the forest to place the beehives.
One was near a cliff, where Fan Jing said the terrain sloped, the trees weren’t dense, the sunlight was good, and flowers bloomed year-round.
Another was near a mountain hollow, where there were several thick, sturdy wild fruit trees.
Fan Jing had told him that while the fruits were sour and inedible, the trees bloomed beautifully in spring, and you could hear the buzzing of bees passing underneath.
Kanghe chose these two spots.
He placed two beehives under a large rock cavity near the cliff, where it was relatively hidden and sheltered from the rain.
In the fruit tree grove, he placed one beehive on a tree branch and built a platform on the ground for another.
For these setups, he also made simple rain shelters to prevent the wooden boxes from getting wet.
The mountains were already humid, and without protection from the rain, the boxes would rot.
Fan Jing followed Kanghe around, helping him set up the beehives in the rain.
He looked up at the boxes, wondering if they could successfully attract bees to nest and produce honey.
Initially, he didn’t understand why the hunters in the mountains disliked others entering their hunting grounds.
The deep forests didn’t belong to the hunters; they only paid a modest annual tax to the court.
But now, after Kanghe had set up these things, he felt reluctant to let others come.
It was fine if people gathered other mountain goods, but he didn’t like those who rudely stole things others had worked hard to prepare.
The next day, as per his agreement with Zhang Shili, Kanghe made a trip to his place.
Zhang Shili told him that Ge Youquan had agreed and that he could go directly to him, and he’d show him the way.
Kanghe was overjoyed.
The following day, he brought over ten pounds of winter bamboo shoots.
Knowing Ge Youquan was married with a wife and child, he also brought a small jar of honey, about one finger high and four fingers wide.
“Brother Shili already told me, so just come, no need to bring anything. You’re too polite,” Ge Youquan said.
He was thin with a somewhat round face, giving him a likable and approachable appearance.
He was younger than Zhang Shili, the same age as Fan Jing.
Kanghe didn’t bring Fan Jing along this time.
Last time at Zhang Shili’s, it nearly caused a misunderstanding.
If both he and his partner went to someone’s territory, it might not be as straightforward as with Zhang Shili, who would speak up directly.
Others might hold a grudge quietly, which wouldn’t be good.
Besides, Kanghe had grown familiar with the mountains and was no longer as reckless as when he first arrived.
“I don’t have much to offer, just a small gesture of respect. I hope Brother Youquan doesn’t mind,” Kanghe said.
“Who would mind? Honey like this isn’t easy to come by,” Ge Youquan replied, accepting the gifts and offering Kanghe some water.
Kanghe noticed that the courtyard outside Ge Youquan’s cabin was very tidy, with washed clothes hanging on bamboo poles, the faint scent of soapberries in the air.
It was clear this was the home of a married man, kept neat by his family.
Kanghe was polite and didn’t wander too far into the house or look around.
It wasn’t as comfortable as being at Zhang Shili’s, a bachelor’s place.
Fortunately, they didn’t stay long.
Ge Youquan soon called him to go together, leading Kanghe to a place with ferns before heading off to hunt in the mountains.
Kanghe got to work, but he couldn’t stay long before needing to head back.
Ge Youquan’s place was even farther than Zhang Shili’s, requiring over an hour’s walk each way.
In the short winter days, he couldn’t get much done unless he hurried.
A few days passed like this, and Kanghe, with his good nature, didn’t mind.
He also brought some food to share, like wild onion and pork-filled steamed cakes or homemade rice cakes.
Over time, Ge Youquan warmed up to him.
That afternoon, as Kanghe calculated the time to head back, he passed by Ge Youquan’s cabin and saw an unfamiliar woman outside.
He guessed she was Ge Youquan’s wife.
Unsure if Ge Youquan was home, he didn’t approach too closely, only greeting from a distance, “Might you be Sister Ge?”
“Who are you?”
The young woman, holding a wooden basin, looked at Kanghe. She hadn’t seen him before.
He had only a short knife at his waist, no bow, and didn’t look like a hunter.
On his shoulder was a hoe, and behind him, a carrying pole.
Before Kanghe could answer, Ge Youquan appeared, holding a two- or three-year-old boy.
“This is Kang, the third brother, who came to our mountain to gather goods.”
“Kang the Third, this is my wife, Cui Cuilan.”
Kanghe politely greeted her as “Sister.”
Cuilan, surprised, said, “So you’re the one who married into the family, Kang the Third.”
“That’s me,” Kanghe replied.
When Cuilan had heard about him, she imagined someone odd-looking.
But seeing him now, he was quite handsome, nothing like the rumors in the village that he was too ugly to come down from the mountains.
After a brief exchange, Kanghe, wary of the darkening sky, didn’t linger and took his leave.
As soon as he left, Cuilan, who had been friendly moments before, grew suspicious.
“How can he be so improper, coming to our mountain to gather goods without you saying anything?”
“I haven’t seen our son in days, and he’s gotten sturdier. I was too busy playing with him to tell you I allowed Kanghe to come,” Ge Youquan said, doting on the child in his arms.
“Why did you let him come? We don’t even know that Fan Jing from his family. How does he have the nerve to ask?”
Cuilan felt it was one thing for people from their village to come—after all, they saw each other often, and doing a favor wasn’t a big deal.
But the Fan family from Hepingsi had no prior connection and wasn’t anyone important.
Why bother doing them a favor?
“It was Brother Shili who brought him. He’s just gathering some roots, not hunting our game, so I agreed,” Ge Youquan said.
“These past few days, I’ve watched him. He’s honest and doesn’t touch our game or even step near my traps.”
He pointed to the things Kanghe brought.
“He’s very polite, bringing gifts several times.”
Cuilan glanced at the basket of bamboo shoots, not impressed.
Who in the mountains cared about a few shoots?
But the jar of honey was indeed nice.
She scooped a tiny bit with a spoon and fed it to their child, who, tasting the sweetness, clung to her arm, asking for more.
Seeing their child’s delight, Ge Youquan was pleased and promised to find more honey.
“See how thoughtful he is, knowing we have a child and bringing these things. He even brings cakes and food regularly, very considerate.”
Cuilan, however, said, “You’re so grateful just because he brought a couple of cakes. I take care of your parents and our son every day, come up the mountain to wash and cook for you, and I never hear you say a kind word.”
“Don’t say that. How could I not appreciate you? I leave before dawn every day, hoping to hunt more so you and our son can have a better life.”
“I’m not falling for your sweet talk. Back then, you promised a big house when I married you, but our son is almost three, and we’re still in that three-room tiled house.”
Though Cuilan said this, her expression softened.
Ge Youquan, seeing this, changed the subject, and she didn’t bring up Kanghe again.
For the next couple of days, things were calm.
Cuilan stayed in the mountains with their child, seeing Kanghe come daily.
She watched him gather things like fern roots and kudzu roots, wondering to herself.
Digging these roots was such hard work for so little money—why would a strong young man do such a job?
Wouldn’t people laugh?
“Brother Kang, does digging these mountain goods make any money? I heard kudzu roots sell for just a few coins per pound.”
Kanghe answered honestly, “Selling them raw is cheap, but if you put in the effort to process them into powder, you can get a bit more. It’s just hard labor money, not like Brother Youquan, who earns with skill.”
Cuilan realized he was processing the roots into powder to sell.
She said politely, “His work is just a tough trade too.”
That day, when Cuilan and her husband went down the mountain to sell goods, she inquired at a shop and was shocked to learn the prices of kudzu and fern powder.
The Ge family wasn’t wealthy, and Cuilan was frugal, never buying such powders that were rarely used in farm households, so she hadn’t paid attention to their prices.
Now that she knew, she felt uneasy.
She muttered to her husband, “I didn’t know before, but a pack of kudzu powder sells for over twenty coins, and fern powder is even pricier. Just one pack, five pounds, doesn’t even fill you up, yet people spend so much on it.”
Ge Youquan said, “People live the lives they can afford. If there weren’t such expensive things, how would the wealthy spend their money?”
Cuilan nudged him.
“This powder makes good money. Why don’t we dig some roots and make powder to sell? Relying only on your hunting isn’t sustainable. An extra income would help.”
Ge Youquan hesitated.
“Kang the Third is already doing it. If we start now, it might not be right. Besides, if we both do it, how much can we make?”
“That Zhang Shili is something else. I didn’t say much when he came to our mountain, but now he’s brought someone else, acting like he’s somebody important.”
Cuilan already disliked her husband’s dealings with Zhang Shili, a man who’d been in jail and was avoided by the village.
Now, feeling he was encroaching on their livelihood, she liked him even less.
“Brother Shili likes Kang the Third, and I owe him two strings of cash from three or four years ago, which I haven’t repaid. He’s never pressed me. In tough times, who else would be so lenient?” Ge Youquan said, still grateful to Zhang Shili.
“Doing him a favor is only right.”
“He’s a bachelor, well-fed and carefree. Does he need your two strings of cash? Your parents are always sick, our son is growing, and the New Year is coming. We can’t even settle our debts,” Cuilan said, her mind turning.
“If we gather some goods, we’d have another income to pay off Zhang Shili sooner, so you don’t always feel beneath him. But if Kang the Third keeps digging roots on our mountain, we won’t make much. We should tell him to stop coming.”
“How can I say that? He’s treated us well. Just the other day, he brought a pack of sugar cakes for our son.”
Cuilan replied, “He’s not bad, but everyone has their struggles. Why should we tighten our belts for him? We’ve let him gather goods for days, which is more than enough.”
“If you can’t tell him, I will.”
Seeing her husband’s hesitation, Cuilan made up her mind.
So that day, as Kanghe was digging kudzu roots as usual, Cuilan approached with her child and said casually, “It’s not easy making a living in winter. My husband says the rabbits and pheasants in the forest have gotten clever, hiding at the slightest sound.”
“Brother Kang, you’re young and strong. The noise from digging roots is quite loud.”
Kanghe sensed something odd in her words but wasn’t sure of her meaning.
He said, “Is that so? I don’t know much about hunting, but I guess every trade is tough.”
“It is. I always want to share the burden of earning money, but I’m not like your Brother Fan, who can earn like a man.”
“You’re too modest, Sister. Brother Youquan often tells me how capable and virtuous you are.”
Cuilan smiled but didn’t respond.
When Kanghe returned home, he pondered Cuilan’s words.
When he said goodbye to Ge Youquan, the man seemed normal, showing no signs of anything amiss.
Kanghe thought he might be overthinking.
But the next day, Cuilan rushed to where he was digging roots, and he thought something had happened at home.
To his surprise, she asked, “Brother Kang, have you seen the sheep in our trap?”
“What sheep?” Kanghe was confused.
“There was blood in the trap, and several tufts of black mountain goat fur. The sharp branches in the trap were bloody, so it shouldn’t have escaped, but there are no tracks around. What’s going on?” Cuilan said. “No one else comes to our mountain, and a sheep is worth a lot.”
Even if Kanghe was slow, he understood her implication.
He put down his hoe and said, “Sister, how about I help you look? Let’s search carefully around here.”
“If you’re willing to help, that’d be great, but it might delay your work. When something valuable is lost, even a good search might not find it.”
“That’s unfortunate. Losing something isn’t the worst; the worst is when there’s no loss, but someone cries thief.”
Kanghe gave a cold laugh, packed his basket, and went to the cabin to see Ge Youquan.
He asked directly if they’d found the sheep.
Ge Youquan was silent, hesitating to speak, but a glare from Cuilan turned his words into, “Haven’t found it. Have you seen it, Brother Kang?”
“You both know whether I’ve seen it. Thanks for your hospitality these days. I won’t bother you again.”
Kanghe had initially wondered if it was just Cuilan’s idea, as he’d gotten along well with Ge Youquan.
But seeing them act in unison, he had nothing more to say.
With that, he left.
Ge Youquan watched Kanghe stride away, feeling uneasy.
“Did we go too far?”
“He chose to leave. We didn’t say anything,” Cuilan said.
“If you miss him, call him back. Look at you, so spineless.”
Ge Youquan pursed his lips, unsure what to say.
Kanghe was undeniably upset.
He felt he’d treated the Ge couple well, yet they accused him of stealing their sheep—laughable.
Yesterday, they hinted that his digging was too loud, disturbing their hunting.
Today, they claimed something was lost.
How convenient.
If they wanted him gone, they could’ve said so directly.
Why resort to such insults?
If they’d spoken plainly, he wouldn’t have minded and would’ve even thanked them for letting him come these days.
Instead, they made it ugly.
Though angry, he calmed himself on the way back and didn’t tell Fan Jing about the Ge family’s actions, only saying the roots there were mostly gathered and he wouldn’t go back.
Fan Jing wasn’t foolish.
Kanghe had only gone to Ge Youquan’s place for four or five days, and not for long each time.
How could he have finished gathering so quickly?
Just the day before, Kanghe had excitedly told him how plentiful the kudzu and ferns were there.
“Did they tell you not to go?”
“It’s nothing,” Kanghe said, unable to hide it from Fan Jing.
But he worried that if Fan Jing knew what the Ge couple did, he’d get angry and confront them, causing trouble for both families and putting Zhang Shili in an awkward position.
So he said, “It’s just too far. The round trip takes two hours, and it’s exhausting. I come home too tired to do anything but sleep, with no time to cook you a good meal.”
“You look like you’ve lost weight.”
Fan Jing said, “If you’re too tired, don’t go. I’ve hunted enough lately to sell for nearly three strings of cash, and I have some savings. You don’t need to work so hard. And don’t worry about cooking—I haven’t lost weight.”
Kanghe was deeply touched.
He moved from his stool to Fan Jing’s, squeezing beside him.
He wrapped his arms around Fan Jing’s waist, resting his head on his shoulder and nuzzling.
“I knew you’d care for me. Who in the world treats me better than you?”
Fan Jing’s neck tickled from Kanghe’s fluffy head, and he couldn’t handle that sweet-talking mouth.
He gently pushed him.
“You’re back early today. Go wash the clothes we changed out of yesterday.”
Urgh that couple was rude