CHAPTER 63: CHAPTER 62: MOTHER AND SON BIRD HUNTING

The children have also woken up by now.

After having breakfast and resting for a bit, Da Lang and Second Lang without fail head out to run two laps around the village.

Sanlang and Si Niang are only five years old. Qin Yao doesn’t recommend children start martial arts at such a young age to avoid harming their foundations.

So, she arranges for the two of them to read in the morning, going through Tang poems she has written on wooden boards.

Only by reading day after day can they deepen their impression and remember them firmly.

Da Lang takes his running around the village very seriously, never slacking off.

Second Lang is different. When he gets tired, he sits by the roadside picking grass, reciting the multiplication table that Qin Yao taught. Compared to tireless martial arts training, he prefers studying and learning arithmetic.

But he also really wants to learn Qin Yao’s skills, and the requirement for learning martial arts is to complete the basic training, which is a big challenge for him.

Da Lang is determined to learn the skills in his stepmother’s hands. He knows he’s not as bright as Second Lang, so he just focuses on doing one thing well.

Knowing that Qin Yao is going hunting in the mountains today, Da Lang specifically asked her to wait for him before he went out, so he could go with her after his morning exercise, making him run extra fast.

After Da Lang finished his two laps, Second Lang was still sitting on the field ridge, hesitating whether to give up martial arts.

Da Lang looked at his brother, shook his head helplessly, and headed home first.

Liu Ji had already taken a sickle to find Old Liu and the others.

Qin Yao was preparing hunting tools. Seeing Da Lang return, she advised the Dragon and Phoenix Twins not to go to the riverside alone, and then the two of them went out together.

They just wanted to get some meat for a better dinner that night. Qin Yao didn’t plan to go deep into the forest, just staying on the outskirts.

Spring is the season of revival, with lush green grass growing on the ground and many small animals active in the woods.

The villagers and some half-grown boys also love to set up simple traps in this small woodland on the outskirts, occasionally lucky enough to catch rabbits or voles to add to their family’s meals.

But since people appear frequently, the animals here are very alert. As soon as people approach, they run away quickly, making it not at all easy to catch them.

At least in Da Lang’s view, trying to catch these small but fast creatures seemed almost impossible.

But when it comes to Qin Yao, it couldn’t be easier.

Before he could even see clearly how she did it, Da Lang was about to say there was a bird over there when he heard a "chirp" of pain, and the bird he was about to mention fell from the tree.

"This..." Da Lang was a bit dumbfounded.

"Go pick it up," Qin Yao reminded him when she saw him standing there in a daze.

"And pick up my steel ball while you’re at it. It should be nearby. It’s silver. If you bend down and look up, the reflection of the sunlight will show it," Qin Yao taught him.

Thinking about light refraction, Qin Yao took the opportunity to teach a few practical tips related to light, treating it as outdoor practice for the student.

Listening to this, Da Lang felt he still had a long way to go with basic training before mastering martial arts.

His stepmother had said that before he understood these basics, she wouldn’t teach him martial arts.

Da Lang could only remember what she said and practice when he got the chance to see if it was indeed the case.

He picked up the sparrow and the steel ball, and Qin Yao tossed the sparrow into his small crossbody bamboo basket. The two continued to look for the next target.

Da Lang carried the basket to collect wild fruits, indicating there were many fruit trees in this forest.

And birds loved eating fruits, so they gathered here, flying around, making them convenient targets.

In such a place, a bow and arrow were completely unnecessary. Qin Yao only needed a slingshot.

Any bird that came into her sight and was slightly larger couldn’t escape being hit by a marble.

Da Lang only remembered running back and forth, and when he looked down, he hadn’t collected any fruits, but the basket was filled with various bird species, weighing almost twenty pounds.

Seeing Qin Yao still searching, Da Lang reminded, "Auntie, that’s enough."

"Is it?" Qin Yao walked over with the slingshot; she had only just warmed up.

Da Lang nodded vigorously and lifted the heavy basket to show her it was full.

"Alright, let’s head back. We’ll stop by the river to catch some fish for fish soup tonight."

Da Lang was filled with anticipation.

On the way back, he couldn’t resist glancing at the slingshot tucked into Qin Yao’s waistband, thinking how great it would be if he could use it to shoot birds.

"Do you want to try?" Noticing the young boy’s thoughts, Qin Yao turned back with a smile and asked.

Da Lang didn’t expect his little thoughts to be seen through, and he waved his hand a bit embarrassed, "No, if I broke it, that wouldn’t be good."

Qin Yao didn’t insist further. Her slingshot was, indeed, unsuitable for children, as it was too powerful.

"When I have some time, I’ll make you a wooden slingshot." At home, there’s still some cowhide. Making one for a child to play with would be safer.

The young boy’s eyes lit up instantly. He ran two quick steps to catch up with her and asked, "Really? You’ll make me a wooden slingshot?"

Qin Yao nodded, "You can first collect some rounded small stones as ammunition, but remember, don’t aim at anyone weaker than you."

"I’m teaching you martial arts to protect yourself, not to bully others," Qin Yao sternly warned.

Da Lang nodded earnestly, "I know, I won’t."

Then, unable to contain it, he burst into laughter, showing two pointed canine teeth, smiling foolishly.

"Auntie, when will you have time?" he couldn’t help but ask, too eager and wanting it soon.

They had reached the riverside by now. Qin Yao signaled for him to wait on the bank and went into the small woods to pick a suitable branch to make a fishing spear, "In the next day or two." She rolled up her trousers and got into the river.

The river water covered her calves, and although the current was quite rapid, she stood firmly as if the whole force of the river couldn’t knock her down.

Standing there, Qin Yao seemed as if she was one with the entire river.

Da Lang squatted, holding the basket, not worried at all she wouldn’t catch any fish. He looked at the sky and the ground, then at the basket full of birds, grinning to himself. He was about to get his own slingshot; Second Lang would be so jealous he’d want to cry.

Soon, there was a sudden noise from the river, followed by a fish being tossed in front of him.

The fish’s tail thrashed about, as wide as Da Lang’s hand, with a bloody hole in the middle, not quite dead yet.

Da Lang quickly pressed it down, threading a grass stem through its gills to string it up.

Just as he finished, another fish was thrown up. The feeling of such a bountiful catch was simply wonderful, making the young boy couldn’t help but laugh out loud. His voice echoed with excitement along the riverbank.

All five fish were strung on a single blade of grass, heavy enough that Da Lang could barely lift them.

He quickly shouted, "That’s enough! That’s enough!"

Only then did Qin Yao toss the wooden stick aside, leap out of the river, roll down her trousers, and mother and son, one carrying fish and the other cradling the basket, returned home full.

On the way, they saw many watercress growing in the ditch, and they both picked a big handful to take back.