TSWPF – Chapter 28 Warning

Li Qingling nodded at Liu Zhimou, letting him speak first to the village chief and confess about their hunting trip.

“Grandpa Village Chief, we came here to tell you about this matter.”

“You really don’t need to worry about it. These rumors will die down soon,” the chief said, thinking Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou were still concerned about the gossip, and repeated his reassurance.

They were grateful for the village chief’s concern, but precisely because of that, they could no longer keep it a secret.

Liu Zhimou held the chief’s hand. “Grandpa Village Chief, don’t be anxious. Please listen to me first, okay?” The chief was a good man, and it was thanks to him that, although the village was a bit poor, the local people had a decent character.

“Alright, then speak!” The chief took out his pipe and took a deep puff of dry tobacco, but his eyes remained on Liu Zhimou, waiting to hear what he had to say.

Liu Zhimou slowly recounted their hunting trip to Song Mountain, explaining everything that had happened.

When he finished, the smoke caught the village chief’s throat, making him tear up.

So the rumors in the village… were actually true?

“You… you’re not lying to this old man, are you?” he wiped his eyes and looked Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou over. “You really went hunting in Song Mountain?”

He knew of Song Mountain, and even the old hunters didn’t dare go there. How could these two children dare to venture in?

“Grandpa Village Chief, we wouldn’t joke about something like this,” Liu Zhimou glanced at Li Qingling and continued, “We came to tell you so you could inform the villagers. But one thing must be made clear: Song Mountain is very dangerous. Those with no experience should not go. If anyone loses their life, don’t blame us.”

People are naturally greedy. If villagers chased prey into the deep mountains and got hurt, then blamed them, it would be unfair. Better to speak plainly upfront.

The village chief took two deep puffs, stared at the smoke rings for a moment, and finally nodded.

“Don’t worry. If I tell the villagers, I’ll make everything clear.”

The land in their village wasn’t very fertile, and life was hard for the villagers. Meat was rare, and sometimes they might not see it for an entire year.

If they knew there was food in Song Mountain, the villagers would certainly want to go find it.

But it was extremely dangerous; one wrong step could be fatal. Thinking of this, the chief’s worry returned.

“Zhimou, who first told you there’s food in Song Mountain?” The chief’s eyes glimmered as he looked at Liu Zhimou. In his eyes, Liu Zhimou was an educated person, knowledgeable about many things.

Liu Zhimou smiled wryly and pointed at Li Qingling. There was no hiding it now; better to be upfront.

Turning to Li Qingling, the chief was genuinely surprised. “Xiao Ling, how… how did you know there’s food in Song Mountain?”

Li Qingling knew she couldn’t dodge this question. She looked up and smiled at the chief. “I didn’t know. It was just that there was nothing to eat at home. I had no choice but to try my luck in Song Mountain.” This was the truth; she had really gone with the mindset of giving it a try.

“Then… can you hunt?” The chief glanced at her small frame, assuming Liu Zhimou had done the hunting and she had merely accompanied him.

Most people would think that way, and Li Qingling understood. “Grandpa Village Chief, you’ve forgotten—my father was a skilled hunter. When he was alive, he used to take me up the mountains.” Luckily, she had often gone hunting with her father, which had strengthened her body.

Hearing this, the chief suddenly realized and smacked his forehead. He really was getting old, having forgotten this fact.

Li Laigui had indeed been a great hunter in the village. If not for the plague that took his life, Li Qingling’s family wouldn’t have suffered so much.

He sighed and looked at Li Qingling with relief. “Good, very good. Your father would be proud of your abilities. Too bad you’re not a boy!”

Li Qingling smiled and told the chief what precautions to take when hunting in Song Mountain, so he could pass it on to the villagers and keep them safe.

The chief nodded repeatedly, grateful for the honesty of these two children.

“Grandpa Village Chief, you must warn them repeatedly not to go deep into the mountains. It’s very dangerous,” Li Qingling added, explaining about the tigers and bears they had encountered—but she concealed that the tiger and bear were killed, not wanting anyone to know about the silver her family had.

This frightened the chief. He clasped his hands and muttered a few prayers for protection.

Afterwards, he scolded Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou, warning them not to repeat such recklessness.

Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou exchanged a glance and nodded repeatedly.

Once the chief finally finished scolding, the two hurriedly left.

After they were gone, the chief’s eldest son, Li Shizhu, came in. The chief tapped his pipe meaningfully and said, “Those two kids are remarkable! In the future, don’t underestimate them.” The two children would definitely amount to something.

Li Shizhu, however, looked unconvinced. “Father, they’re just two parentless kids. What’s remarkable about that?” To him, they were just little brats.

The chief scowled, tapping his pipe on Li Shizhu’s head. “How many times have I told you not to underestimate anyone? Do you dare go hunting in Song Mountain yourself? Would you?”

If his son remained this way, he would reconsider passing his position to him.

Li Shizhu held his aching head and looked at his father in disbelief. “What? They… they really went? Wasn’t that just a rumor?” If that were true, these children really couldn’t be underestimated.

Not every adult had the courage to go hunting in Song Mountain, let alone such small children.

The chief exhaled and glanced at his eldest son, then slowly repeated everything Li Qingling had told him, including the tiger and bear encounters.

“You see, can children like this be simple?”

Li Shizhu scratched his head and shook it. “Not simple.” He recalled how badly Lame Li had been shot and realized, despite their youth, Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou had guts and skill.

“Exactly, not simple!” The chief sighed. He was old and forgetful; he had forgotten about Lame Li’s incident. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have assumed Li Qingling’s small frame meant she couldn’t hunt, when in fact she was so precise with her arrows that she could take down plenty of game.

“Father, will you tell everyone tomorrow?”

“Yes, I’ll tell them tomorrow,” the chief replied, standing up. “Go to bed early. Tomorrow morning, gather everyone at the threshing ground.” He returned to his room, hands behind his back.

The next morning, the whole village gathered at the threshing ground, whispering among themselves, wondering why the chief had summoned them.

The chief raised his hand, silencing the crowd. Their eyes fixed on him.

Clearing his throat, he announced loudly, “Today I’ve gathered everyone here for an important matter.” He had been restless all night thinking about this.

What if the villagers went to Song Mountain and got hurt?

By dawn, he finally decided to tell them, leaving the choice to go or not up to them.

“Village Chief, what’s the good news?”

“Yeah? Is it a tax cut this year?”

Paying taxes after harvest was always a painful issue for the villagers.

“Quiet… quiet,” the chief said, raising his hand until everyone calmed down. “What I want to tell you today is that there is food in Song Mountain.”

“What? What do you mean?” The villagers were confused. Food in Song Mountain?

The chief took a deep breath and explained everything loudly, then warned them, “If anyone goes and something happens, you bear the consequences yourselves. Don’t blame anyone else, understand?”

It was his announcement; if something went wrong, everyone would come after him—he couldn’t handle that.

Silence fell over the threshing ground. After a while, someone asked if it was really true.

The news of food in Song Mountain excited but also made the villagers skeptical.

“It’s true,” the chief said, gesturing to Li Qingling. “Let Xiao Ling tell you herself.”

Li Qingling reluctantly walked up. If the chief hadn’t asked, she wouldn’t have come.

Last night, she had handed the matter to the chief like passing the buck, but she was dragged in anyway.

The villagers watched the calm-faced Li Qingling, ears perked to hear her words. They knew she had brought back two sheep—perhaps she earned silver from hunting?

If that was true, there must be plenty of food in Song Mountain.

Li Qingling swept her gaze over the villagers and said in a cold tone, “What I want to say, Grandpa Village Chief already mentioned. I will warn you again: Song Mountain is very dangerous. If you go, take precautions and do not enter the deep mountains.” She nodded at the chief and stepped down.

The villagers, upon hearing this, erupted in excitement, whispering among themselves, planning when to go to Song Mountain to find food.

If little Li Qingling could find food there, surely they could too.