TSWPF – Chapter 9 Fainted

After practicing for half an hour, Li Qingling’s arms were already sore. She finally stopped. By now, she had mostly regained the feeling of shooting arrows from her previous life.

She slumped to the ground, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and rubbed her aching arms. After resting a bit, she stood up again, picked up her bow and arrows, and continued walking deeper into the mountain.

Not long after, she spotted a wild rabbit. The corner of her lips curved up. She quickly raised her bow, aimed carefully, and released the arrow. Her aim had improved—one shot went clean through the rabbit.

She ran over, pulled out the arrow, and put the rabbit into her basket. Catching one so quickly lifted her spirits. She continued walking forward, but didn’t plan to go too deep into the mountain. She wasn’t familiar with this area; if she ran into something like a tiger, that wouldn’t be a joke.

After about two hours of hunting, she had caught four wild chickens and three rabbits—a pretty good haul. Seeing that the sky was getting darker and her stomach was empty, she decided to head back. It would be dangerous to stay once night fell.

Just as she turned to leave, she caught sight of a roe deer not far away. Her heart leapt with joy. She crouched behind a tree, drew her bow, and decisively shot.

But somehow, the deer seemed to sense danger—it backed up a few steps, and the arrow missed, hitting the ground. Startled, the deer turned and bolted.

Li Qingling wasn’t willing to give up. She picked up her arrow and chased after it. The deer was fast—too fast for her to aim properly, so she kept running, hoping to shoot again once it slowed down.

She was so focused on chasing that she didn’t watch her footing. The deer ran blindly into a thicket of brambles and slowed down, but just as she was about to catch up, her foot caught on something. She tripped—and rolled right down a slope.

She didn’t stop until a large rock blocked her path.

Groaning, she tried to push herself up, but a wave of dizziness hit her. Her arm gave out, and she collapsed again—fainting completely.

She didn’t stay unconscious for long. When she woke again, dusk had already fallen. Startled, she sat up quickly—but gasped in pain. Her entire body felt like it had been torn apart.

Her hands were bleeding too. Fearing that the smell of blood might attract wolves or other predators, she ignored the pain, forced herself to stand, and stumbled to a nearby stream to clean the wounds.

But then something strange happened. Out of nowhere, several fish began swimming toward her, circling around her injured hand.

For a moment, Li Qingling just stared blankly. What was going on? Could her blood have attracted them?

After a moment of shock, she quickly recovered. She took the basket off her back, scooped it into the stream—and caught five fish, each weighing about a pound!

She grinned from ear to ear. The fish appearing so conveniently was odd, but as long as she could catch them, she wasn’t going to complain.

Since it wasn’t completely dark yet, she cleaned up her catch—gutting the chickens, rabbits, and fish—and packed everything neatly back into her basket before heading out again.

She remembered seeing a good resting spot on her way in, so she decided to spend the night there and go home tomorrow.

After half an hour of walking, she reached a sheltered slope. She set down her basket, gathered some firewood, and started a fire. Looking at the cleaned game, she swallowed hard—but finally decided to cook one of the fish instead.

The chickens and rabbits could be sold in town. She couldn’t bear to eat them. One fish would be plenty for herself.

She fetched water from the stream with her clay pot, washed the fish, and set it to stew.

Sitting beside the fire, she stared into the flickering flames, lost in thought. She missed her family from her previous life, longed to return to that familiar world… but then thought of her family in this one. If she left, what would happen to them?

Her mind wandered endlessly until the smell of cooked fish brought her back.

She reached to lift the pot lid—but burned her hand. “Ah!” She hopped around, clutching her ear in pain, then dashed to the stream to cool her hand in cold water. Returning, she used two sticks to pull the pot off the fire. The rich aroma of fresh fish made her eyes light up.

She took out a pinch of salt she’d brought from home, sprinkled it in, and—unable to wait—used small wooden chopsticks to pick up the fish and take a big bite. The wild fish from the stream was incredibly fresh. Even with just salt for seasoning, it was so delicious she almost wanted to swallow her tongue along with it.

After eating her fill, she rubbed her round belly and sighed contentedly.

Heaven hadn’t forsaken her. As long as she had hope, she could keep leading her family toward a better life.

It was her first time spending the night outdoors—alone, in the wild mountains. Even with the mind of an adult, she couldn’t help feeling scared.

The wind howled through the mountains, mingled with the cries of unseen beasts. She didn’t dare close her eyes. Staring at the small fire, she kept adding wood, afraid that if the fire went out, something might come out of the darkness and devour her alive.

She held out until dawn. When sunlight finally warmed her stiff little body, she lay down, exhausted, and fell asleep.

Luckily, it didn’t rain that night—otherwise she’d have cried from sheer misery.

She slept straight until noon. When she woke, her finger felt wet. Absentmindedly, she licked it.

Sweet…?

Where had the water come from? Morning dew? She couldn’t figure it out, so she gave up thinking about it. She stretched, walked to the stream, and splashed cold water on her face, shivering awake instantly.

She cooked another fish for lunch, but didn’t dare linger too long. After eating quickly, she packed her things, slung the basket onto her back, and started down the mountain.

As she walked, she kept her eyes open for anything edible nearby.

Her luck hadn’t run out yet—soon she spotted an orange tree. She ran over, stood on tiptoe, and picked one to taste. It was pleasantly sweet and sour. Delighted, she picked more—over a dozen in total.

If only she were taller—she would’ve stripped the entire tree clean!

With one last longing glance at the remaining oranges, she smacked her lips regretfully and carried on.

This time she didn’t let herself get distracted—just focused on walking. She wasn’t strong enough to carry more anyway. Next time, she’d bring Liu Zhimou and explore properly.

The way back felt longer. Between exhaustion and the heavy load, she moved slowly. By the time she finally reached home, it was already around 9 p.m.

Standing at the door, she called softly through the crack, “Mom! Mom!”

Footsteps hurried over, and the door swung open.

Seeing Madam Zhao’s bloodshot eyes, Li Qingling smiled. “Mom, I’m back.”

“Mhm…” Madam Zhao lit an oil lamp, and under its glow, she looked Li Qingling up and down. Seeing her unharmed, she finally relaxed.

Li Qingling set down her basket and proudly lifted the leaves covering it. “Mom, I did well this time! Three rabbits, four wild chickens, three fish, and some wild oranges too!” She glanced at Madam Zhao. “Let’s give one chicken and one fish to Brother Zhimou’s family. We’ll keep one chicken, one rabbit, and two fish, and sell the rest—how about that?”

Madam Zhao’s eyes reddened as she nodded, choked with emotion. It broke her heart that such a small daughter had to work so hard for the family’s sake.

“I’ll take them to town tomorrow.”

“No need, I’ll go.” Li Qingling shook her head. With her mother’s belly so big, the long walk would be too tiring. “I already asked around before. I know where to sell them. I’ll be fine.”

Seeing Madam Zhao about to protest, she added firmly, “Really, Mom.”

Madam Zhao pursed her lips, then picked up the basket. “Go sit on the bed. I’ll heat some water so you can soak your feet.”

“I can do it—”

“Sit.” Madam Zhao’s heart ached as she glanced at her daughter’s exhausted little face. She turned and walked to the kitchen.

Li Qingling truly was tired. She yawned, tucked her little brother Li Qingfeng back under the blanket, and sat down.

The moment she touched the bed, sleep claimed her.

When Madam Zhao came back with the hot water, Li Qingling was already fast asleep.

Madam Zhao quietly took off her shoes, wiped her face with a damp cloth, then gently washed and dried her feet before tucking her in properly.

She really was worn out…

Touching her daughter’s dry, yellowish hair, Madam Zhao sighed softly and left the room.

At home, Li Qingling finally let down her guard. She slept straight through until dawn. When she woke and hurriedly got ready, Madam Zhao already had porridge cooking.

“It’s still early, don’t rush.”

Li Qingling nodded, but still ate quickly. After finishing a bowl, she wiped her mouth, slung the basket over her back, and told her mother she was heading out.

If she left early, she could avoid running into the villagers. Otherwise, who knew what kind of gossip they’d start?

Besides, her grandparents’ family was never easy to deal with. If they found out she could hunt, their house would never have peace again.

Better to avoid trouble altogether.

When she reached the town, most of the shops were still closed. Relying on her memory from last time, she went straight to Fumanlou. She’d heard it had a good reputation and treated people fairly.

The restaurant had just opened; there were no customers yet. Peeking inside, she was soon spotted by a waiter.

“Little girl, what can I do for you?” the man asked kindly.

He didn’t shoo her away despite her shabby clothes. That alone made Li Qingling like Fumanlou even more.

She smiled shyly, set down her basket, and lifted the leaves on top. “Big brother, do you buy game here? Look—it’s fresh, caught just this morning!”