Wang Shi, just about to begin her meditation, suddenly opened her eyes:
"Girl, you understand that this old man is a great immortal now?"
A Jiu covered her face and chuckled:
"Grandma, let me tell you a story. There was a person in our village who used to arrange funerals and look at feng shui for graves.
One time, after attending a banquet at the host's house, he was returning at night and got possessed, just like you.
He even claimed he was the God of Literature descended to earth, ho ho..."
"Heh heh... ha!" Seeing her grandma's displeased expression, A Jiu quickly covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing further.
"A Jiu sister, is this enough? What are you two talking about that's so amusing?"
Xiao Yan Yan, carrying a large armful of solid bamboo, emerged from the withered bamboo grove. He placed it on the ground and looked at the grandmother and granddaughter, one blushing with laughter, the other with a face as long as a shoe sole. He changed the subject:
"Look, is this any good?"
"Hmph..." Wang Shi huffed and turned her face away.
"It's great." A Jiu didn't care about anything else: "Xiao Yan Yan, let's go back. We'll be setting off soon."
A Jiu deliberately raised her voice for the latter half of the sentence.
The two of them descended the mountain one after another. Xiao Yan Yan looked back: "Isn't your grandma coming?"
"I don't know." A Jiu replied without turning her head.
Tuo Ba Yan handed the bull's horn knife to A Jiu, tip facing down, and cautioned:
"It's very sharp, be careful holding it. Later, I'll ask uncle to make a scabbard for it, then you can carry it for self-defense."
A Jiu grunted, looking down at the familiar chipped edge. It hadn't suffered any additional wear even when he used it to chop bamboo, and that spot still bore the mark from his arm.
When they reached the tree, Xiao Yan Yan excitedly put down the solid bamboo.
Meng Shao De's eyes lit up: "It really is solid bamboo."
He picked one up and tested it a few times. The thickness was just right, and each piece was perfectly straight, much better than the rough sticks he would whittle himself.
Meng Shao De was so pleased he couldn't stop smiling, marveling at how perfectly each piece had been selected.
A Jiu, however, noticed that the tree's shade was not as extensive as before.
It was a pity that this tree grew against the mountain, and its shadow had shifted onto the mountain slopes.
"Dad, you cut them to the required length first. We should set off."
Meng Shao De, so happy he was almost drooling, wasn't afraid of the sun at all. His bare back was glistening with sweat.
"It's fine, we have to wait for your grandma anyway."
"No need to wait." Wang Shi, following behind, said with a sigh of helplessness.
A Jiu turned back to look. The old lady huffed and turned her face away, wearing an expression of disdain as if she had been forced into it.
"Ah? Mother, where did you go?" Before Meng Shao De could speak, Cai Li Hua stood up to greet her:
"Quick, sit here. There's still some shade."
Cai Li Hua's supportive gesture gave Wang Shi a reason to accept, as she had come for the spiritual spring anyway.
"My daughter-in-law is so good." She had to acknowledge it.
"Mother, why did you wander off for no reason?" Cai Li Hua said, handing her a handful of dried loaches.
"You don't know how worried Shao De was about you. Fortunately, we didn't leave, or who would you have come back to? Don't wander off again next time."
In the past, the old lady was too petty and kept everything to herself. Now, she had handed over the family assets to Cai Li Hua.
No matter what Cai Li Hua said, she had to be polite to her.
"Then let's set off." Meng Shao De, heeding his daughter's words, first cut the solid bamboo into usable lengths and placed them all in the carrying basket.
The plucked chicken feathers, meticulously sorted by Cai Li Hua, were neatly arranged in a box, each bundle wrapped with a cloth scrap.
A Jiu looked up at the high mountain. To traverse Qi Ming Mountain would take at least ten days to half a month.
"A Jiu sister."
"Hmm?" A Jiu didn't look up, seeing Xiao Yan Yan rubbing his belly:
"Hungry?"
"Mmm. So hungry. I've never felt like this before."
A Jiu then remembered the handful of loaches she had tucked into her bosom. She had been so startled when she saw her grandma sitting like a dark lump in the bamboo grove that she had forgotten.
A Jiu chuckled and, as she walked, pulled out the loaches from her bosom.