Although he ran into a few of the village aunties and grannies and had to answer some questions, he didn't run into any trouble and made it home without a hitch.
"Dad, Mom! I'm back."
Cheng Zongyang set down the wooden frame. Hearing the sound of stir-frying from inside, he called out. He then untied the rattan vines on the frame, preparing to move the pheasants, snakes, and other game inside.
Soon, the voice of Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family came from inside:
"Coming, coming."
The door opened, and Cheng Zongyang saw that his mother's hair was quite damp with sweat, strands clinging to her forehead and cheeks.
"Are you cooking?" Cheng Zongyang asked as he retied the rattan vines.
"Yes... Oh, dear Mountain God! You, Yang'Er, what is... what..."
Before Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family could say anything more, her eyes fell on the Black Panther behind her son. She stumbled back two steps in fright, grabbing the door panel to steady herself.
"What's going on!"
Hearing the alarm in Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family's voice, Cheng Guanghai, who had been working in the storeroom, came rushing out, covered in sweat, thinking something terrible had happened.
Even the little girl and Cheng Zongliang, who were playing in the main hall, ran out.
When Cheng Guanghai saw the Black Panther, his steps slowed, and his expression suddenly turned grave.
His gaze swept over his son. Seeing him unharmed, the heart that had leaped into his throat finally settled back into his chest.
'As long as he's alright,'
Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family rushed out, her eyes red. Without a word, she grabbed her son, dragged him inside, and began checking him over from head to toe.
Seeing that he was fine, she was relieved, but at the same time, she grabbed a bamboo switch from by the door and started swatting at her son's legs.
"I told you not to go into the Inner Mountain! I told you! Why don't you ever listen! Is that man-eating place somewhere you're supposed to go?"
Feeling the blows, which were delivered with more sound than force, Cheng Zongyang just smiled and didn't resist.
He knew he wouldn't be able to hide this from his mother once he got home. 'She might just be an ordinary village woman, perhaps not as worldly as many others, but that doesn't mean she's a fool.'
'The only place to hunt Fierce Beasts like panthers is the Inner Mountain; you won't find them in the Outer Mountain. It's perfectly normal for my mother to think of that first.'
Cheng Zongliang, who had run out from the main hall, was stunned by the scene. He quickly stopped in his tracks, then slowly backed away, afraid that one wrong move or a single spoken word would get him caught in the crossfire.
But the little girl wasn't as shrewd as her second brother. This was the first time she had ever seen her mother hit her big brother. With a "WAH," she burst into tears, both from fright and distress. She ran to Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family's side, tugging at her clothes and crying out:
"Mom, stop hitting Big Brother!
"Mom, you're hurting him! Stop it..."
Seeing his little sister crying, Cheng Zongyang didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family was rendered speechless. She had no choice but to stop. Glaring at her son, she huffed, "See? You've spoiled this 'good sister' of yours."
Cheng Zongyang chuckled. 'All that doting on this little girl wasn't for nothing.'
He walked over and scooped the little girl into his arms. He gently wiped her small, tear-streaked face. Seeing her long, thick eyelashes clumped together with tears, he wiped them again and said with a smile:
"Don't cry, Yun'Er. Mom was just swatting bugs off me. Big Brother came back from the mountains with lots of little bugs on him, so she was just helping me get them off. Mom loves us so much, she would never hit us, right?"
"R-Really?" The little girl had stopped crying, but she was still sniffling, clearly having had a good, hard cry.
His heart ached for her, and Cheng Zongyang continued to comfort her.
"Go on, just keep spoiling her." Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family, who had brought over half a basin of water from the water bucket, shot her eldest son an exasperated glare. She then placed the wooden basin aside for him to wash up before heading back to the kitchen.
After Cheng Zongyang had placated the little girl with a few pieces of malt candy, he called out helplessly toward his mother in the kitchen:
"Mom, you hit me without even hearing me out. Don't you think you're the one who started this mess?"
Just then, Cheng Guanghai walked in. His gray cloth vest was soaked through with sweat. He looked at his son and asked, "What exactly is going on here?"
Cheng Guanghai didn't think his son had killed the panther himself, but the arrow wounds on its body were undeniably real.
Cheng Zongyang put the little girl down and repeated the same story he had told his second uncle.
"...So, I'm just helping them take this Black Panther to the county to sell it. Mom, I didn't go into the Inner Mountain, you can relax. Besides, even if I were to go, I'd join a group. I'd never go alone."
"You'd better mean that!" Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family's voice called out from the kitchen.
"So you're dragging that thing to the county this afternoon?" Cheng Guanghai asked, gesturing to the huge animal outside.
Cheng Zongyang nodded. "I'm leaving in a little bit. There's a lot to do, and time is tight."
"Eat before you go," Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family said, emerging from the kitchen again.
"Mom, I already ate in the mountains. Second Brother, help me fill my waterskin with tea!" Cheng Zongyang said, before calling out to his younger brother, who was hiding in the main hall.
"Okay!" Taking the hint, Cheng Zongliang ran out, took the waterskin from his big brother, and darted back into the main hall.
The "tea" wasn't made from tea leaves, but from guava leaves. Cheng Zongyang had discovered them in the mountains. He had picked a good number of them, washed and sun-dried them, and then steeped them in boiling water. Once cooled, the drink was wonderfully refreshing and great for quenching thirst.
Cheng Zongyang continued, speaking to Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family:
"Mom, I'll eat when I get back tonight. The rest of the game in the yard is for us to eat, so you can decide what to do with it."
Finished, he turned to his father. "Dad, I'll deal with that pile of dirt when I get back tonight."
"I'll take care of it," Cheng Guanghai said with a wave of his hand. "Why don't I go with you to the county? It would be safer."
He still couldn't help but worry. Dragging such a huge creature to the county, he could easily run into trouble if he met the wrong kind of people on the road.
"Big Brother, it's ready," Cheng Zongliang said, walking out with the waterskin.
Cheng Zongyang took it and said to Father Cheng:
"Dad, don't worry. I can handle it. Well, I'm off."
With that, he went to the doorway, slung the rattan vine over his shoulder, and left, dragging the wooden frame behind him.
At the doorway, Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family, still holding a spatula, watched him with a worried expression.
"Will he really be alright? Dear, why don't you go with him? There's safety in numbers."
Cheng Guanghai shook his head.
"He'll be fine. You know Yang'Er's personality. He'll run if there's real danger. As long as he doesn't run into a Martial Artist, even a few grown men like me would be no match for him, not to mention he's armed. Right now, I need to hurry and get this cellar finished."
With that, he walked back inside.
"You're really... Ugh!" Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family sighed, watching her son's back until he disappeared around the corner of the house. Only then did she go inside, her heart heavy with worry.
In the yard, Cheng Zongliang astutely went over and closed the door, afraid that if he were a step too slow, he'd get a beating from his mother, who was in a foul mood.
The little girl was now looking at the things her big brother had brought back.
"Ooh, and blueberries," Cheng Zongliang's eyes lit up when he saw the blueberries wrapped in a banana leaf.
Hearing the word "blueberries," the little girl remembered the horrible taste from yesterday. She shivered involuntarily, stopped looking at the pile of game, and ran off with her hands over her mouth, yelling:
"I don' wanna eat it! I don' wanna eat it!"
"Hahaha..."
Cheng Zongliang chuckled. He remembered how his little sister had gotten curious yesterday, grabbing a few to pop in her mouth. The sheer sourness had sent a shiver through her whole body, her face contorting almost beyond recognition. The memory made him laugh out loud.
SMACK...! Suddenly, a hand slapped the back of his head, followed by his mother's scolding voice:
"What's so funny! If you've got nothing better to do, go stoke the fire."
'Great,' he thought. 'After all that effort to stay out of trouble, I still let my guard down!'
Cheng Zongliang rubbed the back of his head. He tucked the packet of blueberries into his shirt and, keeping his head down, scurried to the kitchen to stoke the fire.