Chapter 7: Entering the Mountains

Going into the mountains—this was something Zhu Ping'an had dreamed of. As soon as he returned to the east wing room, Zhu Ping'an began pestering Zhu Shouyi to let him tag along.

"You think going into the mountains is fun? There are black bears in there that eat little children. Stop talking about it," Chen-shi said from the side, deliberately trying to scare Zhu Ping'an so he wouldn't follow them.

This child really didn't give her a moment's peace. It was already heart-wrenching enough to watch him running wild in the village, and now he wanted to go into the mountains? Was he trying to make sure she couldn't live a peaceful life? Chen-shi felt more and more that having sons wasn't as good as having daughters. They were all like debt collectors; not only were they mischievous, but if they grew up to marry wives and forget their mothers, she wouldn't even know where to go to nurse her heartbreak.

Listening to Chen-shi’s threats, Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but roll his eyes. She really thought she could coax him like a toddler.

"That's not true. There are fat rabbits, pheasants, and delicious fruits in the mountains." Zhu Ping'an stopped pestering Zhu Shouyi and trotted over to hug Chen-shi’s leg, rubbing against her and acting like a spoiled brat.

Zhu Ping'an knew exactly who was in charge of the household. His father might look burly and broad-shouldered, but he was completely under Chen-shi’s thumb. If Chen-shi didn't make a sound, his father wouldn't even dare to let out a fart.

"Did you tell him?" Chen-shi glared at Zhu Shouyi with her almond-shaped eyes.

Zhu Shouyi’s face turned pale with fright, and he shook his head repeatedly. He didn't dare provoke Chen-shi. The last time she was angry, she had made him sleep on the floor for over a month and wouldn't give him a pleasant look. Those days were simply not fit for a human; just thinking about it was terrifying.

"You stay home obediently tomorrow. I'll make you something delicious. If you dare to step out the door, I'll beat your bottom to a pulp!" Chen-shi turned her gaze to Zhu Ping'an, trying to coax and scare him into changing his mind.

If Zhu Ping'an were truly a five-year-old child, he might have obediently surrendered under Chen-shi’s threats and coaxing, but unfortunately, he was not.

"Mother, I want to go into the mountains with Father. I want to find delicious things to honor you with." Zhu Ping'an hugged Chen-shi’s leg and wouldn't let go, remaining relentless.

"Bullshit, don't try that nonsense on me!" Chen-shi said crossly, furious. This brat was only five years old and already wanted to go into the mountains? A single rabbit could knock him over.

"I want to go into the mountains with Father!"

Zhu Ping'an fully utilized the spirit of a stubborn child. No matter how Chen-shi coaxed or threatened him, he just used that one sentence to deal with her: "Into the mountains, into the mountains, into the mountains..."

Chen-shi got angry. She flipped Zhu Ping'an over, pressed him onto her lap, and *smack*—gave him a swat on the bottom.

"Ow, I want to go into the mountains!"

Zhu Ping'an yelped as Chen-shi hit him, but he still insisted on going.

Chen-shi looked at her youngest son, her teeth aching with frustration. She hadn't even used much force, yet he was screaming like a slaughtered pig. This little brat! Did he think the mountains were a playground? Who knew what kind of messy things were in there.

"His mother, why not let Little Zhi come along? I’m only going to the outskirts of the mountains anyway, not deep inside. There’s no danger," Zhu Shouyi said in a low voice.

Chen-shi shot him a glare, and Zhu Shouyi immediately lowered his head and went silent.

However, in the end, Chen-shi still nodded and agreed to let Zhu Ping'an go after his relentless pestering. She couldn't help but give him a long list of instructions: don't run around, stay close to your father, don't eat anything randomly—only eat what your father says is safe—and don't try to be a hero and catch rabbits...

Xiahe Village sat at the foot of Woniu Mountain. This Woniu Mountain was not the one on the border of Beijing and Hebei in modern times, but rather one located in the general area of Anhui and Hubei, which in the Ming Dynasty fell under the Huguang Branch Secretariat (Province).

Woniu Mountain was shaped like a crouching ox, hence the name. It lay horizontally before the dense forests of Cangshan, resembling an ancient giant ox. Its neck formed the mountain ranges to the south, and two tall peaks on its head looked like horns. Two mountain streams flowed from the mountain and converged at the "chin" into a clear creek, gazing off into the distance at the surrounding mountains.

Legend had it that during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Taishang Laojun—that is, Laozi—rode a green ox before he attained the Tao and became an immortal. He traveled out of Hangu Pass on a wooden cart to preach and teach, and the ox grew in spirituality from constant exposure to his teachings. When Laozi attained the Tao and became an immortal, he did not follow the path of Liu An, the Prince of Huainan during the Han Dynasty, where one person’s ascension brought their chickens and dogs to heaven with them. Laozi attained the Tao alone and ascended into the sky by himself. The green ox chased after him relentlessly, like Kuafu chasing the sun, never sleeping or resting until it was exhausted. With tears in its eyes, it collapsed and lay down, its body turning into the mountain range and its tears into the mountain streams that formed the clear creek...

This was the legend of Woniu Mountain passed down by word of mouth among the elders of Xiahe Village.

Three figures—one large, one medium, and one small—walked along the low, hilly outskirts of Woniu Mountain. Sunlight filtered through the dense layers of leaves, casting mottled, claw-like shadows upon them. The mountain terrain was rugged and the paths were difficult; the narrow trails, overgrown with weeds and shrubs, were filled with gravel and fallen leaves. Their footsteps crunched as they walked.

These three were Zhu Ping'an, his father Zhu Shouyi, and his older brother Zhu Pingchuan. Both Zhu Shouyi and Zhu Pingchuan carried large wicker baskets on their backs, and Zhu Shouyi also had a wood-chopping knife tucked into his waistband. The Ming Dynasty had relatively loose regulations on cold weapons; bows, arrows, knives, and crossbows were permitted for civilian ownership, while armor and firearms were strictly controlled. Thus, Zhu Shouyi carried a wood-chopping knife. Since they weren't professional hunters, they certainly didn't have bows or crossbows. Zhu’s father’s hunting skills were limited to setting traps for small animals; as for "bending a bow to shoot an eagle," he knew absolutely nothing about it.

As for Zhu Ping'an, he carried an extra-small wicker basket. Zhu Shouyi hadn't wanted him to carry it, but he insisted, so Zhu Shouyi had stayed up all night to make him a tiny one, which led to Chen-shi telling Zhu Shouyi to just go ahead and spoil him to his heart's content!

"Zhu Shouyi, you listen to me well! If either of the little ones loses a single hair, I’ll tear you apart when you get back!"

Chen-shi’s voice from their departure still echoed in Zhu Shouyi’s ears. Every step he took, he couldn't help but look back at the two little ones.

Zhu Ping'an trotted along on his short legs with his tiny basket, huffing and puffing behind the two, occasionally using his hands to massage his calves. Going into the mountains was truly not something an ordinary person could do. The mountain paths were rugged, bumpy, and difficult to traverse, and the forest was full of twists and turns. Further in, there were no paths at all, and one had to rely on memory to navigate. Without an experienced hunter, it was very easy to get lost.

This was only the outskirts of the mountains. If they were deep in the mountains, even experienced old hunters wouldn't dare to venture in alone, as legend had it that there were fierce, yellow-eyed tigers in the deep woods.

"Zhi'er, are you tired? Let me carry you," Zhu Shouyi said, unable to help himself when he looked back and saw Zhu Ping'an massaging his legs. He felt it was already quite an achievement for his youngest son’s short legs to have made it this far.

Zhu Ping'an shook his head immediately. Are you kidding? If he let himself be carried now, his mother would definitely never let him come into the mountains again! She would surely say, "Hmph, you have to be carried to go into the mountains, and you still want to go? You’d better wash up and go to sleep!"

Therefore, for the sake of his future plans in the mountains, Zhu Ping'an decisively refused. Besides, his little arms and legs needed exercise; this was the perfect opportunity. He had watched *A Bite of China* before and knew there were countless delicious things in the mountains. Now that he had entered this treasure mountain, he couldn't return empty-handed just because he was being carried.

Zhu Shouyi was a bit surprised by Zhu Ping'an’s firm refusal, but he looked at him with newfound respect. This kid had a future.

"Second brother, put your basket in mine first," his older brother, Zhu Pingchuan, also offered to help lighten his burden.

"No need, Big Brother, I can do it." Zhu Ping'an insisted on being independent. Nothing could stop a foodie’s heart from entering the mountains, especially when he was also hoping to find things that could improve the family’s finances.

Seeing that Zhu Ping'an was determined, the two gave up, though they slowed their pace accordingly.

(End of chapter)