Under the bright sun, Gongsun Yin looked at Fan Changyu standing a few steps away and suddenly felt like his ears must be playing tricks on him.
He asked again in disbelief: “Who hunted it?”
The men from the cooking unit answered cheerfully: “Lady Fan, of course!”
Gongsun Yin looked at the mountain-like black bear, then at Fan Changyu’s slender arms and legs, clearly struggling to imagine how she had managed to hunt such a beast.
Earlier, when he’d heard that Fan Changyu had gone down the mountain and raided the enemy camp, bringing back numerous provisions, Gongsun Yin had assumed she’d simply accompanied Xie Five and the others, offering strategic advice about what to steal.
As for butchering pigs, between what he’d learned from Carpenter Zhao and watching her dispatch the wild boar with several soldiers holding it down, he’d only concluded she was different from ordinary women.
Now suddenly being told that Fan Changyu had hunted a bear, Gongsun Yin’s previous understanding began to waver. He asked: “How did Lady Fan hunt it?”
One soldier who had gone hunting with Fan Changyu that morning eagerly jumped in to answer: “We found large predator tracks in the forest. We thought it was a wild boar and followed the tracks looking for its den, but instead, we stumbled upon a bear’s den! You can all see how big this bear is – it even had a bird in its mouth, all bloody and mangled. Those fierce black eyes stared right at us, and scared us all into a cold sweat!”
This soldier was quite the storyteller. His vivid description of encountering the black bear made the gathered crowd of kitchen staff gasp and tremble with tension.
Even Gongsun Yin discreetly rubbed away the goosebumps that had risen on his arms.
The soldier continued: “None of us had ever faced anything like that before. We only had regular swords and bows – probably couldn’t even pierce the bear’s hide. We scattered and ran. When the bear saw us flee, its predatory instincts took over and it gave chase. One brother had nowhere to hide but up a tree, but that bear was so strong it knocked down the bowl-thick trunk in just two rams. We all thought that brother was surely done for, but then Lady Fan untied the rope from her waist, quickly made a lasso, and with one throw caught it around the bear’s neck!”
The crowd held their breath as if their necks were in the bear’s grip.
The soldier demonstrated Fan Changyu’s movements: “Lady Fan braced one foot against a big tree, grabbed the rope with both hands and pulled back with all her might – ha! That bear was yanked right onto its back!”
The kitchen troops let out a collective gasp.
“How strong must she be?”
Someone who had just joined the crowd and hadn’t witnessed the scene questioned: “Is that true? How could anyone be that strong, especially a young woman?”
The soldier exclaimed: “Those of us who went hunting saw it with our own eyes! How could it be false?”
Others chimed in: “Lady Fan is no ordinary woman! I followed her today when we raided the rebel camp – you should have seen it! She hoisted two bags of salt weighing over a hundred catties each onto her shoulders! And still had hands free to grab cloaks and even take the rebels’ roasted lamb!”
Some had seen a soldier running while carrying salt bags and holding a roasted lamb but hadn’t known it was Fan Changyu. The gathered soldiers erupted in amazement and praise.
A Ji Prefecture soldier who had helped Fan Changyu carry provisions up the mountain said: “Carrying a hundred catties of salt is nothing! When we were building the dam upstream in Ji Prefecture, she carried nearly three hundred catties of stones from the mountain to the dam site! The news spread through our camp that night, and the officer in charge of quarrying rewarded her with a roasted chicken!”
The crowd gasped even louder. Gongsun Yin held his fan silently, but his expression had grown increasingly dazed.
Fan Changyu, uncomfortable with everyone’s attention, wanted to say something but felt nothing would be appropriate for the occasion. She could only stand there honestly while everyone sized her up.
The Ji Prefecture soldier, feeling that promoting Fan Changyu’s achievements also brought honor to Ji Prefecture, continued: “In the battle where we flooded Lu City to defeat the rebels, it looked like an easy victory with heaven and earth on our side, but it was quite dangerous! We had tens of thousands of men building the dam upstream of the Wu River, and the slightest carelessness could have revealed our movements to rebel scouts. We had to watch carefully and kill any scouts we found. But right before the battle, the rebels sent cavalry to raid our camp, helping some scouts escape! If that information had reached the rebel army, our plan to flood them would have been ruined! Three scouts had escaped, but Lady Fan, a woman alone, crossed the Wu Ridge on the rainy night and killed all three scouts!”
This military achievement would be considered significant anywhere.
The gathered soldiers now looked at Fan Changyu with pure respect in their eyes.
Fan Changyu could only nod sincerely and honestly at these excited faces while feeling completely bewildered inside.
The soldier who had described her bear hunt was also shocked by Fan Changyu’s achievements. He stumbled through the rest of his story: “The bear… Lady Fan later carved a bamboo spear and pierced its heart and lungs, then finished it off with the knife she’d used to butcher the pig earlier.”
When Fan Changyu left the cooking unit with Gongsun Yin, she noticed that the normally elegant scholar seemed to have aged into an old man. He walked with his hands behind his back, turning every few steps to look at her as if his understanding of the world had been shaken.
After what seemed like his hundredth backward glance, Fan Changyu finally couldn’t help asking: “Master Gongsun, are you alright?”
Gongsun Yin numbly shook his head: “I’m fine.”
Fan Changyu frowned and said sincerely: “You don’t look well.”
Gongsun Yin replied: “I suppose I’m not.”
He looked at Fan Changyu as if she were some strange creature, apparently quite puzzled: “So when you went down the mountain, what was your husband so worried about?”
Before knowing Fan Changyu’s achievements, he had understood Xie Zheng’s concern.
After hearing about them, he couldn’t understand anymore!
Fan Changyu’s lips moved: “He…”
Gongsun Yin raised his hand to stop her words, clearly still not recovered from his series of shocks: “Lady Fan, I need some time alone to think.”
Fan Changyu made a sound of acknowledgment and walked away, but turned back after some distance to look at Gongsun Yin sitting on a low slope, lost in thought and questioning life. She scratched her head in distress.
It seemed she had caused Master Gongsun quite some confusion.
Fan Changyu wandered back to her temporary quarters. Although she understood why Xie Zheng had lectured her earlier, for some reason she still felt dejected and didn’t want to go see him right now. Instead, she went to check on Changning.
Changning had already awakened from her afternoon nap. Xie Five had brought over some portions of the roasted lamb ribs. Changning sat on a small stool at the tent entrance, absentmindedly gnawing on a rib while her grape-like black eyes focused on Xie Five as he recounted her sister’s exploits of the day.
Fan Changyu spotted Changning from quite far away. Since everyone in camp wore military uniforms and Xie Five had his back to her, she didn’t recognize him at first and only called out: “Ning’er.”
Upon hearing Fan Changyu’s voice, Changning’s eyes lit up brightly as she looked over excitedly: “Elder Sister is back!”
Xie Five also greeted her with a smile: “Lady Fan.”
Fan Changyu nodded: “Ah, Brother Five. What brings you here?”
Fan Changyu had only become somewhat familiar with Xie Five and Xie Seven today and didn’t know their surname, only that they were called Little Five and Seven Brother, apparently brothers.
Xie Five explained: “The brothers reheated the lamb and sent some ribs over to Lady Fan. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have had such a treat today.”
Fan Changyu thanked him, and Xie Five left, citing other matters to attend to.
After he left, Fan Changyu stroked Changning’s head and asked with a smile: “What were you discussing with that brother just now? You seem so happy.”
Changning could barely contain her excitement even while holding the lamb rib: “He said Elder Sister was amazing! She killed a huge black bear all by herself! And Elder Sister went to raid the bad people’s camp and took their food and roasted lamb!”
She looked up, her beautiful black eyes full of admiration: “If only we could tell Bao’er about this! He trembles just talking about the bad person who imprisoned him, but if we told him this, he probably wouldn’t be so scared anymore. Elder Sister will go rescue him and Aunt Yu!”
Fan Changyu was also worried about Yu Qianqian’s situation and comforted Changning: “Yes, we’ll go rescue them once we get down the mountain.”
Changning happily took another bite of the lamb rib and said as she walked inside with Fan Changyu: “After we rescue Bao’er and Auntie, they can continue running their tavern, and Elder Sister can build a pig pen and open a butcher shop. Ning’er will learn to butcher pigs from Elder Sister, and we’ll earn lots and lots of silver!”
Fan Changyu was both amused and touched by the child’s vision, smiling as she said: “Alright.”
Changning counted on her fingers and found something missing, asking worriedly: “Then what will Brother-in-law do?”
Fan Changyu was momentarily lost in thought at this innocent question, but Changning had already come up with what she considered the best arrangement, saying happily: “Brother-in-law can raise pigs at the countryside pig farm!”
Outside the door, Xie Five, who had returned, suddenly burst into violent coughing.
Fan Changyu lifted the tent flap and saw Xie Five standing uncomfortably at the entrance, asking in confusion: “Does Brother Five have more business?”
Thinking of how when he’d reported back that Fan Changyu had returned but hadn’t gone to see him, and Xie Zheng’s murderously cold gaze, Xie Five quickly said: “Brother Yan is seriously injured and has no one to care for him. I just helped the army doctor deliver medicine and learned he’s been lying there all day, wanting water but with no one to boil it…”
He couldn’t continue making up the story and awkwardly trailed off.
Fan Changyu thought that Master Gongsun had just visited the wounded, but then realized that while Gongsun was an official, Yan Zheng was just a common soldier – how could he dare trouble Master Gongsun to serve him tea and water?
She had seen Yan Zheng’s wounds and felt uncomfortable at the thought. She said: “Thank you, young brother. I’ll go over shortly.”
Only then did Xie Five guiltily leave.
Changning also looked at Fan Changyu with concern: “Elder Sister, does Brother-in-law not even have someone to pour him water? How pitiful.”
Fan Changyu thought that after another fierce battle today, there would surely be more wounded in the medical tent, and it wouldn’t be convenient to bring Changning. She instructed: “Stay obediently in the tent and don’t wander off. Elder Sister will go check on him.”
Changning nodded: “Ning’er will be good and won’t go anywhere.”
Only then did Fan Changyu head to Xie Zheng’s quarters. It was indeed as Xie Five had said – the place was deserted. Not only were there no victory celebration participants, but no new wounded had been brought here either.
When Fan Changyu lifted the tent flap to enter, she saw Xie Zheng reclining against the bed’s headboard, his face pale, eyes half-closed as if dozing. The daylight streaming through the lifted flap fell on his raven-black eyelashes, making them appear soft and fuzzy, giving him an unexpectedly childlike vulnerability.
Probably sensing the light, Xie Zheng opened his eyes the moment the flap was lifted. That childlike vulnerability instantly vanished, replaced by a cold, gloomy gaze. When he saw it was Fan Changyu, he paused briefly before lowering his eyes and saying: “I thought you didn’t want to see me anymore.”
Fan Changyu pressed her lips together without responding. After entering the tent, she went straight to the table and picked up the teapot, finding it empty as expected.
She turned to leave with the teapot when suddenly she heard from behind: “Wait.”