Chapter 22: Someone Will Love You

Eldest Son Ning arrived at the fifth household in high spirits, intending to borrow iron pry bars, chisels, and hammers from his parents to break up some stones.

Old Master Ning told Old Madam Mu to go fetch them.

Old Madam Mu rolled her eyes. "Fetch what? They've been lent out."

"Lent to whom? Go ask and bring them back," Old Master Ning said.

"They were just lent out, how can I get them back?" she retorted.

Eldest Son Ning was not a fool; looking at his mother, he understood perfectly well what was happening.

"Mother, who did you lend them to? I’ll go ask," he persisted.

"Never mind who I lent them to! I’m not lending them to you. Since you're so capable and your wings have grown so stiff, go buy your own!"

Eldest Son Ning’s lips twitched slightly. He offered a mocking smile, turned, and walked away.

"Eldest Son..." Old Master Ning called out.

Eldest Son Ning did not stop, nor did he look back. He heard his father scolding his mother and his mother’s sharp retort, but it was as if he had heard nothing at all. Halfway home, he wiped his damp face with his sleeve.

When he returned, Ning Xin and her sisters were helping each other wash their hair. Madam Meng was scooping water for her third daughter to rinse.

"You're back," she said, looking at him.

"Mm," Eldest Son Ning replied dully. He picked up the buckets and went to fetch more water.

Madam Meng said nothing more, urging her three daughters to dry their hair with cloths and sit by the charcoal brazier. Ning Kui and his brothers lined up to wash their hair in turn.

"Mother, will Grandfather and the uncles come tomorrow?"

Madam Meng was silent for a moment before replying, "Not tomorrow. We'll wait until we’ve picked an auspicious day, and they will come when we break ground for the foundation."

The children went off to bathe.

Eldest Son Ning continued to carry water back and forth. By the time it was dark and the water vat was full, and it was his turn to bathe, he whispered, "I couldn't borrow the pry bars."

Ning Xin raised an eyebrow in confusion. If he couldn't borrow them, he couldn't borrow them—why did her father look like he was about to cry?

Madam Meng let out a sigh. "I know. Someone saw Mother carrying them out of the village before lunch. As for whose house she took them to..."

"I'll go ask someone else tomorrow," she added.

Eldest Son Ning nodded.

"Borrow what?" Ning Xin asked.

"The pry bars and hammers. Your grandmother said she lent them to someone else," Madam Meng said softly.

"Oh," Ning Xin pouted. Why bother asking others? She would just buy a set tomorrow. If she didn't have enough money tomorrow, she would buy them the day after. Eventually, she would save enough.

However, she needed to sleep early. She would have to wake up during the first or second watch of the night to head into the mountains.

Ning Xin gathered her hemp rope and wood-cutting knife. Feeling her hair was dry, she combed it a few times and went to her room to sleep. She heard her two younger sisters enter and lie down beside her, followed by her two younger brothers. Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of snoring and teeth grinding.

Her parents were in the next room, discussing which dishes to cook and how many people to invite...

Ning Xin turned over and fell into a deep sleep.

When all was silent, she opened her eyes and entered the spatial realm to practice martial arts. Today, however, the realm felt strange; it attacked her with unusual ferocity, nearly knocking her to the ground.

An hour later, it kicked her out of the space.

Ning Xin decided not to sleep anymore. She quickly braided her hair, pulled on her clothes and trousers, donned her worn cloth shoes, and grabbed the knife and rope she had left by the door.

She slipped out the door, climbed over the courtyard wall, and ran toward the mountains.

Ning Xin moved with incredible speed, gliding through the darkness. Relying on her memory, she accurately found the spot where she had seen the herd of deer yesterday.

No deer?

Ning Xin began searching the mountains and plains.

As for the snowy-white ermine, she ignored it entirely. The old man of the realm was so angry he puffed out his beard and glared. "You blockhead! You absolute blockhead!"

Ning Xin soon found the herd.

Dou Meng had said he wanted them alive—live ones were worth more. Fearing she might kill them, she caught them with great care, then bound two of the deer tightly. The rest of the herd had long since fled.

Ning Xin didn't feel any regret; she knew she could find them again whenever she needed to.

Next, it was time to catch a wild boar. She had only one thought in her mind: catch a big one, and catch it alive.

Ning Xin was in luck; she soon caught a wild boar weighing nearly two hundred pounds. She quickly tied it up, cut down a sturdy, straight tree, and hung the boar on one end and the deer on the other. With a joyful heart, she shouldered the pole and headed down the mountain toward home.