Chapter 23: Returning Home, Saving the Monkey: The Hunting Squad Gains Another Mighty Warrior!

The cold wind howled, lifting the residual snow on the ground, stinging people's faces.

The cart's wheels rolled over the uneven village road, producing a creaking sound.

This sound was especially clear in the quiet winter afternoon.

Lu Qingshan sat on one side of the cart's shaft, gripping the cargo loaded on the cart tightly.

That solid, weighty feeling made his heart feel warm.

The noise and earlier conflict inside the Supply and Marketing Cooperative seemed to have faded away.

Before him lay the familiar scene of Shanwan Village.

Thick snow covered the roofs of every earthen house.

Wisps of cooking smoke curled upward, adding a touch of liveliness to the bleak winter day.

He deliberately had Liu Hua Qiang enter via a little-used side path on the village's east end, so as not to draw attention.

Having just entered the village not far, a corner of his vision suddenly locked onto something.

Not far ahead, two figures were surrounding a thin silhouette.

The sounds of punches and kicks, mixed with vicious curses, faintly reached his ears.

Lu Qingshan's eyes turned cold in an instant.

They were the two lackeys of Ma Liu's underlings, Zhao Lao San and Zhao Lao Wu.

Crouched in the middle like a rag doll, his face bruised and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, was Liu Fugui, whom the villagers called Liu Houzi.

Liu Fugui had no parents, struggling to support his younger siblings, living a tight life.

He was thin and frail, sharp-witted, but timid as a needle's point, and had a small habit of petty theft.

He got by on his wits and odd jobs, barely managing to fill his stomach.

But in the face of the village bully Ma Liu, his cleverness was useless, instead becoming a soft persimmon for them to squeeze at will.

"You little bastard! Still talking back! Say—did you steal the corn from Brother Ma Liu's house?!"

Zhao Lao San stomped hard on Liu Fugui's curled-up back, spitting as he cursed.

"If you don't tell the truth, I'll chop off your paws and feed them to the dogs today!"

"No… I really didn't… Third Brother, Fifth Brother… spare me… I won't dare again…" Liu Fugui clutched his head, his voice thin as a mosquito's buzz, his body trembling like chaff in the wind, unable to tell whether it was from pain or cold.

Zhao Lao Wu gave a grim chuckle, squatted down, grabbed a handful of Liu Fugui's hair, and yanked up his dirt- and blood‑smeared little face.

"Cut the crap!" he spat viciously, "Someone saw you sneaking around behind Brother Liu's house! If you weren't stealing, what were you doing? Hand over the stuff quick, and you might get off lighter!"

"I… I just… just wanted to see if any corn kernels had fallen on the ground… to pick up for my siblings… I really didn't steal…" Liu Fugui's face was smeared with tears and snot, his voice full of fear and despair; he knew these two scoundrels wouldn't listen to reason.

"Still talking back!" Zhao Lao San lost all patience, grinning wickedly as he raised a thick wooden stick the size of a child's arm, aiming at Liu Fugui's thin arm shielding his head, "I'll first crack your skull, then break your monkey paws—see if you stay stubborn!"

The stick whistled through the air, about to come crashing down!

"Stop!"

A sudden cold shout rang out, not loud, but like an ice cube dropped into sizzling oil, making Zhao Lao San and Zhao Lao Wu shudder all over, their movements freezing.

They turned toward the sound and saw Lu Qingshan, who had somehow already jumped down from the cart, striding over with a grim face.

At this moment, Lu Qingshan was no longer the former timid "Lu Laizi".

He stood tall, his steps steady, his face devoid of any extra expression; the cold light in his eyes was like that of the hungriest wolf in the mountains, making people's skin crawl.

Zhao Lao San and Zhao Lao Wu hadn't reacted yet, only feeling a flash before their eyes.

Lu Qingshan's movement was so fast it left only an afterimage!

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

Two dull thuds of flesh rang out almost simultaneously, accompanied by two pig‑like screams.

Zhao Lao San and Zhao Lao Wu flew backward as if struck by a speeding cart, one hitting the earthen wall with a thud and sliding down, the other rolling straight into the roadside snowdrift, clutching his belly and ribs while groaning in pain.

Lu Qingshan didn't even glance at the two good‑for‑nothings, quickly striding to Liu Fugui, bending down and hauling him up from the icy ground, then shielding him behind himself.

"Lu… Lu Laizi… Lu Qingshan?!" Zhao Lao San lay on the ground, his face twisted in pain, staring in disbelief at the murderous‑looking man before him, "You… you ate a bear's heart and leopard's gall?! Dare to hit us?!"

Lu Qingshan slowly turned his head, looking down at them, his eyes as cold as ice shards in the twelfth lunar month.

"He's my brother." Lu Qingshan's voice was calm, yet carried a meaning that chilled the bone, "You move him, you move me. Tell me, should I not strike?"

"You… you brothers?" Zhao Lao Wu struggled to rise, each movement tugging at his wound, drawing in cold air with pain, "Just… just him, that chicken‑stealing, dog‑pilfering skinny monkey? Lu Qingshan, have you slept addled?!"

Lu Qingshan's gaze suddenly sharpened as he took a step forward.

Just that step, an indescribable pressure surged forward, pressing the two men on the ground so hard they could barely breathe.

They seemed to see not a person, but a ferocious beast fresh from a kill, its body brimming with blood and vigor.

"Did Ma Liu send you here?" Lu Qingshan's voice was low, laced with a barely perceptible danger, "Perfect—he owes me a debt I've yet to collect. Are you here to pay him some interest first, or to scram right now?"

As he spoke, his knuckles cracked, his hands thick with calluses, obviously strong enough to make Zhao Lao San and Zhao Lao Wu doubt nothing—he could easily snap their necks.

"No… no…" Zhao Lao San panicked completely, staring into Lu Qingshan's emotionless eyes, feeling a chill rush from his soles to the crown of his head, "We… we're leaving now! We're leaving now!"

He scrambled up on hands and feet, ignoring his own severe pain, hauled up the still‑moaning Zhao Lao Wu, and fled without looking back, even forgetting the wooden stick he'd dropped—like he'd seen a ghost.

Watching the two disappear in a tumble‑and‑crawl at the alley's mouth, Lu Qingshan curled the corner of his mouth in a disdainful cold smile.

"Qing… Qing Shan brother…" Behind him, Liu Fugui finally shuddered back to consciousness, gazing at Lu Qingshan's broad, reliable back; tears burst forth, his voice choking, "Thank… thank you… for saving me…"

Lu Qingshan turned, looking at Liu Fugui, whose face was swollen and bruised, his whole body filthy like a mud monkey, his brow slightly furrowed as he brushed off the dust and snow clinging to him.

"Monkey, you all right?"

Liu Fugui shook his head vigorously, wiped his face with his sleeve, smearing blood and tears, his voice thick with sobbing: "No… just took a few hits… Qing Shan brother, if it weren't for you today… this hand… would probably be ruined…"

He bowed his head, his voice thick with the relief of having survived and deep shame: "I… I just wanted to find something to eat for my younger siblings… at home… we really can't even keep the pot boiling…"

Lu Qingshan looked at his pitiful yet slightly resentful‑of‑iron‑not‑steel state, and felt a twinge of discomfort himself.

This kid's nature isn't bad; he's just grown fearful of poverty and of being bullied, which made him become timid and prone to petty theft.

He asked in a deep voice, "Monkey, being chased like a dog and stepped on like an insect every day—have you had enough of it, you damn son of a bitch?"

Liu Fugui jerked his head up, meeting Lu Qingshan's deep eyes, his gaze filled with uncontainable despair and resentment; he nodded forcefully, his teeth chattering as if trying to bite his gums to the point of bleeding.

"Do you want to walk upright from now on, so those who look down on you will have to look up at you? Do you want to have meat to eat every day, money in your pocket, so that no one dares to lay a finger on you again like today?" Lu Qingshan stared into his eyes, his voice carrying a convincing power.

In Liu Fugui's eyes a flash of incredulous light burst forth, dispelling Fear and despair like a torch suddenly flaring in the night.

He looked at Lu Qingshan, his lips trembling, his voice changing with excitement: "I want to! Brother Qing Shan! I… I've been dreaming of it! But… but I…"

Lu Qingshan didn't let him finish, his tone decisive and unmistakably affirmative: "Then follow me! From today on, you, Liu Fugui, are the third brother in my Lu Qingshan Hunting Team!"

"As long as you're willing to put in the effort, listen to my arrangements, and put away all those sneaky little thoughts of yours!"

"I guarantee that within three days you'll be able to chew meat! This winter, you and your younger brother and sister will wear warm clothes!"

"I… I'll do it! Brother Qing Shan! I'll follow you!" Liu Fugui could no longer hold back, his face flushed red with excitement, snot and tears streaming, and with a thud he was about to kneel.

Lu Qingshan's eyes and hands were swift; he grabbed Liu Fugui and pulled him up, saying in a deep voice, "Brothers don't act like this! Straighten your back!"

"Alright! Got it, Brother Qing Shan!" Liu Fugui wiped his face hard, clearing away tears and blood; though his face was still dirty like a big tabby cat, the light in his eyes had changed completely—previous Fear and humiliation vanished, leaving only blazing hope and a fierce resolve to go all out.

Lu Qingshan nodded with satisfaction, knowing the string had been tightened completely for Liu Fugui.

He reached into his chest and pulled out three fruit candies he had just bought at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, stuffing them into Liu Fugui's frost‑red, cracked hand, and a rare hint of gentleness appeared on his face.

"All right, from now on we'll climb mountains and cross ridges together, brothers who share a pot of rice."

"Take these three candies, eat them first and sweeten your mouth."

Liu Fugui stared at the three fruit candies wrapped in colorful paper in his palm, his eyes growing hot again.

He carefully clenched the candies as if holding a priceless treasure, repeatedly thanking, "Th‑… thank you, Brother Qing Shan! Thank you, Brother Qing Shan!"

"Enough, stop whining."

Lu Qingshan waved his hand, glanced at the sky, and asked, "Did you see Zhao Tiezhu today?"

Liu Fugui was startled and hurriedly replied, "Tiezhu… Brother Tiezhu? He… he's been looking for you since early morning! The whole village searched! Later… later Sister Yue E got anxious too and went with others to the village entrance and the foot of the mountain looking for you! They… they've been worried about you for almost a day!"

"They've been looking for me for almost a day?"

"Yue E… she also went?"

Lu Qingshan felt a sudden jolt in his heart; an indescribable warm current mixed with intense guilt surged, instantly breaking through his hardened defenses.

That woman who feared him to the bone, the woman whose heart he had shattered, could actually… could actually worry about him to this extent?

He inhaled deeply, forcing the surging emotions down, but his chest felt tightly blocked.

"I understand," he said hoarsely to Liu Fugui, "I must hurry home so your sister‑in‑law won't worry any longer."

"Monkey, go to Tiezhu's house right now, tell him I'm back, and have him meet me at my place at first light tomorrow to eat, discuss matters, and we'll go into the mountains together."

"After you tell him, come to my house; I'll bring you some Roe Deer meat for your younger brother and sister to make soup."

"Got it! Brother Qing Shan, don't worry! I'm going right now! I'll make sure the message gets delivered!"

Liu Fugui pounded his chest like he'd received a military order, turned and sprinted toward Zhao Tiezhu's house as if a gust of wind, his steps light and filled with unprecedented strength.

Lu Qingshan nodded with satisfaction, took large strides onto the waiting carriage, and headed toward home.