Chapter 8: Delivering Meat and Chopping Firewood in the Snow, Tie Hanhhan Joins the Hunting Squad

The harvest of the past several days finally left a faint, lingering scent of meat in the drafty earthen house of the Lu Family.

This is a scene not seen in many years.

Lu Qingshan cleaned every drafty spot in the house, plastered the window openings, and sealed the wall cracks.

Lin Yue'e voluntarily moved Lu Qingshan's bedding onto the kang, and he no longer slept on the floor board.

Each early morning, Lu Qingshan would rise and chop a heap of firewood, stuffing the courtyard shed to the brim and heating the earthen kang until it was warm.

Xiao Xue's pale yellow little face gradually showed a hint of color, no longer looking like a paper figure that a gust of wind could topple.

Lin Yue'e remained taciturn, silent as a stone.

But the tightly knit brows she wore seemed to loosen just a little.

The unyielding despair in her eyes also faded a bit, occasionally revealing a barely perceptible softness.

Lu Qingshan knew this was only a beginning.

An insignificant beginning.

Hunting alone on a single spear is far too inefficient.

More importantly, the old forest of Guandong Mountain is far more dangerous than he remembered.

He needs a helper.

In his mind, a tall, simple‑hearted figure immediately sprang to mind.

Zhao Tiezhu.

His childhood friend from a previous life.

The villagers behind his back all called him "Tie Hanhhan".

He lived up to his nickname: towering like a wall, frighteningly strong, yet his mind was dim and a bit single‑minded.

The family was so poor it rang like a bell; his mother lay on the kang, chronically ill, constantly receiving herbal soups.

The whole family survived on his odd jobs in various villages, doing hard labor, barely keeping afloat.

But Zhao Tiezhu was renowned in the village for his loyal honesty and unquestionable filial piety.

Lu Qingshan calculated that Zhao Tiezhu was currently the best—and only—choice.

He was strong, could shoulder tasks, and endure hardship.

The crucial point was his sincerity; he was reliable and would not stab anyone in the back.

Moreover, the present Zhao Tiezhu desperately needed a livelihood that would let his mother eat meals and afford medicine.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

Lu Qingshan hoisted a large piece of rabbit hind‑leg meat he had set aside yesterday and headed toward the Zhao Family at the western edge of the village.

The meat was a "Door‑knocking Brick" he had deliberately prepared for Zhao Tiezhu.

The Zhao Family was even more dilapidated than the Lu Family.

The adobe walls were split by several gaping, snarling cracks, haphazardly patched with yellow mud; some spots even let light through, unable to block the bone‑chilling wind.

The wind slipped through the gaps, emitting a whistling, ghostly howl.

The courtyard was a chaotic pile of damp firewood, a sight that clogged the heart.

Just as Lu Qingshan reached the doorway, he saw Zhao Tiezhu's towering figure, sitting despondently under the low eaves.

He cradled an empty earthen jar in his arms—it was his family's rice jar.

Zhao Tiezhu stared at the empty rice jar, his expression uglier than crying, continuously sighing.

From inside the house came wave after wave of uncontrollable, heart‑rending coughs.

Just hearing it made one's chest feel tight, feeling his distress.

Zhao Tiezhu heard footsteps and looked up, bewildered.

When he saw Lu Qingshan, especially the heavy, blood‑streaked, frozen rabbit meat in his hand, he was completely stunned.

His eyes bulged round, as if unable to believe what he saw.

Lu Qingshan?

The village‑wide notorious troublemaker, gambler, lazybones, big leper?

What is he doing here?

Still carrying meat?

Has the sun really risen from the west?

Zhao Tiezhu cautiously stood, his towering frame like a mountain wall, instinctively blocking the broken doorway of his own home.

His gaze was filled with doubt and wariness.

"Brother Qing Shan, you… what is this…" his voice was hoarse, unsure what to say.

Lu Qingshan didn't beat around the bush; he placed the rabbit meat on the ground, the heavy chunk landing on the windowsill with a muffled "puff".

He forced the most sincere smile he could onto his face.

"Tie Zhu, it's cold, Auntie's health is poor; take this meat to nourish her."

Without waiting for Zhao Tiezhu's reaction, Lu Qingshan strode to the corner and grabbed the blunt axe with a split head.

He moved to the center of the courtyard, raised his arm without a word, and swung at the damp firewood.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

The axe was blunt, the firewood wet and hard, making each chop especially laborious.

The impact numbed his thenar repeatedly, burning with a sharp pain.

But he seemed oblivious to the pain, gritting his teeth, striking down again and again with all his strength.

His actions carried a fierce vigor.

The faint perception of Mountain Wild Heart let him vaguely grasp the wood's grain and stress points, and the angle and force of his axe swing were just right.

Although his strength was far less than Zhao Tiezhu's, thanks to this strange perception and a bit of experience accumulated from his past life, his efficiency was surprisingly high.

Soon, a small pile of originally crooked wet firewood was chopped by him into neat stacks, placed in the corner.

Zhao Tiezhu stood there, completely dumbfounded.

His mouth hung open, his eyes widened even more, utterly unable to comprehend everything happening before him.

Is this still the Lu Qingshan he knows?

The gluttonous, lazy, idle Lu Laizi who shuns work at the sight of it?

Today he not only voluntarily brought over such a huge piece of meat, but also silently helped him chop firewood for so long?

What exactly is the medicine being sold in that gourd?

Lu Qingshan finished chopping the firewood, set down his axe, and wiped the hot sweat seeping from his forehead with his sleeve.

He walked up to Zhao Tiezhu, inhaled a breath of icy air, and met Zhao Tiezhu's eyes filled with confusion and incomprehension.

His expression was serious, his tone unusually solemn.

"Tiezhu, brother has something from the bottom of his heart to say."

"Since I first came to the village, we've been working together in the same team; I know what kind of person you are. Strong, genuine, a real man!"

"Want to team up with me, go into the mountains to hunt for some wild game?"

He paused, pointed his finger at the piece of rabbit meat on the ground still faintly oozing blood, his voice lowered a few notches, yet sounding more forceful.

"I've gotten a lead these past two days, know where the goods are, and also know how to avoid the sinister things in the mountains."

"If you work with me, I'll put in the heavy effort, handling scouting, setting traps, and carrying things."

"When we get the goods, we split it, me seven to you three."

Lu Qingshan looked into Zhao Tiezhu's eyes, each word landing with a resonant thud.

"I guarantee that this winter, your mother will have meat broth to drink every day, and I'll cover the money for the herbs!"

His voice wasn't loud, yet it was like a stone, heavily striking Zhao Tiezhu's heart.

Zhao Tiezhu looked at the plump rabbit meat on the ground, then at the neatly stacked firewood in the corner.

Inside the house, his mother's painful cough pierced his heart like a needle.

He then looked at the Lu Qingshan before him, eyes clear, tone firm, as if reborn.

A storm of turmoil rose within him.

On one side lay his deep‑seated bad impression of Lu Qingshan and his unease.

On the other side were his mother's illness, the empty rice jar at home, and a naked craving for that meat.

The real predicament was like a mountain, pressing him until he could barely breathe.

But Lu Qingshan's words were like a faint light, shining into his dark, desperate life.

Although he found Lu Qingshan's change hard to believe, the heavy filial piety toward his mother and the unbearable hunger in his belly ultimately overrode all doubts and hesitation.

A flash of resolve crossed his simple, honest face.

He jerked his head up, like a cornered wild ox, and nodded vigorously.

His voice trembled with excitement, yet was unusually loud.

"Brother Qing Shan!"

"I… I'll work with you!"

Upon hearing that, Lu Qingshan's tense face finally broke into a relieved smile.

He thrust out his hand forcefully and gave Zhao Tiezhu's broad, solid shoulder a hearty pat.

"Good brother!"

"Rest assured, stick with brother from now on, and I'll make sure you and your mother live well!"