Chapter 8: Liu Hao

Those with ability in Liujiacun have all left, yearning for the world outside.

Yet the world outside is not as wonderful as imagined; after being struck by the heavy fists of reality, some persist while others have retreated.

They prepare to spend the rest of their lives in the place that raised them.

Liu Hao was once a person who harbored dreams; he went to the county seat and put everything he had onto the gambling table.

He enjoyed fine wine and squandered copper and silver.

He enjoyed beauties and lost his wagers.

Liu Hao felt that his life would just be like this.

When his leg was broken and he could no longer contribute to the gang, the big shots in the gang gave him only one choice.

That was to take the two taels of silver given as a subsidy by the gang and go home to retire.

It could also be considered a way to show the rest of the gang the camaraderie within the organization.

At least, risking one's life for the gang would not be so miserable, and one would not end up penniless.

No one pays attention to a cripple; kindness and sympathy only make one look like an idiot, exposing one's own weaknesses and being seen by those with ulterior motives, thereby eliminating any path to a bright future.

This is a world where the strong prey upon the weak.

No one knows Liu Hao's past and history.

They only know he provoked someone he shouldn't have, and then his legs were broken.

The villagers do not want to interact much with such a person, because he is a cripple, and also because of their own difficult lives.

People always want to find friends who can help each other, not friends who will drag them down, let alone a family.

Cheng Feng stood outside this relatively secluded house.

The perimeter of the house is built of stone, which shows the strength of the owner back then.

One must know that Cheng Feng's home now only has a fence.

It doesn't even have an earthen wall.

At the entrance is an old camphor wood door, and at the handle in the middle of the door, there is a crossbar with a lock.

This is the place Cheng Feng inquired about where one could learn Archery.

The person rumored in the village to be reclusive, lame, and still able to shoot arrows and hunt is the owner of this house.

Today is the third day Cheng Feng has visited.

The first day in the morning, he came with Cheng Fu, but no one was there.

The second day at noon, he came with Cheng Mu, but no one was there.

On the third day, he specifically came back after fishing in the evening, and after eating, he waited at the door the whole time.

Watching the sun gradually sink below the mountain, Cheng Feng felt a bit anxious.

It is normal for plans to have errors, but not being able to see the person is very frustrating.

There are also hunters in the village who make a living by hunting.

But they are not very suitable for Cheng Feng.

Over the past half month, the diet of fish meat and fish soup has kept the Cheng Feng family from looking as sallow and thin as before.

Long-term nutrition plus running back and forth to the county seat has given Cheng Feng a spirited look and a physique that is not weak; coupled with the upbringing of his past life and Cheng Feng's adult mentality, a temperament unique to Cheng Feng has been formed.

But no matter what, the current Cheng Feng still has a 16-year-old body; no matter how strong, he cannot be stronger than an adult's physique.

Other hunters in the village are generally very busy, so the tuition fee to be paid is usually negotiated to be at least 40-50 large coins a year.

There is a precedent for this.

After all, it is learning someone's best-kept skill, so it is not unreasonable.

First serve as an apprentice for two years, taking care of the master's food, clothing, and daily trifles; the apprentice is free labor and a drudge. If one learns diligently for a year, the master will then take the apprentice into the mountains for practical training; it takes three years to finish learning.

How could Cheng Feng afford that much time?

He just wants to learn a skill.

He could scrape together the money if he endured, but wasting this much time is something Cheng Feng cannot accept.

Because his time afterward is planned for reading and learning characters.

Being illiterate makes one a fool everywhere and unable to rise in status.

Those who are literate are always the upper class.

And in Great Zhou, one also has to pay to study.

The most basic tuition is one tael of silver a month.

Cheng Feng works hard selling fish, and he doesn't even make one tael of silver a month.

Yet hiring someone to teach costs one tael of silver a month.

If it is a famous teacher, one must first offer ten taels of silver for tea to talk; if it is suitable, they will teach, if not, they will not.

Ten taels of silver is just tea money, and the power of choice is not in one's own hands.

Without comparison, there is no harm.

Cheng Feng once again thanks the nine-year compulsory education of his past life and thanks the Great Red Flag.

He can still understand some principles and worldly wisdom now, so he won't be called dull and incapable of doing things behind his back.

If the normal excellent hunters don't want to teach, then he will have to look elsewhere.

Cheng Feng does not intend to rely on hunting for a living for his whole life; this is just a transitional option.

So, Cheng Feng truly does not want to choose this kind of job that requires both paying money and serving others.

He just wants to learn Archery to see if it can form a skill.

If this path is blocked, he will take another; serving people is absolutely impossible.

In his nearly 30 years of his past life, he never served people like that, let alone now.

At worst, he would just continue slacking off, working hard at slacking off.

But at least he had managed to ask for one piece of information.

A lame hunter is still a hunter; as long as he knows Archery, that is enough.

What Cheng Feng needed was his experience; he had already tried, and letting someone without experience speak had no effect at all.

That was purely conjecture, and the Panmian simply ignored it.

The Panmian looked down from on high at the foolish humans trying to hook it in various ways; unfortunately, their methods were all wrong!

Moreover, he had an advantage: he could provide fish; of course, it wouldn't be big fish, as those had to be sold for money.

There were always endless Xiao Yu at home; once prepared, rubbed with a little coarse salt, and dried, they became dried small fish.

They store well and nothing goes to waste.

And this was the very idea Cheng Feng had.

Dried small fish might not be fit for a formal table, but they could always serve as a token of respect.

If copper coins were scarce, dried small fish would make up for it.

This was, after all, meat.

Cheng Feng had already thought through all the future developments and potential questions and answers.

Yet, he hadn't seen the person for two whole days; looking at the darkening sky,

the last ray of light shone upon Cheng Feng's uncertain expression.

If it really didn't work out, he would have no choice but to give up.

After waiting a while longer, Cheng Feng felt like a fool for being too presumptuous; just as he was preparing to head home,

a burst of dog barking came from the side path.

Cheng Feng was taken aback: "Where did a dog come from? In this day and age, people can't even get enough to eat, yet someone is still raising a dog?"

Having adjusted to the dim light, Cheng Feng saw a figure walking over with a limp.

When the person drew near, Cheng Feng took the initiative to speak: "Is this Master Liu Hao?"

The person opposite was also startled; he didn't have many social connections in the village, so who would come looking for him at this hour?

Seeing no response from the other side, Cheng Feng took the initiative to introduce himself: "Master Liu, hello, my name is Cheng Feng. My father is Cheng Ming, Cheng Da Shitou. This visit is because I want to learn Archery."

Hearing Cheng Feng state his family name, Liu Hao knew he was from the same village, but he wasn't very enthusiastic: "I didn't know you were coming. Let's go inside to talk about whatever is the matter."

As he brushed past Cheng Feng, Cheng Feng smelled a heavy odor of sweat, the scent of earth, and the smell of blood.

Fumbling for the key on his person to open the door, the dog was the first to dart inside the moment the door was opened.

The master of the house casually lit half a candle and began to unload the things he was carrying.

The lamp was lit, and light returned.

With messy gray-white hair and a stubbly beard, only that composed gaze seemed to show Cheng Feng a rock-like steadfastness.

People in the countryside in this day and age all slept very early, just to avoid unnecessary consumption.

Even lighting a candle casually could be considered a symbol of strength.

The leather bag he unloaded was also filled with mountain goods: two rabbits and four wild pheasants.

There seemed to be two soft, strip-like things as well, which Cheng Feng didn't see clearly.

Cheng Feng didn't play any tricks, and with a hint of embarrassment, he repeated himself: "Master Liu, I'm really sorry to come empty-handed. I've been here for three days without seeing you, and I thought you weren't coming back today either!"

Hearing Cheng Feng say he had been coming for three days in a row, Liu Hao couldn't put on airs: "I've been hunting in the mountains these past two days. You see, I'm a cripple, so my speed is a bit slow."

Cheng Feng flattered him: "What are you saying, Uncle Liu? Seeing this full harvest of yours makes one admire your strength."

He skipped over the part about the slow speed entirely.

His main strategy was to act as if he hadn't heard it.