Chapter 102: My Uncle—He Can Do Anything
Su Keke said, “Actually, it’s because there used to be a vicious ghost on this mountain. It caused a few deaths, so no one dared come here, and then… ahem… Master bought the mountain at a low price.”
It sounded a bit shameless, but back then Master was so poor he didn’t even have a place to stay—so he had to be shameless that one time.
“After the fierce ghost was eliminated, there was still leftover baleful aura on the mountain. So Master bought these peach trees from the villagers and planted them here to dispel the sha. Later, people started calling this place Peach Blossom Mountain.”
The one big and one small sat in front of the door, chatting idly. When it was about time, Su Keke went to steam the rice, and she also took a little gadget out of her treasure box.
When Qin Mochen saw it, he was very surprised.
“A bow? Girl, you can use a bow?”
The thing in Su Keke’s hands was somewhat old, and there were quite a few cracks along the bow body, but it was indeed a bow.
The little girl’s brows curved with a smile. “Yes. If this counts as a weapon, it’s my favorite weapon. I’ve used this bow since I was little.”
“Only a bow—no arrows?”
“Of course I have!”
Before long, Su Keke came out holding a bundle of arrows. Calling them arrows was generous—they were really just round wooden sticks sharpened at the front. The quiver was nothing more than a tube-shaped pouch made casually from stiff cardboard.
“When I’m free, I make arrows. Look—these are all arrows I made before and didn’t use up. Today I’ll show Uncle what I can do.”
Just then, a flock of wild ducks happened to fly overhead. Su Keke drew her bow and nocked an arrow, aiming the tip upward.
Staring at a spot high in the sky, she tightened her arm, then released. The sharpened slender wooden stick whooshed out—and struck a wild duck dead on.
Qin Mochen’s eyes widened slightly.
Estimating where the duck would fall, Su Keke said with a grin, “Uncle, I’ll go pick up the duck. When I’m back, I’ll stew it for you!”
Qin Mochen watched the little girl run off. When he withdrew his gaze and looked at the arrows in that cardboard “quiver,” he couldn’t help taking one out to examine it.
When other kids cried and begged for toys and candy, these were the things she made?
When Su Keke came back, she carried the unlucky duck in her left hand and a handful of wild greens in her right.
“I happened to see these wild vegetables on the way back. Right now the leaves are tender and delicious.” Su Keke smiled and shook her hand. “Uncle hasn’t eaten this before, right?”
Qin Mochen glanced at them, smiling with his eyes. “How do you know I haven’t?”
“Huh? Uncle has eaten wild greens?”
Qin Mochen took the greens from her and, with practiced movements, broke off the roots and sorted the leaves. “Do I look like someone who hasn’t?”
Su Keke immediately gave him a thumbs-up—both thumbs. “Uncle, you’re amazing!”
Very quickly, Su Keke discovered Uncle was even more amazing than she had imagined. He could even use that crude clay stove, and he could start a fire. He helped pluck the duck clean and remove the innards—he did it all.
Meeting the little girl’s sparkling, glowing eyes, Qin Mochen couldn’t help laughing. “Want to know why I can do all this?”
Su Keke nodded hard.
Qin Mochen said, “The reason is simple. While you were picking up the duck and gathering greens, I looked it up online.”
Su Keke: …
Seeing the little girl’s deflated face, Qin Mochen was in an especially good mood. He couldn’t help laughing out loud. The low, deep laugh spread through the air, echoing faintly in the mountains.
Cleaning the duck, cooking the food, chatting now and then—Qin Mochen hadn’t expected that one day he would live like this.
How many years had it been since he felt this at ease?
That night, Su Keke was very generous and gave up her “luxury” wooden plank bed, while she went to sleep in the inner room where her master used to stay.
“Master doesn’t like strangers invading his private territory, so Uncle can only sleep in my place. My bed is even bigger than Master’s!”
Qin Mochen swept his gaze over it and let out a short laugh. “It really is a very big plank bed.”
On the wall beside the inner side of the bed were some old carved marks, as if someone had used it to keep track of something.
Qin Mochen leaned closer and even saw a few crooked little stick figures—
Two adults holding one child.
He froze slightly and couldn’t help looking toward the inner room.
“Uncle, sleep. Good night!” the little girl’s voice came from inside.
Qin Mochen answered, “Good night.”
Lying on the hard wooden plank bed, breathing in the faint earthy scent of the room, he could still hear the little girl’s low voice from the inner room, as if she were chatting on the phone.
Qin Mochen thought he surely wouldn’t be able to fall asleep on a night like this. But after closing his eyes, without realizing it, he drifted off.
Su Keke really was chatting on the phone.
Chat partner: female. Name: Qin Xing.
“…Keke, you’re too amazing! Jiang Yueyue really has been sick these past two days, and it seems like she’s started fighting with Jiang Fangfei. But is she dumb or what? For something like this, shouldn’t she get evidence first before making a scene?”
“…Keke, I’m so conflicted. I don’t like Jiang Yueyue, but I really don’t want to see her being played around by that ‘white lotus’ mother-and-daughter pair. Ahhh, I forgot—you can’t get involved in these things. Keke, just pretend you didn’t hear it. I’m just venting. You don’t need to give me advice.”
Su Keke thought for a moment and replied softly, “Daxing, I can only say: when you do things, just follow your heart. The reason you’re conflicted is because two thoughts have formed in you, and they contradict each other. You can pull those two thoughts out and compare them carefully, choose the one you think is right. No matter what you choose in the end, as long as you don’t regret it, it’s fine.”
Master often warned her: just follow your true heart. Even if you later discover you were wrong, don’t regret it—because this was the road you chose after thinking it through.
On the other end of the line, Qin Xing took a long time before replying, “I understand, Keke. Thank you.”
After hanging up, Su Keke quietly poked half her head out from the inner room and looked at Uncle.
Seeing that he was already asleep, Su Keke smiled softly.
The next morning, when Su Keke got up, Qin Mochen had just returned from outside, carrying a bundle of firewood on his shoulder.
The little girl’s eyes went wide, her mouth falling open.
If it weren’t for how out-of-place his clothes looked, Qin Mochen would’ve seemed like a native who’d always lived on Peach Blossom Mountain.
He hadn’t thrown away last night’s duck intestines. Qin Mochen rinsed them several times with salt water, cut them into sections, stir-fried them with scallion, ginger, garlic, then poured in the leftover rice from yesterday and made a whole pot of fried rice.
After Su Keke finished eating, she was so happy she almost cried. “So delicious! Uncle, you big liar—you used to tell me you couldn’t cook, but you cook this well!”
“I really couldn’t. Today was my first try.”
Su Keke looked at him with pure worship. “Your first time and it’s already this tasty—Uncle, you’re incredible!”
Qin Mochen couldn’t quite withstand the little girl’s burning gaze. He reached out and ruffled her hair, then pressed that small head down with the motion. “Eat your food.”
