Chapter Forty-Nine: Crafting the Javelin

The third team leader returned helplessly to the field's edge, but he had no intention of giving up. For Han Li, however, until the team leader thought of a solution, these were simply days of going through the motions. Now that the crops had grown tall and leafy, once you crouched down, it was hard to see anyone unless you got really close—perfect for slacking off.

Late morning, after returning to the courtyard and just finishing washing his hands and face, Han Li saw the Yun sisters limping in, supporting each other. Their faces were a mess, painted with streaks and patches of black and green, just like camouflage on a soldier’s face.

“Waaah… Han Li, working in the fields is just too hard! After only one morning, we feel like we’re about to die at any moment.”

Han Li coughed lightly. “It’s like this for everyone at the start. Just get through this period and you’ll be fine. Even Hao Hongmin from the next yard was like this at first, but now she’s completely used to it. You just have to learn to slack off at the right moments.”

Yun Yingying whimpered, “But I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold out, even if I steal a little rest.”

Han Li replied, “No matter why you came to the countryside, the moment you stepped onto the train you already understood everything in your hearts. You two come from good families—at least you don’t have to rely on work points to survive, and soon you’ll have your own house. Now, compare yourselves to the others in the youth courtyard. Doesn’t that make you feel a little better?”

His words did lighten the sisters’ moods, but Han Li didn’t say more. They weren’t relatives or close friends, and he’d already done enough by saying this much. Was he supposed to help them earn work points, too? They wish.

Han Li turned to his room to prepare lunch, thinking the sisters were in no shape to cook for themselves today. He washed some cucumbers and tomatoes he’d traded from the villagers, kept the cucumbers for dipping in bean paste, mixed the tomatoes with sugar, and added yesterday’s leftover cornbread. A simple lunch was ready.

By the time he finished, the Yun sisters had finally washed their faces clean. Han Li was starting to regret agreeing to cook for them in the first place. Why had he taken on the responsibility of looking after them, too?

Fortunately, the materials for building the house were arriving bit by bit, and at the current pace, it would only be a few more days. No matter what, he had to save face for his fellow townsfolk; he’d just have to put up with it a little longer.

He’d finished making the meal, but as for serving it to them—absolutely not. So Han Li called out, “Once you’ve washed up, come eat. It’s just two cold dishes for lunch. If they don’t suit your taste, there’s pickled vegetables in the house.”

The Yun sisters, who had sobbed so freely in front of their fellow townsman minutes earlier, now felt all the more awkward.

“Han Li, we’re really sorry. We shouldn’t have acted like that just now, and now we’re troubling you to cook lunch for us.”

Han Li replied, “It’s nothing. You just need to get used to things soon. Tonight, you can go ask Hao Hongmin and the others for advice—learn how to slack off without getting caught. Now, hurry up and eat so you can get some rest.”

After lunch, the Yun sisters tidied the table and washed the dishes, as skillfully as they had the day before. When they left, Han Li lay down on the kang and dozed until the bell rang for the afternoon shift.

That afternoon, the third team was much the same as before, though the team leader paced the fields far more frequently. This gave the older women plenty to gossip about behind his back, and the afternoon passed quickly.

At quitting time, Yang Xiuying and Hao Hongmei were waiting for Han Li by the roadside. He silently smacked his forehead.

Yang Xiuying said, “Han Li, we already traded with Aunt Wang for the eggs at noon. When we fry them, do you want any vegetables added?”

He laughed. “I’m not picky—anything is fine.”

Hao Hongmin added, “Sorry to trouble you every time something comes up.”

He replied, “Thousands of miles from home, it’s fate we’ve ended up together. These little things are nothing.”

At that moment, He Mi caught up, and the group chatted as they walked home. He Mi’s condition wasn’t great, but she was still doing better than the Yun sisters.

Back at home, Hao Hongmei and the others went back to tending their vegetable plot, while Han Li hoisted his buckets and went to fetch water. By the time he returned, the Yun sisters had also come over. Five young women worked and chatted as they went.

Han Li happened to overhear their conversation—they were discussing taking baths at Hao Hongmin’s place that evening. Feeling awkward, he deliberately made more noise with his footsteps, interrupting their talk.

With so many hands, they quickly finished planting all the seeds and started preparing dinner. When He Mi pulled out a strip of air-dried mutton from her luggage, the Yun sisters slapped their foreheads. Why hadn’t they thought to bring some cured meat from home? But it was too late for regrets.

People from the capital couldn’t let themselves be outdone by those from Datong, especially since they’d need to rely on Hao Hongmin’s place for bathing over the next few days.

After a short discussion, the sisters decided to go trade with the villagers for a chicken to add to the evening meal. But after visiting several households, no one was willing to part with their laying hens. In the end, they managed to get a dozen eggs and some vegetables to make do for now.

Still, the sisters resolved that once they moved into their new house, they would buy some meat and invite Hao Hongmin and the others for a meal, to regain the face they’d lost today.

Han Li, for his part, fetched water quickly, and by the time the aroma of cooking drifted from the house, he was nearly finished. Back home, he gulped down a large cup of strong tea he’d steeped earlier and washed away his sweat.

After changing his clothes, he sat in the courtyard whittling sticks of various lengths. He was preparing ultra-short javelins for future trips into the mountains—the last time he’d let a wild pheasant get away, he’d regretted it bitterly. It wasn’t easy to encounter wild game near the outskirts, and he wouldn’t have time to venture deep into the mountains before the autumn harvest.

He had no materials for a bow, nor the skills to make one, not to mention the practice required. So Han Li set his sights on javelins. Because different woods varied in hardness and quality, he had to test each one to select the most suitable material and figure out what length and weight best suited his throwing style. This trial and error would take some time.

For every stick he shaped, he noted the type of wood and its dimensions, then tested each one by throwing it at a target at least three times to judge its effectiveness.

While he was practicing, Hao Hongmei pushed open the gate and walked in. “Han Li, what are you making? Our food is ready—if you’re not busy, come over and eat.”

“I’m just playing around. I’ll wash my hands and head over.”

He set down his tools, washed up, and left with Hao Hongmei. Neither of them noticed that, at the entrance to the youth courtyard, a pair of eyes was watching them disappear into the neighboring yard.