Volume One, Chapter 17: The Stubborn Black Egg

"Mm-hmm~" But just as Shen Youyu gathered her courage, ready to confess, Lin Hu turned and ran.

"Little Fish, you’d better head home first! I still have a pile of sparrows to collect," he called over his shoulder as he dashed away.

Shen Youyu was left grasping at air, all her pent-up excitement finding nowhere to go. Suddenly, she felt hollow inside. She stamped her foot in frustration.

"Hmph! You really are as clueless as your name!"

...

Lin Hu hurried to the edge of the trench to gather up his traps. Then he made his way over to the heap of sparrows, glancing in the direction of the village entrance.

"Where on earth is that Blackie? The sun’s almost down!"

...

The scene shifted.

In the small courtyard of Blackie’s house, Blackie and his grandmother were locked in a heated struggle over the old horn bow. Granny Li plopped herself down on the ground, clutching the bow tightly, her face etched with worry and heartache, eyes brimming with tears.

"Oh, Blackie, can’t you give your granny a little peace of mind? What did that little rascal Lin Hu feed you to have you so obsessed with your granddad’s horn bow...? That bow is a family treasure—it could fetch a good price! He’s definitely trying to take it and sell it. Don’t be foolish!"

Blackie’s face was flushed red as he tried to pry his grandmother’s hands away, explaining desperately, "Granny, I told you, Huzi isn’t trying to sell it! He wants to use it to shoot pheasants and rabbits for us! He’s amazing—he shot three sparrows today with just a slingshot. With this horn bow, he’ll get even more. We’ll have meat with every meal!"

"Blackie, listen to your granny—Huzi’s in big trouble today and wants to run away. If you give him the bow, you’ll never see it again!"

"Granny, trust me, Huzi isn’t like that!" Blackie insisted, refusing to back down.

At that moment, the neighbors’ kids, Doggie and Cuihua, heard the commotion and climbed up on the wall to watch the spectacle.

Doggie smirked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Hey, Blackie, stop dreaming! That good-for-nothing Lin Hu can barely keep enough meat for himself to snack on—like he’d ever share it with you! Give me a break!"

Cuihua chimed in, curling her lip, "Exactly, Blackie, how can you be so gullible? Lin Hu just wants to trick you out of that horn bow. Don’t be the fool who helps him count his money after he’s sold you out!"

Blackie, incensed, stood up and, with wide eyes, pulled out the three sparrows Huzi had given him. He shouted, "Look! Huzi caught these for me! He promised he’d bring even more meat in the future. How can you say that about him?"

Doggie glanced at the sparrows and snorted, "Just a few tiny sparrows—what good are they? He probably just got lucky. If he’s so great, why doesn’t he go shoot a rabbit or a wild boar? Stop dreaming."

Hearing this, Blackie’s grandma tightened her grip on the horn bow, her suspicion of Lin Hu growing. She wailed, "Blackie, listen to your granny! Doggie and Cuihua are right—there’s no way Lin Hu means well! That bow is your granddad’s keepsake. If times get tough, it could save us! You can’t just squander it away..."

Blackie looked at the sparrows, then at his grandmother, stamping his foot in frustration. "Why won’t you believe me? Huzi promised, once he gets game with this bow, he’ll even earn money to get your eyes treated!"

Cuihua scoffed, arms akimbo, "Oh please, Blackie, you really know how to spin a story! Lin Hu with a kind heart? He’d sell you for cash if he could. Look at you—fighting with your granny over him. Is it worth it?"

Anger flared in Blackie’s eyes as he clenched his fists and shouted back at Cuihua, "That’s nonsense! Huzi is like a brother to me. He’s tough now—he’s already put Ma Da Donkey and his gang in their place. No one in the village will dare bully us again!"

Doggie roared with laughter, clutching his stomach. "Him? Don’t make me laugh! That was just dumb luck. If Ma’s and Li’s families let him stay in the village, I’ll eat dung from your outhouse!"

Granny Li patted Blackie’s hand, her voice grave. "Blackie, I know you want a better life for us, but Huzi’s reckless. He’s made enemies of the Ma and Li families—no one dares cross them. If we offend them, we won’t get a single grain come harvest. How will we survive the winter?"

Blackie looked at her, his eyes full of resolve. "Granny, Huzi really has changed. He promised me, as long as I stick with him, we’ll eat well and live well. I believe in him!"

"Oh, Blackie, you’re such a foolish boy! Lin Hu is just humoring you. Once he gets the bow, he’ll run off and never look back. You’ll be left with nothing but regret!"

Tears welled up in Blackie’s eyes as he retorted, "That’s a lie! Huzi isn’t like that! He said he’d teach me to use a slingshot too, make me as skilled as he is!"

Cuihua snorted, hands on her hips. "Teach you? He probably doesn’t know how himself! Blackie, stop giving your granny heartache. If she cries any more, she’ll go completely blind. If you anger her to death, you’ll be left all alone, a wild child!"

Granny Li’s resolve hardened at this. "Blackie, you’re not taking this bow, no matter what you say! Unless you beat your own granny to death."

"Why won’t any of you believe me?" Blackie wailed, tears running down his cheeks. "If I don’t go now, I’ll fail my task, and Huzi will be angry!"

Seeing his grandmother’s unwavering stance, Blackie burst into tears.

"Look, look, Blackie’s throwing a tantrum, ha ha..."

"Doggie, look, he’s got snot bubbles..."

"Get lost! All of you, get out of here!" Blackie shouted, scooping up a handful of dirt and hurling it at them.

"Oooh, Blackie’s mad!"

"Can’t hit me, can’t hit me—nah nah nah!"

...

Just then, a large clod of dirt flew through the air and landed squarely on Doggie’s mother’s head.

"Ouch! You wild brat, how dare you hit me!"

"Ow!"

She suddenly noticed blood on her hand. Instantly, she erupted like a firecracker.

"Blackie, I’ll skin you alive today!"

She grabbed a willow switch from beside the woodpile, ignored the height of the mud wall, and vaulted over it in a single bound, cursing all the while.

"You little scoundrel, I’ll thrash you within an inch of your life! How dare you hit my child, and me too—do you have a death wish?"

Swinging the switch, she charged at Blackie with fury.

"They started it!" Blackie trembled at her ferocity, but stubbornly stood his ground.

"Oh, Doggie’s mother, don’t hit the child! Kids squabble today and make up tomorrow—why are you, a grown woman, so protective?"

Granny Li’s heart leapt into her throat at the sight. She rushed to shield Blackie with her body.

"Blind Li, get out of my way, or I’ll thrash you too!"

Doggie’s mother was truly enraged now, blood running down her face, her temper flaring all the hotter.

Granny Li spread her arms wide, shouting, "What are you doing? He’s just a child. Come at me if you must! Hit me, but don’t bully my Blackie!"

Doggie’s mother refused to relent, eyes bulging like an enraged tigress, swinging her willow switch. "Still protecting him? He split my head open—he’s not escaping a beating today!"

"Move aside!"

The switch lashed Granny Li’s arm, making her gasp in pain, but she clung to Blackie, refusing to let go.

"Ouch, Doggie’s mother... Blackie was wrong, please don’t hit him anymore..."