Chapter 38

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Chapter 38: Jiang Wu couldn’t quite imagine what creature would require a slit throat next.

Du Yinsui valued useful people.

Jiang Wu had sensed this even before the little one plainly stated it that night. Perhaps that’s partly why she’d eagerly learned from the youngsters how to climb trees for bird eggs or make tasty mixed dishes. She longed for Du Yinsui’s approving gaze and words of praise—driving her to strive harder.

Yet Jiang Wu never imagined striving would demand… *this* much.

After being diagnosed with a cold constitution in Li Village, Du Yinsui restricted Jiang Wu’s activities during her monthly discomfort. Days blurred into eating, resting in the donkey cart, and sleeping with a forced warm pad. Jiang Wu chafed at the idleness, itching to prove useful again.

But seven days later, when her discomfort passed, she almost missed those idle days.

Simply because…

"What’s on your mind? Focus!" Du Yinsui’s sharp tone snapped Jiang Wu from her daze.

Jiang Wu stiffened, slowly turning to face Du Yinsui—who tugged the horns of a wild sheep, lifting its head to expose the neck.

Day twenty-five of exile. Fifteen days since leaving Li Village. Eight days since Jiang Wu’s monthly discomfort ended. Throughout, Du Yinsui had taught her to slit throats: bamboo rats, rabbits, pheasants… all with a blunt stone shard.

Now, a sheep.

Jiang Wu dreaded imagining the next creature.

Even this dead sheep—half-human height, clouded eyes half-shut—was overwhelming. Unlike smaller prey, its size made Jiang Wu flinch. She squeezed the stone shard, eyes shut as she sliced.

One mistake.

Instantly, Du Yinsui’s displeasure cut through: "Eyes closed *again*? Didn’t I tell you—never close them! Dead things won’t move, but live ones? Ones that fight back?"

Jiang Wu pressed her lips, ready to apologize, when tiny footsteps pattered near.

The little one skidded to Du Yinsui’s side, thrusting bloodied hands upward. "Look!"

Two gutted turtledoves dripped from her grasp.

"Brilliant!" Du Yinsui freed a hand, patting the beaming child with her cleaner knuckles. "Our Yao Yao’s incredible!"

"I wash! I roast!" The little one chirped, eager to help.

Du Yinsui stopped her. "Not here—the river’s deep. Leave them; we’ll clean them later."

"I’ll handle it. Come, wash your hands first." Jiang Wu reached for the birds.

Yao Yao pouted, clinging tight. Jiang Wu gently pried them loose, then scrubbed the sulky child’s hands in the river.

"Look!" Clean hands waved as Yao Yao scurried back to Du Yinsui, proudly untying her waist pouch.

"Whoa! So much sand! Clever Yao Yao!" Du Yinsui beamed. "Remember how to use it?"

Yao Yao nodded fiercely. "Bad people! Throw sand! Kick!" She demonstrated a wobbly high kick.

"Then *run*," Du Yinsui added, ruffling her hair.

Jiang Wu, clutching the turtledoves:

…

Envy prickled his skin.

When Qin Chongli approached the riverbank, he witnessed his little granddaughter being praised after a flying kick. How should he put it… The little one was truly becoming more and more useful.

"The guards have already killed and are cutting one. Wu Li said he’d be over soon to help with this one," Qin Chongli mentioned, glancing at the blood on the sheep’s neck as a reminder.

"No need to rush… Why don’t you take Yao Yao back first?" Du Yinsui frowned slightly, then turned to Jiang Wu and urged, "We still have a bit of time. Let’s try a few more times."

Qin Chongli tugged at his granddaughter, but she stayed still, puffing her cheeks and staring seriously at the dead wild goat Du Yinsui held, even seeming eager to try.

Jiang Wu didn’t dare delay and immediately took his position, dropping the doves. This time, when he swung the stone slice, he kept his eyes open.

Yet, new problems came up.

"Press your hand down more, index finger pressing down!" Du Yinsui instructed while keeping an eye on the guards. It was lucky; not far from where they gathered firewood, there was a small wild goat herd. She meant to catch one for Jiang Wu to practice on. Just as she broke one’s neck, another startled one didn’t run off but crashed into a tree and got its horns stuck. The live one, Wu Li took back as part of the guards’ share. The one that "broke its neck in fright," she brought to the river, pretending to struggle with cutting but really letting Jiang Wu practice.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t let the guards see them training to slice prey necks with thin stone pieces; otherwise, using the live one would be better. But with the limits, they had to build the feel first and improve other things later.

"Look the prey in the eye. Be fierce, don’t let your eyes wander. What are you scared of? Dead or alive, it’s just a heap of meat," Du Yinsui said quickly, her tone sharper.

Jiang Wu: "…"

He suddenly felt a bit envious of the little one beside him, who got praised several times for slicing two doves.

This sheep-neck-slicing practice only stopped when Wu Li and Ma Datou came near with knives. As they arrived, Du Yinsui grabbed the stone slice from Jiang Wu and made several cuts on the sheep’s neck, belly, and front legs before tossing it down.

Ma Datou picked up the wild goat and chuckled at the messy wounds. "I told you to wait for me. Your stone slices can’t even handle wild chickens well, and you want to cut up this wild goat?"

Wu Li and Ma Datou quickly gutted the wild goat together.

Qin Chongli couldn’t pull his stubborn granddaughter away, and she even slapped his hand when he tried to cover her eyes.

Well, well, just like that little one who wants to call little Du girl ‘mother,’ she really wants to be useful.

"You scrape off the bits inside, wash and clean the hide, then dry it. It can make something warm," Wu Li said, handing the whole hide he’d pulled off to Du Yinsui. "Same as you did with those rabbit pelts before."

Soon, the wild goat was separated into piles of skin and meat.

The guards, done with their work, went back to eat their roasted lamb.

Jiang Wu started moving the lamb meat, telling Du Yinsui as he worked, "When we cut the meat later, I’ll keep practicing hard."

Lifting two lamb legs, Qin Chongli: "…"

Alright, alright, this one also badly wants to be useful.

And it wasn’t just one or two who wanted to be useful.

Just after carrying the lamb legs back to shore, Qin Chongli saw his little grandson stand up from whatever he was frying on a stone slab and hurry over to Du Yinsui. "Sister Du, look, is this what you meant by instant noodles before?"

Qin Chongli leaned over to look at the fire. On a stone slab with a thin layer of oil, several flour strips woven into a small square sizzled, releasing the aroma of cooked dough.

"You’re impressive! I just mentioned it, and you made it look so good! Truly amazing!" Du Yinsui gazed at the small flatbread, genuinely surprised. "Perfect! Today we have lamb. We’ll make lamb soup, roast some small meat pieces, then soak the flatbread in it for lamb noodles!"

"Mom and I made it together. I’m not good at weaving, but I kneaded the dough!" Qin Haoyang said with slight embarrassment, quickly adding, "I’ve learned now. Next time, I’ll do the weaving!"

Qin Chongli: "…" Oh, here was another useful person.

It seemed since leaving Li Village, little Du girl had changed.

Before, little Du girl spent every day hunting for food—bird eggs, wild game, vegetables, fungi, even wild grass. She ate whatever she found, constantly searching or eating. After sharing portions, she devoured everything left.

Whether strange-tasting Ground Cloud ears or bitter weeds, little Du girl never refused.

But after Li Village, as her injuries healed and movement eased, her food obsession remained yet felt less urgent. She focused more on them, especially Jiang Wu.

At first, Qin Chongli didn’t grasp why little Du girl insisted Jiang Wu handle daily game. But when he saw her guiding Jiang Wu’s hand repeatedly—teaching him to slit throats with a blunt stone shard, from tiny mice to today’s sheep—the purpose became clear.

Jiang Wu, who had strength in his limbs, was pushed by Du Yinsui beyond self-defense.

And not just Jiang Wu. Qin Haoyang absorbed constant whispers of new, unheard-of dishes. Though impossible to cook now, Du Yinsui demanded he memorize every one.

While his son busied, the mother wasn’t spared either.

Qin Chongli glanced at the donkey cart piled with bundled wild grasses and flowers.

Previously, those would’ve vanished into little Du girl’s belly instantly. Now, little Du girl and his daughter-in-law studied them for making special fragrances.

Teaching combat, money-making tricks, teaching…

Qin Chongli watched his little granddaughter return, immediately grab a stone to practice stances, and hide behind a tree away from the guards’ sight.

Even this stone-holding-like-a-pig technique.

Little Du girl used her ways to make them grow.

But why so suddenly? And why so urgent?

"Teacher, haven’t you answered today’s question yet?" Du Yinsui turned to Qin Chongli after finalizing lamb noodle plans with Qin Haoyang.

"I have," Qin Chongli said, straightening subconsciously. "If beggars stop our donkey cart—a ragged child or a limping middle-aged man—we should ask their origins. Check if the child has family, learn the man’s circumstances—"

"Wrong." Du Yinsui cut him off bluntly. "Whip the donkey to leave faster."

Qin Chongli: "Huh?"

"The child and cripple could be decoys. Stop, and a crowd might ambush from the woods." Du Yinsui smiled. "Besides, do we have spare food to share?"

Qin Chongli: "…"

So it went. These days, he learned alongside the others.