Rebirth: Not Being a Waste - Chapter 19

When hosting a meal, good dishes are a must. Zhang Shu thinks for a while and decides to head up the mountain to gather ingredients, then stop by the river to catch some fish. He knows that Li Mujin’s father and brother are hunters and always seem at ease while hunting. This makes him believe it is feasible, so he grabs a hatchet, slings a backpack over his shoulder, and sets off for the mountain.

Li Mujin’s home is along the only path up the mountain. As Zhang Shu passes by, he quietly glances toward the house. The gate is slightly ajar, and he sees Li Mujin sitting in the yard, occupied with something.

Scanning the surroundings and confirming no one else is in sight, Zhang Shu mimics the call of a cuckoo twice.

“Cuckoo, cuckoo.”

To others, it would sound like an ordinary bird call, but to Li Mujin, it is as pleasant as the voice of nature. His eyes brighten as he turns toward the gate, meeting Zhang Shu’s gaze.

Just as he is about to call out, Zhang Shu quickly presses a finger to his lips, looking nervous. Li Mujin hesitates but obediently keeps quiet. He tiptoes to the gate, bends down, and whispers, “Brother Ah’shu, what are you doing?”

“Jin’er, is your brother home?”

“No. Why?”

“That’s good.” Zhang Shu lets out a relieved sigh.

Li Mujin suddenly chuckles. “Brother Ah’shu, are you afraid of my brother?”

Zhang Shu rubs his nose awkwardly. “A little. He doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

“He’s like that with everyone. The other day, my mom asked him to meet a girl for a match, but he was so gloomy that he nearly scared the girl’s mother to tears. When he got home, he refused the proposal outright, making my mom furious.” As Li Mujin shares his brother’s embarrassing story, his eyes curve into crescent moons with amusement.

Seeing this, Zhang Shu can’t help but feel uplifted.

“Brother Ah’shu, did you come to play with me?” Li Mujin laughs, but as he notices Zhang Shu neither laughing nor speaking—just staring at him—he feels a bit embarrassed.

Zhang Shu shakes his head. “I was just passing by and wanted to say hello. I’m heading up the mountain to hunt so I can treat Brother Liuwang to dinner tomorrow.”

“Hunting?” Li Mujin’s eyes light up. “I’ll come too!”

“You can’t! It’s too dangerous,” Zhang Shu refuses outright.

“What’s so dangerous about it? My father and brother have taken me up the mountain since I was a kid. I’ve even caught wild boars with them! I might be able to help you!” Li Mujin boasts without hesitation. In reality, his brother has always complained that he is a nuisance, tagging along everywhere.

Zhang Shu believes him. “Jin’er, you’re amazing. I’ve never hunted before, but after seeing how skilled Father Li and Brother Li are, I wanted to give it a try.” In truth, if he can’t catch anything today, he plans to buy some meat from town tomorrow.

“Then you should definitely take me with you! Hunting pheasants and rabbits is a piece of cake for me.” Li Mujin puffs up his chest, his confidence almost convincing.

“But…” Zhang Shu still hesitates.

“No buts! Just tell me—are you taking me or not?” Li Mujin stares at him, eyes full of challenge.

“…Fine. But you have to tell your mom first. You can only come if she agrees.”

“Okay!” Li Mujin responds cheerfully, dashes inside, says a few words, then quickly reappears with a large backpack on his back.

“Let’s go!”

The two of them head up the mountain, their laughter gradually fading into the distance.

From inside the house, Li Aba  chuckles and calls out, “Why are you so happy about gathering pig grass? What are you up to now?”

As they pass the hill where people often pick wild vegetables, the trees grow taller, and the mountain path becomes quieter. The only sounds are their footsteps and the occasional crisp calls of birds.

Li Mujin and Zhang Shu have been chatting all the way, but now they fall silent. Li Mujin clears his throat and coughs a couple of times, looking slightly uncomfortable. Seeing this, Zhang Shu takes a bamboo water tube from his backpack and hands it to him.

“Jin’er, have some water.”

Just as Li Mujin is about to take it, Zhang Shu suddenly pulls back.

Li Mujin is left grasping at air. He frowns and looks up at Zhang Shu, eyes full of confusion.

A faint blush appears on Zhang Shu’s face. “I already drank from this. Let’s wait until we find a spring ahead.”

“But I’m thirsty now. Really thirsty!” Li Mujin complains, then snatches the bamboo tube from Zhang Shu’s hand. “Didn’t we share food and drinks when we were kids?” Without hesitation, he pulls out the cork and takes a big gulp.

Zhang Shu feels his throat burn as he instinctively turns away, missing the way Li Mujin’s face flushes bright red after drinking.

After walking for a while, they both pretend nothing has happened and resume their conversation.

The trees around them grow denser, and the once wide path narrows as fewer footprints mark the way. At first, they walk side by side, but gradually, one moves ahead while the other trails behind.

In the deep forest, untouched for a long time, mushrooms are scattered everywhere. However, due to the lack of rain, most are shriveled.

Li Mujin angrily throws away the mushrooms in his hand. They look fine at first glance, but the bottoms have been eaten by insects.

“Jin’er, don’t be mad. Next time it rains, I’ll take you to pick mushrooms.” With everything going smoothly so far, Zhang Shu has grown bolder.

“Brother Ah’shu is still the best!” Li Mujin cheers up immediately.

The two move through the bushes with serious expressions, ears perked and eyes scanning their surroundings, clearly on the lookout for small animals.

“Cuckoo, cuckoo.” A call sounds from the bushes ahead, and it doesn’t seem to be just one.

Li Mujin’s eyes light up. “Brother Ah’shu, it’s a pheasant! That’s exactly how they sound!” Having grown up watching his father and brother catch pheasants, he is all too familiar with their calls.

“I’ll go catch it. Wait here,” Zhang Shu whispers before crouching and creeping toward the bushes.

But before he can get close, the pheasants have already sensed him. With a rustling sound, they disappear, leaving behind only a few stray feathers.

Zhang Shu is stunned. He has been so careful—how did this happen?

Li Mujin laughs so hard he can barely stand. His Brother Ah’shu thought he was light-footed, but he had stepped right onto the fallen leaves. Pheasants are sharp; how could they not hear that?

Zhang Shu feels embarrassed but isn’t angry. “Jin’er, if we find another one, you can try catching it.”

Out of Zhang Shu’s sight, Li Mujin pulls a bitter face. He really hopes they don’t find another one…

Sure enough, they don’t see any more pheasants, but they do spot a hare. It sits nibbling on grass, ears erect, clearly alert.

Zhang Shu looks at Li Mujin expectantly, waiting for him to show off his skills. Li Mujin grins, gripping his knife as he moves forward. Compared to Zhang Shu, his movements are more practiced—but the rabbit still bolts before he can get close.

Li Mujin braces himself, expecting Zhang Shu to tease him, but Zhang Shu doesn’t. Instead, he comforts him. “Jin’er, that was really good. You got so close before it even noticed.”

Li Mujin looks at Zhang Shu with a bright smile, his gaze filled with warmth. “Brother Ah’shu, you’re so nice.”

The two exchange a glance, only to suddenly sense something rus

Reacting quickly, Zhang Shu shoves Li Mujin aside with all his strength before swinging his hatchet at the boar. His grip is so tight that his knuckles split open, but he manages to land a deep gash on the wild boar’s back.

Enraged by the pain, the boar’s small, beady eyes turn red. It lets out a furious snort and lunges at Zhang Shu. He barely manages to use the hatchet to block its tusks.

Snapped out of his shock, Li Mujin scrambles up, grabbing the hatchet and striking the wild boar from behind. The attack diverts the boar’s attention, but it only angers it further. With a furious snort, it whirls around and charges at Li Mujin.

The tusks are already inches from his body, and the stench of the boar’s breath is suffocating. Li Mujin swings with all his strength, but the wound is too shallow. Trembling with fear, his eyes widen in terror, expecting to be gored at any moment.

But the pain never comes.

The boar stops abruptly, clawing at the ground and roaring in frustration. Behind it, Zhang Shu has grabbed onto its hind legs with all his might, holding it back.

Zhang Shu’s veins bulge from the strain, his face twisting in determination. He shouts, “Climb the tree, now!”

Tears well up in Li Mujin’s eyes, but he doesn’t climb. He knows that if he does, Zhang Shu will have no chance of surviving.

Instead, he grits his teeth, snatches up the hatchet, and rushes at the boar. He knows its eyes and ears are the most sensitive. With all his strength, he swings at its face again and again.

The wild boar lets out a final wail before collapsing. But Li Mujin doesn’t stop. Blood splatters onto his face and clothes as he keeps chopping, oblivious to everything else.

Zhang Shu lets go of the boar’s legs, watching Li Mujin, his lips curving into a faint smile.

In his past life, when that dog had chased after Wang Cuilan, if she had only hit it a few more times with a stick, his legs wouldn’t have been torn apart. Only in moments of life and death can one truly see another’s heart.

If Li Mujin had abandoned him today, Zhang Shu wouldn’t have blamed him.

But years later, in the quiet of midnight dreams, will he really be able to hold no grudges? That, he isn’t so sure of.