Chapter Four: Hunting Birds in the Snow

Anyin embroidered for a while, then heard the sound of fluttering and birdsong outside. She walked out and saw a boy, about ten years old, perched on the western mudbrick wall with a slingshot, aiming at the birds in the trees. The boy saw her come out, and before she could say anything, he quickly jumped down from the wall.

Anyin looked up at the birds flying overhead, thought for a moment, then turned toward the kitchen. She found a wooden stick, a large bamboo sieve, and a long piece of rope. Sweeping away the accumulated snow with a broom to reveal the ground, she tied the rope to the stick, propped up the bamboo sieve with the stick, scattered some white rice underneath, and held the end of the rope, standing far away.

"Xi'er, what are you doing?" the boy called out, poking his head over the top of the wall.

Anyin ignored him, quietly squatting under the eaves, watching the bamboo sieve. The boy, seeing she didn’t answer, had no choice but to wait patiently on the wall.

After a while, the little birds, feeling it was safe, descended to peck at the rice grains beneath the sieve. "Wow, so many birds!" the boy shouted excitedly. The startled birds immediately flew away.

Anyin, seeing her chance slip away, frowned slightly, looked up at him and said coldly, "Don’t talk."

The boy scratched his head and asked, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Fearing he’d ruin it again, Anyin finally replied, "I want to catch birds. Please don’t say anything more."

"You think you can catch birds like this?" he asked, clearly skeptical.

"As long as you don’t make a sound, I can catch them," Anyin answered.

"Fine, I won’t say a word. I want to see how you manage it," the boy said.

Anyin paid him no more attention. After waiting quietly for a while, the birds, reassured there was no danger, returned to eat the rice. With a swift pull of the rope, the stick fell, and the bamboo sieve trapped the birds underneath.

"Wow, Xi'er, you’re amazing! You really caught them! I’m going to try it, too!" the boy cheered, hopping down from the wall.

Anyin ignored him, took the trapped birds out and put them into the bamboo cage used for chicks, then reset the trap and continued. After several tries, the cage was filled with dozens of birds. Judging the amount enough for a meal, she gathered her things and returned to the kitchen.

Killing and cooking birds was no challenge for Anyin—during her studies, she’d already mastered it. What stumped her was making a fire.

"Xi'er! Xi'er!"

Anyin stepped outside and saw the boy again, sprawled on the wall, his face alight with excitement. "Xi'er, your method is great! I caught more than a dozen birds!"

Anyin acknowledged him with a quiet hum, then turned back inside.

"Xi'er! Xi'er!" the boy called twice more. Seeing her disappear without a glance, he finally slipped down from the wall and left.

Anyin had found the firestone, but didn’t know how to use it. She stared blankly at the cold stove for a while, then remembered the brazier in the house. With some twigs and dry grass, she tried to kindle a fire inside. After much effort and a house filled with smoke, she finally managed to boil water.

Having studied medicine, Anyin was skilled at dissection, so she quickly turned the lively, chattering birds into meat on the chopping board. She washed the knife, chopped the birds into pieces, and, finding no other seasonings except ginger and scallions, she smashed two pieces of ginger and put them with the meat into the pot, added three ladles of water and two spoonfuls of salt, and filled the pot to the brim.

She brought it to a boil over high heat, then simmered it gently. The aroma of meat rose with the steam, making her mouth water. Lifting the lid, she fished out a piece of bird meat to taste. Though the portions were small, the flavor was excellent. In the modern world, Anyin hadn’t cared for meat, but after days of plain food, she found it especially appealing—she even chewed the bones to bits. She’d just eaten a second piece when someone knocked outside.

"Sister, open up! Big brother and second brother are back!"

"I’m coming!" Anyin called, going to open the door. "Big brother, second brother, why are you home so early today?"

"We met a kind man today. All our firewood sold at once," An Jian replied cheerfully.

"Really?" Anyin smiled gently. "Come in, there’s something to eat."

"What is it?" An Kang and An Jian asked in unison.

Anyin led her brothers into the kitchen, where the rich aroma made their eyes light up. "Sister, what are you cooking?" An Jian asked, swallowing hungrily.

Anyin only smiled, serving each of them a bowl of soup and some bird meat. After eating, An Kang smacked his lips. "Delicious, delicious, really delicious!"

"Sister, give second brother another bowl, with more meat, please," An Jian said, not yet satisfied.

"Second brother, let’s wait for Mother to come back," Anyin said.

An Kang reached out and thumped An Jian on the head. "You’re not a child anymore. Don’t you know anything but eating?"

An Jian scratched his head sheepishly.

"Big brother, how much longer until Mother comes home?" Anyin asked, noticing dusk had already fallen outside.

"Mother won’t be back for a while," An Kang said, scooping the embers from the stove into an iron bucket. "Shuanzi, take your sister to warm by the fire. I’ll clean up here."

"Big brother, don’t you dare sneak a bite," An Jian warned.

An Kang raised his eyebrows and made as if to smack him again. An Jian ducked, grabbed the bucket, and dashed outside, grinning mischievously at An Kang.

An Kang didn’t chase him, but waved his fist in mock threat. "I’m not like you, you little rascal. I don’t steal food!"

Anyin chuckled at their antics.

By the time An Kang finished cooking rice, steaming bean dregs cakes, and stir-frying cabbage, darkness had fallen. Madam Luo returned with a few pieces of tofu. As she entered, she caught the scent in the air and asked with a smile, "That smells wonderful. What did you cook?"

"Mother, look," An Jian said, lifting the pot lid. "Sister made it."

Madam Luo inspected the contents, then looked at Anyin and asked seriously, "Xi’er, where did these birds come from?"

Anyin explained her method for catching the birds.

"Sister, you’re so clever!" An Kang praised.

"This is a great idea! We can keep catching birds—then we’ll have meat every day!" An Jian cheered.

"No," Madam Luo said sternly, looking at the three of them. "This isn’t a famine year. We have food—we don’t need to catch birds for our meals."

Anyin’s joy instantly turned to unease. She lowered her head, gently biting her lip.

Madam Luo, who had always doted on her children, softened at the sight. Stroking Anyin’s head, her voice grew gentle. "Xi’er, I’m not scolding you. I know you only wanted us to eat well. Catching birds once or twice is fine, but not often. You see, birds eat insects. If you catch all the birds, there’ll be no one to eat the bugs. Then we’ll have a pest infestation, and if the insects eat all our crops, we really will go hungry."

Anyin was surprised, not expecting such wisdom from her peasant mother. It wasn’t superstition but an understanding of the balance of nature that made her forbid bird-catching. Anyin nodded. "Mother, I understand. I won’t catch birds again."

An Kang and An Jian obediently promised not to use their slingshots on birds anymore.

"Good children," Madam Luo smiled. "All right, Zhuzi, go fetch a kitchen knife."

An Kang brought the knife. Madam Luo cut a piece of tofu and added it to the pot of meat soup, then set the pot over the brazier, simmering the tofu in the broth over the glowing coals.