Otherworldly Space: A Tale of Love and Growth - Chapter 8

Before long, Song Ci arrived at the spot where he had set the traps a few days earlier.

He had done this out of boredom while waiting for Lin Xiaohe, who had failed to show up as expected.

In his previous life, Song Ci had participated in some wilderness survival activities. Although he might not be good at hunting, he was certainly capable of setting traps and snares.

In just four days, he had managed to catch three wild chickens—a bountiful haul.

To avoid causing a commotion among the animals, he had only added half a drop of spiritual spring water to the trap.

He had initially expected to catch one or two at most, but to his delight, he had caught three. Upon inspecting the condition of the chickens, Song Ci was even more pleased.

One of the chickens had starved to death; it must have been the first to fall into the trap, attracted by the scent of the spiritual spring water.

The other two were barely able to move and offered no resistance when he caught them—they were simply too weak.

Afterward, Song Ci rearranged and disguised the trap once more, again adding only half a drop of spiritual spring water.

He was well aware of the limitations of the spiritual spring water. While it could strengthen the body and improve one’s appearance with prolonged use, it required a gradual transformation of the body.

To attract larger animals, a significant amount of water would be needed as bait placed at a distance. Song Ci was satisfied with these imperfections.

If the spiritual spring water were too powerful, he would not dare to use it.

Carrying the three wild chickens, Song Ci happily set off to find Lin Xiaohe. “Xiaohe, Xiaohe, my trap caught three wild chickens!” he called out excitedly as soon as he saw her from a distance. He wanted his young wife to know that he was capable, not the same Song Ergou from before. If she married him, he would certainly not let her go hungry.

Lin Xiaohe had already finished gathering pig fodder and was now digging for wild vegetables. Hearing the shout, she turned around in surprise to look at Song Ci.

There he was, holding three plump wild chickens in his hands, running straight toward her.

His face was beaming with a smile as bright and pure as that of a child who had received the long-awaited candy during the New Year, untainted by any impurities.

Lin Xiaohe felt a moment of dizziness.

She felt as if she no longer recognized the Song Ergou before her.

In her previous understanding, Song Ergou was a despicable and dark person, someone who seemed to have black bones.

But the person before her now seemed clean. Yes, clean.

The current Song Ergou was incomparably better than before.

Although he still had a bit of a mischievous side, it could not conceal his gentle and considerate nature.

Now he could even set traps and catch wild animals. Lin Xiaohe wondered if this person was really the Song Ergou she knew.

Before leaving home that morning, she had been anxious about agreeing to Song Ergou’s proposal to get to know him better.

She thought he might be using some new trick, but the temptation was too great for her to resist. If he truly realized his mistakes and changed for the better, wouldn’t he be a suitable choice? Just based on his guilt, he would surely take good care of her parents.

Lin Xiaohe was a rational person who didn’t understand much about love.

She just wanted to choose the most practical option. And now, she unexpectedly felt at ease with her choice.

Although she sensed that Song Ci had changed, she did not dare to trust him easily and give herself to him.

It was a matter of a lifetime, and she needed to observe Song Ergou more.

What if it was all an act? What if he was just a smooth talker who knew how to deceive people?

“Why are you staring like a fool? Do you think I’m amazing and got mesmerized?” Seeing that Lin Xiaohe was still dazed even when he was right in front of her, Song Ci teased her.

“Phew, what’s so amazing about you? If you’re really capable, go compete with Zheng Fang,” Lin Xiaohe retorted, feeling both annoyed and embarrassed.

Zheng Fang was the village’s hunter, who had once killed several wild boars and even a bear.

“How could I compare? He’s a professional, and I’m just a beginner. I figured out how to set the trap all by myself,” Song Ci muttered, trying to downplay his achievement while also protecting himself from others’ skepticism.

Hunting was a specialized skill of the hunters, and they would not easily teach others. As a troublemaker, Song Ergou naturally had no chance to learn. He could only rely on his own trial and error.

No matter whether others believed him or not, that’s what he said, and there was nothing others could do about it. So, he didn’t bother to fabricate a non-existent master for himself.

“These are for you to take home. Tell your parents to stew some soup with it to nourish themselves,” Song Ci said as he tied the fattest chicken with a straw rope and placed it into Lin Xiaohe’s basket.

“No, I can’t accept it. It’s yours, and besides, I can’t explain to my father and mother where it came from,” Lin Xiaohe replied.

She was actually tempted by Song Ci’s offer. Her parents scrimped and saved all year round, and she wanted them to have a better life, to enjoy some good food occasionally.

Hearing this, Song Ci took the chicken out of the basket again. He found a stone and struck the chicken’s head a few times until it bled and died.

Then he handed the chicken to Lin Xiaohe and took out two eggs from his pocket, giving them to her as well.

“Mine is yours. What’s there to refuse? When you get home, just tell your parents that you saw this chicken laying eggs, you chased after it, and in its panic, it ran into a stone and died. These two eggs are what you took from under its bottom,” Song Ci explained.

Lin Xiaohe was already stunned by Song Ci’s actions. After taking the eggs, she gave him a strange look. This guy must have been a frequent liar, which was why he could lie so smoothly.

“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m doing this for you,” Song Ci said, scratching the back of his head and playfully teasing his future young wife.

Lin Xiaohe glared at him, turned around, and went back to her work, ignoring him.

Song Ci didn’t disturb her and just quietly stayed behind her, waiting for her to finish her tasks so he could take her home.

“Don’t follow me. What if someone sees us?” Lin Xiaohe said.

“You go ahead, and I’ll follow you from a distance. No one will notice. I’ll leave once you get home,” Song Ci replied.

Unable to persuade him otherwise, Lin Xiaohe just let him be.

After seeing Lin Xiaohe home, Song Ci walked back on the main road with one hand holding his wild chickens, strutting confidently.

The villagers returning from the fields couldn’t help but feel curious upon seeing his smug demeanor.

Song Ci had become a legendary figure in the village over the past few days. After all, a prodigal’s return to the righteous path always wins a lot of people’s favor.

Although it was unclear whether Song Ergou had truly reformed or was just putting on a show, at least until the results were in, it provided everyone with plenty of gossip material, didn’t it?

“Hey, Ergou, heading home? Where did you get these wild chickens? They look really good, plump and glossy,” an older woman who knew Song Ergou asked.

Song Ci admired her ability to lie with a straight face. One of the chickens had starved to death, and the other was on the verge of it—where was the “plump and glossy” look?

“Ah, Aunt Liu, these chickens were caught in a trap I set up in the mountains a few days ago. You see, I forgot to check it for too long, and one of them starved to death,” Song Ci said, holding up the chickens for Aunt Liu to see.

“Sure enough, Ergou, you’ve really grown up and become capable,” Aunt Liu praised, eyeing the two fat chickens enviously. She wondered where Song Ergou had gotten such good luck. “Who taught you to set traps like this?”

“Who needs to learn? Just dig a hole, put some bait in it, and wait for the wild animals to jump in,” Song Ci said with a nonchalant air.

“You’ve always been clever, Ergou, and you still are. Since you don’t want to say, I won’t press you,” Aunt Liu said, walking away gracefully.

The others, whether they were just passing by or had stopped to watch the commotion, didn’t quite believe Song Ergou. They thought he was keeping secrets and didn’t want to share his methods. However, they weren’t so tactless as to continue questioning him. In those days, anyone with a skill tended to keep it to themselves.

“Ergou, my body has been feeling weak lately, and I need some nourishment. You’ve got two chickens there; give me one. I’ll have my husband treat you to some drinks another day,” a brightly dressed woman standing at her doorstep said. This woman seemed to be the husband of one of the original group of hooligan friends!

The original group of friends had recently gone to the county town to gamble and hadn’t come looking for him these past few days. He was trying to cut ties with those people, and there was no way he was going to let them take advantage of him.

“Sister Yang, if you want to eat chicken, let your man catch it. These are for my mother,” Song Ci replied.

He had heard that this woman’s husband was lazy and did nothing but dress himself up nicely. Everyone else had chickens and ducks, but their house was spotless—so where would they get a chicken to eat?

“Haha,” the passersby burst into laughter.

“I always thought you, Ergou, were a decent person. I didn’t expect you to be just like those others, without any principles. Is it appropriate for you to tease your sister-in-law like that?” Sister Yang, who had been rejected by Song Ci, said with a mix of annoyance and coquettishness that left many people staring in a daze.

Song Ci shuddered and quickly left. Where was he being indecent?

Moreover, the sight of a man acting coquettishly was truly disgusting, making one feel sick to their stomach.

It was far less appealing than when his Lin Xiaohe was being fierce.

After putting some distance between himself and the Yang household, Song Ci continued to walk home confidently.

Today’s display was part of his plan. He couldn’t change too quickly or too abruptly, or it might arouse suspicion.

By gradually and subtly changing people’s impressions of him, any future actions he took would seem more plausible.

“Mother, I’m home. I caught two wild chickens today,” Song Ci announced.

Upon hearing the news, Old Lady Song put down her sewing and came out of the house, her face beaming with joy. “You really caught them? Your trap actually worked?”

“Of course it did,” Song Ci said with a hint of pride. “I told you my trap would work, but you didn’t believe me.”

Although Old Lady Song didn’t care, Song Ci still found an excuse for his daily afternoon wanderings. Setting traps and catching wild animals! Of course, he had spent all his time waiting for his future wife and hadn’t even checked the traps, which was why one of the chickens had starved to death.

“Mother trusts you. When have I ever doubted you?” Old Lady Song wasn’t about to admit she had ever said otherwise. Her son had finally made up his mind to improve himself. If she discouraged him now, he might just give up again. Better to keep encouraging him.

All the soft words Old Lady Song had ever spoken in her life had been coaxed out by her son.

“This is my son’s first catch. Tomorrow, I’ll stew it for him. Two chickens are too many for us to eat. While it’s still early, take the one that’s still alive to Uncle Song’s house and let them share in my son’s good fortune,” she said.

“Sure, I’ll go right away and make Uncle Song happy too,” Song Ci replied.

The two of them divided the tasks. Old Lady Song boiled water to pluck the chicken feathers and clean the chicken, while Song Ci went to deliver the chicken to Uncle Song’s family.

Of course, Song Ci’s catch of two wild animals caused quite a stir in the village. He had been too conspicuous, and it would have been rude of the villagers not to talk about him.

In the evening, under the old locust tree in the village, several women and children who didn’t have to work were chatting and laughing together.

“I heard that Song Ergou caught two wild chickens today,” one said.

“I heard the same thing. He set some traps in the mountains and caught them,” another added.

“No way, he’s lying. He hardly ever went to the mountains as a kid. How would he know how to set traps? He must have bought them or stolen them,” someone else chimed in.

“I think he probably stole them. Most likely from Zheng Fang. He’s the only hunter in our village,” another speculated.

“No, I think he bought them. With Zheng Fang’s fierce look, Song Ergou wouldn’t dare to provoke him,” someone who saw through Song Ergou’s bluff said.

“He hasn’t left the village these past few days. Where would he buy them? It has to be stolen,” another insisted.

There were all kinds of opinions, but none of them believed that Song Ergou had actually caught the chickens by his own skill.

Zheng Fang, who had just come down from the mountains and passed by the village entrance, overheard the conversation. He simply said, “He didn’t steal from me,” and walked away.