Peach Blossom Land On Longyin Island Chapter 16

The Training Ground

The next day, after breakfast, the two went to the training ground together. The village training ground was a small, fenced-in flat area, mainly used by the hunting team for daily martial arts practice.

Although the island had no external enemies, it was home to tigers, wolves, and wild beasts. Occasionally, animals would stray into the village looking for food. Therefore, the hunting team, besides going out to hunt, was also responsible for protecting the village’s safety.

Inside the training ground was a warehouse for storing weapons. Since the island lacked copper and iron, the weapons mainly consisted of bows, arrows, and long spears, made from bamboo, wood, and animal bones. The hunting team mostly relied on traps when hunting outdoors. But to prevent accidents, they still needed weapons for self-defense.

An Le wandered around the weapon storage warehouse and made an embarrassing discovery—he didn’t know how to use any of these weapons: he couldn’t pull a bow, and he didn’t know how to wield a long spear.

“An Le, what are you going to choose?” An Linmian happened to be practicing archery at the training ground and came over when she saw the two of them selecting weapons.

An Le hesitated, then picked up a long spear. “This one, I guess.” Even if he couldn’t use it properly, he figured it could serve as a club in a pinch.

An Linmian said, “A long spear, huh? Not bad. If a wolf really runs up to you, you can give it a good whack. Wouldn’t be a wasted trip.”

An Le: “…” He felt mocked.

“An Xiaoyu, what are you going to use?” An Le decided to ignore the jab and change the subject.

“I’ll use a bow,” An Xiaoyu said, taking several bows down from the wall and testing them one by one. He finally selected a bow with a yew wood body and a wolf sinew string.

The bow was drawn taut like a full moon, its power overwhelming. In the training ground, An Xiaoyu notched an arrow, drew the bow, and hit the bullseye with a single shot.

“Amazing, An Xiaoyu!” An Le couldn’t help but clap and cheer. The corner of An Xiaoyu’s mouth curved slightly. He notched another arrow and fired three consecutive shots. The arrows flew like shooting stars, striking the bullseye dead center.

Four arrows in a row, all hitting the red heart. An Linmian also couldn’t help but cheer loudly. The applause attracted the attention of the hunting team, who were preparing for the next day’s hunt. Seeing the display, they gathered around.

An Xiaoyu’s gaze was calm, his expression solemn. Another arrow left the string, soaring with great force and hitting the red heart. Immediately, another burst of cheers erupted in the field.

“An Xiaoyu, you’ve been hiding your skills!” An Le was highly excited, as if the five consecutive hits were his own achievement. He went up and slung his arm over An Xiaoyu’s shoulder, praising him. “Hey, An Xiaoyu, teach me sometime. That was really cool.” Recalling An Xiaoyu’s archery posture—tall, handsome movements, executed in one smooth motion—An Le couldn’t help but feel envious.

“Truly cool!” An Le sincerely praised him again.

An Xiaoyu’s ear tips were flushed red. He turned his head to look at the ground and said, “Alright, I’ll teach you.”

Hearing this, An Le excitedly shouted, ready to start learning immediately. Just then, a handsome young man with slightly dark skin and a robust physique walked over from the front. His eyes showed admiration as he praised, “Xiaoyu, that was excellent. Not only do you have a good physique, but your archery is also fantastic.” This man was An Moli’s husband and the captain of the hunting team, An Tong.

An Xiaoyu smiled modestly. “Brother Tong, you flatter me. It was just luck.”

“Oh, come on, why be modest? Five shots, five hits—that’s not something you can achieve with luck alone.” An Tong clapped An Xiaoyu hard on the shoulder and extended an invitation: “With skills this good, why don’t you join the hunting team?”

Among the various divisions of labor in Longyin Village, the hunting team had the fewest members. Firstly, not everyone could join the hunting team, as it required both physical strength and martial prowess. Secondly, among all the tasks in Longyin Village, hunting was the only one that was dangerous and required being away for five or six days at a time. Therefore, the hunting team was small, mostly consisting of strong young men, currently numbering just over twenty. Precisely because the team was small, the amount of game was limited, and there was a perennial shortage of animal hides. Thus, An Tong, the captain of the hunting team, would approach anyone with good skills and ask, “Do you want to join the hunting team?” to expand their ranks.

“Brother Tong, my archery is pretty good too. Why don’t you let me in?” Before An Xiaoyu could answer, An Linmian, standing nearby, complained with dissatisfaction.

An Tong laughed heartily. “Linmian, it’s not that I won’t let you in. There’s a village rule: the hunting team only recruits men.”

“That’s unfair. I’m not lacking,” An Linmian grumbled. She was naturally aware of the village rules. Among all the village duties, only the hunting team had a gender restriction, recruiting only males. And yet, the hunting team was precisely where An Linmian most wanted to be.

“This is also for your protection,” An Tong comforted her. “Hunting is dangerous. You should stay in the village—”

“Oh, oh, I know, I know. You use the same excuse every time. I’m sick of hearing it.” An Linmian impatiently waved her hand, interrupting An Tong. “If I become the village chief, I’ll definitely change that rule!”

“You can change the rules if you become the village chief?” Hearing this, An Le’s eyes lit up, and he interjected, asking.

“Of course not,” An Tong laughed. “To change a village rule, you need at least half the villagers’ consent.”

“Oh, I see,” An Le was disappointed. He had thought the village chief could unilaterally change the rules. If that were the case, perhaps he could change the rule prohibiting Longyin Village residents from leaving the island.

An Xiaoyu noticed An Le’s thoughts and asked, “Only half the villagers’ consent is needed?”

“The village chief also has to agree,” An Linmian spread her hands, looking helpless. “If the village chief disagrees, even if the whole village agrees, it won’t happen.”

“Got it. The village chief has a veto power, right?” An Le understood. “No wonder you said you needed to become the village chief.”

“Exactly, veto power, that’s the meaning. I’ve told Grandpa An many times to remove the rule that women can’t join the hunting team, but Grandpa An has always refused.” At this, An Linmian sighed, looking very frustrated and helpless.

An Le questioned, “But didn’t you say that people who aren’t on the hunting team can still go hunting? If so, you don’t necessarily have to join the team.”

“How can that be the same thing?!” An Linmian suddenly became emotional, putting her hands on her hips and raising her voice. “Becoming a member of the hunting team is recognition of my ability!”

“…” If she had the ability to hit five out of five like An Xiaoyu, she would be recognized even without joining the hunting team, An Le silently grumbled. But he didn’t say it out loud; he didn’t want to provoke An Linmian again.

“So, Xiaoyu, what do you say? Will you join our hunting team?” An Tong pulled the conversation back to the main topic. “Now that you are officially a resident of Longyin Village, according to village rules, everyone in the village, except the old, weak, sick, young, and unmarried women, must take on a task in the village. With your skill, why not join the hunting team and help us protect the village?”

An Xiaoyu looked hesitant and subconsciously glanced at An Le. An Le understood and replied, “Brother Tong, we need a few days to think about it.”

An Tong chuckled. “Haha, no rush. You two just got married. The village chief won’t assign you tasks until next month. You have plenty of time to consider it.”

“Yes, we will definitely consider it carefully,” An Le said with a compliant smile.

As he finished speaking, An Tong’s face suddenly broke into a knowing smile. “Moli was right. You really are the one running the household, Le Le.”

“…”

“Hehehe…” An Le was speechless and could only offer a few dry laughs.

Sensing their embarrassment, An Tong considerately let them off the hook and changed the subject. “By the way, be at the East Dock tomorrow morning. Don’t be late.”

“The dock?” An Le asked. “Aren’t we going hunting in the forest? Why the dock?”

An Linmian gave An Le a look of exasperation. “Do you think we should walk all the way to the western forest? It would take a whole day. We’re taking the waterway, sailing along the island. It’s much faster.”

“…” So that was it. Although An Le was mocked by An Linmian again, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although the waterway was long, traveling by boat was indeed faster and less strenuous. It seemed he didn’t have to worry about being too slow and dragging everyone down.

An Tong then explained to the two of them what they needed to prepare for the hunt, the necessary precautions, and the principles for distributing hunting spoils. An Le had been curious about the distribution rules. According to village regulations, the hunting team’s gains were all handed over to the village. So, if they went hunting with the team, how would they determine which spoils belonged to the team and which belonged to them personally?

An Tong clarified, “Although you’ll be with us, setting traps and hunting will be separate. We will only ensure your safety. Whether you catch any prey depends on your own skill.”

“But if we separate, how can you ensure our safety?” An Le asked.

“Naturally, you can’t stray too far from us. Tomorrow, we will give each of you a bone whistle. If you are in danger, blow the whistle, and we will come to help you,” An Tong said.

An Xiaoyu followed up, “It sounds like our presence will only cause you trouble. Why are we allowed to go hunting with you then?”

An Tong smiled. “Not everyone is allowed to go hunting. Those who are permitted must pass a test administered by the hunting team. These people will likely join the hunting team in the future.”

“A test?” An Le was surprised, pointing to himself. “Does that mean I have to pass an exam to go?” Tsk, it looked like he wouldn’t be able to go now. He didn’t have An Xiaoyu’s archery skills; he couldn’t even wield a club properly.

An Le shook the spear in his hand, feeling a deep sense of melancholy and regret.

Hunting—how fun that sounded.

An Le sighed and asked, “What do they test?” Maybe he could try to game the system. He was quite good at exams in school, except for physical education… While An Le was thinking this, he heard An Tong say, “Oh, you two don’t need to. The village chief specifically instructed us.”

An Le was even more surprised. “Grandpa An? He gave me special treatment?”

“Special treatment?” An Tong asked, not understanding the term.

An Linmian, however, was used to it. Although she didn’t know the phrase, she could guess the meaning. She explained, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. It was Grandpa An who asked me to find you yesterday and tell you to join the hunt. That’s why you don’t need to take the test.”

“So that’s how it is,” An Le murmured.

An Xiaoyu asked, “Why does the village chief want us to go hunting?”

An Linmian rolled her eyes. “To keep you warm, naturally. Even though Grandpa An likes An Le, he can’t mix personal feelings with public affairs. The order of priority is the old, weak, sick, and women, then men, and finally physically strong men! In order, it’s not your turn. So Grandpa An gave you special treatment and asked us to take you along and help you out a bit. Though, An Le, seeing how capable your wife is, I don’t think you’ll need our help.”

Can you please stop referring to An Xiaoyu as ‘your wife’? An Le silently complained, pretending not to hear. He said, “Got it. Please thank Grandpa An for me. Oh, no,” An Le suddenly remembered his promise last night to add furniture to An Xiaoyu’s room. He had planned to find Grandpa An today anyway. “I’ll go myself. I have something I need to talk to Grandpa An about. I’ll be going now, An Xiaoyu. You can stay here and play.”

With that, An Le walked away. Behind him, An Linmian called out, “What do you need to see Grandpa An about?”

“Adding a few pieces of furniture to An Xiaoyu’s room,” An Le replied without looking back.

“Huh?”

“Adding furniture to Xiaoyu’s room?” Village Chief An Mu looked at An Le with an ambiguous expression after hearing his words. “Sleeping in separate rooms right after getting married?”

“Huh? Ah…” An Le finally realized the meaning of the confused sound behind him when he left. After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out an excuse. He said, “An Xiaoyu… he snores! He snores, it’s too loud!”

“Oh, is that so? Hehe,” An Mu stroked his graying beard, smiling profoundly. “Alright, I’ll have someone send the furniture to your house later.”

“Th-thank you, Grandpa An. Then, I’ll head back now.” An Le didn’t think he could fool the wise Grandpa An. The more he said, the more mistakes he would make, so it was better to slip away quickly.

“Wait.”

Just as An Le was about to leave, An Mu stopped him again.

“Come here. I have something to give you,” An Mu said, leading An Le to the study. He took a slingshot from the wall and handed it to An Le, chuckling. “Take this to play with during the hunt.”

The Y-shaped frame was made of mulberry wood, the elastic was twisted from multiple deer tendons, and the pouch holding the projectile was made of sheepskin. An Le immediately pulled it back to test it. Although it required a bit of effort, he could manage it. Compared to a bow and arrow, a slingshot was simpler. An Le figured that after a few practice sessions, using it shouldn’t be a problem.

He could finally participate in the hunt properly. An Le was overjoyed and hugged An Mu affectionately. “Thank you, Grandpa An.”

An Mu patted An Le’s back with affection and instructed, “Be careful, and don’t stray too far from the hunting team.”

“I know!” An Le stepped away from An Mu and nodded obediently. “Then, Grandpa An, I’ll head back now.”

An Mu smiled kindly. “Go on. I’ll have someone send the furniture to you.”