Volume 1, Chapter 3: Fire!

Back in the mud hut, Xu Mo looked at the madwoman wrapped in a quilt, crouching by the fire. He smiled, took out a new cotton-padded jacket, and said, "Weiwei, let me help you put on this new jacket."

In his past life, Xu Mo did not know her real name until he returned home on leave to erect a tombstone for her.

The madwoman’s delicate body trembled slightly, and a flicker of surprise appeared in her eyes, which were usually obscured by her long, unkempt hair. Unfortunately, due to the angle, Xu Mo did not see it.

Xu Mo pulled back the quilt, helped Liu Weiwei put on the new jacket, and nodded with satisfaction. He then walked out of the mud hut, gathered some clay bricks, and stacked them into a makeshift stand near the fire. He placed the iron pot on the stand, shoveled in some snow, and then used his wood knife to chop the wolf meat into pieces and toss them into the pot.

After sprinkling in a bit of coarse salt, Xu Mo began tinkering with his hunting rifle. It was an old-fashioned piece; judging by its appearance, it hadn't been maintained in a long time. The trigger was loose, and the stock was coming apart.

The madwoman stared intently at Xu Mo as he dismantled the rifle, her shock beyond words. In this season, with the mountains sealed by heavy snow, he had actually gone into the mountains alone and hunted a wolf? Furthermore, why was he so fast and skilled at dismantling the rifle?

Tearing open the cloth that wrapped the rifle, Xu Mo dipped it into some floating grease in the pot and began to wipe the weapon carefully. Unable to get gun oil, he had to make do with animal fat. This old rifle had plenty of heft, but unfortunately, it was a single-shot, and its aim was significantly off; it needed calibration.

"Click!"

He chambered a round. Xu Mo figured he should find an opportunity to fire a shot soon. If he didn't understand the weapon in his hands, it could lead to major trouble at a critical moment.

"Eat, eat, eat!!!"

Just then, the madwoman picked up a sharp stick from the ground, poked at the wolf meat in the pot, and clamored in a simple-minded way.

Xu Mo put down the rifle, looked at the madwoman’s comical appearance, and smiled slightly. "I'll handle it; don't burn yourself."

Without bowls or chopsticks, Xu Mo used the sharp stick to spear a piece of meat from the pot and handed it to the madwoman. He then speared a piece for himself and began to chew hungrily. From start to finish, Xu Mo kept his eyes on the madwoman, and seeing her table manners were even worse than his own, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The aroma of meat filled the mud hut.

In the main house, Xiao Cui, who was heavily pregnant, couldn't sleep—not just because of the cold, but because of hunger. Suddenly, she twitched her nose. "Meat... the smell of meat!"

"Anzi, Anzi, wake up!" Xiao Cui frantically tapped her husband, Xu An, who was sleeping beside her—Xu Mo’s older brother.

"What is it? Can't a man get some sleep? If you weren't carrying that big belly, I’d give you a slap," Xu An grumbled irritably, rolling over with his back to her.

"The smell of meat! Someone is eating meat!" Xiao Cui urged, hitting his arm.

Meat?

Xu An suddenly sat up. He twitched his nose, caught the scent wafting through the air, and nearly drooled. The old man and their mother were also awakened.

"Such a heavy, gamey smell. Is it fox or wolf?" The father sniffed the air, got out of bed, and put on his shoes.

The mother smacked her lips. "Old man, go take a look at Tiezi’s place next door. If they really hunted some wild game, swallow your pride and borrow some. We haven't had meat in ages."

"Right."

"Dad, I'm coming too!"

The father and Xu An put on their felt hats, wrapped scarves around their faces, tucked their hands into their sleeves, and walked out of the main house.

"That's not right!"

Following the scent, the father turned his head toward the back of their property. "Why is the smell of meat coming from behind the house?"

Behind the house was a bamboo grove; there were no residences there.

"Dad, could it be that Blackie managed to get some meat?"

As he spoke, excitement flared in Xu An’s exposed eyes, and he hurried toward the mud hut in the back. "Dad, it’s definitely coming from the mud hut!"

Inside the mud hut, hearing the excited shouting outside, Xu Mo narrowed his eyes. He grabbed the rifle and stepped out of the hut. As soon as he stepped out, he saw Xu An running toward him in high spirits.

"Blackie, you're the ones cooking meat, right? I smelled it. Hurry up, give your brother a few pieces to taste!"

As Xu An strode toward the hut, his footsteps suddenly stiffened. He stared wide-eyed at the rifle raised by Xu Mo. "Blackie, have you lost your mind? You dare point a gun at me?"

"Get lost!"

Xu Mo’s gaze was icy as he stared at the cursing Xu An.

"You ungrateful wretch, you dare tell me to get lost? I’m your brother, your own flesh and blood! Damn it, now that you've got meat, shouldn't you be offering it to your parents and me first?" Xu An gestured at Xu Mo, cursing indignantly.

"Blackie, even though you and your brother have split the household, you're still kin bound by blood. Besides, are you just going to ignore your parents?" The father glared, stepping forward; he didn't believe for a second that his usually timid second son would actually dare to fire. However, he wondered to himself, where did he get that rifle?

Xu Mo squinted, aiming directly at the center of Xu An’s forehead. His finger rested on the trigger.

"BOOM!!!"

A deafening gunshot rang out. Acrid gunpowder smoke rose from the barrel.

"AHHH!!!"

Xu An let out a shrill scream, clutching his ears and rolling on the ground as blood oozed between his fingers.

"The margin of error is huge," Xu Mo muttered, watching Xu An writhing and screaming on the ground. He lacked the tools to calibrate the old rifle's precision. However, he could adapt to the rifle's quirks. That was why he had wanted to fire a test shot earlier.

As for whether this shot might have killed Xu An? If it had, it had.

The father stood as if struck by lightning, staring blankly at Xu Mo as he lowered the rifle. He felt a chill run through his entire body; this beast actually dared to shoot!

"If you come any closer, I'll kill you!"

Xu Mo spat on the ground, turned back into the hut, took the remaining bullets from his pocket, and reloaded.

The screams outside gradually faded into the distance. In his past life, he had been manipulated by his parents and brother for half his life; he knew their nature well—kind words were useless. Only by being fiercer and more ruthless than them would they dare not provoke him again.

Using the remaining cloth, he fashioned a sling for the old rifle and hid the rest of the wolf meat in a pile of snow. Looking up at the meter-wide hole in his roof, Xu Mo frowned, shouldered the rifle, and walked out of the mud hut.

The Xu family home had four rooms: the main room, the small room, the kitchen, and the mud hut. The mud hut had originally been for firewood, but since they had run out of fuel, it had been left empty and assigned to Xu Mo.

With the rifle on his back, Xu Mo walked into the front courtyard. Hearing his mother’s cursing and Xu An’s pained wails from the main house, he let out a cold snort. He entered the small room, found a ladder, and began tearing off the roof tiles...