The stew was still steaming, and for a moment he just stood there looking at it.
It had been piping hot for awhile now, so Gu Xu carefully lifted the lid of the pot and checked on it to see how far it had come along and whether it was soon going to be ready to serve for breakfast.
The smell of the fish and wild herbs filled the small cottage, warm and comforting, a rare feeling in that house.
He went and washed some wooden dishes nearby and set them down quietly. His stomach hurt from hunger, and his body ached from the beating and the poison from the night before. The smell alone made him feel weak.
Just as he was about to take a short rest, Gui Xu stood up abruptly.
"Watch the stew," he said. "Those noisy brats are shouting again!"
He walked outside like a man on a very important mission, grumbling loudly.
Gu Xu heard children laughing somewhere near the neighbouring cottage, followed by the heavy sound of Gui Xu's footsteps across the wet ground.
Then Gui Xu's voice exploded like thunder.
"Hey! You little shits! Shut your mouths! Are you trying to bring the roof down with that noise!?"
The children went silent immediately.
A moment later, a woman came running from the direction of the family farm, her hands still muddy from work.
"I'm sorry, Gui Xu," she said, slightly out of breath. "They're just small children. There's no need to shout at them like that."
Gui Xu turned to her slowly, then laughed roughly like a demon had possessed him.
"Don't try to control me!" he said. "I can't be controlled. Is it my fault that you have stupid children!?"
The woman's face stiffened, but she didn't argue. Everyone in that part of the village knew Gui Xu was not a reasonable man. Arguing with him was like arguing with a drunk donkey — loud, pointless, and likely to end badly.
She quietly gathered her children and led them away without another word.
Gui Xu stood there for a moment, chest puffed out, looking very pleased with himself, as if he had just won a great battle.
Then he turned and walked back into the cottage.
He entered with a triumphant expression and saw Gu Xu setting the bowls.
Gui Xu frowned immediately.
"What's that for?" he asked sharply. "Are you trying to eat without working?"
Gu Xu quickly stood up.
"Go wash the mats and animal skins," Gui Xu interrupted, waving his hand impatiently. "Hang them out to dry so they're ready when my brother comes! Do you want the Chief to think we live like pigs!?"
Gu Xu felt a small wave of dismay, but he wasn't surprised. He nodded quietly.
Gu Xu stepped away from the table and went to gather the rolled-up mats and animal skins. He thought to himself, "Disgusting!" As they were heavy and smelled damp and sour from sweat and old alcohol.
He carried them outside toward the stream to wash them, he glanced once at the pot of stew on the table.
He had a bad feeling there wouldn't be much left when he came back.
By the time he finished washing the mats and skins and hung them over a rope to dry, his arms were trembling from the effort and the cold water. His cuts stung, and the bruises on his back ached every time he bent over.
When he returned to the cottage, his fear was confirmed.
The pot was almost empty.
Gui Xu sat there with a full belly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
He had eaten most of it. At least seventy percent.
Gui Xu leaned back and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Not bad," he said. "You didn't ruin it."
Gu Xu walked slowly to the table and looked into the pot. A few pieces of fish and some broth remained.
Gui Xu stood up, grabbed one of the gourds, and headed toward the door.
"I'm going out," he said. "Don't just sit around. Make sure the place is clean. The Chief will be here later."
Then he left.
Gu Xu stood alone in the quiet cottage.
He sat down slowly and pulled the pot closer. He poured what was left into his bowl and began to eat quickly.
He was very hungry.
His body needed food to heal, and the warm stew felt like life returning to his limbs. He ate every piece hungrily, even picking small bits of fish from the bottom of the pot.
When he finished, he sat there for a moment, breathing slowly.
Then he stood up, and began cleaning the house.
-
At the edge of the village, Gui Xu sat around with a few other men under a large tree. Some worthless fellows from the village.
They were gathered around a small wooden board, each holding a thin stick. In the center was a small fighting cricket in a tiny ring.
They were gambling.
Cricket gambling had been banned in the Cheetah Tribe because it caused too many fights and too much debt, but men like Gui Xu didn't care much about rules.
"Ha! Mine will win this round," one of the men said.
"You said that last time," Gui Xu replied, grinning. "And you still owe me a couple of silver coins."
They leaned in closely, watching the insects fight, completely absorbed.
Just then, a man wearing the Chief's insignia approached.
He was a messenger.
He stopped near the group and looked down at them coldly.
The men froze like as if they had been pinned in place.
No one spoke.
If a pin was dropped in their midst at that moment, all would have been able to hear it well.
Everyone in the tribe knew cricket gambling was banned.
The messenger let the silence sit for a moment, then spoke.
"Gui Xu," he said. "I have come to announce that Chief Lei Xu will arrive at your house in one hour. Be ready."
Gui Xu stared at him for half a second.
Then he immediately threw down his stick and stood up.
"In one hour?" he repeated.
"Yes."
Gui Xu didn't say another word. He grabbed his things and started running quickly back toward his cottage.
Behind him, the other drunkards looked very nervous. They all stared at the messenger.
The messenger looked at them sternly at first, making them sweat.
Then slowly… he stretched out his hand with a small smile.
The men understood immediately.
They quickly gathered a few pieces of silver and placed them into his hand.
The messenger nodded slightly, tucked the silver away, and walked off as if nothing had happened.
The drunkards let out a long breath of relief.
-
When Gui Xu returned home, he stopped outside for a moment and looked at the cottage.
It was cleaner than usual.
Inside, the table was wiped, the floor had been swept, and the mats were hanging outside to dry. It was not perfect, but it was as clean as a twelve-year-old boy could make it.
The smell of alcohol and damp wood still lingered in the air, but it was better than before.
Gui Xu suddenly felt very nervous.
He looked around quickly, then grabbed the gourds of alcohol and hurried behind the cottage to hide them in the bushes.
Then he ran to the neighbour's garden, quickly tore off some fragrant flowers, and rushed back inside. He placed the flowers in a clay cup with water and set them on the table.
He looked around again, breathing a little fast.
Then he turned to Gu Xu.
"Go wash your ugly face again," he said. "And fix your clothes. Don't just stand there looking like a beggar when the Chief arrives!"
Gu Xu nodded and went to wash his face, though he left some of the ash and bruises visible.
Time passed slowly.
The air around felt heavy and ominous.
Then, from the distance, they heard something.
Two long horn blasts.
The royal horns!
Gui Xu froze.
Outside, people had begun to gather.
Neighbours came out of their houses, pretending to do chores but clearly watching.
Some of them looked curious. Others looked amused, while others were visibly happy.
Being the Chief's brother, Gui Xu had bullied many people over the years.
Seeing the Chief coming to his house for "family discipline" was something many people wanted to witness.
But there were also some women and mothers in the crowd who looked at Gu Xu with quiet pity. They had seen him grow up. And they knew he was not like his father.
The horns sounded again.
More people gathered until there was a large crowd around the cottage.
Then Chief Lei Xu appeared on the path, walking slowly with his retinue and several of the highest elders of the Cheetah Tribe behind him.
He walked with calm authority, his presence alone making people step back and lower their heads.
Gui Xu's hands began to sweat.
His earlier arrogance had completely disappeared.
He looked like a different man now — tense, nervous, almost small.
Gu Xu stepped out of his room and stood beside his father.
Surprisingly, he felt calm.
Not happy.
Not brave.
Just… calm.
Maybe it was because so many bad things had already happened that he had nothing left to be afraid of.
Chief Lei Xu stopped a short distance in front of the cottage.
The crowd went completely silent.
Gui Xu and Gu Xu stepped forward together, then both bowed deeply in front of the Chief and the elders, in full view of everyone gathered there.
And as Gu Xu bent his head, he knew that whatever happened next… would decide what kind of life he would live from now on.