Using a gun was no big deal for me… I once went for a shooting class, shot five bottles without blinking. Something in me then told me I had a thing for being a prosecutor.
Carrying a basket and wearing it like a backpack, I made my way to the mountain.
The trees were tall and thick, their shadows swallowing most of the sunlight. The air was cool, with the faint smell of damp soil and leaves. Birds chirped above while small animals rustled in the bushes.
Carefully, I moved deeper, holding the gun ready. My eyes scanned the area until movement caught my attention, a black lamb grazing quietly near a small stream.
Perfect.
I steadied my breath, aimed, and with one precise pull of the trigger — BANG! — the lamb dropped instantly.
No need for a second shot.
Walking over, I quickly checked it, then placed the lamb into my basket. The weight pressed against my back, but I couldn't help the small smile on my lips. I can finally start earning money.
I had to remove the lamb from the basket and started to drag it home instead.
As I dragged it the villagers all seemed surprise as they all stared in curiously. Such lousy people.
"Lin Xu you really killed a lamb?" A fat woman said curiously.
"We never knew you were this strong!" Another villager said.
Hearing their words I just smiled awkwardly as I pulled it quickly back home.
By the time I returned home, Yan Mei was sitting outside with Yiling and Yuen. The moment they saw me dragging the basket in, they all froze.
"Mama… is that-" Yiling's eyes widened.
I set the basket down and pulled the lamb out. "Dinner."
"Waaahhh!" Yuen gasped loudly. "Mama killed a whole lamb!"
Yan Mei's mouth hung open for a moment before she broke into a wide grin. "Lin Xu! You're incredible! you killed a whole lamb all by yourself, how did you do it?!"
The kids cheered, clapping their hands as they gathered around me.
"I didn't do much, I just saw it at it's weak point so I killed it and took it."
Sometime later, Yan Mei and I handled the lamb and hanged the one I was going to sell while I stored the one we would be using for dinner tonight.
Suddenly a shadow passed by the front of the house. It was Lu Fong, strolling by lazily. His eyes landed on the lamb in the yard, and immediately his brows twitch.
He slowed down, tilting his head as he caught bits of their conversation.
"…Mama killed a lamb in the mountain…"
That was all he needed to hear before the smile on his face. Without another word, he walked off quickly. From that looking, something was definitely coming.
Not long after, the peace of the morning was shattered by loud voices and footsteps.
"Open the gate!"
Madame Lu marched into my compound, her face twisted in fake anger, followed by several villagers. Lu Fei was at her side, pretending to look hurt, while Lu Fong smirked behind her.
"Lin Xu!" Madame Lu's voice cut through the air. "Return what you stole! That lamb belongs to my son. He killed it in the mountain this morning and you took it!"
The villagers turned their eyes to me, whispering among themselves.
Standing up, I brows raised slightly in confusion, "Lamb? What are you talking about?"
"Aunt Lu, why are you lieing? Every here knows that Lu Fong that lazy frog can't even lift a pile of wood talk less of kill a lamb."
Yan Mei defended as the villagers laughed and nodded their heads in agreement.
"Y-you.. w-what do you mean? Who says I can't kill a lamb? You have no proof that the lamb belongs to you.. so you can't accuse my mother of lieing!" He said as he stammered a little.
Aunt Lu suddenly clutched her chest and staggered a little, her lips trembling as if the weight of the world had just crushed her. Then, just like a street performer desperate for coins, she burst into a wail.
"Ahhh… Heaven help me! This shameless woman… she stole my son's lamb! How can I feed my poor children now?!" Her voice cracked at all the wrong places, her eyes darting around to make sure the villagers were watching.
She dropped to her knees and slapped the ground, rocking back and forth like her heart was breaking. "Villagers! Tell me, if someone steals from your family, should we not take justice into our own hands?!"
Murmurs rose instantly.
"She has a point… if it was truly theirs, she should return it," one man said.
Another woman frowned, arms crossed. "But… Lin Xu's always been weak. How could she kill a lamb on her own?"
"I agree. Unless… she picked it up after someone else killed it."
The whispers began to stack against me, and I saw Lu Fong standing at the back, his smirk stretching wider.
Before I could speak, little Mo Yuen shuffled towards me, his small face scrunched up in a perfect display of innocence. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he tugged my sleeve.
"Mama… are they going to take our white lamb away?" he asked, his voice trembling.
I froze for a split second, then the corner of my lips curled. Ah… this child. Clever.
Turning back to Aunt Lu, I raised my voice so everyone could hear. "Aunt Lu, since you're so sure the lamb is yours, why don't you tell us, what color was it?"
"White!" she blurted out.
"White!" Lu Fong echoed right after, puffing out his chest as if that proved anything.
For one heartbeat, the entire place was silent. Then, a roar of laughter exploded from the crowd.
Yan Mei slapped her thigh, bending over with tears in her eyes. The children were cackling, holding their bellies.
I tilted my head with a small smile. "That's strange… because the lamb I killed was black."
Gasps and chuckles rippled through the villagers.
"Black?!" one old man laughed. "Then how can it be theirs?"
"Ah… Aunt Lu, caught in your own lie," another snorted.
Madame Lu's face drained of color, and Lu Fong's smirk vanished faster than a rabbit spotting a hawk.
"Y-you!" He stood up angrily, "Lin Xu you bit*h you tricked us!" He pointed, ready to explode.
"If it was truly your lamb, then there is nothing to trick you with.. you dared to steal my lamb.. you are really shameless."
Turning around I immediately went on ahead to get my broom as I used it to chase them all away from my compound as they shouted.
"Y-YOU LIN XU, YOU WILL SURELY PAY FOR THIS!"
"YOU THINK YOU'VE ESCAPED, I'LL TEACH YOU A LESSON!"
Teach who a lesson? Next time, I would beat them all so bad they leave here with swollen legs.
Sigh! Truly living back in the olden days was really stressful.
Annoying in-laws and nosy villagers, couldn't there ever be a day of peace.