Chapter Twenty-Nine: Atomic Bomb?

When Tie Xinyuan entered the abandoned garden carrying food, Xiaoling’er suddenly disappeared as they were walking, and then Tie Xinyuan saw her hanging upside down from a rope. She had accidentally stepped into a trap.

The other children and Tie Xinyuan stood frozen, not daring to move. Xiaofu’er swore that when they had left this place earlier that morning, there hadn’t been any traps. If something had changed, it must have happened during the day.

Just as Tie Xinyuan was worrying about the younger ones left at home, Xiaoqiao’er hobbled out from behind a tree, leaning on a crutch. She untied the rope fastened to the trunk and slowly rescued Xiaoling’er, who was sobbing in terror.

“Did you set this up?”

Tie Xinyuan was overjoyed and stepped forward to ask Xiaoqiao’er, thinking this was an unexpected windfall. But before he could say more, a bamboo switch shot out like lightning from the grass and struck his shin mercilessly.

He let out a miserable scream, tears streaming uncontrollably from his eyes. Even so, he warned Xiaofu’er and the others in a choked voice not to move.

Xiaoqiao’er showed no sign of apology. She stood in front of Tie Xinyuan and said, “For the next while, I’ll be setting up traps here, mostly as a warning. In half a month, you give me some money, and I’ll turn all these traps into lethal ones.”

“How would you do that?” Tie Xinyuan wiped away his tears and quickly asked.

“It’s simple. Just tie iron spikes to that bamboo switch that hit you, and at the end of the rope that hoisted Xiaoling’er, arrange some sharp points. I’ll also add some trapdoors and concealed crossbows. If we hollow out parts of the garden wall, fill them with kerosene, ignite them with a puppet fuse and a bit of sulfur, that corridor could incinerate thirty to fifty people… And the roof…”

Listening to Xiaoqiao’er describe her plans, Tie Xinyuan’s face twitched fiercely. He was starting to feel bewildered by the people around him.

His mother’s grandfather had once been a famed prime minister before the Song dynasty. Even though she had eventually married his father, a blacksmith, nothing could diminish the fact that she was an extraordinary woman.

He’d sought a teacher, only to discover that the man had no intention of taking him as a student; in fact, he’d only drawn close to express his regrets to his mother’s family.

He’d killed a ruffian extorting money from his family, only to learn that the man had been using the money to support a group of orphans.

And now, this illiterate, injured boy turned out to be a rare master of traps, describing devices Tie Xinyuan had never even heard of.

“Where’s the fox?”

Tie Xinyuan was startled and quickly looked around.

“Locked under the lotus jar,” Xiaoqiao’er replied calmly.

“Open it up!” Tie Xinyuan hobbled over to a lotus jar by the roadside and indeed heard the fox whimpering inside. It took him great effort to open the jar, and the fox, aggrieved, yelped and then relieved itself on the jar’s rim.

The group returned to their dilapidated hut. Xiaoqiao’er looked on with satisfaction as her younger siblings enjoyed their modest but tasty meal. She was even more pleased to watch Tie Xinyuan carefully put the earned coppers into a small wooden box and bury it under a flagstone.

After counting the money, Tie Xinyuan sighed, “We’re still far short. Houses in Dongjing are outrageously expensive. I asked an agent the other day—a two-courtyard house with a yard goes for at least five hundred strings of cash. And that’s in the Upper Tuchiao area. If we want something better, we’ll need at least eight hundred.”

Xiaoqiao’er thought for a while. “I don’t know much about these things. My family moved from Ganliang Circuit. My father had wanted to bring my mother and me to Dongjing for a better life, but before we arrived, they died on the journey. Had I known, I’d have stayed in Ganliang. Even with all the wars, at least there was a chance of survival…”

Tie Xinyuan frowned. “The Western Xia?”

Xiaoqiao’er looked up. “No idea. Who knows what country I belong to? My father said our ancestors were from Guanzhong, but after a drought, they moved to Ganliang. Now that there’s war there, we just keep moving. It doesn’t matter whose land it is—no one’s ever cared for us. By the way, my family made crossbows. Both my parents were skilled. If they were alive, supporting all these siblings wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Crossbows? What kind? The Song strictly forbids civilians from making them. Anyone caught is executed—no joking.”

Xiaoqiao’er smiled. “Making a crossbow isn’t as easy as you think. Just preparing the right wood—seasoning, varnishing, and wrapping with hemp—takes a year. Then you have to shape it, pick the sights, fit the trigger, string the bow. Making a repeating crossbow is even harder—it’s not a job for one person.”

“You learned your trap-making from your parents? Some of the things you mentioned—I’ve never even heard of. This isn’t ordinary knowledge, is it?”

“Of course not!” Xiaoqiao’er answered proudly. “The most ingenious things my family made weren’t even crossbows. We only sold those to make a living. My grandfather built our family into a crossbow-making household to give us a chance to survive. In times of chaos, no matter who won, they’d want us on their side.”

Tie Xinyuan nodded. “Doctors and skilled craftsmen—both are always treated with respect by those in power. Your ancestors made the right choice.”

“Wrong!” Xiaoqiao’er refuted him without hesitation. “Before my father died, he told me: don’t mess with dangerous things if you don’t have the cunning for it. Our family’s been full of good-hearted fools for generations. If we don’t die, who will?”

Seeing Xiaoqiao’er become so melancholy, Tie Xinyuan habitually handed her the wine he’d brought for his chess opponent. Xiaoqiao’er snatched it up and took a big swig before Tie Xinyuan, realizing his mistake, took it back. His attitude had been off lately—he was flattering people too sincerely, which was never good.

“Tomorrow, I have a big deal to make. This time I’m not bringing Xiaofu’er and the others. Shuizhu’er will do. I’ve realized that the more of us go, the more we’re just delivering ourselves to others.”

Xiaoqiao’er eyed the wine flask in Tie Xinyuan’s hand wistfully. “If only I had your shrewdness, my siblings wouldn’t have to suffer so much.”

Tie Xinyuan frowned. “Doesn’t Niu’er look after you? Why are you always short of food? He makes a good bit of money at the West Water Gate every month.”

Xiaoqiao’er glanced at her siblings eating, then whispered, “Niu’er wants the plans I have. He was afraid I’d run away, so he broke my leg, using my siblings to force me to give him the drawings. If I don’t draw for a day, we don’t eat for a day. They don’t know any of this.”

“Didn’t Niu’er help you out of pity? He even says he hasn’t taken his favorite courtesan out of the brothel because he’s too busy caring for you all.”

“You believe that?” Xiaoqiao’er seized the chance to snatch the wine flask from Tie Xinyuan and took another gulp.

“I… kind of do… mostly because Xiaoling’er and Xiaofu’er genuinely care for Niu’er.”

“They’re just neglected children. When someone shows up who seems like a father, they’ll run to him no matter what. What I’m telling you—just keep it to yourself. Don’t let them know.”

Tie Xinyuan shook his head with a smile. “Looks like if Niu’er doesn’t get killed by the Suan Ni gang, he’ll die by your hand sooner or later.”

“My father said I’m a good craftsman, but not a good head of the family. I originally wanted to die together with Niu’er.”

“Enough nonsense. Let me see your plans.”

“What’s the point? Can you even understand them? Giving them to you would be like showing a dog the stars.”

“Whether I can or not, let me see first.”

“Fine, if you want to look, go ahead. I think you’re clever. If we can sell these plans, we might finally have enough for a house.”

“What could possibly be so valuable? Explain it clearly—if I quote too high a price and get thrown out, that’ll be a huge embarrassment.”

Xiaoqiao’er snorted, then forcefully broke her crutch in two. The inside was hollow, and a roll of mulberry bark paper fell out.

Tie Xinyuan unrolled the paper and took one glance before hastily rolling it back up.

He lowered his voice. “Are you telling me these are designs for the Divine Arm Crossbow?”

Xiaoqiao’er was startled by Tie Xinyuan’s knowledge—she almost spat out her wine. After swallowing with difficulty, she whispered, “Do you think this could get us a house?”

Tie Xinyuan frowned. “If Li Yuanhao brought these to the emperor, he could probably trade them for two cities.”

“And us?”

Tie Xinyuan grimaced, exposing his white teeth. “It would cost us our lives—all our lives.”

Xiaoqiao’er nodded. “Exactly. Niu’er wants us all dead. But I don’t care anymore. Just keeping these plans almost cost me my leg. I can see you’re smarter than us. I’ll leave this to you. As far as I’m concerned, it never happened. Burn them if you want—it’s nothing to do with me.”

With that, Xiaoqiao’er seemed to have shed a huge burden. Hugging the wine flask, she went over to eat with the younger children. Today the steamed buns with pork skin were especially chewy and satisfying.

Tie Xinyuan opened the mulberry paper and examined it carefully. He knew the Divine Arm Crossbow was a formidable weapon on the battlefield for the Song army. It was because of this weapon that the Song dynasty managed to withstand the Mongol onslaught for so many years.

Its importance was beyond question.

At that moment, Tie Xinyuan felt as though he was holding blueprints for an atomic bomb—during World War II, no less.

Shivering, he quickly rolled up the plans, put them in a small box, and handed them to the fox. The fox immediately took the box and darted along the city wall toward home.

When it came to hiding things, Tie Xinyuan knew he was no match for that fox.

PS: Here is Chapter Three. I hope you enjoy it. Please, if you can, vote, bookmark, and click—fellow readers, I’d truly appreciate your support. Bowing deeply, Jie Yu.