Living on a Mountain with my Husband

Chapter 40: MYSTERIOUS PAST

With things finally resolved, Mrs Li went to the kitchen to cook the deer that was butchered earlier and old man Li asked Zimo if he wanted to look at the shovel and pot he asked for.

Zimo agreed, he was still a little timid, but LongWei nudge him lightly.

LongWei decided to follow Mrs Li and talk to her in the kitchen.

....

In the kitchen LongWei first washed his hands and moved close to help.

"I'm sorry about Zimo's reaction earlier. He seems to have a difficult time talking about his problems." LongWei said.

"You don't need to apologize. I assumed he cooked and took care of the house while you hunted and did the heavier work." Mrs Li said feeling a little embarrassed.

"Our relationship doesn't  have such easily defined roles. I handle the butchering, fire, hunting, and work that needs a little more strength. Zimo is also a man, so he is not afraid to do heavy work.
He cares for the animals, garden, gathering wood, building the foundation for the new house. He can do anything as long as it doesn't involve fire or butchering. The other he asked if I could teach him how to hunt. The only thing preventing him from doing everything is his body and fear of fire." LongWei explained.

He didn't want Mrs Li to misunderstand their life together. It's true that while at the Li's house Zimo is often sick and being protected by LongWei. However up in the mountain Zimo is not timid in anything he does.

"I'm surprised he does so much. Is it okay for his body?"
Mrs Li asked.

"He can be quite stubborn when he wants to do things, but usually he lets me handle the tougher jobs when I insist. He understands his body isn't as healthy, but sometimes I return after hunting and saw a large amount of firewood chopped or work done. I've had to remind him not to overdo it more than once." LongWei chuckling as he remembered the time he arrived home to see all the uncut firewood cut and piled up to his waist.

"LongWei, do you know anything about childhood?" Mrs Li asked. For someone to have such poor health and fear, it couldn't just be from living at the Yuan's for less than a month.

"I don't. He won't talk about it. The Zheng's are from the same village, but they live on the other side. Our paths have never crossed before, and I've never been interested in gossip. But I suspect it might have been just as bad, or maybe worse than how it was at my family home." LongWei said. It's not that he didn't want to ask Zimo, but he felt like Zimo wasn't ready to tell him.

"LongWei is there anything else I need to be careful with XiaoMo? I don't want what happened today to elect itself." Mrs Li asked. She liked Zimo and her motherly instincts naturally wanted to help and protect him.

"Fire, is the biggest thing. And although he can't hear very well, if there is a loud noise he frightens easily. The only other thing would be other people. He doesn't do well with strangers or large crowds." LongWei explained.

"I understand." Mrs Li said.

....

In the backyard Zimo was admiring the shovel old man Li had made. It was exactly how he wanted it. The tip was set to a point with one edge serrated with wide teeth and a flat area that can be used as a foothold when pressing down. The handle was made from thick wood and on the end was an iron grip.

"You said the length was important, so I made these three different lengths." Old man Li aid as he handed Zimo the shortest of the three.

"This length is perfect for me." he said as he manipulated the shovel.

The next shovel was about five centimetres longer closer to what the old man Li would be most comfortable using and the last one was best for someone with LongWei's height.

"These look great. This short one and the longest one would be nice for myself and LongWei." Zimo said as he turned around. Old man Li was standing there staring at Zimo mouth open in shock.

Just now Zimo had unconsciously manipulated the shovel like he had learned in the army. The shovel is it as a weapon and a tool. So when Zimo held it he didn't do the usual action of digging a hole but also swung it around, thrust it out, swiped it left to right, up and down, and a few other quick moves.

Old man Li had lived and worked in the army as a blacksmith for many years. He had seen men and generals test out the swords, spears, and bows he made in the same way. Seeing Zimo do the same and with such precision surprised him. "Where did this boy learn martial arts?" He wondered.

Next was the iron pot with a metal plate down the middle. The pot was a good size, and well made. Looking at it Zimo was obviously satisfied and couldn't help but drool a little at the prospect of eating hotpot soon.

...

After dinner, Zimo went to the room first to wash and prepare for bed. Old man Li was still curious about the martial arts Zimo had showed with the shovel earlier. He remembered his wife mentioning how he had fought the men on the cart previously and couldn't hold back his curiosity.

"LongWei can I speak with you for a moment?" Old man Li asked.

LongWei turned back waiting to hear what was next.

"The thing is, Zimo showed off some kind of martial arts today when he looked at the shovel. I've never seen that kind of style before, but these old eyes of mine know it's strong and deadly. Where did he learn something like that?" Old man Li asked.

LongWei was shocked at what old man Li said. He had heard before that Zimo knew how to fight. There was also the time Zimo was angry at him and managed to slip past him several times. However he didn't see anything in particular that could be considered martial arts.

"I've never seen it, and he doesn't talk about himself much." LongWei said, feeling conflicted. There was a lot about Zimo he didn't know, but he was too scared to ask. He could only wait for Zimo to tell him when he was ready.

...