Chapter 41: The Flame Endures, A Bowl of Brown Rice Settles the Hearts

In the dead silence, a tall figure pushed through the crowd. He carried a longbow on his back and a hunting knife at his waist, exuding a murderous aura like a beast that had just returned from the wild.

It was Ma San, the village hunter, known simply as Hunter Ma.

He glared at Shen Guilan, his eyes like blades, his voice as cold as ice: "Shen Guilan, when Old Gu leads men to guard the village, he’s risking his life for everyone, not acting as a private bodyguard for you alone! And you? You traded a scrap of embroidery just to buy favors, letting him take blows for you?"

The words were sharp and blunt, instantly reigniting the fire that had just been suppressed. The villagers’ expressions shifted again, doubt creeping back in. It was true—last night, Gu Changshan had indeed kept the longest watch near the Shen household.

Yet, faced with this stinging, face-to-face confrontation, there was not a trace of anger on Shen Guilan’s face. She simply turned and called into the house, "Xiuwei, bring out the food."

A moment later, Xiuwei emerged holding a large wooden basin. Steam rose in waves, revealing a full basin of freshly steamed brown rice. The fragrance of the grain filled the air, instantly overpowering the smell of the charred woodshed.

"Brother Ma," Shen Guilan picked up a coarse bowl, filled it with rice, and handed it over with both hands. "When Uncle Gu and his men patrol at night, they protect the whole village. When you hunters go into the mountains by day and guard against beasts by night, you protect the village too. This rice was bought with money I earned working for the embroidery shop in town. It is not for the Shen family alone; it is for all the night watchmen. Whoever stands watch gets a share."

Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear. She looked Hunter Ma directly in the eyes and pushed the bowl forward again, her gaze steady and open. "If you want to check if I have selfish motives, you might as well taste this bowl of rice first. See for yourself if this rice was stolen, or if it was earned by Xiuwei and me, stitch by agonizing stitch."

Hunter Ma’s body stiffened abruptly. He looked down and caught the familiar scent of rice mixed with the smell of firewood—it was the most grounding, yet most bitter memory of his childhood. He remembered his younger sister, who, because the family had no grain, had been married off by the clan to a dying old man for a dowry of a single bag of rice.

In that instant, the ferocity in his eyes vanished. His throat worked, and the tall, rugged man nearly broke into tears. He took the bowl without a word, walked to the stone block at the courtyard gate, and began to eat in large, hungry mouthfuls.

Just then, a woman named Mrs. Liu, who was usually quiet, stepped forward silently. She pulled two still-warm eggs from her bodice, gently placed them on the Shen family’s threshold, and whispered, "Sister Shen, I heard you coughing badly last night. These eggs are for Xiuwei, and for you—to build up your strength."

Shen Guilan looked at her, offered no thanks, but gave a heavy, meaningful nod. That same afternoon, the name "Mrs. Liu" was added to the embroidery workshop’s new roster, with a note appended: *Priority training.*

This scene silenced everyone who had been waiting for a spectacle.

***

A storm that could have driven a widow to her death was settled by a single basin of brown rice. By the afternoon, as Shen Guilan was teaching several women how to thread needles, an old woman leaning on a crutch hobbled in. It was her mother-in-law, Madam Zhang.

As soon as she entered, she began to wail, patting her chest. "My poor granddaughter! I heard the woodshed caught fire—was Xiuwei burned? My heart as a grandmother is breaking!"

She reached out to grab Xiuwei as she cried, but there was no pity in her eyes—only calculation. Shen Guilan calmly pulled Xiuwei behind her and walked to a ceramic jar in the courtyard. In front of everyone, she reached in and pulled out three strings of copper coins.

"There were three people on watch last night. According to the workshop rules, it’s ten coins each. This comes from the public ledger." She handed two strings to two villagers, then took the third, added five more coins, and walked toward Hunter Ma, who was still eating. "Brother Ma is not from this village, but he contributed to the defense last night. These fifteen coins are a token of our collective gratitude."

Hunter Ma was stunned and looked up to decline, but Shen Guilan pressed his hand down. "This money isn't from me; it’s from the embroidery workshop. The ledger is hanging on the courtyard wall; anyone can look at it, anyone can audit it." She raised her voice, staring at Madam Zhang. "Mother, if you truly care for your granddaughter and for us, a widowed mother and daughter, perhaps you should donate some firewood or grain. I will immediately record it as a 'charitable act' in the ledger so the whole village knows how benevolent you are."

Madam Zhang’s wailing stopped instantly, her face turning the color of a bruised liver. Ask her to spend money? She would rather die! She opened her mouth, unable to find words, and finally, under the cold, mocking gazes of the crowd, she hobbled away in defeat.

By evening, the setting sun bathed the small courtyard in light. Shen Guilan gathered all the women who wished to join the workshop and announced, "From today on, for every household whose man joins the night patrol, the women of that house will have their training fees waived for the first three days!"

Before the words had even left her lips, Liu the Blacksmith dropped his hammer with a *clang* and shouted, "Count me in! I’ll round up the men tonight—we’ll form a proper night patrol!"

Immediately, a chorus of voices rose in response. The men would guard the village, the women would earn their keep—at last, there was hope for the future!

Shen Guilan then had Xiuwei bring out a wooden box. Inside were ten pre-prepared copies of the *Twin Eagles* embroidery pattern. She distributed them to ten widows in the village who had been bullied by gossip, attaching a single message to each: "With needle and thread in hand, why fear the words of others?"

When Mrs. Liu took hers, her eyes turned red. That very night, she hung that crookedly stitched *Twin Eagles* embroidery on her own door.

***

The stitches were imperfect, but her back was straighter than it had ever been.

Deep in the night, the embroidery fabric drying in the yard shimmered under the moonlight. A dark figure slipped silently into the back courtyard. It was Gu Changshan.

He handed over a heavy ceramic jar, his voice raspy. "Freshly picked herbs. For the cough. Hunter Ma has already taken his men to patrol the Southern Ridge to keep the thieves from returning."

Shen Guilan took the jar, the warmth of his palm still lingering on it. She suddenly looked up at him. "Why do you believe me?"

Gu Changshan stood in the shadows, silent for a long time—so long that she thought he would not answer. Finally, he spoke, his voice so low it sounded as if it were coming from far away. "Before my mother died... the villagers said she was 'unsettled,' too. Later, she jumped from the Broken Dragon Cliff."

Shen Guilan’s heart tightened, her fingers unconsciously stroking the cold medicine jar. She took a breath, the moonlight illuminating her face, her eyes resolute. "Then this time, I will not jump."

She paused, looking at the embroidery fabric fluttering in the wind like banners. "I will embroider."

The wind grew stronger. In the village, the new patrol struck their first beat on the wooden clapper—loud and powerful, driving away the night and alarming the cold, malicious eyes watching from the dark.

Three days passed. The village remained safe, but the lights in the Shen family workshop burned every night. More and more women joined, and the entries in the public ledger grew with each passing day. Yet, it was precisely because of this ledger that a venomous gaze was drawn to them.

Li Cuihua stood in the distance, staring intently at the names of Mrs. Liu, the blacksmith’s wife, and the others in the ledger—they had all received embroidery thread and advanced wages. Her fingernails dug into her palms.

*Why?*

*Why should they get all the benefits?*