Chapter 53: The Birth of a Bow

“Little girl, come on, let’s go home and find some bowstrings!” Grandpa Du Yun strode out of Old Wood’s house, holding the body of the bow in his hand, his face brimming with a triumphant smile. He looked every bit like a victorious general, marching forward with pride and confidence.

“Grandpa, are you very close with Grandpa Old Wood?” Du Yun was a little curious about the way her grandfather interacted with Old Wood. The two of them seemed to get along well and had great rapport, yet every time they met, they would quarrel.

If their relationship wasn’t good, Grandpa wouldn’t just take Old Wood’s timber and make things out of it, and Old Wood never minded at all, as if it was the most natural thing. Even Huaili didn’t find it strange—truly odd.

“Who’s close with that old thing? All he does is drink all day and laze about—I wouldn’t call us close at all!” Grandpa Du Yun snorted, completely dismissive of Old Wood, and strode off.

After a while, he suddenly turned back, his eyes sparkling as he said to Du Yun, “I think we still have some ox tendons at home. Let’s see if we can use them for making bowstrings!”

Grandpa led Du Yun home. As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, they saw Grandma standing at the door, clearly waiting for them. The moment she saw the bow body in Grandpa’s hand, her eyes widened in anger.

“I was wondering why you still hadn’t come home—you ran off to Old Wood again? What exactly are you up to, hmm?” Grandma hurried over, reaching for the bow to snatch it from Grandpa’s hands, her manner fierce and imposing.

“Don’t, don’t! I just went to make something—Yun needs it.” Grandpa replied helplessly, hurriedly hiding the wooden bow behind his back.

“Don’t say it’s for Yun! You stubborn old thing, still so unwilling to let go. Give it to me—are you giving it or not?” Grandma grew even angrier seeing Grandpa hide the bow behind him, her face flushing red as she made to bump into him.

“Oh, don’t make a fuss—it really is for Du Yun.” As Grandpa spoke, he turned and stuffed the bow into Du Yun’s arms, whispering, “Quick, go, go!”

Watching her grandparents act like children, Du Yun could hardly hold back a laugh. Though her grandmother seemed furious, she didn’t actually go too far—otherwise, Grandpa wouldn’t be using this opportunity to pass her the bow in secret.

“Is it really for Yun?” Grandma eyed the bow in Du Yun’s hands, seeing her granddaughter’s calm expression and feeling somewhat convinced. She gave Grandpa a fierce glare and asked.

“Nana, yes, it’s for me,” Du Yun hurried to smooth things over. “Since we live so close to the mountains, I thought I’d take a walk and explore.”

While Grandpa was making the bow, Du Yun had already been thinking about how to explain her wish for a bow and arrow. As a girl, in the peaceful era of Bluewater Star, it was hard to find a reasonable excuse—she couldn’t very well say the truth, that she could travel to a zombie-infested planet. So she decided to pretend it was for hunting and adventure.

“What’s there to do in the mountains? A girl should spend her time making food to sell instead.” Grandma clearly didn’t approve, but she didn’t stop her either, especially since Du Yun had just brought home so much meat, fabric, and even a dollar and a half.

“Nana, don’t worry, making money won’t be delayed.” Du Yun grinned, clutching the bow as she dashed into her room. Her excuse had been flimsy, and she’d felt guilty even as she said it. If Grandma had pressed further, she wouldn’t have known how to answer.

Seeing Du Yun leave with the bow, Grandpa finally breathed a sigh of relief. Grandma glared at him and turned to go, and only then did Grandpa mutter softly behind her, “It’s been decades—our lives are half in the grave already. Who has the energy for old secrets anymore?”

“You still dare talk? If you weren’t still so stubborn, would I be this angry?” Grandma suddenly spun around, jabbing her finger at Grandpa’s nose as she scolded him.

“Hehe, don’t be mad—so many years have passed, what’s there to be jealous about? Besides, I’ve never had a second thought about you. Don’t you believe me?”

Grandpa tried to placate her with a sheepish grin, and Grandma finally calmed down, shaking out her apron. “You’ve gotten sawdust and dirt all over yourself again—go clean up, it’s time to eat!”

“All right, all right, time for dinner!” Seeing Grandma’s mood improve, Grandpa relaxed as well, and went off to wash up and have his meal.

After dinner, Grandpa somehow managed to dig up a bundle of ox tendons, hiding them in his sleeve with a conspiratorial air as he approached Du Yun to show her.

“These are for making bowstrings?” Du Yun looked at the ox tendons, unsure how to start. They looked just like a bundle of threads—how was she supposed to attach them to a bow? Even if she managed it, how would she make sure they were tight enough?

“That’s right—this is the good stuff. Watch!” Grandpa measured out the bowstring’s length, then his hands flew as he worked, knotting the string quickly. Du Yun couldn’t see clearly, but she vaguely made out the motion of tying knots.

Then Grandpa picked up the wooden bow, looped one end of the string onto it, then pressed and twisted the other end, and the string snapped taut across the bow.

“Wow, Grandpa, you’re so fast!” In just a moment, Grandpa had finished stringing the bow, and Du Yun was amazed by his speed. Looking at the finished bow before her, she couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.

“Haha, that’s nothing—when I was younger, I was even more skilled!” Her wonder made Grandpa beam with pride, stroking his chin, his manner that of a hero basking in admiration.

“Grandpa, let’s go try it outside!” Du Yun caressed the bow in her hands—the wooden body had just the right curve, the surface was polished smooth, and the bowstring was stretched tight, cool to the touch and full of latent power. She was thrilled and impatient to try it out.

“It’s late today. Tomorrow, wait at home—after lunch I’ll take you up the mountain to test it.” Grandpa smiled, evidently very satisfied with the bow as well. “In the meantime, you can wrap some hemp rope around the handle and both ends, so it doesn’t slip when you use it.”

“All right!” Du Yun eagerly stroked her new bow, her mind already rifling through her storage space for materials to upgrade its grip and anti-slip features. She looked forward to tomorrow with bright anticipation.

Tomorrow, the story will be released—nervous, nervous, begging for your first subscription and support!