"Dad, why does that big swallow always greet you whenever you come out?" Chu Xi asked Jiang Lin, who was circling above the yard.
"Does it?" Chu Dad replied without looking up as he weeded the vegetable patch.
Actually, Chu Xi was the only one in the family who paid attention to this swallow. For Chu Dad, most animals were either for hunting and eating or for selling. However, neither he nor his wife interfered too much with their daughter's little hobby. Sometimes, they would even help their daughter check if the big swallow's nest had been occupied by other birds or if heavy rain would affect the nest.
"Yes, it does. Whenever you come out of the backyard these past few days, it flies out." Chu Xi said seriously, "You've come out three times today, and it's flown out three times." To her, this was a greeting.
"Is that so?" Hearing his daughter say that, Chu Dad seemed a bit surprised. He finished pulling the last weed in the vegetable patch and looked up from the ground. Indeed, the big swallow was circling above the vegetable patch. Animals were different from humans; their behavior was mostly driven by survival instincts, such as reproduction, nest building, and migration. Chu Dad didn't know if these animals had intelligence, but undoubtedly, animals had their own advantages in certain survival instincts. Years of hunting had also allowed him to understand some of the patterns and habits of animals.
After watching for a while, Chu Dad suddenly asked, "Niannian, have you seen any other swallows recently?" Niannian was Chu Xi's nickname.
"Other swallows?" Chu Xi hadn't really paid attention to that. But after thinking about it, she went to other parts of the house to look and replied, "Dad, the birds in the two nests under the eaves here are not inside."
"Alright, I understand." Chu Dad frowned. "Let's go inside."
"Okay, Dad!" After the father and daughter entered the house, Chu Dad peeked out through the gap in the back door. As expected, after he entered the house, the big swallow circled in the air once more before returning to its nest.
...
In the evening.
Chu Dad mentioned this to his wife. "It seems all the swallows have migrated. I went to the village and the back mountain today, and basically, they've all left."
Chu Niang wasn't very familiar with these matters and asked, "Is there something wrong with that?" In her opinion, didn't swallows migrate every year? However, since her husband brought it up, he must have something to say. At this moment, a dim oil lamp was lit in the room, and Chu Niang was using its light to embroider something with needle and thread. Their daughter was also of marriageable age, and she wanted to prepare something for her. Hearing her husband's words, she temporarily stopped her work and looked up.
Chu Dad sat on the edge of the bed, his rough face showing a look of concern. "Something's not quite right. It's not yet the time for migration compared to previous years. Migration usually starts at least half a month later."
Chu Niang thought for a moment. "Could it be because of the horse bandits from Qiao Family Village causing trouble, so they flew to other places?"
"I'll go out and inquire again tomorrow. You and Niannian should go out less these two days."
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
The conversation in the bedroom ended.
Backyard.
In the bird's nest under the eaves, Jiang Lin tilted his head, changed his position, and fell asleep.
...
The next day, Chu Dad went out to inquire. He returned in the evening with a grim expression. He also brought back two pieces of news: "The horse bandits have robbed another village, and the yamen has been dispatched."
Chu Niang handed him water while observing his expression. "It's good that the yamen is handling it."
"Mm." Chu Dad nodded, took the water, and drank a large gulp. Although he said that, he felt uneasy in his heart. These horse bandits appeared too strangely, as if they had just emerged out of nowhere. He had hunted in those mountains with others before but had never heard of any horse bandits. If they had appeared in the last two years, their actions would be too ostentatious.
This conversation took place in the bedroom, without Chu Xi's knowledge, to avoid worrying the child. However, they didn't expect things to happen so quickly.
...
That night.
Jiang Lin, who was resting in the bird's nest, suddenly woke up. He moved his head, his dark eyes very focused, as if he were carefully discerning something. After a moment, he spread his wings and left the nest, darting through the window into the small wooden house.
"Jiji!"
"Jiji!"
It was the middle of the night, the time when humans were in deep sleep. In his dream, Chu Dad vaguely heard clear bird calls and the sound of flapping wings. Chu Dad's eyes snapped open in the darkness, and he got up, exclaiming, "Who?!" For a moment, he thought a thief had entered the house.
However, the next second.
*Clang—*
Something was swept to the floor in the darkness.
"Jiji!"
The bird calls, accompanied by the sound of flapping wings, sounded again. Chu Niang also woke up. She instinctively moved closer to her husband, while her other hand quietly felt for something to defend herself with.
"Don't panic, it doesn't seem to be a person." Chu Dad's vision gradually cleared. In the dim moonlight, he could vaguely see a flapping shadow. He got up and fumbled to light the oil lamp.
The room lit up, and the couple saw what was happening. A big swallow was flying back and forth in the small room, chirping a couple of times. There were also some small items on the floor that had been knocked over. Seeing that they were awake, Jiang Lin flew forward, pecked at Chu Niang's clothes, and tugged at them. He then chirped anxiously a couple of times.
"Jiji!"
"Is that the swallow from our backyard?" Chu Niang asked.
Looking at the swallow's actions, Chu Dad inexplicably thought of the recent series of events. After a moment of thought, he said, "Let's get up first. It's probably trying to tell us something." As soon as he finished speaking, the swallow immediately let go of Chu Niang's clothes and flew outside.
Meanwhile.
Jiang Lin darted into another bedroom of the small wooden house and landed directly on Chu Xi's face.
"Jiji!"
His claws even stepped on her face a few times. It was a simple and crude method, but it was the fastest way to wake someone up. Chu Dad was a hunter, and Chu Niang was also an adult. But Chu Xi was different. At least she wouldn't slap him away in a half-asleep state.
...