Scratches in the Snow

"An alarm of sorts. That's what this plan needs. But where to place it?"

Yuanzheng hurled a pebble with unexpected vim. "Ah, this is killing me. Maybe it's just a stupid idea of mine. Who am I, after all? A general?"

He snorted and picked up his axe half-heartedly, but made no move to get up from the tree he was sitting on.

"This is the first time I've heard you talking to yourself, and it just proves I wasn't wrong to say you were an idiot in denial," announced Qingqing breezily, stepping out from behind a tree.

Yuanzheng jumped, dropping the axe and almost cutting off his toes. "Qingqing? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay in town for the rest of the winter?"

He looked narrowly at her. "And it's not like you don't talk to yourself either."

Qingqing sat down besides him, humming. "Yes, but unlike you, I don't deny it."

Crossing her arms, she peered curiously at the scratchings he had made in the snow with the tip of stick. "Are you perhaps in denial of artistic yearnings as well? Though these look like chicken markings to me."

Turning red, Yuanzheng put his foot down on it to smudge the markings away, but Qingqing caught his foot neatly and pushed it aside. "Come now, don't get offended. I'm really curious this time. I heard something about killing someone earlier on and I'm really quite excited."

Yuanzheng sighed. "Well, I told you there was a bandit raid, didn't I? I was thinking--if only we had a proper plan of sorts, some strategy, fortifications, we could do better next time."

Qingqing's eyes brightened. "Ah, I like this! You'll need advice from me, so looks like I came at just the right time." She crouched besides the markings and studied them, frowning. "Smudgy box. Squiggly line, another smudgy box, criss cross line. Ah, your humble servant is so enlightened. Explain what this is, won't you?"

Yuanzheng got off the log and squatted next to her. "This line all around is the village wall, and the bar here is the entrance. We should fortify it and make the wall higher. Logs, I'm thinking. Then here is where I'm thinking we should have the alarm bell. And there should be a safe place somewhere where the elderly and children can hide once the alarm rings."

Qingqing cocked her head on one side. "All very well, but you haven't mentioned anything about killing anyone yet. How are you country bumpkins going to fight the bandits? Scaring them off with the smell of your mother's fermented beancurd?"

Yuanzheng sighed. "You're not very encouraging. Why am I even bothering to show you all of this when you're just going to laugh at it?" He put down the stick determinedly and turned away.

Sucking in her cheeks apologetically, Qingqing hemmed as he folded his arms stolidly. "Ah, come on," she said appealingly. "I didn't mean to laugh. Sorry. But none of you can fight, can you?" She waited for him to reply, watching him tentatively.

Yuanzheng waited for the longest possible pause before he replied finally, "We can't fight with swords the way Sister-in-law can, perhaps, but we put up a pretty good fight in our own way-- Huajun with a cudgel, Brother Liang with his hoe, and I with my axe."

Qingqing raised her eyebrows approvingly, looking at the humble axe sitting quietly besides her.

He sighed. "I asked Sister-in-law to teach me, but she didn't say yes. I thought, if only I could learn how to fight properly with a sword, I could be more useful--"

Springing up, Qingqing put her hands on her hips, jabbing him in the shoulder. "Don't be silly. You can fight well enough with an axe. Why would you hanker after a sword? Pulling a long face like that, as if it's the only way one can fight. An axe suits you better, and you've already had years of experience with it. You killed them, didn't you? What more do you want? If you want to fight better, I can teach you."

She picked up the axe and juggled it experimentally despite Yuanzheng's yelp of alarm. "I tell you, I'm a pretty good hand at fighting too."

"Yes, I've seen you with your teeth in Xiaohu's arm," he replied dryly. "A fearsome sight for sure. I wouldn't want to be your opponent."

Qingqing caught the axe neatly and dug it into the snow, resting her foot on it. "That was Xiaohu. I, Qingqing, would not deign to unleash the whole of my prowess on a smelly urchin like him. Of course I matched my skills to his level. How could I be so dishonourable towards a mere child? You've yet to see me fight properly, you know."

He smiled. "Really. You'll have to show me now that you made such a claim, oh mighty heroine."

Qingqing smiled back, tossing her hair behind her shoulders. "Don't be too overwhelmed, then."

She picked up the axe again, with a gleam in her eye. "Watch closely, or you'll miss a move."

Yuanzheng sat back and watched as Qingqing whirled into action. The axe blade sliced through the air as she improvised cleverly. At first the heaviness of the axe head stunted her, until she learned to accommodate for its weight, and then she made a impressive sight.

Just as he was about to clap enthusiastically, a slip of the foot made her lose her grasp on the axe and it hurtled into the air. Yuanzheng fell over backwards as he scrambled wildly to get out of the way. The axe bounced off the tree behind him with a thud and buried itself in the snow.

"What was that?" he barked. "Did you get carried away? Did you want to finish your performance with an actual murder?"

Abashed, Qingqing retrieved the axe hastily. "Don't be silly. I wanted to give you a scare, that's all." Privately she drew a breath of relief. She had almost sent a bolt of energy after the axe to stop it, in her fright. If Sister Bai knew of this she would never stop teasing her about her aim.

"The last one I would ever have had if I hadn't gotten out of the way," he said cuttingly, dusting the snow off himself. "That's not how you throw an axe anyway."

She glowered at him, then abruptly jabbed him in the ribs with the axe handle. "You throw it, then. All mouth and no action."

Yuanzheng shrugged, snatching it from her. "You forget you're talking to a woodcutter," he remarked. "Not for nothing I've been working with this everyday."

Wrapping his fingers expertly around the handle, he closed one eye. "Let's see. That tree over there with the dark patch."

Qingqing stuck out her chin. "That's too easy. The one further back, with a knob on the side. Hit that."

Yuanzheng unexpectedly laughed. "Don't worry. You can teach me how to wield the axe. You were good, just now. And I'll teach you how to throw it."

He astounded Qingqing by giving her a wink, then turned and aimed carefully.