The Hunter's Dragon-and-Phoenix Twins
Lin Dong wakes from a raging fever to find himself a poor hunter in the foothills of the Greater Khingan Range, so poor his family can barely afford to eat. His parents are gone, leaving him with three-year-old twin siblings, a nearly empty rice jar, and mountains sealed off by heavy snow. He shoulders a rusty spear and ventures into the old forest, where his sharp eyes spot glowing tracks left by prey.
He thinks this is his golden finger, but later learns it is called “listening to force.” Plant your feet firmly, and things underground will come to you on their own: a bear's heartbeat, the flow of water, the shifting of mineral veins.
His childhood sweetheart, Shen Xiulan, passes on his mother's words: “Keep an eye on him for me.” And she really does, for the rest of her life. She tucks every wildflower into a crack in the wall and never throws them away, even after they dry. Later, she marries into a family in town and becomes the twins' godmother. Su Minxue, a teacher at the commune's primary school, practices standing meditation to cure her cough. When she stands at the lectern, she sinks her breath and her voice steadies. She waits for him through three winters.
People from beyond the mountains come to open a mine. Lin Dong stands beside the drill hole and does nothing but stand. With him standing there, the things underground settle down. Little Lei's spear is covered in carved marks, and the bear likes to sit beside the stone city Little Xue builds. The bear teaches its cub to find the way, while people teach their children standing meditation.
Generation after generation, they watch over the same mountains and cherish the same love. The mountains are there, and so are the people. That is enough.
The author says: About "The Orion Twins" The original intention of writing this book was to write something different in hunting articles. It's not "golden fingers sweeping across the mountains and forests", but - a person standing in the Black Pine Hall, with his feet on the ground and his anger sinking into his pubic area. The bear came out of the canyon and looked at him across half the mesa. He neither retreats nor advances. After a long time the bear turned and walked away. He left too. This is what I want to write about hunting. There are a lot of "slow" things in the book. Lin Dong stood in the stance, from Xiaohan to the beginning of spring, from standing with trembling legs to feeling heavy on the soles of his feet. Xiao Lei was weaving baskets, but countless baskets were wasted, and his fingers were cut by the bamboo strips, weaving from winter to spring. Shen Xiulan inserted each bunch of dried flowers into the cracks in the wall and did not throw them away after drying. Hunting is survival, daily life is survival. Craftsmanship is passed down from generation to generation, and the road is made step by step. The slow ones wade out of the deep road, while those behind walk steadily. If after reading it you feel that where the mountains are, people are also there - then I did not write in vain. I'm a new author. Dear readers, please bear with me. If you have any suggestions, please mention them in the comment area. I will try my best to modify them [please pay attention]