353: Chapter 352 Finally, we can go into the mountains!

The two didn't join the excitement for long, because people from the Yamen soon arrived, took the fish away, and delivered a lot of food and money.

Heard that this was the first Golden-Scaled Fish of the year, so the Yamen even gave out a reward.

“A-Feng... when will we ever have such good luck? I'm so envious... If I could catch a Golden-Scaled Fish, I'd be able to marry a wife... and do right by my deceased parents,” Niu Er sighed in front of the stove.

“Can you usually catch one Silver-Scaled Fish a month?”

“Pretty much, though sometimes I don't get any at all. That's why we have to be stingy with the rations the Yamen gives out. But A-Feng... in a month, you'll probably have to go into the mountains to gather herbs.”

“Why is that?” Lu Qingfeng asked in confusion.

“Boats and nets both cost money. Once the Village Chief handles your household registration, you'll be one of our Shanhe Village people, and you'll have to be assigned work. It's either going up the mountain to gather herbs or down to the river to fish. Gathering herbs doesn't require any upfront cost, but fishing requires a boat and a net, which you have to exchange money for at the Yamen...”

“I see!” Lu Qingfeng nodded and continued to ask, “Then for this month while I'm eating at your place, will the village provide a subsidy?”

Niu Er nodded. “Yes, actually, outsiders join our Shanhe Village every year, and the Village Chief welcomes them. They're all people who couldn't survive elsewhere. Otherwise, who would go up the mountain to gather herbs? The returns for herb gathering are high, but the risks are especially great... We're almost short on people, and the Village Chief is anxious, fearing we won't complete the quota!”

Lu Qingfeng understood. No wonder he had been rescued so easily.

In this world of such hardship where even surviving is difficult, saving someone is even more of a burden.

However, Lu Qingfeng also understood.

He wasn't dissatisfied; he was even somewhat excited. He didn't like fishing because the target was too large, but he liked gathering herbs.

So he asked, “Is Huxiao Mountain very dangerous?”

“It's not just ordinary danger. My parents died on Huxiao Mountain, trading their lives for a boat and a net. I've heard that inside, there are not only venomous insects and fierce beasts, but also demons—the kind that eat people...”

Lu Qingfeng: ...

Demons?

...At most, they were just beasts that had evolved by absorbing too much biological energy.

Or perhaps they had gained sentience?

It was truly possible... then it really would be dangerous enough.

A beast's body is naturally much stronger than a human's. If they had the bonus of Physique and intelligence, humans would truly be nothing but a meal in their mouths.

It was no joke...

If a tiger had human intelligence and a stronger Physique, an ordinary person wouldn't even have the chance to try a sliding tackle when they met it...

The two of them chatted while sitting on the threshold, drinking porridge.

It was very thin porridge, mostly clear water, where the grains of rice could be counted individually.

After finishing the porridge, Lu Qingfeng still felt his stomach was empty; it would be gone after two trips to the bathroom.

At night, his stomach even felt feverish from hunger.

The first time he felt this hungry must have been when he was practicing martial arts and got drained by the ring; the second time was tonight.

The feeling of hunger is truly unbearable.

And at the thought of having to be hungry for another month, he felt miserable.

In this state, let alone practicing martial arts, he didn't even want to move an inch.

He didn't even want to speak... when a person is hungry, they really don't want to do anything. No wonder everyone in the village was sallow and emaciated.

Like Niu Er, who was nothing but skin and bones.

He himself was still doing okay, but in a month, he would likely end up just like them.

The next morning, he felt weak all over.

He slurped down two bowls of thin porridge with great gusto. After recovering a bit of strength, he followed Niu Er down to the river to fish again.

It was another day of coming home empty-handed.

And so it went...

It wasn't until the sixteenth day that they finally caught a palm-sized Silver-Scaled Fish. Niu Er was happy for a long time, as it proved they could live a bit more comfortably next month.

After Lu Qingfeng touched it, he confirmed that this fish contained high-grade biological energy and was anything but ordinary...

...

One month later.

The Village Chief came to Niu Er's house once again.

“A-Feng, here are your Identity Token and Household Registration Certificate. Keep them safe. Also, there's a thatched hut next to Niu Er's that has been assigned to you. Here's a bag of rice, some salt, lard, and a set of clothes. These are advanced to you, and you'll need to pay them back...”

Lu Qingfeng put everything away. Finally, the Village Chief handed him a diagram, a Herb Basket, and a Sickle, instructing him: “Gathering herbs is different from fishing. One trip into the mountains takes ten days to half a month, but you must hand over three ordinary herbs every month. The diagram has explanations; you can use it to identify them. Are you literate? If not, I'll teach you the words on here.”

Lu Qingfeng opened the diagram and saw a detailed route map, with the appearance of the herbs marked on the side.

The first thirteen types were ordinary herbs, followed by nine types of precious herbs, each with a different price... A herb gatherer only needed to hand over three ordinary herbs on time each month. As for when you went, that was your own business.

“Thank you, Village Chief. I am literate.”

“That's good!” The Village Chief wasn't surprised. When Lu Qingfeng first arrived, he was fair-skinned and tender-fleshed, looking like a son from a wealthy family. But in Shanhe Village, population was what mattered most. He didn't care what you did before; as long as you handed over your herbs on time, you were the boss...

Otherwise, he himself would be the one in trouble.

“A-Feng, I'm off. Clean up the house next door yourself, and remember to hand in your herbs on time, or you'll go hungry.”

After saying that, the Village Chief left.

Watching the Village Chief walk away, Niu Er came over and said, “A-Feng, besides watching out for fierce beasts and venomous insects while gathering herbs, you also need to watch out for people.”

“People?” Lu Qingfeng roughly understood.

“Yes, people, especially those from the same village. You're an outsider. Fishing is actually quite safe; at least I've never heard of anyone drowning. But going up the mountain, besides the venomous insects and fierce beasts, the greatest danger is people. They will kill you and steal your herbs... So, A-Feng, be careful with everything. It's best to go up the mountain alone and not with others... That's what my parents told me.”

After saying that, he patted Lu Qingfeng on the shoulder. “Let's go, I'll help you tidy up the house before I go fishing...”

“Thank you, Brother Niu Er...”

“Don't mention it!”

The two of them arrived at the even more dilapidated thatched hut next door; more than half the roof was gone.

They tidied it up casually, making it just barely livable.

Fortunately, it was currently the season of spring blossoms, so it wasn't cold.

Otherwise, one could literally freeze to death here.

After Niu Er left, he looked around the inside and outside of the house.

The open space in the front and back was quite large and could be turned into a courtyard.

However, that definitely wouldn't work for now; he needed to solve the problem of his livelihood.

Looking at his own skin and bones, his stomach had already grown accustomed to being hungry.

So he hurried to the kitchen, preparing to start a fire and cook.

Fortunately, Niu Er had brought some firewood when he came, allowing him to at least eat a normal meal.

He directly measured out a cup of rice and put it in the pot; today he planned to eat steamed rice.

Eating steamed rice, two meals a day, this rice would only last him three days.

His plan was simple: eat steamed rice for two days to build up his spirit and physical strength.

Save one day's worth of cooked rice to make into rice balls to take with him into the mountains.

As for saving the raw rice... sorry, he wouldn't do that. Without physical strength, he would surely die on the mountain.

Venomous insects, fierce beasts, and the sinister hearts of men all required physical strength to face.