Cutting Off Supplies

"Wind-chill has entered the body, and on top of that, he suffered a shock. That's why he fainted."

Inside the room, Doctor Bai finished taking Lu Danian's pulse on the bed and said flatly.

"Is it serious?" Mother Lu asked anxiously.

"His bones are still sturdy. He'll pull through."

Doctor Bai opened his old medicine case and took out paper and brush.

"A few doses of medicine to drive out the cold and smooth the pent-up qi, and he'll be fine."

At that, Mother Lu and Lu Chuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Doctor Bai bent his head to write the prescription, then handed it to Mother Lu:

"He can't overwork or catch a chill for a while, and especially no more anger."

Mother Lu clutched the prescription. When she saw the silver amount on it, her fingers trembled badly.

No matter the era, seeing a doctor was no small matter, especially now in a famine year.

She took a few bits of loose silver from her sleeve—this was the family's last money, originally saved for winter.

Counting out some, she handed it to Doctor Bai: "Doctor Bai... I'm sorry for the trouble."

Doctor Bai silently took it and began gathering herbs from his own case.

After seeing the doctor off, only Lu Chuan remained in the room. Mother Lu's tears finally spilled over.

She sobbed, "What kind of nonsense is this... If that precious grandson of his wants to practice martial arts, let him pay for it himself! Why... why does he have to set his sights on my Snow Fox? Your father nearly lost his life bringing that back..."

"Mother," Lu Chuan stepped forward and steadied her trembling shoulders, "Finding out what they're really like early on isn't necessarily a bad thing."

He'd originally wanted to keep the Snow Fox matter from Mother Lu, since knowing would only make her sick with rage.

But the whole village knew, and it couldn't be hidden.

"But... but what do we do now?" Mother Lu lifted her head, despair in her eyes, "After paying for your father's medicine, the house is truly empty! How are we going to get by from now on..."

Lu Chuan looked at his weeping mother, then at his unconscious father on the bed, and a feeling of resentment rose in his heart.

He'd been in high spirits when he saw Lu Danian bring back that Snow Fox—after all, it solved the winter problem, and he could use the leftover silver to put his transmigrator skills to good use.

But now, things had taken a sharp turn for the worse.

Not only was the Snow Fox taken, but his father had been knocked down by rage.

What frustrated him most was that he had an equipment slot, but no weapon to store in it.

Iron was terribly expensive, and the only things in the house that could count as weapons were the kitchen knife and the Chopping Knife. You couldn't expect a hunter's home to have swords, spears, axes, bows, or crossbows lying around...

"Bow?"

Suddenly, a glimmer of surprise lit up Lu Chuan's eyes.

He spotted the old hunting bow hanging on the mud wall.

"How could I have forgotten this?"

His family were hunters—they had two whole hunting bows!

From his memories, the original owner had only touched the bow a few times, with terrible aim and no experience.

But he was different. If he stored this bow, he'd probably become a sharp shooter in no time!

"Mother, I want to go up the mountain and take a look." Lu Chuan stared at the bow on the wall and spoke abruptly.

"You, alone?" Mother Lu stopped crying.

"No! How old are you? When your father took you up the mountain before, it was always just around the edges. If you really go deep in, there are too many forks in the trail and fierce beasts. You can't even draw the bow straight..."

Lu Chuan cut her off: "Mother, don't worry. I remember a few spots where there might be game. I'll just circle the outskirts, try my luck—snare a rabbit, catch a Mountain Pheasant, or even dig up some bird eggs. It'll help a little."

"You... if you're set on going, I can't stop you."

She wiped her tears roughly with her hand.

"Wait a moment. If you're going to risk your life up the mountain, you can't go on an empty stomach. It's freezing out there—how will you have any strength?"

With that, she turned to head out. "I'll... I'll think of something, see if I can borrow some grain first. At least I can make you a proper meal."

Lu Chuan knew she was going to beg for food.

But this year had been a drought, and every household in Kaoshan Village was stretched thin. Who had extra grain to lend?

He didn't hold out much hope.

Yet, what neither of them expected was that as soon as Mother Lu opened the rickety wooden door, someone was standing right outside.

A girl of thirteen or fourteen, in a patched but clean old cotton jacket, her face red from the cold, stood timidly at the door.

It was their neighbor, Zhao Chunfang.

The Zhao family had five mouths to feed—her parents, herself, and two younger brothers. Their life was slightly better than the Lu family's, but still just barely scraping by.

"Sister Chunfang?" Mother Lu was stunned. "What are you doing here? It's cold outside—come in quick."

Zhao Chunfang saw Mother Lu, then caught a glimpse of Lu Chuan standing inside the house. A faint trace of shyness flickered across her face as she nodded lightly.

She pushed forward a cloth bag she'd been clutching to her chest, her voice soft:

"Auntie, my parents... heard about Uncle Lu's trouble. We don't have much grain stored either, and can't spare a lot, but here's five catties of coarse cornmeal. Use it to tide you over for now."

Hearing this, Mother Lu's eyes reddened instantly.

What did it mean that a close neighbor was better than a distant relative?

Her own biased old man had snatched away the life-saving Snow Fox, enraging Lu Danian so badly he'd collapsed on the spot.

And here was this unrelated neighbor, struggling herself, yet still managing to scrape together a full five catties of rations from her own meager store!

"Sister Chunfang, this... this won't do!" Mother Lu's voice choked up. "If you give us this grain, what will your family of five do?"

"It's fine, Auntie." Zhao Chunfang shook her head and pressed the cloth bag into Mother Lu's hands. "Let Uncle Lu recover his health first. Getting through this immediate crisis is what matters."

Having said that, she glanced up again at the silent Lu Chuan and murmured, "Brother Chuanzi... goodbye."

Then she turned and hurried away at a light jog.

Lu Chuan watched the girl's retreating figure, a warm current surging in his heart. "Truly good people..."

With grain in hand, Mother Lu wasted no time and headed straight into the kitchen: "Chuanzi, wait right there—your mother will make you some dry rations! Eat your fill, and you'll have the strength to head up the mountain!"

Lu Chuan acknowledged her, then let his gaze fall back on the old hunting bow hanging on the wall.

The bow's body was rough, but the sinew string on it was still taut.

"Alright, now let's see what insight you've really gained?"

He reached out and grasped the bow.

In that instant, a sudden change occurred!

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