Surviving Against All Odds

Under the moonlight, the group of four returned to the village.

"Chun Hua, we'll be heading back first. You all should get some good rest when you get home!"

At the crossroads, the middle-aged man glanced at the big fish Chen Xuan was carrying, then looked away and spoke to the middle-aged woman.

"Thank you, Second Brother. We've troubled you this time. I'll have Er Gou bring some fish over to you later."

The middle-aged woman nodded and spoke gratefully to the man.

"No need for the fish. Who knows when San Shan will be back? This fish can keep you going for a while longer. It's a year of great disaster—we can't help much either."

The middle-aged man shook his head and sighed, then led Chen Er Zhuang down another small path.

"Come on, Er Gou. Let's hurry home. Later, we still need to bring fish to your Second Uncle's family. We can't be too late."

The middle-aged woman spoke softly and headed forward.

"Okay, okay!"

Chen Xuan hurriedly answered and jogged after her.

About a quarter of an hour later, the two finally arrived home.

By the moonlight, Chen Xuan clearly saw the house that had always existed in his memories.

It was built of packed yellow earth, its roof piled with withered straw. At a glance, it carried an air of utter decay.

As the two drew near, a child's tender voice came from inside the house.

"Mother, is Mother back?"

Then a little child of two or three stumbled out.

Upon seeing the middle-aged woman and Chen Xuan, the child's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly threw himself at them.

The middle-aged woman quickly caught the child.

"Mother, Shitou is hungry!"

Held in his mother's arms, the child seemed to feel inexplicably safe as he spoke in a small voice.

"Be good, Shitou. We'll have something to eat soon. Your brother caught a big fish."

Hearing her younger son's voice, the middle-aged woman's heart ached, and she comforted him softly.

"Fish!"

"There's fish!"

"Guoguo caught fish!"

"Shitou wants fish, Guoguo! Shitou wants fish!!"

Hearing his mother's words, the child's eyes immediately brightened. He turned to look at Chen Xuan behind her, and when he saw the huge fish on Chen Xuan's body, excitement appeared on his grimy little face.

Watching this scene, then looking at the home that was practically bare to its four walls, Chen Xuan could not help but sigh inwardly.

But he quickly steadied himself, stepped forward, and rubbed his younger brother's little head.

"Fish. We're eating fish!"

"Be good, Shitou."

He spoke gently.

His small body was about to go deal with it.

"Mother will do it. You still have to bring fish to Er Zhuang's family later!"

Zhang Chunhua's heart ached for him. She took the big fish from her second son.

Chen Xuan hesitated slightly, but did not struggle.

The fish weighed more than ten jin. Even dead, it was not something he could handle. More importantly, he had exhausted himself badly today, and after going hungry for so long, he probably did not even have the strength to kill a fish.

Chen Xuan let go.

Zhang Chunhua carried the big fish into the kitchen.

She began cleaning it.

A short while later.

She brought out a portion of fish tied up with a straw rope. It looked to weigh four or five jin—not half the fish, but at least a third.

"Er Gou, do you still have the strength?"

Zhang Chunhua looked at her second son and spoke softly.

"Mother, I do."

Though Chen Xuan was struggling somewhat, he still nodded.

It was already very late. If he waited until after they ate to deliver it, Chen Er Zhuang's family would probably already be asleep.

As for tomorrow, there was no preservation technology in this era, nor any salt. By tomorrow, it would probably stink.

"Mm, then go quickly and come back quickly."

"By then, the food should be ready."

Zhang Chunhua nodded and handed the fish to Chen Xuan.

"Okay, Mother!"

Chen Xuan nodded, took the straw rope, then walked out the door toward Chen Er Zhuang's home from his memories.

His footsteps were growing heavier and heavier.

Fortunately, Chen Er Zhuang's home was not far from his. In about a quarter of an hour, Chen Xuan arrived at Chen Er Zhuang's house.

Compared to his own home, Chen Er Zhuang's was not much better. It was still two somewhat dilapidated yellow-earth, thatched-roof rooms.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Who is it!"

After the door was knocked on, a middle-aged woman's voice came from inside.

"Second Aunt, it's me!"

Chen Xuan spoke with difficulty.

"Er Gou?"

The middle-aged woman was somewhat surprised, but she quickly opened the door.

"Second Aunt, this is fish I caught today. My mother asked me to bring some over for you all."

Looking at the haggard woman who appeared, Chen Xuan spoke and handed over the fish in his hand.

"This..."

The middle-aged woman froze for a moment. She instinctively reached out, but stopped halfway.

"Er Gou, your days are hard too. You should keep it for yourselves!"

Though there was reluctance in her eyes, she still said the words.

"It's fine, Second Aunt. There's enough at home. Second Uncle also helped by coming to find me today. Besides, if we can't finish it today, it'll spoil tomorrow."

Chen Xuan smiled as he spoke, forcefully stuffing it into her hands with his right hand.

"This, this..."

The middle-aged woman accepted it unconsciously.

"Second Aunt, my mother is still waiting for me to eat. I'll head back first."

Seeing that the middle-aged woman had accepted the fish, Chen Xuan hurriedly said a few words and ran back down the path he had come from.

"This child!"

Watching Chen Xuan leave, the middle-aged woman sighed.

Then she carried the fish inside and shut the gate.

"Who was it!"

At that moment, Chen Er Shan came out from inside the house.

"It was Er Gou. Chun Hua said they couldn't finish all the fish, so she sent us some."

The middle-aged woman spoke quietly.

"What? How could you accept it? Hurry and send it back!"

"They don't have any food to begin with!"

Hearing his wife's words, Chen Er Shan's expression changed, and he hurriedly spoke.

"He's already gone. Don't we still have some millet? We'll send some over to them tomorrow."

The middle-aged woman gave a bitter smile and spoke softly.

"All right!"

Chen Er Shan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Meanwhile.

Chen Xuan was already hurrying back home.

But after that burst of running, it felt as though his chest was about to explode again. After traveling less than a few dozen meters, he had no choice but to stop and gasp for air.

Damn this world!

He could not help cursing under his breath. Only after a while, when his breathing gradually calmed, did Chen Xuan return home.

At that moment, waves of fragrance were already wafting through the house.

Even without any seasoning, the smell of fish instantly made saliva flood his mouth.

"You're back. Hurry and eat. Fill your stomach, then get some sleep!"

Seeing her son return, Zhang Chunhua forced herself to smile.

"Mm!"

Chen Xuan nodded lightly.

Then the family sat down at the table.

Though Zhang Chunhua had said the fish would stink by tomorrow, she had clearly only cooked a little over one jin of it.

Shared among the three of them, with Chen Xuan being a growing boy, it was quickly wiped clean.

Chen Xuan even felt that his stomach was still empty.

"Mother, Shitou isn't full yet!"

His younger brother, Xiao Shitou, spoke softly to Zhang Chunhua.

"Be good, Shitou. If you eat too much, you won't be able to sleep. Mother will make more for you tomorrow, all right?"

Zhang Chunhua gently comforted her younger son.

"All right. Shitou will listen to Mother."

Xiao Shitou nodded heavily.

Watching this scene, Chen Xuan nearly wanted to cry. In his previous life, a child like this should have been carefree and without worry, yet in this damned world, he could not even eat his fill.