Before he knew it, Rong Zheng had been in this world for over a month. He had finished turning over the three mu of land, and the rice and grain at home were nearly gone. Luckily, hunting brought in something; when grain ran short, wild pheasants and rabbits made up the difference.
For the first twenty-odd days, his physical condition had not been up to the task. With both tilling and hunting to do, he worked hard and naturally ate a lot. He did not stint on meat, either, often eating the game he caught to nourish himself.
By the end of the month, he had become increasingly adept at hunting. He caught wild goats, pheasants, and rabbits one after another and kept them penned up.
Today, he planned to head up the mountain once more, then take a few days off to buy supplies in town and tend to the work in the fields.
He first ventured farther into the wild woods and shot two sparrows with his arrows, then went to check his traps for game. Luckily, one held a pheasant with an injured leg.
Mm, that should be about enough. Tomorrow, I'll head into town and sell them all together.
As he was preparing to head down the mountain, he heard footsteps. Another hunter from the village? This is deep in the wild woods, where wild beasts roam. Only hunters would dare come in here. The other villagers gather wild vegetables around the edges and don't dare venture this far.
Rong Zheng did not investigate which hunter it was and turned to leave. Then he heard a child's voice, one that sounded somewhat familiar.
"Brother Yun, there's a patch of beggar-ticks over there. Let's go."
Ye Chen had keenly spotted the beggar-ticks beside a rock ahead and quickly turned to tell Ye Yun.
"Wait a moment. Let's finish gathering what's here first," came Ye Yun's gentle voice.
Since meeting these two brothers over a month ago, Rong Zheng had not seen them again.
Oh, right. The busy farming season is approaching. They must have gone to work in the fields.
Rong Zheng had always wanted to repay the brothers for their kindness in giving him food and medicinal herbs. He had originally planned to earn some money, buy pastries and other food, then find an opportunity to look around near their home so he could give them the gifts.
Although this dynasty placed fewer restrictions on gers and girls, the countryside was still very insular. If he rashly went looking for them, it would invite gossip.
He was not afraid of rumors himself; he only feared they would hurt Ye Yun.
Since they had happened to meet, all the better. Carrying the pheasant and sparrows, he strode toward them.
Ye Chen spotted Rong Zheng striding over and timidly called to Brother Yun beside him.
Rong Zheng had already reached them. He bent down and patted Ye Chen's head, smiling. "Hello, little fellow."
Ye Chen took a frightened step back.
Seeing Rong Zheng, Ye Yun looked surprised for a moment. He noticed that Rong Zheng looked much more spirited than when they last met. The previously crimson mark on his forehead had scabbed over, and his body seemed a little sturdier, too.
He was about to speak when Rong Zheng said, "Wild boars sometimes roam around here. It's best not to come in. You can gather things a little farther out."
"I know, but it's hard to find good medicinal herbs without coming farther in. Still, thank you for the warning. We'll be careful."
Ye Yun did not want to take risks, either, and he was very afraid of encountering wild beasts. But nearly all the medicinal herbs around the outskirts had been dug up. Without venturing a little deeper into the wild woods, it was almost impossible to find any.
Lately, Chen Guihua had been going further and further, giving them more and more work and hitting them more often.
Several times, he had returned from the fields to find Chen Guihua berating Xiao Chen in a nasty, sarcastic tone and even shoving him to the ground. It had infuriated him.
Rong Zheng heard a trace of helplessness in Ye Yun's words, but this was not the time to press him for details. He would ask around discreetly back in the village before deciding what to do. He said,
"If you want to come deep into the wild woods to gather medicinal herbs again, you can let me know a day ahead. Hmm..." He thought for a moment. "The little fellow can toss a pebble into my courtyard. I'll know when I see it."
He held out the pheasant and sparrows to Ye Yun. "These are for you."
Ye Yun hurriedly waved his hands, but Rong Zheng kept holding them out. "You two brothers saved me when I passed out last time."
"It wouldn't be good if the villagers saw..."
That's true. There were few hunters in the village to begin with, and neither this youth nor the child knew how to hunt. If they carried the pheasant and sparrows back to the village, who knew what rumors might spread? He really had not thought it through.
After thinking for a while, he decided to roast them right here.
On his recent trips up the mountain, he had noticed a cave nearby, with a small stream running in front of it.
When he was lying in wait for game, if heavy rain struck or he had not brought enough dry rations, he would go to the cave to shelter from the rain and roast some food while he was there. He had therefore left a fire starter and some simple seasonings inside.
The other hunters in the village all built thatched huts on the mountain so they had somewhere to stop, but the original owner's father had not. Perhaps his hunting skills had been good enough that he almost never needed to stay overnight. He would go out and return the same day, by that evening at the latest.
Rong Zheng asked, "When do you need to head down the mountain?"
Not understanding why he asked, Ye Yun replied, "We've been here a while. Once we finish digging these up, it'll probably be another hour or so."
"Then I'll go clean this pheasant by the stream ahead. Once it's roasted, I'll bring it over for you two. It won't interfere with your gathering."
Without giving them a chance to argue, he turned and left. Remembering something, he looked back and warned them, "If you encounter a wild beast, shout for me. I won't be far away. I'll hear you."
Ye Yun hesitated. Watching Rong Zheng walk away, he glanced over and saw that Ye Chen was already swallowing his saliva. Xiao Chen was far too thin. He never got enough to eat at home, and his complexion was growing worse and worse. In the end, Ye Yun said nothing more to refuse.
Perhaps the upheaval Rong Zheng had suffered struck a chord with him, or perhaps discovering that Rong Zheng had wanted to kill himself against the gravestone had made him feel sorry for him. For some reason, he felt that Rong Zheng was not a bad person.
In less than an hour, Rong Zheng returned with the fragrant roast pheasant. Its aroma immediately spread through the woods, and both Ye Yun and Ye Chen smelled it.
Ye Chen stared at the fragrant roast pheasant, unable to tear his eyes away, swallowing his saliva.
Ye Yun had not eaten meat in a long time, either, but he was older, after all, and knew how to hide his longing for it.
Rong Zheng greeted them with a smile and handed each of them a drumstick wrapped in a large, thick leaf. "Careful, it's hot."
Although Ye Chen wanted the meat, he did not take it right away, looking very reserved. Ye Yun said, "Take it, Xiao Chen, and say thank you."
After thanking him, Ye Chen took a bite. The aroma of roast chicken filled his mouth and nose, and it tasted so good that his eyes narrowed in pleasure. Watching Ye Chen wolf down his food, Ye Yun accepted his drumstick. His hand involuntarily tightened around it as he stared straight at it, his eyes stinging. He did not dare look at Rong Zheng, his heart churning.
Noticing that Ye Yun was only staring without taking a bite, Rong Zheng's brows tightened. He asked cautiously, "Don't you like it?"
"No, that's not it. It's just been a long time since I had a drumstick."
Never mind drumsticks-the number of times he and Xiao Chen had eaten meat in the past few years could be counted on two hands, and even those had been leftovers from their eldest uncle's family during festivals and holidays. In his memories, only when his parents had slaughtered chickens during his childhood had they given him drumsticks to eat. The scenes of his parents doting on him seemed vivid before his eyes, yet how long ago all that had been.
He had only wanted Ye Yun to enjoy the food, never expecting to make him sad instead. His heart ached, and he hurriedly comforted him. "I'll roast chicken for you again next time. Go on, eat!"
Ye Yun lowered his head and began taking small bites. A tear slipped down. He struggled to hold back the urge to cry, not wanting Rong Zheng to see, so he kept his head lowered, his heart swelling.
Rong Zheng noticed that both their hands were covered in calluses. Just how much work had they done?
He felt that the two brothers' lives seemed more heartbreaking than he had imagined.
Both were much darker than when he had last seen them, and they looked thinner, their complexions poor. Ye Yun could not conceal the weariness in his eyes. They clearly should not have ventured deep into the wild woods, yet they had still taken the risk to gather medicinal herbs?
The original owner had only heard his parents mention them in casual conversation, and he had taken little interest in other people's affairs. Rong Zheng could glean only a tiny bit from his scattered memories.
Life under someone else's roof was naturally unlikely to be pleasant. The brothers' complexions were frighteningly sallow, and they were so frail that they were clearly severely malnourished.
He also knew that poverty was common in the countryside. With meat so rare, malnutrition was surely widespread, but others still did not look as ill as these two brothers.
Once he returned, he would have to ask Auntie Zhang next door about them. After learning exactly what their situation was, he would see what he could do to help.
Besides, whenever he saw Ye Yun, he could not help feeling tender concern. Someone with such beautiful eyes ought to smile more, rather than be trapped in weariness and helplessness until he gradually grew numb.
His roasting skills were quite good. After the three of them ate their fill, Ye Chen burped, and even the usually composed Ye Yun looked satisfied.
Seeing that they had nearly finished gathering, Rong Zheng asked them to leave the wild woods with him. Wild boars really did roam here, and the two were young; if attacked, they would not be able to outrun them.