Ancient Mountain Village Life

"Mage… Young Master Gu!"

Gu Zhao hadn't walked far out of the mountain forest when he saw Xiuniang waiting at the village entrance, looking out for him.

Upon seeing Gu Zhao, Xiuniang's eyes brightened noticeably. She tiptoed, waved at him, and then ran over. Panting, she reached Gu Zhao's side, her small face red, and offered him an egg.

Gu Zhao couldn't help but ask, "Where did this egg come from?"

Xiuniang replied happily, "Auntie Li gave it to me. She has a few hens at home. Young Master, eat it while it's hot. We've saved dinner for you at home too."

"Okay!" Gu Zhao didn't stand on ceremony. He had been experimenting in the forest for a long time and was indeed hungry.

Taking the egg, Gu Zhao subconsciously asked, "Did you eat?"

Xiuniang paused and nodded repeatedly. But before she could speak, her stomach rumbled loudly.

Xiuniang's face flushed, and she quickly said, "I really ate breakfast. I'm just about to eat dinner."

Gu Zhao was taken aback. "How many meals do you eat a day?"

"Two meals," Xiuniang said softly. "My grandfather and I don't work in the fields, so breakfast and dinner are enough."

Gu Zhao was silent for a moment. With a gentle squeeze, he cracked the egg, which carried the girl's faint scent and warmth. He peeled it and ate it bite by bite. "It's delicious."

Xiuniang's small face instantly bloomed with joy. She then took Gu Zhao's hand and walked towards home, even skipping a little.

As Gu Zhao entered the village, he found it had returned to peace. The dozens of bandit corpses had been cleared away. It was nearing the hour of the rooster, and smoke was rising from many houses.

"Great Mage!"

"Young Master Gu… Young Master Gu!"

Seeing Gu Zhao enter the village, the villagers, who had already learned from Elder He that Gu Zhao would be staying for a while, greeted him warmly. Their eyes held both familiarity and reverence, and they looked at Xiuniang with a hint of envy.

Gu Zhao nodded in response and soon arrived at Elder He's house. He saw three or four young boys chasing each other out of the yard, laughing and playing.

As soon as they came out, they nearly ran into Gu Zhao. Looking up and seeing his face clearly, they were startled and immediately stood at attention, unsure how to react.

Gu Zhao waved his hand. "Go play."

"Yes!"

Seeing Gu Zhao's permission, the children breathed a sigh of relief and fled like the wind.

Elder He, who came out behind them, also relaxed upon seeing Gu Zhao. He glanced fondly at Xiuniang and explained to Gu Zhao, "They finished their farm work and are here to learn some characters from me."

Learning characters…

Right, this was ancient times. There was no nine-year compulsory education, and many people never learned to count or read in their entire lives.

"Li Erping sent over some cured meat today. I steamed some flatbreads. Please come inside, Young Master." Elder He quickly invited Gu Zhao in.

As Gu Zhao entered the courtyard, he saw a low table set up under an old tree. On it were two porcelain bowls and a bamboo basket.

One bowl contained a little less than half a bowl of cured meat, another held some kind of black, unidentifiable pickled vegetable, and the bamboo basket held five or six palm-sized, dark yellow steamed buns.

"Please sit, Young Master. There's still some warm porridge in the pot; I'll serve you some." Elder He said.

"I'll serve it!" Xiuniang interjected. She then moved past Elder He and ran into the adjacent kitchen. Soon, she returned with a bowl of porridge in both hands and placed it in front of Gu Zhao.

A moment later, Gu Zhao looked at the millet porridge in front of him, which was clearly thicker and more abundant than what Elder He and Xiuniang had. He couldn't help but fall silent.

Yesterday had been too rushed, filled with the excitement and fear of arriving in a new world. His mind was occupied with ghostly creatures, cultivation, and exploration. He had barely paid attention to the outside world, and even then, it was only superficially.

Today, after experimenting with spells in the forest, he felt more confident and relaxed. It was then that he remembered his promise from yesterday and thought about returning to the village to take a look.

The life in an ancient mountain village was indeed far from what Gu Zhao had imagined.

Dilapidated village houses, patched old clothes, simple food, crude utensils… They still had enough to eat, but it seemed that was all they had.

Seeing Gu Zhao's silence, Xiuniang looked timid and lowered her head with a sense of inferiority. Elder He's lips moved slightly, and he explained in a low voice, "Please forgive us, Young Master. There's nothing good in the mountains. Please make do with this for today. Tomorrow, I'll have someone go to the county town to buy some meat, vegetables, and fruits."

Gu Zhao reacted and, seeing the expressions on Xiuniang and Elder He's faces, quickly waved his hands and laughed cheerfully. "You misunderstand, Elder. I was just thinking that Xiuniang served me too much porridge. If I can't finish it, it would be a waste of her kindness."

Xiuniang chuckled, unable to help but look up. Her cheeks then flushed red, and she said with a mix of shyness and playfulness, "Young Master is a Great Mage. Your cultivation consumes a lot of energy daily, and you haven't eaten for a long time today. How could you not even finish a bowl of porridge?"

"To be honest, I ate quite a lot at noon today and I'm not hungry at all right now," Gu Zhao said with a smile.

He had gone to the City God Temple and Yuanfa Palace in the morning. Although he was in a hurry to conduct experiments, he still had a pork trotters rice meal at noon and even asked for half a roast goose. He had indeed eaten his fill.

Xiuniang couldn't help but laugh. "Did you hunt a wild boar in the mountains, Young Master?"

Gu Zhao shook his head. "Wild boar meat is sour and tough. It doesn't taste good at all."

"It tastes very good?" Xiuniang subconsciously looked at the porcelain bowl on the table. It contained cured meat made from a wild boar hunted by the village hunter, Li Erping.

Li Erping had given them cured meat before, and Xiuniang remembered it tasted very good. She could savor it for a long time after each meal. Today's cured meat, though not yet eaten, looked delicious too?

"That makes sense. You don't get to eat this kind of wild game often," Gu Zhao nodded.

Wild boars were now a protected species in modern society. Hunting them was illegal for most people, let alone eating wild boar meat. Was this his first taste of meat in this other world?

Thinking of this, Gu Zhao felt happier. He picked up the bowl and divided half of the porridge to Xiuniang and Elder He each. Then, he picked up a steamed bun and a chopstickful of cured meat. "Come, come, let's eat first."

Gu Zhao didn't eat much. Because of what had just happened, Elder He didn't dare to urge him. He just watched as Gu Zhao urged Xiuniang to eat more, and his eyes began to gleam again.

After dinner, Xiuniang took out a book from the main room and sat in the courtyard to read while the sunset was still visible.

Elder He came to Gu Zhao's side and cautiously probed, "When I was young, I worked as an accountant in Xiu Yue County. After Xiuniang's parents died, I taught the village children to read, write, and manage a household. Xiuniang listened and learned while weaving bamboo to supplement the family income during the day, so now she can read and write, and is knowledgeable and sensible."

Gu Zhao nodded upon hearing this, but his gaze swept around, somewhat absentminded. "It's still best to read during the day in the future. The light is too dim, and it's bad for your eyes."

Elder He: "..."

Elder He opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something, but after thinking about it, he decided against it.

Gu Zhao glanced at Xiuniang's book. The shapes and strokes of the characters were very similar to the traditional characters on Earth from ancient times. Gu Zhao read a couple of sentences and lost interest. He took a look around the kitchen, instructed them not to disturb him, and returned to his room to rest.

"I remember Aunt Jin's Fresh Food Store is open until eleven at night, right?"