Life in an Ancient Mountain Village

"Great... Young Master Gu!"

Gu Zhao had barely emerged from the forest when he saw Xiuniang waiting at the village entrance, craning her neck in anticipation.

The moment she saw Gu Zhao, Xiuniang's eyes visibly brightened. She stood on tiptoe and waved at him, then came running all the way over, panting as she reached his side. Her little face flushed red as she took out an egg and held it out to him in both hands.

Gu Zhao could not help asking, "Where did this egg come from?"

Xiuniang said happily, "Auntie Li gave it to me. Her family keeps a few hens. Young Master, hurry and eat it while it's hot. There's food waiting for you at home too."

"Alright!" Gu Zhao did not stand on ceremony. After spending half the day testing things in the forest, he really was hungry.

Taking the egg, Gu Zhao subconsciously asked, "Have you eaten?"

Xiuniang paused and nodded repeatedly, but before she could speak, her stomach let out a rumbling growl.

Xiuniang's face reddened, and she hurriedly said, "I really did eat breakfast. I was just about to go back and eat dinner."

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

"Two," Xiuniang said softly. "Grandpa and I don't work in the fields, so breakfast and dinner are enough for us."

Gu Zhao fell silent for a moment. With a light squeeze, he cracked the egg in his hand, still carrying the young girl's faint fragrance and warmth. He peeled away the shell and ate it bite by bite. "It's delicious."

Xiuniang's little face instantly blossomed with radiance. Then she grabbed Gu Zhao's hand and led him home, even breaking into little skipping steps.

As Gu Zhao entered the village, he found that it had returned to peace. The corpses of those dozens of bandits had already been cleared away. It was nearing the hour of the Rooster, and cooking smoke had risen from many houses.

"Great Mage!"

"Gu... Young Master Gu!"

When the villagers saw Gu Zhao enter, they eagerly greeted him. Elder He had already told them that Gu Zhao would be staying in the village for some time. Their eyes held both warmth and reverence, and when they looked at Xiuniang, there was also a trace of envy.

Gu Zhao nodded in response and soon arrived at Elder He's home, just in time to see three or four little boys laughing and roughhousing as they darted out of the courtyard.

The instant they came out, they nearly collided with Gu Zhao. Once they looked up and saw his face clearly, they were all startled. They hurriedly stood with their hands tucked in, not knowing how to react for a moment.

Gu Zhao waved a hand. "Go play."

"Yes!"

Seeing that Gu Zhao had let them off, the children let out huge breaths and fled like the wind.

When Elder He emerged behind them and saw Gu Zhao, he too breathed a sigh of relief. He cast Xiuniang an indulgent glance before explaining to Gu Zhao, "They finished helping their families with the farmwork, then came here to learn a few characters."

Learning to read...

Right. This was ancient times. There was no nine-year compulsory education here. Many people would go their whole lives unable to count or read.

"Ping Nao'er brought over some cured meat during the day. This old man steamed some flatbreads. Young Master, please hurry inside," Elder He said, quickly ushering Gu Zhao in.

Gu Zhao entered the courtyard and saw a low table beneath an old tree. Two porcelain bowls and a bamboo basket had been set upon it.

One bowl held less than half a bowl of cured meat, while the other contained some unknown black pickled vegetables. The bamboo basket held five or six palm-sized, dark yellow steamed flatbreads.

"Young Master, sit first. There's still some porridge warming in the pot. I'll bring you a bowl," Elder He said.

"I'll get it!" Xiuniang called out. Then she slipped past Elder He and ran into the kitchen beside them. Before long, she came back carrying a bowl of porridge in both hands and set it before Gu Zhao.

A moment later, Gu Zhao looked at the millet porridge before him, which was clearly thicker and more plentiful than Elder He's and Xiuniang's, and could not help falling silent.

Yesterday had been too rushed. He had been filled with the excitement and fear of arriving in another world, his mind crammed with ghosts, cultivation, and exploration. He had barely paid attention to his surroundings, and even when he had, it had only been a taste of the surface.

Today, after spending half the day testing spells in the forest, he had gained some confidence. Once he relaxed, he remembered the promise he had made yesterday and decided to return to the village for a look.

Life in an ancient mountain village was indeed vastly different from what Gu Zhao had imagined.

Old, broken, cramped village homes; patched, worn clothing; meager food; crude utensils... They did have enough to eat, but it seemed that having food was all they had left.

Seeing Gu Zhao's silence, Xiuniang's gaze turned timid. She lowered her head, feeling somewhat inferior. Elder He's lips moved twice before he explained in a low voice, "Please forgive us, Young Master. There's nothing good in the mountains. Please make do with this today. Tomorrow, I'll have someone go to the county town to buy some meat, vegetables, and fruit."

Gu Zhao came back to himself. Seeing Xiuniang's and Elder He's expressions, he hurriedly waved his hands and laughed brightly. "Elder He, you misunderstand. I was thinking that Xiuniang served me too much porridge. If I can't finish it, I'll have let down her kindness."

Xiuniang gave a soft laugh and could not help raising her head. Her cheeks then flushed red as she said, half shy and half mischievous, "Young Master is a Great Mage. Cultivation drains the mind, and you haven't eaten for so long today. How could you possibly be unable to finish even one bowl of porridge?"

"To tell you the truth, I actually ate my fill at noon today. Even now, I'm not hungry at all," Gu Zhao said with a smile.

That morning, he had gone to the City God Temple and Yuanfa Palace. Though he had been eager to come here and conduct his experiments, he had still eaten a pork trotter rice meal at noon and ordered an extra half roast goose. He truly had eaten his fill.

Xiuniang could not suppress a laugh. "Could it be that Young Master hunted a huge wild boar in the mountains?"

Gu Zhao shook his head. "Wild boar meat is sour and tough. It tastes terrible."

"It's delicious, though?" Xiuniang subconsciously looked at the porcelain bowl on the table. It contained cured meat made from a huge wild boar hunted by the village hunter, Li Erping.

Li Erping had given them cured meat before. Xiuniang remembered it being delicious. Every time she ate it, she could savor the memory for a long while afterward. Though she had not tasted today's cured meat yet, it looked quite tasty too, didn't it?

"That makes sense. You normally can't get to eat this sort of game," Gu Zhao nodded.

Wild boars were still on the protected species list in modern society. Hunting one was generally against the law, much less eating its meat. Did this count as getting a taste of meat in another world?

At that thought, Gu Zhao brightened again. He picked up his bowl and gave half a bowl of porridge each to Xiuniang and Elder He. Only then did he take a steamed flatbread and pick up a chopstickful of cured meat. "Come, come, let's eat first."

Gu Zhao did not eat much. After what had just happened, Elder He did not dare urge him to eat either. Still, as he watched Gu Zhao encourage Xiuniang to eat more, his eyes began to glimmer again.

After dinner, Xiuniang brought a book out from the main house. While the evening sun remained, she sat in the courtyard and read.

Elder He came to Gu Zhao's side and carefully tested the waters. "This old man worked as an accountant in Xiu Yue County when I was young. After Xiuniang's parents passed away, I taught the children in the village to read, count, and manage a household. When Xiuniang wove bamboo during the day to help support the family, she listened and learned as well. Now she can read and write, and is both well-read and sensible."

Gu Zhao nodded upon hearing this, but his gaze wandered about, and he seemed distracted. "It's best to read during the daytime from now on. If the light is too dim, it's bad for your eyes."

Elder He: "..."

Elder He opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but after thinking it over, he ultimately said nothing.

Gu Zhao glanced at Xiuniang's book. The character forms and writing style inside looked very much like the traditional Chinese characters of ancient Blue Star. After reading two lines, Gu Zhao lost interest. He went to look around the kitchen, told them not to disturb him, then returned to his room to rest.

I remember Aunt Jin's Fresh Food Store being open until eleven at night?