Chapter 8: Entering the Mountains to Store Food

The Xu family carefully placed their belongings in order, each carrying a bundle on their back. Even the seven-year-old Xu Ling had been given two bamboo tubes to carry by Zheng Shi, though the five-year-old Xu Cai was spared.

Xu Nian asked Wang Shi for a few lengths of hemp rope to tie around her pant legs. Xu Ji, curious, asked, “Big Sister, why are you tying up your pants?”

“There are a lot of bugs in the mountains. This way, they won’t crawl into our clothes. Help me tie up my sleeves too. You should all do the same—I got plenty of rope from Grandmother.”

Xu Ji nodded obediently. He noticed that his big sister had changed a lot; she was much more talkative and cheerful than before.

The Xu family tied up their pant legs and sleeves. Meanwhile, Xu Yaozu approached Xu Laoye, holding the sickle, and shared his plan.

“Father, I’ll go ahead with the village chief and the others. This blade is really sharp—it’ll be perfect for clearing the path.”

Xu Laoye nodded. “Be careful. Go on.”

Xu Yaozu then joined the village chief and Hunter Wang.

“Uncle, Brother Wang, I’ll help clear the way.”

If it had been someone else, the village chief might have hesitated, but Xu Yaozu was the most educated person in the village and also quite strong. The chief had no concerns.

Hunter Wang was pleased as well. “With Brother Xu here, I feel much more at ease. I was worried I’d take the wrong path.”

“Alright, let’s hurry into the mountains. The later we are, the more unpredictable things may become.”

With that, the village chief called out to the group, “Move out!”

Xu Fugui and Xu Youliang pushed the handcart in front, followed by the Xu family women and children. At the rear, Xu Laoye and Xu Weian brought up the end of the group.

Because little Xu Cai couldn’t walk fast, Xu Weian carried him on his shoulders. Luckily, the Xu men were all strong, or else this journey would have been even harder.

Xu Nian felt particularly energetic today. She suspected it had something to do with the spring water from her space. She planned to find an opportunity to bring some out and test its effects.

The mountain paths were much rougher than the flatlands, but at least the lush greenery indicated that this area hadn’t suffered from the drought.

However, Xu Nian knew that the journey ahead would only get more difficult. Soon, they would face food and water shortages.

So, during their rest breaks, she didn’t just sit idly—she began searching the area for edible wild vegetables and other food sources.

Once she was a little distance away from the main group and saw that no one was following her, she quickly entered her space.

She didn’t eat anything but swiftly filled her bamboo tubes with water before exiting.

Luckily, no one noticed what she had done.

After securing the bamboo tubes, she resumed searching for wild vegetables.

In truth, Xu Nian only recognized a few types, ones her grandmother had shown her a few times when she was little. However, the original Xu Nian had known many more, which allowed her to quickly find several edible plants: prickly sow thistle, shepherd’s purse, and red amaranth.

When she spotted the red amaranth, she was so delighted that she started humming a tune.

There’s an old saying: “In August, amaranth is worth more than gold.” In the modern world, she had to buy it for over ten yuan per pound at the supermarket. But now, she could pluck as much as she wanted for free!

Just as she was happily gathering, she saw Wang Shi approaching.

“Big girl, why did you run off so far again? Oh—there’s so much wild greens here!”

Wang Shi was about to help pick them when Xu Nian stopped her.

“Grandmother, go get a basket first. Also, bring Mother and the others over to help gather these. Our food won’t last long—we need to store as much as we can while we still have the chance.”

Wang Shi found her reasoning sound. If it had been before, she would have thought of this sooner, but the past few days had been so exhausting that her mind felt like mush.

Without another word, she turned back to call her daughters-in-law, completely forgetting that she had originally come to ask about the Mountain Goddess.

Wang Shi told her three daughters-in-law where Xu Nian was but did not follow them. She had to stay and guard the Xu family’s food supplies.

After waiting for about half an incense stick’s time after her daughters-in-law had left, Wang Shi walked over to the nearby Wang Huaishan’s house.

“Sister-in-law Huaishan, if you still have the energy, have your daughters-in-law go gather some wild vegetables to store for the journey ahead.”

“Sister-in-law Xu, we’ve already gathered enough for two meals. If we collect too much, it’ll just be extra weight to carry,” Wang Huaishan’s wife replied.

Wang Shi disagreed. “Sister-in-law Huaishan, didn’t you hear what the village chief said? Many places ahead of us have already suffered droughts. Do you really think wild vegetables will be available everywhere in the mountains?

I’m only reminding you because our families are close. Whether you believe me or not is up to you.”

Madam Liu quickly grabbed Wang Shi’s arm before she could leave. “Sister-in-law, don’t be angry—I believe you. On behalf of my whole family, I thank you.”

Wang Shi waved her hand with a smile. “I don’t need thanks from an old lady like you. Just go and take care of your own business.”

And just like that, one family encouraged another, and within the short two-quarter-hour rest, almost every household had stored at least some wild vegetables.

Meanwhile, after sending Wang Shi away, Xu Nian secretly put a portion of the red amaranth she had gathered into her space.

By the time Tian Shi and her two sisters-in-law arrived, Xu Nian had already gathered a small pile.

“Oh my, our big girl is really capable! Second Aunt, put these away first,” Tian Shi said with admiration.

“Big Sister, Second Sister, let’s gather more. Tonight, we can blanch them in boiling water and let the sun dry them tomorrow. Once they’re dried, they’ll last longer and weigh less,” suggested the third sister-in-law.

Tian Shi nodded approvingly. “That’s a great idea.”

Xu Nian had never thought about drying vegetables before—her original plan was simply to store them in her space and take them out as needed.

This moment served as a reminder to her: she couldn’t rely on her space for everything. She needed to start thinking of other practical solutions too.

The four of them didn’t spend too long gathering vegetables. Since Xu Nian had wandered a bit far, they hurried back to avoid delaying the main group’s departure.

The timing was perfect. After storing the wild vegetables and strapping on their bundles, they continued on their journey.

Xu Nian held a piece of dry food in one hand and a bamboo tube in the other, chewing absentmindedly. Compared to yesterday’s chicken leg, the dry rations felt even harder to swallow.

Even the water from her bamboo tube, which tasted incredibly sweet and refreshing when she drank it inside her space, seemed no different from regular water once she brought it outside.

By early afternoon, the group had been traveling for nearly three hours when they finally stopped.

Since the situation in the mountains was uncertain, the village chief decided to have everyone find a place to settle down before nightfall to avoid any unexpected dangers.

Although it was supposed to be a rest stop, no one in the village stayed idle. Everyone went out searching for food.

The three Xu sisters-in-law and a few young boys also went to dig for more wild vegetables.

Xu Nian, however, stayed behind. As she watched the sky darken, she sighed helplessly—she wasn’t afraid of much, but she was terrified of the dark.

She remained behind to help Wang Shi prepare the evening meal and process the wild vegetables they had gathered earlier.

After pouring rice and water into the pot, Wang Shi leaned in close and whispered to Xu Nian, “Big girl, did the Mountain Goddess speak to you again last night?”

Xu Nian held back a laugh and whispered back, “Grandmother, I slept too soundly and didn’t dream.”

Wang Shi sighed but also reassured Xu Nian, “Maybe the Mountain Goddess is busy. She might appear in your dreams again later.”

Xu Nian nodded solemnly, playing along.

The villagers knew the importance of staying safe, so they all returned before nightfall. The Xu family came back carrying nearly half a basket of wild vegetables.

Before they even reached their spot, Xu Jian excitedly shouted, “Big Sister! Big Sister! Uncle Wang is amazing—he caught a wild chicken in one go!”

Xu Nian shook her head with a laugh. Someone was definitely craving meat.