Chapter 2: Gaining Energy

Aunt Zhao and Qin Ying had always been alert. They rolled out of bed in an instant and quickly put on their outer garments.

Aunt Zhao grabbed a pair of scissors and handed another pair to Qin Ying. At the same time, she shouted to wake up Zhao Hu, who was sleeping in the west room.

Zhao Hu was only thirteen years old—thin and small—but his expression was filled with ferocity at that moment. He rushed to the outer room, grabbed the door bar, and yanked the door open with force.

Aunt Zhao told Qin Ying to stay in the house and watch over 168, then lifted a pine torch and came to stand beside Zhao Hu.

Qin Ying held 168 tightly and backed into a corner of the room. Her heart pounded wildly.

Energy +0.01? 168 happily watched the live scene unfold.

Outside, Zhao Hu had originally been ready to charge out with the bar in hand, but Aunt Zhao yanked him back.

The stench of blood in the yard was just too strong, and the cries from the two people lying on the ground were unbearably tragic.

Life was hard. Most of the villagers in Tongshu Hamlet had gone off to live with relatives or seek livelihoods elsewhere. The remaining people in the village were few.

And with days of starvation behind them, no one had the strength to leave their homes.

The wailing lasted for nearly fifteen minutes before some villagers, holding torches, began to gather.

The Zhao family’s courtyard wall wasn’t high—standing outside, one could see everything inside clearly.

Someone spoke up, “Aren’t those Li Er and Zhang San from Nanshu Bay who became bandits?”

Li Er had a finger-thick wooden splinter stuck in his left eye. The excruciating pain made him do nothing but roll on the ground screaming. Zhang San, meanwhile, had both hands clutching his crotch, his body curled into a ball, head pressed to the ground, howling until his voice went hoarse. Blood seeped through his fingers.

168 understood—what he was covering had now truly turned into the character “串” (to skewer)!

What a precise angle! There were only two weird-shaped firewood sticks in the pile.

Someone commented, “Sister-in-law Zhao, wasn’t that a bit too ruthless?”

Zhao Hu raised an eyebrow and shot back, “These two bastards sneaked into our home in the middle of the night! Even if we had beaten them to death, we’d still be in the right! And besides, we didn’t even lay a finger on them!”

“Exactly!” Aunt Zhao gripped the scissors tightly and shouted, “Did any of you see us attack them? We’re just a household of a widow and children—how could we take down two grown men?

“This was heaven punishing the wicked! Pah! Serves them right! Why didn’t lightning strike them dead?”

The crowd quickly changed their tune and began cursing the two thieves.

Energy depleted. 168 received the alert and, with some regret, fell asleep.

At the back of the crowd, two men with their hands tucked in their sleeves exchanged glances. They squeezed forward, neatly climbed over the wall into the courtyard, removed the door bar, and invited the villagers inside.

Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hu guarded the doorway, gripping their weapons warily.

The villagers argued loudly for a while until Uncle Chen Jiu, a highly respected elder, was finally roused by the noise. He ordered the two injured men to be carried away, and only then did the crowd gradually disperse.

Uncle Chen Jiu looked like he wanted to say something but only sighed deeply and advised the Zhao family to keep their door secured before slowly walking away with his back hunched.

Zhao Hu rushed over to bolt the courtyard gate, then went back inside with Aunt Zhao and secured the door bar again.

Aunt Zhao’s hands were trembling. The still-burning torch nearly fell to the ground, but Zhao Hu caught it and stuck it into the dirt floor of the east room.

Aunt Zhao clutched her chest and asked Qin Ying, “Is the baby okay?”

Qin Ying showed her 168. “She’s asleep—has no idea what happened.”

The room fell into a long silence. The firelight flickered a few more times before finally extinguishing.

Aunt Zhao sighed heavily. “Alright, it’s over. Let’s sleep.”

She used to only worry about Yingzi being harassed by thugs, but now she had to fear that their entire family might become someone’s next meal…

Forget it. There’s no power to change anything. Live one day at a time.

Qin Ying gently pressed her cheek against 168’s, feeling infinite pity in her heart.

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The next day, the family got up. Aunt Zhao scraped the bottom of the water jar clean and boiled a bowl of soup that looked like plain water. She fed it to 168, and the rest only moistened their lips.

Qin Ying gave 168 a nickname—“An An”—and said, “Let’s hope she grows up safe and sound.”

Aunt Zhao had no objections. “Today I’ll take An An to fetch water. You and Huzi go find something to eat.”

Now, only Koushan Hamlet twenty miles away still had a functioning well. Villagers from other areas could fetch water once every ten days, half a bucket each time.

That half-bucket was basically muddy water. After settling, it might yield just over a bowl of clear water.

Qin Ying quickly said, “Auntie, let An An come with me.”

Aunt Zhao didn’t insist.

Energy +0.03. Even while asleep last night, she gained 0.03! So satisfying~

An An’s big eyes sparkled brightly, earning kisses and affection from all three members of the household.

Soon after, Qin Ying carried An An on her back, with a basket slung over one shoulder. Zhao Hu carried a back basket and brought along tools for defense—shoulder poles, hammers, and the like—as they headed into the mountains.

Their target: squirrel nests and field mouse holes.

The areas near the village had long been picked clean by others.

Even the foot and mid-mountains had been scoured repeatedly—tree bark and roots were already dug up.

Going deeper into the mountains posed the risk of encountering wild animals. Plus, it required a lot of strength and didn’t guarantee results, so very few dared venture there.

The siblings walked for over an hour under the scorching sun until they reached halfway up the mountain.

The withered mountain was silent except for the wind. The wild animals had long since fled, and the stillness was unsettling.

Zhao Hu cleared a spot under a large tree and told Qin Ying to rest first. Then he wiped the sweat off his forehead and went to collect firewood.

Qin Ying quickly untied An An. The little one hadn’t made a peep the entire way—if she hadn’t reached back occasionally to check, she wouldn’t have felt at ease.

She unwrapped the thin swaddle to help the baby urinate and cool down. Then she took out a water pouch to moisten her lips. In this scorching summer heat, she couldn’t afford to let the baby get heatstroke.

As usual, the water pouch held only a few sips. Unless their lips cracked from thirst, neither sibling would drink from it.

And that was only because they were out. Back home, they’d usually drink just one sip of water per day.

An An used Heavenly Eye to check and understood all this. A warm current flowed through her heart. Energy +0.01.

Biu~ Koi bonus activated! Duration: twelve hours.

After observing for a while and confirming An An was fine, Qin Ying tied her back on. The siblings then entered the deep forest, searching for squirrel nests.

Suddenly, she stumbled on something. Qin Ying staggered and quickly grabbed a nearby tree. Her heart raced. She didn’t mind falling herself, but An An was still so tiny!

Instinctively, she reached back to feel the swaddle.

Energy +0.01. An An felt it was time to give a reaction, so she kicked her legs.

Qin Ying breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her head to check her foot. She found burrs stuck to the toe of her shoe.

Feeling puzzled, she crouched down, parted the withered grass, and used a small spade to dig.

The spot she had stepped on was quickly dug into a pit, revealing chestnuts still wrapped in their spiky shells, as well as pine nuts and hazelnuts. Though they were hard and dry like stones, the discovery filled her with joy.

Qin Ying turned her head and shouted, “Huzi, come quick! There’s good stuff here!”

Zhao Hu dropped his firewood and ran over. The siblings worked together, and before long, they had collected five or six catties of dried goods.

Ahhh! If they rationed it carefully, it could last them several days!

They were both thrilled, temporarily forgetting their thirst and hunger.

After packing it all up, they bundled the firewood and continued to search the area.