ABD - Chapter 3

"It's nothing, they won't be able to bully me for much longer."

"But those people outside aren't good. You'll need to hide from them while you recover here these next few days, so you don't get thrown out."

He had only just regained his senses and currently had no financial means, so he could only lie low for a few days. 

Once he earned some money, he would find a way to leave Yunshui Village and live in the city.

As an adult who had lived in the modern world for many years, with culture and wisdom, Shen Xuan considered his survival skills to be quite good.

It had been less than four days since he transmigrated back, and he had already figured out many ways to earn money in Yunshui Village and had not gone hungry since.

However, by saving the man in front of him last night, Shen Xuan suddenly acquired a big burden.

This man was severely injured; it would take at least half a month for him to recover enough to get out of bed, wouldn't it?

As a result, Shen Xuan would also have to take time to care for him, delaying his departure schedule. He might need to go to the city a little later.

Shen Xuan spoke lightly, but his words were quite unsettling to Xue Fenglin.

He felt awful that such a kind "ger" as Shen Xuan had endured so much torment.

At this moment, although he felt no romantic affection for Shen Xuan, a sense of pity arose within him.

He thought that based on Shen Xuan's kindness and his life-saving grace, once he returned to the capital, even if he didn't marry him, he would certainly give him proper recompense and take good care of him for the rest of his life.

Shen Xuan had no idea of Xue Fenglin's current thoughts. Seeing him silent again, he spoke up, "By the way, I still don't know your name?"

This man would apparently be recovering here for a while, and it was quite inconvenient not knowing his name, always referring to him as "you."

"Uh..." Xue Fenglin was startled, and a cold sweat suddenly broke out on his back.

"I... I'm Lin Ye," he blurted out, as if possessed, using his own given name combined with his mother's surname as a false name.

He was afraid Shen Xuan would know he was the Xue family heir, especially since he hadn't yet decided to marry him and spend his life with him. 

Besides, the marriage contract had stipulated that the Xue family would come to receive Shen Xuan after his coming of age (笄, around 15 years old).

But now Shen Xuan was eighteen, still living such a difficult life in Yunshui Village, yet the Xue family had been nowhere to be seen...

"Lin Ye, as in 'the sound of wind rustling through the trees'? I suppose you were born on a rainy day, that name sounds quite nice." Compared to the guilty Xue Fenglin, Shen Xuan was much more open, lavishly praising the name Lin Ye.

Xue Fenglin had just made it up on the spot, but hearing Shen Xuan's praise, he felt increasingly uneasy, as if thorns were pricking his back, and yet he was also somewhat surprised.

He couldn't help but ask, "You've studied poetry too?"

He remembered Shen Xuan being brought back to the countryside ten years ago. At that time, he was just a few years old and a "ger." Could it be that he had also studied poetry and books?

Shen Xuan was startled, realizing he had inadvertently revealed too much. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Oh no, no, it was just from recognizing a few characters as a child and happening to hear that line of poetry."

Fearing that he might make more mistakes by speaking further, he quickly got up, instructed Xue Fenglin to drink his medicine, and then went to check on the yams in the ash.

Earlier, after burying the yams in the hot ash, he had burned a pile of dry branches on top. Now, upon inspection, the pile of dry branches had almost completely burned down.

Shen Xuan doused the flickering embers on the top layer and used a shovel to dig out the yams buried underneath.

The two yams emerged with a strong, sweet aroma. Each was about the size of a child's arm, with charred and wrinkled skins.

Shen Xuan squeezed them in his hand; even their centers had softened. They must be ready.

He quickly scooped the yams into his garment's hem and brought them into the room, handing one to Xue Fenglin.

"Eat this, we'll have roasted yams for breakfast. These are good stuff." 

He then broke open the other one himself. The red-fleshed yam emitted steaming white vapor, and a layer of crystallized sugar had formed under its black skin.

The sugary part was the sweetest and best tasting. Shen Xuan hadn't eaten sugar in a long time and was so eager he didn't mind the heat, taking a big bite and narrowing his eyes in satisfaction.

Xue Fenglin wasn't unfamiliar with yams. They were just wild provisions for nobles to have during hunting trips or outings.

The Marquis's residence had specialized pastry chefs, making all kinds of water chestnut cakes and flower pastries with ease. 

There was also a special soup made with almonds and goat's milk, with honey and dried fruits and preserves added. Xue Fenglin would only symbolically eat a couple of bites of that.

He had always considered himself someone who didn't like sweets, but now, seeing Shen Xuan eat with such relish, he felt a craving.

He copied Shen Xuan, broke open a yam, and ate a bite of the red flesh. The warm yam in his stomach indeed eased his hunger, making him feel much more energetic.

"Lin Ye, you should eat the part under the skin; that's the sweetest," Shen Xuan said, laughing slightly at his clumsy movements.

He put down his own yam, reached out, and helped Xue Fenglin peel off a piece. The part closest to the skin was a deep red sugar crust. Shen Xuan held the piece to Xue Fenglin's mouth, directly feeding him.

Xue Fenglin froze, his heart pounding, feeling quite uncomfortable. But seeing the pure look in Shen Xuan's eyes, realizing he simply wanted to show him how to eat the yam, he still lowered his head and took a bite from Shen Xuan's hand.

The sugar crust part was indeed exceptionally sweet. Xue Fenglin had been hungry for several days, and suddenly eating something so sweet, he felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction.

"Is it good?" Shen Xuan asked with a smile.

Xue Fenglin nodded, and for some reason, he smiled back.

They both finished the two yams together, Xue Fenglin almost gnawing the skin clean.

He rubbed his stomach, still somewhat unsatisfied, and Shen Xuan knew he wasn't full yet. He said to him, "You should lie down and rest. I need to find some other food."

Shen Xuan had a small appetite, and one yam was enough for him.

But Lin Ye was tall, so his appetite must be considerable. Shen Xuan felt a headache coming on; simply digging up yams and wild vegetables on the mountain wouldn't be enough to feed him. He needed to get some rice and flour too.

"Shen Xuan..."

Just as Shen Xuan was about to leave, he heard Xue Fenglin call out from behind him.

"What is it?" Shen Xuan turned back, confused, and saw Xue Fenglin struggling to get out of bed.

"Your body isn't well yet; don't be so impatient to move around." Shen Xuan quickly said.

"I..." Xue Fenglin paused, seemingly in an internal struggle. Finally, he spoke, "I need to use the latrine."

After saying that, Xue Fenglin felt he had lost all dignity in front of Shen Xuan. Fortunately, his face was still too swollen to be recognizable, so no one could see his look of shame.

This caught Shen Xuan off guard and made him a bit awkward. How could he have forgotten about this?

Shen Xuan usually went to the outhouse in the yard, but it was far from the hut. Lin Ye couldn't move freely right now, and they couldn't risk the Wang family discovering him.

Thinking of this, Shen Xuan had no choice but to find a wooden bucket and said to Xue Fenglin, "You can use this for now. I'll take care of it when I get back later."

Once Shen Xuan left, Xue Fenglin took a deep breath and looked at the wooden bucket. He only wished his injuries could heal faster, feeling utterly helpless.

With these injuries, he wondered how much debt of gratitude he owed Shen Xuan. He had promised to repay him, but now he didn't know how he would ever clear it!

***

Shen Xuan picked up a sickle, put on his back basket, and walked out the door, looking like he was heading to the mountains to gather firewood.

He used to go to the mountains to gather firewood every day, so the Wang family was already accustomed to it.

However, these past few days, Shen Xuan's trips to the mountain weren't for collecting firewood, but to secretly earn money.

Shen Xuan walked to a deserted stream and squatted down, searching among the grass and stones by the stream.

There were many river snails in these stream areas, especially now, just before autumn, which was when river snails were at their plumpest.

River snails had little meat and a fishy taste, requiring strong-flavored seasonings to cook.

Seasonings were expensive, and villagers were reluctant to use much of them, resulting in unpalatable river snails. 

Thus, hardly anyone bothered to specifically collect river snails from the stream to eat.

However, just because villagers didn't like them didn't mean wealthy gentlemen in the city didn't.

When Shen Xuan was a child, the Duke Shen's residence would also prepare stuffed river snails as a dish for guests.

In city restaurants, stir-fried river snails were a famous side dish for drinks, a dish that could sell for twenty copper coins, almost the same price as pork.

After a short while, Shen Xuan saw that his back basket was almost full. He then put some water in the basket, covered the river snails with a few leaves, and walked towards the official road down the mountain.

On the second day after Shen Xuan transmigrated, he discovered that there were often buyers from city restaurants on the official road.

It took a full day to walk from the village to the city. But these buyers traveled by carriage, making it very convenient for them to collect produce from the villages.

Therefore, there were often astute farmers along the official road who would sell wild pheasants, rabbits, or vegetables from the mountains. 

The buyers would collect them directly by the roadside, which was more convenient than going into each household in the village to inquire.

After discovering this opportunity, Shen Xuan started collecting river snails every day and selling them on the official road.

These river snails, when sent to restaurants, could make at least ten dishes. Shen Xuan wasn't greedy and sold them cheaply at one hundred copper coins per basket.

The buyers saw that the river snails they took back sold well and generated considerable profit, so someone came to collect them every day these past few days.

Shen Xuan waited by the roadside for a while, and sure enough, a restaurant's procurement carriage pulled over and bought the entire basket of river snails from him.

After receiving the money, Shen Xuan took out a cloth, wrapped the coins, and put them into his sleeve pocket.

The sleeve pocket contained all the income he had earned since his transmigration these past few days. 

After deducting what he spent on firewood, he had more than two hundred ninety copper coins left, feeling heavy.

Shen Xuan, with the money, walked to a farmer selling firewood by the official road and bought a bundle of firewood for two copper coins.

These past few days, he bought a bundle of firewood to take home every day to avoid the Wang family noticing anything unusual.

After slinging the firewood onto his back, he thought for a moment and then found a hunter selling his catch. He gritted his teeth and spent twenty copper coins to buy a wild pheasant and a nest of bird eggs.

Lin Ye was so severely injured; he probably wouldn't recover without some nutritious food. Although Shen Xuan felt the pinch, a living person was more important than money, so he spent it.

Finally, Shen Xuan spent ten copper coins to buy a bag of cornmeal before returning to the Shen family as usual.

He first hid the food in the straw pile behind the thatched hut, then carried the firewood to the back of the kitchen and arranged it.

"Autumn is approaching, remember to gather more firewood every day," Lady Li, from the first household, said to Shen Xuan, pointing to the firewood pile in the corner.

Shen Xuan nodded, feigning a confused expression as if he vaguely understood. Lady Li saw his look and impatiently waved her hand, saying, "Go eat lunch now."

She thought to herself that Shen Xuan was so foolish, she wondered if he had understood anything at all.

Shen Xuan then returned to the kitchen. Sure enough, the Wang family had already eaten lunch. This time, they had left him a bowl of vegetable porridge. It looked bland, but it was barely enough to fill his stomach.

Shen Xuan divided that bowl of vegetable porridge into two, quickly drank one, and planned to take the rest back for Lin Ye.