Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Ever since reaching Level 2, Gu Ran had hardly paid any attention to the Gulu system.

After using the tenth space compartment, the system hadn’t been useful during the journey. So, despite having enough points, Gu Ran wasn’t in a hurry to upgrade.

However, after returning from a trip to the county town today, with food supplies and daily necessities piled high on the desk and crammed into the spaces below, the entire workroom had become an utter mess. This made Gu Ran realize that living alone, this six-cubic-meter workroom was simply too small.

The temperature inside the tenth space compartment was minus ten degrees Celsius, making it off-limits to people and objects, so it was unusable as well.

This workspace won’t suffice as a storage area in the future. Therefore, Gu Ran planned to upgrade as soon as possible to obtain a compartment that could function as a portable storage space.

After cleaning up the workroom, Gu Ran sat down at the desk and saw two lines of text appear on the background of the storage cabinet:

"Would the host like to draw a card?"

"Draw" / "Do not draw"

She pressed "Draw" and randomly drew a card.

As the card disappeared, Gu Ran was already looking at the partial pattern that was left on the desk.

It appeared far more complex than the first card and would take some time to restore.

Gu Ran looked up and saw the text had changed to "Points: 47, Level: 2."

If the second compartment wasn’t successfully unlocked, the space system’s level would remain at two. Only after unlocking the second compartment would the level upgrade to three.

Considering the remaining points, it would take three months to accumulate 120 points.

Gu Ran’s gaze returned to the card, deciding not to rush.

She would take her time restoring the space card’s pattern, with the goal of opening a storage space that could maintain the current state of the objects placed inside.

The Fujian region was generally hot and humid, and things would spoil quickly, especially food supplies. Therefore, it was crucial that objects placed inside the space could maintain their fresh state.

Since she planned to take it slow, Gu Ran decided to restore the space card pattern during her free time every day and, when not free, think of ways to earn money.

Because the original two taels of silver, which were supposed to last for a year, had now dwindled to only forty-five wen, there was an urgent shortage of money.

After visiting Donglin Township and the county town pier, Gu Ran had already come up with a preliminary plan.

Relying solely on farming and selling rice grains would not suffice, so why not utilize the large forest that few dare to enter?

Indeed, the miasma-filled forest lies ahead.

Both the markets in Donglin Township and the county town pier sold mountain goods and wild game. The miasma forest was dangerous, so very few people ventured inside. Consequently, many of the mountain goods in the forest remain unharvested.

If she dared to venture inside and harvest those mountain goods, they would be unique and command a high price.

This was the quickest way she could think of to make money.

Therefore, when she visited the herbal shop to purchase dried mugwort and thatch grass, she also bought atractylodes, scutellaria, and schizonepeta to prepare for entering the forest.

The next day, after watering the newly planted scallions and ginger, and loosening the soil around the red oranges, she checked the three fish hanging to dry. She observed the direction of the sunlight and moved them to a spot for maximum exposure. She then took out the scraps of fabric given to her when she bought clothes at the Sihai Cloth Shop earlier. Selecting some plain, fine cotton fabric, she held it against her face and chin, and roughly cut it to size. After folding it in half and sealing both sides, she cut two pieces of cotton rope, threaded them through the sealed edges, and secured the ends, creating a mask.

Although the stitching was crooked and not aesthetically pleasing, it was sturdy and functional.

In this way, Gu Ran made five masks at once. She then burned dried mugwort and atractylodes to smoke the masks.

Additionally, she found five pieces of cotton fabric, washed and boiled them with scutellaria and schizonepeta. After drying, she placed the cotton pieces inside the masks, stitched the edges, and continued to smoke them, completing the simple disinfectant masks.

While Gu Ran was making masks in the utility room, someone knocked on the door.

She opened the door, still smelling of medicinal herbs, to find Head Wu.

Gu Ran owned ten acres of land, including two upland fields. One acre was behind the house, and the other was near the village entrance. The remaining eight acres were scattered around the village, with four acres connected together near the large forest. However, this land was newly cultivated, and no one dared to work it.

The remaining four acres were adjacent to other villagers' land, which they had incorporated into their own paddy fields.

When Gu Ran inspected her land, she found that her four acres of fields were mixed with the paddy fields of four village households, making them indistinguishable.

The primary crop in the paddy fields was rice, a staple in the Min region.

The rice in Xiaxi Village is grown on a two-crop-a-year cycle. It is now May, and the rice is currently in the heading stage, when the grains start forming. The paddy fields have plenty of irrigation water, and the clear water reflects the blue sky and white clouds. The rice plants are sturdy and tall, with long and plentiful panicles.

It is clear that the villagers of Xiaxi Village have taken excellent care of the rice in Gu Ran's fields.

Unfortunately, when these rice grains are harvested, they will not belong to her.

Village Chief Wu summoned the heads of three households to meet Gu Ran. One household had been farming two acres of her paddy fields.

One household belonged to Wu Erbo, a close relative of Village Chief Wu. The second was Uncle Chen Si's family, and the last was Aunt Yang's household.

After brief introductions, Village Chief Wu mentioned that Gu Ran had agreed to let them continue farming the fields. Upon learning they would receive 40% of the harvest, all three households agreed.

They were all seasoned farmers, skilled in growing rice. Moreover, Gu Ran's fields were adjacent to their own, making management easier. Receiving 40% of the harvest was a favorable arrangement for them.

"By the way, when is the rice harvest in our village?" Gu Ran asked, gazing longingly at the rice in the paddy field.

"Around July," one of the farmers replied.

"That's right. By the end of July at the latest, we will need to harvest this crop of rice and then plant the late-season rice."

"In that case, can I buy some of the harvested rice from these fields?" Gu Ran asked.

"Certainly. The extra rice we harvest will be taken to the county town for sale. If you buy from us, it will save us the trouble."

"Then it's settled," Gu Ran said.

She was eagerly anticipating it.

Nothing compares to the fragrance of freshly harvested rice.

When the time comes, she would fill her granary to the top.

When Gu Ran returned, Village Chief Wu asked, "What do you plan to do with the remaining four acres of land?"

Gu Ran looked off into the distance at the vacant four acres of land, feeling troubled.

She had already asked the three households if they would be willing to farm the remaining four acres, offering them the same 40% share of the harvest, but none were interested.

They were all concerned that the proximity to the miasma forest could pose a danger.

She couldn't possibly cultivate it herself, so she had no choice but to leave it idle for now.

"Head Wu, could you help me find other farmers who can cultivate the land?" Gu Ran asked. "If they are willing, I can share half of the harvest with them."

"You need to think this over carefully. If I can't find additional farmers, relying solely on hiring villagers to farm those four acres of paddy fields might not suffice," Head Wu warned. "If it's not enough, you'll still have to pay the taxes even if you purchase grain with your own money!"

So, it all boils down to having enough money, doesn’t it?

Gu Ran was troubled.

Upon returning to her small cottage, she looked at the prepared masks she had made and then looked at the silent miasma forest in the distance.

Alright, I’ll head out immediately after dinner!

Last night's dinner had a whole steamed fish, which we finished, and the soup was gone too. There was still some leftover rice and stir-fried shrimp left. Gu Ran took some ice from Storage Compartment Ten and placed it in a wooden bucket in the kitchen to keep things cold.

She decided to make omurice for lunch.

Leftover rice is best for frying; it’s easy to achieve a distinct grain texture.

She heated the oil, fried the shrimp, and set them aside. Next, she poured the rice into the pan and fried it, adding some shredded seaweed, a bit of salt, and some soy sauce to taste. After frying it well, she poured the shrimp back in, mixed it evenly, and then transferred it to a plate.

She beat an egg and reheated the oil in the pan. Slowly, she poured the egg mixture into the pan, making sure it spread evenly into a circular shape. When the omelette was golden brown and the top was still slightly runny, she placed the fried rice in the middle of the omelette. She then folded the omelette over the rice, pressing the edges to seal it tightly.

After turning off the heat, she placed the omurice on a plate, and it was ready to serve.

In times of abundant supplies, she could have added some ketchup or salad dressing and garnished it with bay leaves, but without extra condiments, it was still good to eat as it was.

The flavor was rich yet not greasy, with a delightful texture.

After finishing the omurice, she prepared for her departure.

She separated the dried mugwort and silver grass into small bundles and tied them with string.

Gu Ran filled a bamboo cylinder with cold water, closed the lid, and screwed it tight.

She placed the mask in the drawer of the workbench in the workshop.

Finally, she grabbed a fire poker as a weapon, slung the bamboo basket on her back, locked the door, and set off.

According to Village Chief Wu, this stream flowed all the way into the miasma forest. Following the stream, she passed by a few acres of fallow land under her name. Taking a glance at the fields, Gu Ran saw that they were overgrown with weeds. After a moment’s pause, she continued on her way.

Before entering the miasma forest, Gu Ran tied up the legs of her pants and secured her sleeves with ropes to prevent mosquito bites. She also took out a mask, put it on, and entered the forest without hesitation.

As soon as she entered the forest, the bright sunlight was partially blocked by the dense canopy. The dappled light circles on the ground swayed gently with the wind.

Since it was her first time in the forest, and she was unfamiliar with the terrain, Gu Ran was reluctant to stray too far from the stream. Even when exploring, she stayed within sight of the water.

Thanks to the stream flowing from the village into the forest, it served as a reliable landmark, greatly reducing the risk of getting lost.

Even though she was alone, Gu Ran was not afraid.

In her previous life, as a talisman master, she often ventured deep into secret realm forests to capture various rare and exotic animals for their hides to use as talisman papers.

Of course, that was with the protection of her spiritual power and talisman papers.

Now, without spiritual power and talisman papers, the mountain beasts she faced were not as formidable as those in the cultivation world. Moreover, she had experience handling mountain beasts and could set traps for hunting without relying on brute force.

So this time, her main goal was to scout the forest, familiarize herself with the environment, and if fortunate, observe the wildlife present so she could set specific traps in the future.

As she ventured deeper into the forest's outskirts, the bird calls became more numerous.

Gu Ran listened carefully for a moment, and identified no less than five types of bird calls—sparrows, warblers, and likely hawk cuckoos and blackbirds.

The warm climate of the Min region sustained many resident birds, and the region’s forests were also popular among migratory birds traveling north and south.

Among the various bird calls, she could also hear the faint tapping of a woodpecker. She listened for a moment to the steady tapping. After a few high notes, it let out a peculiar 'dee-dee' sound, so she followed the noise.

Shortly, she arrived at a bamboo grove.

This was the common Moso bamboo found in the Min region, characterized by tall plants, long bamboo segments, and broad, lush leaves.

When unable to find holly leaves or mugwort leaves to wrap zongzi, although not as commonly used as indocalamus leaves, mao bamboo leaves can be used as a substitute.

Tomorrow would be the Dragon Boat Festival. If she wanted to make zongzi, she could still pick the leaves fresh. However, having just arrived at Xiaxi Village, she hadn’t prepared any of the necessary ingredients like peanuts, mung beans, roast pork, or bought any glutinous rice. So, she had no plans to make zongzi this year.

Entering the bamboo forest, Gu Ran soon located the source of the sound—a small bamboo woodpecker.

Its gray-green plumage made it hard to notice unless you looked closely.

Perhaps due to the rarity of human visitors, the woodpecker was unafraid and continued pecking at the bamboo for a long time.

Gu Ran left it alone.

As the season for spring bamboo shoots had passed and the autumn season hadn’t begun, there were no fresh, tender bamboo shoots in the grove. However, Gu Ran wasn’t interested in the shoots. Her target was a small animal living in the bamboo forest—the bamboo rat.

Similar in size to a squirrel, it fed on bamboo and often sneaked into fields to eat crops and grain.

A large, plump bamboo rat with tender meat could be roasted or stewed.

Without money to buy pork or mutton, catching a few bamboo rats would provide an excellent meat dish.

Gu Ran carefully examined the ground, focusing on the soil near the bamboo roots, searching for holes that might indicate the presence of bamboo rats. After a brief search, she found one.

Was there a bamboo rat inside the hole?

Looking around, Gu Ran first set down the bamboo basket she was carrying, then gathered some dry branches and leaves nearby, piling them in front of the hole. She planned to use smoke to flush out the rat. If there was no rat, she would move on to the next hole. If there was one, she would catch it immediately.

Gu Ran lit a few leaves, threw them into the hole, and then lit the leaves at the entrance. As the dry leaves and grass caught fire, she blew on them and waved the smoke towards the hole.

She accidentally inhaled some smoke, causing her to cough and quickly cover her mouth.

She didn’t want to alert the bamboo rat to her presence.

Sure enough, after a short while, she heard the rustling sounds from inside the hole. Then, a shadow darted out. Gu Ran adjusted the basket, positioning it directly over the opening.

Thud. Something tumbled into the basket. Judging from the impact and the sudden increase in weight, the bamboo rat she had caught must have been quite plump.

Gu Ran was about to lift the bamboo basket to trap the mouse when she heard more movement at the hole.

Two of them?

Gu Ran immediately covered the ground with the mouth of the basket and grabbed her fire stick. She swung it at the other bamboo mouse that had fled from the hole. It staggered after the first blow, but Gu Ran quickly rushed after it and struck two more times before it was knocked unconscious and stopped moving.

She hadn’t had time to pick up the mouse when the one in the basket started jumping around, almost flipping it over. Gu Ran quickly pressed down on the basket and then extended her fire stick to poke it several times until its struggles weakened. She then flipped the basket over, tied up the mouse with a rope, and secured it in place.

Now that she thought about it, the rope, woven from rice straw several months ago during her exile, had extra lengths left in her workshop, and they came in handy just when needed.

After picking up the other mouse, she tossed it into the basket and tied it up as well.

Then she stomped out the smoldering pile of leaves on the ground.

Unexpectedly, her first venture into the Great Yu Forest had already yielded results. There were probably plenty of bamboo mice in this grove. If she ever ran out of meat, she could always return to catch more.

Feeling satisfied, Gu Ran slung the bamboo basket onto her back and continued forward through the bamboo grove. Beyond the bamboo grove, she entered a dense and eerie mixed forest.

Lush green grass and dense foliage surrounded her.

With her hands full of her catch, Gu Ran felt much more relaxed and continued walking as she oriented herself.

In the damp, humid grass, insects buzzed wherever her steps disturbed them. Noticing more flies and mosquitoes, Gu Ran took out some dried mugwort and white mugwort, lit them, and fumigated the path ahead.

This drove away the mosquitoes and insects along her path, making it much easier to walk.

After walking deeper for a while, she stopped.

As a southerner familiar with similar environments, she recognized many trees typical of hot, humid environments. Along the way, she saw trees common to the Min region such as banyan trees, nanmu, camphor trees, redwoods, and rhododendrons. She also encountered a cluster of lacquer trees.

Seeing the cluster of lacquer trees, she paused.

In her past life, she had been allergic to lacquer trees. But now, with a different body, she assumed she would be fine.

Gu Ran boldly approached the lacquer trees and waited. Nothing happened.

She touched the trunk.

No itching, no swelling—she was indeed fine.

Gu Ran breathed a sigh of relief and finally had the mood to look up at the flowers in full bloom on the tree.

Tiny flowers were scattered among the delicate branches and green leaves, forming a charming scene that attracted many buzzing bees.

Gu Ran squinted and watched for a while before leaving the lacquer tree grove.

As she went deeper, the heat gradually dissipated, and the light became dimmer, while the trees grew thicker and taller.

Gu Ran spotted another grove of bamboo ahead.

This time, it was different from the previous grove of Mao bamboo; it was a mix of various types of bamboo. Among them, Gu Ran recognized both Phyllostachys viridis and Bambusa multiplex.

After considering the journey back, Gu Ran decided to stop. She would go no further that day, using the bamboo grove as a reference point, and planned to explore further only after familiarizing herself with the area.

On the way back to the village, Gu Ran no longer paid attention to the trees in the forest. Instead, she focused on the shrubs and grass by her feet, on the lookout for any wild vegetables or fruits she could take back. She also kept an eye out for any animal tracks.

Few people ventured into the forest to pick the abundant fruit, leaving them untouched. Gu Ran spotted a patch of raspberries and was about to pick them when she noticed nibble marks from some unknown small animal.

Gu Ran parted the grass and also found clear claw prints.

Along the way, she had seen tracks of at least three different small animals.

It seemed that when she returned, she should consider setting up some traps or snares in the forest to catch some game.

When she returned to the Mao bamboo grove and crossed it, she reached the banks of the Xiaxi River.

The stream became narrower here, so Gu Ran crossed to the other side to check out the forest there.

Not far ahead, she spotted a patch of red amaranth, a type of leafy vegetable.

Delighted, Gu Ran thought that since she had meat for dinner but still needed some vegetables, this amaranth would make a perfect dish. She picked a large bunch and placed it in her bamboo basket.

After walking past this patch of mountain land, about a hundred steps later, Gu Ran's eyes lit up again.

Ahead was a large tree laden with dark red berries—wasn't that a waxberry tree?

Excited, Gu Ran ran over and discovered not one, but three waxberry trees.

However, only two of the trees bore fruit, and both were covered with Yangmei berries that were large and round, looking incredibly appetizing.

Fantastic! She was going to have Yangmei berries!

She walked over to the shorter Yangmei tree, reached up, and picked a fully ripe berry. She pulled down her mask and took a bite to test the flavor.

It was tart and sweet—delicious!

With two trees full of Yangmei, she would have enough to last her a good while!

As she picked the berries and placed them in the bamboo basket, Gu Ran's mind raced with ideas for different ways to enjoy them: eating them fresh, making Yangmei juice, making frozen Yangmei, preserving them in sugar, or using them as a seasoning in dishes!

Gu Ran reluctantly stopped only when the bamboo basket was full.

Well, she would leave the rest for later. After she finished these, she could come back for more.

By the time she had gathered the Yangmei berries, the sun had already begun to set. Having made such a great haul, Gu Ran didn't linger. She quickened her pace along the stream and headed straight back to the village.

As she emerged from the forest, she spotted Xiaxi villagers in the distance, returning home after finishing their work in the fields.

No one probably expected anyone to be bold enough to enter the forest alone, so Gu Ran's appearance went unnoticed.

Newly arrived households usually took some time to blend into village life, and the locals tended to be cautious around exiled families. Moreover, Gu Ran preferred to avoid unnecessary social interactions whenever possible.

So she didn’t give it any thought and walked briskly toward her yard. While unlocking the gate, she considered making tonight’s dinner a bit more abundant.