When Ye Cheng heard his words, he only stopped for a moment, then continued walking as if he didn't hear anything.
Bai Jing breathed a sigh of relief and followed him into the courtyard. The thatch house has only one room, a sitting room and a kitchen. The bed in the room can accommodate only one person at most, any additional occupant would make the already compact space feel uncomfortably cramped.
Bai Jing was suddenly troubled. The house could be considered empty, except for the new dishes, pots, and buckets. There wasn't a drop of water, not to mention food. Worry began to set in as he looked around the desolate home. How was he going to manage in this unfamiliar village with nothing but a few meager household items?
After exploring the house, Bai Jing was tired and wanted to sleep. His attempt to sleep during the journey didn't go well and he was forced to stay up. He walked to the room door and peered inside, and saw Ye Cheng meditating on the bed.
Bai Jing sighed and returned to the sitting room. He retrieved a broom from the corner and swept the area. From Zhu Ping's packed clothes, he took out two blankets and a robe. He spread one blanket on the floor, folded the robe to use as a pillow, and covered himself with the other blanket.
He eventually drifted off to sleep after several minutes of restless tossing and turning. What a tiring day it was, forget it; he would find water and bathe tomorrow.
Ye Cheng, who had been meditating, could no longer hear any noise and came out to see what was going on. Seeing the person sleeping comfortably on the floor, he sneered. You've adapted really fast.
A strange mix of annoyance and grudging flickered in his eyes. Their lives have suddenly changed, he wasn't sure how they'll get food for the next few days. This was no time for a leisurely nap, yet this person was completely unfazed. He wondered if it was courage or sheer ignorance.
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Bai Jing spent a restless night, tossing and turning, he was no longer used to the hard ground after a year of sleeping on a comfortable bed. He woke up early the next morning, at seven, despite his usual habit of sleeping in late.
Bai Jing comforts himself that everything will be okay in this arranged marriage, even if Ye Cheng doesn't accept him, he'll try his best.
He awoke and neatly packed away his bedding. "Good morning," he called, knocking on the room door, but received no reply.
After waiting for a while, he pushed open the door and found no one was in. decided to do his own thing.
After a brief wait, he pushed the door open to find the room empty. Bai Jing was stunned for a moment, he went outside to take a look, but after circling the house twice in search of Ye Cheng, but saw no sign of him. Bai Jing gave up and Bai Jing decided to proceed with his own plans.
First, there wasn't a single drop of water to watch his face, he needed to get water and find something to eat. Hopefully, Ye Cheng will bring food when he comes back.
With this thought in mind, Bai Jing cleaned the house and went out with a bucket in hand. He saw someone standing at the gate of his house. "Who are you?"
The person snaps out of his thoughts and shows an embarrassing expression. "Good morning, My surname is Lan and my name is Lan Zhu. I thought you'll need help since you just moved into the village. I guess I came a bit too early."
Bai Jing looked at the sun that was already high up in the sky and shook his head: "It's not that you're too early, I overslept. By the way, I need to get some water, can you show me the well?"
Lan Zhu thought for a moment and said: "Only the village chef has a well in his yard. We get water from the river. But the river is very far from your house. I can take you there if you don't mind."
"Thanks for the trouble."
The two of them walk along the narrow path in the forest. The village is surrounded by rainforest and mountains, the view was beautiful, especially when the clouds floated in the blue sky with the birds flying around, making the whole area look ethereal. Bai Jing couldn't help staring at the scenery until they reached their destination.
The river was a long running water, it was so calm that you could hear only the sound of rushing water coming from downstream. There were some plants growing nearby that were full of colors, but most importantly there were fish in the river. It was so lively and pleasant to watch.
Lan Zhu pointed upstream where a small waterfall flowed down from above. "There's a pool over there. You can use it to fill your bucket."
"Sounds good," Bai Jing nodded and walked towards the stream. He dipped his hands in the water and splashed it on his face. He took a deep breath and let the fresh air fill his lungs. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the cool water flowing through his body. After filling his bucket he turned back to Lan Zhu and asked, "The fish in the river, can they be eaten?"
"Well... They might not taste great, I've never tried them, but we've eaten fresh water fish and the scent is hard to watch off. The bones are also dangerous and can get stuck in the throat. " Lan Zhu looked a little embarrassed because the fishes look great to eat but whenever they are cooked, the fresh scent makes it difficult for people to eat.
Bai Jing nodded in understanding, but still he felt like eating fish would be nice. "Can you help me fishing for some fish?"
"Yeah, sure." Lan Zhu agreed readily and followed him to the bank to gather some leaves. Bai Jing pulled up his shirt and started taking his shirt off. Lan Zhu quickly averted his gaze and busied himself with gathering some more branches.
When he finished, he walked back to Bai Jing with a pile of sticks in hand. "Here's some wood for you to start fishing."
He set down the sticks at the side of the stream where there were plenty of fish. Bai Jing smiled and grabbed two sticks and put them on top. After some thought, he made a crude hook from smaller twigs and tied them with thin vines. It took about 30 minutes to catch a few fishes.
"That's enough, let's go." Bai Jing tied the fish on the bamboo stick and handed it to Lan Zhu then he picked up the bucket of water.
"I hope these fish live up to your expectations," Lan Zhu said, a hint of worry in her voice. "It would be a shame for your efforts to be wasted." The strong smell of fish was a common complaint among the villagers. Because of this, many villagers have stopped eating fish.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Bai Jing smiles confidently.
While walking through the forest, he spotted several wild vegetables and herbs scattered around. Most of it is edible but there are some herbs and roots that can easily be used as medicine. He picked up some herbs and placed them into his pouch. Once again he noticed that there were many wild animals living here and it made him uneasy.
"Mushrooms are poisonous, you should be careful." Lan Zhu looked at the mushrooms in Bai Jing's hands and frowned.
"Don't worry, I can distinguish between edible and poisonous mushrooms." Bai Jing says in response.
Lan Zhu looked at Bai Jing in admiration and clenched his fists tightly. If he has such ability, he won't have to worry about not having enough to eat. There are few people in the village that can distinguish between edible and poisonous mushrooms, although their abilities are not high, they still make some money which shows how valuable mushrooms are.
Bai Jing was puzzled at Lan Zhu's sudden emotional state, but didn't say anything and continued walking. Along the way, they met some villagers that looked at them with strange glances . Lan Zhu kept quiet and followed behind Bai Jing.
The villagers looked suspiciously at them but no one dared ask any questions. They were curious about Bai Jing while they secretly looked down on Lan Zhu for carrying favors with the new Ger. It seems like they are wary of the newcomer.