Chapter 12: Life in an Ancient Mountain Village

"Law... Young Master Gu!"

Gu Zhao had not walked far from the forest when he saw the embroiderer waiting at the village entrance, looking forward with anticipation.

Upon seeing Gu Zhao, the embroiderer's eyes clearly brightened; she stood on tiptoe, waved at Gu Zhao, then came running, panting heavily, to his side. Blushing, she took out a chicken egg and presented it to Gu Zhao.

Gu Zhao could not help but ask, "Where did this egg come from?"

The embroiderer said happily, "Auntie Li gave it. She keeps a few old hens. Young Master, eat it while it's still warm; they also saved a meal for you at home."

"Good!" Gu Zhao did not stand on ceremony; he had indeed been hungry after testing things in the forest for so long.

Reaching out to take the egg, Gu Zhao subconsciously asked, "Have you eaten?"

The embroiderer paused, nodding repeatedly, but before she could speak, her stomach made a loud "gurgling" sound.

The embroiderer's face turned red; she hurriedly said, "I really did eat breakfast; I was just about to go back and eat dinner."

Hearing this, Gu Zhao was stunned. "How many meals do you eat a day?"

"Two meals," the embroiderer said softly. "Grandpa and I do not work in the fields, so breakfast and dinner are enough."

Gu Zhao fell silent for a moment, then gently squeezed the egg in his hand—still carrying the girl's fragrance and body heat—until it cracked. He peeled off the shell and ate it bite by bite. "It's delicious."

The embroiderer's small face instantly lit up; then she pulled Gu Zhao toward her home, even skipping in little steps.

As Gu Zhao entered the village, he found it had already returned to calm. The dozens of bandit corpses had been cleaned up. It was nearly the Hour of You, and smoke was rising from many houses.

"Mage Lord!"

"Gu... Young Master Gu!"

Seeing Gu Zhao enter the village, the villagers, who had already learned from He Laozhang that Gu Zhao would stay in the village for some time, warmly greeted him. Their eyes held both affection and reverence, and a hint of envy as they looked at the embroiderer.

Gu Zhao nodded in response. He soon arrived at He Laozhang's house, just in time to see three or four little boys laughing and playing as they darted out of the courtyard.

As soon as they came out, they nearly bumped into Gu Zhao. Looking up and seeing his face clearly, they were all startled. They immediately stood with hands clasped, not knowing how to react for a moment.

Gu Zhao waved his hand. "Go play."

"Yes!"

Seeing Gu Zhao give permission, the children took a deep breath and fled like the wind.

Seeing Gu Zhao, He Laozhang, who had come out behind them, also breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the embroiderer affectionately and explained to Gu Zhao, "They finished their farm work for the family and came to me to learn some characters."

Learning characters...

Oh right, this is ancient times; there is no nine-year compulsory education. Many people never learn to calculate or read in their entire lives.

"Ping Nao'er sent some cured meat over during the day. This old man steamed some cakes. Young Master, please come inside quickly." He Laozhang hurriedly invited Gu Zhao in.

Gu Zhao walked into the courtyard and saw a low table placed under an old tree in the yard. On it sat two porcelain bowls and a bamboo basket.

One bowl held a little less than half a bowl of cured meat; the other held some kind of black, unidentified pickled vegetable. The bamboo basket contained five or six steamed cakes, palm-sized and dark yellow.

"Young Master, please sit first. There is still some porridge warming in the pot. I will serve it for you," He Laozhang said.

"I'll serve it!" the embroiderer interjected. Then, stepping past He Laozhang, she ran into the kitchen beside them. Soon, she came out holding a bowl of porridge in each hand and placed it before Gu Zhao.

A moment later, Gu Zhao looked at the millet porridge before him, which was clearly thicker and more plentiful than what He Laozhang and the embroiderer had, and fell silent.

Yesterday, he had been too hurried; his mind was full of excitement and fear upon arriving in another world, consumed by thoughts of ghostly beings, cultivation, and exploration. He had barely paid attention to the outside world, and even then only superficially.

Today, after testing spells in the forest for half a day, he felt more secure. With his mood relaxed, he remembered yesterday's promise and thought to return to the village to check in.

Life in an ancient mountain village was indeed far different from what Gu Zhao had previously understood.

Crumbling, dilapidated village houses, patched old clothes, simple food, crude utensils... They indeed still had food to eat, but it seemed that was all they had left.

Seeing Gu Zhao's silence, the embroiderer's eyes grew timid; she lowered her head in some self-abasement. He Laozhang's lips moved twice as he quietly explained, "Young Master, please forgive us. There is nothing good in the mountains. Today, please make do; tomorrow, I will send someone to the county to buy some meat, vegetables, and fruits."

Gu Zhao realized what was happening. Looking at the expressions of the embroiderer and He Laozhang, he hurriedly waved his hand and smiled cheerfully, "Old Man, you misunderstood. I was thinking that the embroiderer served me too much porridge. If I cannot finish it, I would truly be failing the embroiderer's kindness."

The embroiderer let out a soft laugh, looked up, then her cheeks flushed red. She said, somewhat shyly yet playfully, "Young Master is a great mage. Cultivation usually consumes much spirit, and today you have not eaten for a long time. How could you not even finish a bowl of porridge?"

"To be honest with you, I actually ate very full at noon today. Even now, I am not hungry at all," Gu Zhao said with a smile.

He had gone to the City God Temple and the Yuanfa Palace that morning. Although he was in a hurry to come here for experiments, he still had a meal of braised pork trotter rice at noon and even ordered half a roasted goose extra. He was indeed very full.

The embroiderer could not help but laugh. "Could it be that Young Master hunted a big wild boar in the mountains?"

Gu Zhao shook his head and said, "Wild boar meat is sour and tough; it is not delicious at all."

"It is very delicious?" The embroiderer subconsciously looked at the porcelain bowl on the table. It was the cured meat made from a big wild boar hunted by the village hunter, Li Erping.

Li Erping had sent them cured meat before. The embroiderer remembered it tasting very good; every time they ate it, they could savor the taste for a long time. Although today's cured meat had not been eaten yet, it looked quite delicious too, didn't it?

"That makes sense; one does not usually get to eat such game," Gu Zhao nodded.

Wild boars are still on the protected list in modern society. Generally, hunting wild boars is considered illegal, let alone eating wild boar meat. Was he, in this other world, finally breaking his vegetarian fast?

Thinking of this, Gu Zhao became happy again. He lifted his bowl and served half a bowl of porridge each to the embroiderer and He Laozhang. Then he picked up a steamed cake, took a chopstickful of cured meat, and said, "Come, come, let's eat first."

Gu Zhao did not eat too much. Because of the recent matter, He Laozhang did not dare to urge him; he only watched as Gu Zhao urged the embroiderer to eat more. His eyes began to flicker again.

After dinner, the embroiderer brought a book out from the main room. Taking advantage of the setting sun, she sat in the courtyard reading.

He Laozhang came to Gu Zhao's side and cautiously tested the waters. "When this old man was young, I worked as an accountant in Xiuyue County. After the embroiderer's parents died, I taught the village children to read, calculate, and manage a household. When the embroiderer wove bamboo during the day to supplement the family income, she listened and learned. Now, she can read and write, and is knowledgeable and reasonable."

Hearing this, Gu Zhao nodded, but his gaze wandered around, somewhat absent-minded. "In the future, try to read during the day. The light is too dim; it is bad for the eyes."

He Laozhang: "..."

He Laozhang opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but after thinking, he did not speak.

Gu Zhao glanced at the embroiderer's book. The character shapes and writing style were very similar to the traditional characters of ancient Blue Star. After reading two sentences, Gu Zhao lost interest. He went to the kitchen, walked around once, instructed them not to disturb him, and then returned to his room to rest.

"I remember Auntie Jin's fresh food shop is open until eleven at night?"