Chapter 211: Trading the Village

Village Chief listened to everyone's discussion, thought carefully, and said, "You leave half of you in the village to care for the others, the other half take hunting tools and follow me into the mountains."

The crowd was shocked, hurriedly trying to dissuade the Village Chief, saying he was old and could not endure the hardship.

Old Village Chief replied that he was the most experienced hunter among them, and only he could lead the way to secure a sliver of hope for the whole village; otherwise, sending the youngsters into the blizzard would be a pointless death.

"Village Chief, why don't we go to Zhenhuang Pass to borrow some grain?" a villager suggested.

Old Village Chief frowned, "Niu San, aren't we already aware of the conduct of those imperial troops? If they don't come to seize our grain it's already a kindness! You still expect to borrow food from them!"

The villager called Niu San said, "Perhaps we could trade something with them."

"What would we trade?" a nearby villager immediately interjected, "Our few broken Ceramic Jars or rotten grass mats?"

Niu San chuckled, "We still have young women, don't we…"

The other villagers turned pale at once.

Old Village Chief slapped him hard.

Smack.

Niu San's mouth was knocked crooked.

"Trade our village's women for grain? You actually said that!" Old Village Chief's face turned iron‑blue with anger, scolding, "Even if we freeze or starve, we cannot commit such a heartless act!"

Niu San covered his face and hurriedly said, "Village Chief, everyone, don't be angry yet; I'm doing this for the good of all. Think about it: if we send the women over, our village could trade them for food to survive the winter. Those women, once at Zhenhuang Pass, would serve the Great Wilderness's army lords; they might suffer a bit, but at least they'd have something to eat and could stay alive…"

"Spit it out!" Old Village Chief grew angrier, grabbed a nearby wooden stick and battered Niu San head‑first, shouting, "Is a young woman suffering a little crime when she falls into their hands? That's torture and abuse, a fate worse than death!"

Niu San clutched his head and fled like a mouse, arguing slyly, "Maybe the village women would agree? Better to live miserably than to die!"

"You still say that!" Old Village Chief nearly lost his breath.

The other villagers, seeing this, quickly supported Old Village Chief and kicked Niu San a few times, scolding him.

"Niu San! Stop babbling nonsense!"

"You're a bachelor, with no parents above nor wife or children below, speaking so lightly!"

"If you had a wife and daughters, would you willingly send them to those scoundrels to be defiled?!"

"…"

Niu San was kicked into a snowdrift, shivering from the cold, stumbling back to the fire, rubbing his hands and sneering, "Don't phrase it so harshly; they're the Great Wilderness's army lords. Though they're tyrannical in daily life, they're also… impressive. If I had a wife and daughters, sending them to trade for grain, having them serve the army lords, would be their honor; why wouldn't I be willing?"

His words almost provoked the crowd to attack him again.

Old Village Chief calmed down, his face composed, and said, "Stop wasting time; do exactly as I just said."

Niu San immediately said, "Village Chief, my legs are unsteady, I won't go into the mountains with you; I'll stay in the village to care for others and wait for your return."

Old Village Chief sneered, "If others are unsteady, they can stay; you? Even if your leg is broken you must come with me!"

Niu San's complexion instantly turned sour.

The remaining villagers glared at him, as if ready to kill him should he disobey.

Old Village Chief felt conflicted; he vaguely sensed Niu San was a troublemaker, but the village lacked labor, and a single Niu San could not stir much trouble, so he softened his tone and advised,

"Back then your parents both died, you fell ill and nearly died, and the elder villagers of our village raised you together. Do not utter such hateful, anger‑provoking nonsense again. I always tell everyone, a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring; I don't expect you to do this for everyone, but you also must—"

"Yes, yes, I know my mistake," Niu San lowered his head to apologize, a cold displeasure flashing in his eyes, yet he pretended to be honest, saying, "I'll follow whatever you, Village Chief, arrange."

"That's right," Old Village Chief ordered, "Alright, hurry and fetch the gear, and come with me into the mountains!"

Before long.

Including the Village Chief and Niu San, eight villagers donned Raincoats, wielded hunting tools, braved the intensifying snowstorm, left the village, and stepped into the primeval forest of Xuanhuang Shanmai.

Their footprints were quickly covered again by fresh snow…

…

In the deep forest.

Ning Jingli led three people, stepping alternately deep and shallow through snow‑laden grass, and stopped at a slightly flatter spot.

"Three professors, first collect samples around here," Ning Jingli looked around, "This area is farther from our base; many spots haven't been surveyed before you arrived, so be extremely careful."

The three showed excited expressions, repeatedly agreed, then took out various portable instruments from their packs and began working on the spot.

Ning Jingli watched their busy figures, took out a phone, recorded video while laughing repeatedly.

The senior professor turned his head and asked, "Little Ning, what's up? Why are you laughing?"

Ning Jingli laughed, "A group of people in ancient clothing, yet holding modern instruments, earnestly searching for samples—it looks just like a nonsensical time‑travel costume drama, hehehe."

The three looked at themselves, then at their colleagues, and couldn't help but laugh.

The scene was indeed quite amusing.

Originally, at Shangguan Ying's request, Ning Jingli agreed to bring several experts in ancient geology and paleo‑ecology to conduct field research in the Xuanhuang Shanmai of over two thousand years ago, and she had prepared specialized outdoor expedition clothing and shoes for them.

However, the professors said that since they were in a period over two thousand years ago, they wanted to experience wearing the common folk's garments of that era, so they appeared as they do now, even the bags holding their collection equipment were made of cloth.

Although each wore thermal underwear underneath, merely covered with a layer of ancient commoners' winter clothing, the professors still shivered from the cold.

Nevertheless, they insisted on not wearing insulated down jackets or warm boots.

They said this would let them more authentically experience the hardships of ordinary people's survival in a world over two thousand years ago.

And this valuable experience was an essential component of their scientific investigation.

Therefore, provided basic safety is ensured, they needed to experience it to the fullest extent personally.

Whoosh—

A gust of cold wind whistled through the trees.

The professors huddled their necks and continued to focus on the collection work.

Ning Jingli stayed beside them, constantly monitoring the surroundings.

After about two hours, Ning Jingli reminded the professors that the pre‑planned time had arrived and they should return.

The professors carefully packed the various collected samples into their bundles, each of them frozen with faces flushed red and limbs numb, yet still eager to continue.

At that moment, a rustling sound arose nearby.

A silvery‑white wild rabbit sprang out, apparently terrified, and after charging at the few of us it thrashed about like a headless fly.

"Ning!" the senior old professor hurriedly said, "Quick, help me catch that rabbit; we can also bring it back to study the local ecology."

Ning Jinli acted immediately, timed it right and seized the rabbit.

As she was about to hand the rabbit to the professor, she noticed blood on its hindquarters; parting the fur revealed a broken arrow lodged inside.

The rabbit, mortally wounded, struggled only a few times before dying.

The old professor looked regretful, "Alas, I had hoped to bring it back for breeding and observation..."

Ning Jinli pulled out the broken arrow and at a glance recognized it as a bronze hunting arrow used by hunters.

Its quality was far inferior to the arrows used by the contemporary army; when a prey is struck but not killed outright, the shaft often breaks during its flight.

"Everyone, let's go quickly," Ning urged, "Hunters are hunting here; we should avoid drawing their attention."

As soon as she finished speaking, several people cloaked in raincoats rushed out of the forest.

Before Ning could say anything, a young man immediately nocked an arrow, drew his bow, aimed at her, and shouted, "That's ours! Put it down!"

The others also brandished hunting weapons, staring intently at her.

The three professors had never seen such a display and were momentarily stunned.

Ning Jinli kept a calm expression, placed the rabbit on the snow, stepped back two paces, and said, "Don't be agitated; we're not here to hunt, we won't compete with you—take it."

"Thank you, miss," a hoarse voice said, as a stooped old man struggled forward from the crowd, raised his hand to lower the young man's bow, and added, "Please don't take offense; this rabbit was hard‑won, and the villagers are counting on us to bring back more food..."

"Where are you from?" Ning asked, "How is it already winter, yet you come hunting in these deep mountains?"

The old man replied with a pleasant tone, "We are villagers from a nearby small village; I am the Village Chief. Alas, we have no choice—this winter arrived earlier than usual, and our winter rations are far insufficient."

Ning Jinli gave a brief assessment: there were eight of them, each wearing only thin, tattered clothes beneath their raincoats, and in this cold weather they even wore only straw sandals.

From the scene it was clear that not only food but winter clothing was also a problem.

The three professors saw that the Old Village Chief bore no hostility, so after a brief conversation they each removed their outer coats and decided to give them to the villagers.

After all, they were about to return to camp; the distance wasn't far, and they could manage it.

Although the three coats were the era's common coarse hemp garments, they were far better than what the Old Village Chief wore.

"Sir, these three coats are for you; they should help a bit," the senior old professor said, holding the coats and stepping before the Old Village Chief.

The villagers' eyes lit up instantly.

The Old Village Chief was also a bit moved, yet he shook his head and smiled, "It's already generous that you don't seize our game; no need for such politeness."

"Village Chief!" Niu San interjected, "If they're willing to give, we shouldn't turn it down!"

The Old Village Chief glared at him, "These four clearly aren't the hardy country folk like us; how could they endure such harsh weather? If they give us their coats, a careless step on the way back could freeze us to death! Moreover, three coats are a drop in the bucket for us; even if we take them they're of little use and would cause these kind‑hearted people suffering!"

After speaking, he quickly explained to Ning Jinli and the three others, "My apologies, I didn't mean to look down on the small amount you gave; please don't misunderstand."

The Old Village Chief's sensible attitude moved Ning Jinli and the three professors, leaving them both touched and wistful.

The three professors, without further word, emptied all the food they carried.

It was mainly some chocolate, jerky, and a few pieces of bread.

"Old Village Chief, you may keep the clothes, and these foods are all for you!"

The old professor placed the food atop the coats and shoved them into the Old Village Chief's hands.

The Old Village Chief stared in astonishment, his hands trembling slightly.

In his half‑life, it was his first time meeting such kind people; even strangers, let alone fellow villagers, often resort to scheming or even fighting over a morsel in hard times.

"What is all this!" Niu San immediately grabbed a piece of chocolate, felt it, frowned and said, "It doesn't look edible; are you pulling a prank?"

The old professor smiled and also picked up a piece of chocolate.

"This thing has a plastic wrapper on the outside, you have to tear it—"

He demonstrated while speaking, pulling the chocolate from its packaging and biting into it.

Niu San immediately followed suit, ripped open the plastic, sniffed the chocolate, then shoved the whole piece into his mouth, chewed a few times and exclaimed, "Delicious! So delicious! I've never tasted anything this good in my life! Quick, you try it too!"

He didn't wait for the Old Village Chief to speak, grabbed all the food first, hurriedly handed it out to the others, and meanwhile slipped two pieces into his own chest.

"Alas, you..." the Old Village Chief said, his face full of helplessness.

However, at this moment everyone's stomachs were empty, and even he himself was as thin as a rail; together with a few others they ate everything clean.

The other villagers, after finishing, remained immersed in an unprecedented gustatory experience.

The Old Village Chief bowed to the professors, "Kind people, we are truly grateful. The wind and snow seem to be growing stronger; please hurry back."

"No!" Niu San immediately laughed, "They gave us so many good things; shouldn't we repay them? Village Chief, don't you agree?"

The Old Village Chief was stunned, "We... have nothing we can offer..."

"We have, we have," Niu San said, grabbing the Village Chief with one hand while calling the other six villagers, "Come, come, let's discuss. You always say a drop of kindness deserves a spring of gratitude; they are so courteous, how can we be rude?"

The eight of them walked a few steps away, and Niu San, not forgetting to look back, smiled at Ning Jinli and said, "Don't leave yet; wait a moment."

Ning Jinli whispered to the old professor, "Let's go, hurry."

"Ning," the old professor mused, "These villagers are truly pitiful; the Old Village Chief seems a good man. Why not lead them to our camp and give them more supplies to take back to the village?"