Hearing Chu Beichen's question, the bearded village chief and the witch doctor turned their attention to Xie Na. Stealing is a serious crime in Donghuo Village.

Xie Na's expression became uncomfortable, "Chu gave it to me..."

The bearded village chief was very angry. "Chu Mingming never touched you, so why did he give you such a beautiful ornament?"

Chu Beichen's automatic watch is inlaid with diamonds, and the whole watch is shiny and exquisite. In the eyes of the villagers of Donghuo Village, it is an expensive ornament.

Xie Na couldn't continue her story. She had misrepresented Chu Beichen's characteristics, and now she had aroused the suspicion of the village chief and the witch doctor.

The witch doctor shook his head. "You're such a disgrace to our village. Xie Na, do you know what the punishment is for stealing?"

"No, no, no, I didn't steal it. I picked it up," Xie Na quickly shook her hands to deny it. In any case, picking up something and not returning it to the owner is a lesser crime than stealing it.

Xie Na squeaked and whimpered, saying that she had no firewood at home, so she ran to the woods to collect firewood and found the watch on a branch next to an old tree trunk.

After hearing what Xie Na said, Chu Beichen also remembered that because felling a tree was a strenuous job, he was used to taking off his watch during the process because the more delicate the watch, the less it could withstand vibrations.

However, Chu Beichen had not worked for many years, so after chopping down the tree, he actually forgot his watch. He chopped the dead tree into firewood, loaded it onto the sled, and left.

The bearded village chief looked at Xie Na in condemnation. "Even though I didn't steal, your crime is still serious. So, the day after tomorrow at the market, you'd better find a partner somewhere else and leave our village. Otherwise, I won't help you at all for the rest of the winter!"

Xie Na cried. A lazy and frail woman like her would not be able to survive the winter without help from others.

The village chief and the witch doctor were very embarrassed. They apologized to Chu Beichen and prepared to leave.

Chu Beichen asked a question that he was very curious about, "Excuse me, what is this market you guys keep talking about?"

The bearded village chief was stunned for a moment before he burst into laughter and said, "I had forgotten you were from the south bank of the Gangwa River. They've already industrialized there, so you probably won't see this kind of market anymore!"

It turns out that Donghuo Village is not the only village in the cedar forest area. There are many villages nearby. On specific days, these villages will gather at a fixed location. Everyone will bring their collections, set up stalls, and exchange what they have.

"Didn't you get lost while visiting the market?" the witch doctor suddenly asked.

Chu Beichen smiled calmly, "It's not that we are here to attend a wedding!"

Chu Beichen has not been idle during this period. He asked the villagers about the customs and habits of this area and had already thought of a safe answer.

A wedding is a big event for people nowadays. Some distant relatives come to attend the wedding. They will arrive a few days in advance and stay at the host's house. Then everyone will eat, drink and have fun together. After the bride and groom get married, these guests will stay for a few more days before leaving.

After hearing Chu Beichen's answer, the witch doctor nodded in understanding and said nothing more.

The bearded village chief and the witch doctor took the dejected Xie Na away.

Su Nian then handed the watch back to Chu Beichen, "It's still working fine. I guess Xie Na takes it out and studies it every day!"

Chu Beichen showed a look of disgust, "When I think of that wretched woman taking the watch, I don't want it anymore!"

Su Nian smiled and took Chu Beichen's hand, helping him put on the watch. "I know you have a mysophobia, so I wiped it carefully and even used alcohol to wipe it. You can wear it first, and I'll buy a new one when we get back. Watches are important daily necessities nowadays!"

That's true. Although the local people rely on the weather for their livelihood, Chu Beichen and Su Nian are still used to having an accurate concept of time.

After sending away these uninvited guests, the two men started to prepare dinner. Today they had mutton soup.

There are more and more prey at home, and Chu Beichen is kind-hearted and no longer kills animals. Now the couple mainly collects fruits and plant roots.

The pot was bubbling with fragrant mutton soup. Su Nian threw in the chopped Sonya tree roots and asked Chu Beichen, "Beichen, I have something urgent to deal with in a couple of days. Do you plan to go and take a look?"

The couple were abandoned together in an unfamiliar time and space. At first, they planned to rush back as soon as possible, but after these days, the couple felt that the hope of returning was very slim.

First of all, the golden ball that brought them here remained unresponsive. No matter what method the couple used to deal with the ball, it remained motionless and lifeless.

Secondly, the two of them recently drove a sled around almost every corner of Donghuo Village, but they didn't find any time-space rifts or the like.

So in this case, you have to be prepared for long-term living.

Chu Beichen took a piece of fur and began to help Su Nian sew slippers to wear indoors. "To be honest, I'm planning to go and take a look. The conditions in Donghuo Village are just like this. I want to see what the situation is like in other villages!"

Su Nian thought about it, nodded, and said, "I guess ordinary prey won't be exchanged for much at the market. We can then separate some of the tea leaves and sugar cubes and take them to the market to try our luck!"

Chu Beichen thought so too.

Three days later, on a sunny day, Chu Beichen and Su Nian drove a sled and followed the old village chief to the market.

Since those sika deer came to Su Nian and Chu Beichen's home, they have been eating well and resting well every day. Their bodies have become very strong, their fur is shiny and smooth, and they can run very fast.

So the elk pulled the sled and tried to overtake the old village chief several times.

After running for about an hour, they arrived at the market.

It turned out that this place was a flat valley, the wind was much smaller than in other places, and there was almost no snow on the ground.

Just as Su Nian and Chu Beichen imagined, many people have already started setting up stalls.

The stalls here are all street stalls. Those who are more particular will spread a piece of fur on the ground and then put their things on it. Those who are not particular will put the things they want to exchange directly in front of them and then sit next to them, waiting for people to come and chat with them.

The bearded village chief took into consideration that it was Su Nian and Chu Beichen's first time to visit this kind of market, so he did not rush to exchange what he needed. Instead, he took them for a walk and introduced the things to them.

At the market, the collected plant seeds, roots, and fruits are the cheapest, except for some plants that have medicinal value.

Slightly more expensive than fruits and roots are animal meat, fur, and bones.

In addition to these two items, some people brought their own handmade tools.

There are wooden basins, wooden barrels, bowls and chopsticks, and even handmade spears and knives.