Chapter 1

The night was clear, and I could vaguely feel a few breezes blowing against me, much better than during the day. Through the cracks in the house, I could see the starry sky almost falling to the ground, much clearer than later.

Wen Yi lay on a mat woven from hay stalks, raising one hand to depict the stars he saw through the cracks.

A little girl about four or five years old was curled up beside her. The little girl was holding Wen Yi's arms with both hands, breathing evenly, and it was obvious that she was asleep.

The mat I lay on was not very flat, and the barbs on it were a bit prickly, making it uncomfortable even through my clothes, but it was already a good condition.

Having a house to shelter you from the elements is much better than sleeping outdoors and being eaten by wolves, tigers and leopards as midnight snacks. It seems someone went into the forest yesterday and never returned. Many people went together to search for them for most of the day but ultimately returned empty-handed. One of them was holding some scraps of linen, and it seemed they were in grave danger.

Wen Yi heard light footsteps and looked up. The young woman who walked in from outside the door obviously knew about it and walked in lightly as she groped her way in.

Wen Yi responded softly and moved slightly closer. The young woman dragged the slightly worn mat from the other side over and slept next to her with her clothes on. She soon began to snore softly, but Wen Yi could not fall asleep for a long time.

Close your eyes and the scene from a few months ago is still vivid in your mind.

The previous moment she was still struggling in the sea, feeling the pain of being gradually deprived of air. When she came to her senses, she was surrounded by many people in rags and linen clothes, whispering something to her.

Wen Yi initially thought that he had drifted to some unknown and primitive area, but after a few days he realized that what he faced was far more horrifying than reaching those primitive tribes.

She seemed to have come to a strange dynasty that she was not familiar with.

Perhaps it existed in history, but as time passed, few people knew the details. Wen Yi saw some familiar strokes on the wood, and the hope he had originally held on to it completely disappeared.

At the time, she was running a high fever and was not fully conscious. The nearby witch doctor who came to see her was helpless and only muttered a few words before leaving with the stick in his hand. Fortunately, Wen Yi's health was relatively good, and she eventually survived the emergency.

Viruses from thousands of years later are deadly to people of this period. Without genes screened out to resist them, even the smallest flu can cause a major disturbance in this era of food and clothing shortages.

But perhaps some unknown changes occurred when crossing the time gap. At least the people around her were not infected by her, which is the best thing.

Household registration regulations were already in place, but they weren't particularly strict. Wen Yi had assumed that as a refugee, he wouldn't have a good fate, at least being forced to work as a slave. Unexpectedly, he'd be able to settle down here and even be taken home by a young woman named "Shu."

A few days before she arrived, the somewhat mentally retarded younger sister of the loser family was also lost nearby. The village head sent a lot of people to look for her, and they happened to find Wen Yi unconscious by the river.

The man looked about 70% similar to Wen Yi. Although those around him felt something was off, they rarely saw him and simply assumed they simply couldn't remember clearly. The village head studied the brief record for a long time, confirming that the man's appearance matched the description, and finally nodded.

Wen Yi originally thought that he might have recognized the wrong person because of his loss, but when he looked into that person's eyes, he discovered the sadness hidden deep in the young woman's eyes.

Never mind, but if I can come here, I think that child can also reach the future.

*

Light spilled onto his face from the gap. Wen Yi saw the little girl's eyelids tremble a few times. He turned sideways and used his hand to block the light for her.

When it became brighter outside, Wen Yi and the others got up together, washed their faces with the water in the pottery jar, and finally felt much more awake.

This is a small village gathering place. Although there is no wall, the boundaries of each household have been divided. Wood or stones are placed around each household as a partition, and some plants are planted in the middle.

In Shu's yard, there was a tree that looked like it had been growing for decades. Of course, she didn't plant it, but she chose to build the yard where the tree originally grew.

Most people in the village have the same choice. If the roof of their house is accidentally blown off by the wind during rain, they can take shelter under the tree, and it can also be much cooler under the scorching sun, killing two birds with one stone.

Wen Yi chewed a few mouthfuls of burnt grain, then followed the young woman to tie up the sleeves of his dark coarse coat and began to tidy up the yard.

She had already washed the clothes she had worn before and put them into a wooden box in the house. After all, when living in a strange place, it is best to adapt to the local customs.

"Amu, be careful." Shu reminded.

The little girl named Amu was also carrying smaller things and following them around.

Because I was too short to see the surroundings clearly, I sometimes accidentally bumped into Wen Yi's legs, but the force was very small and did not affect the movements of my hands.

Wen Yi initially wanted her to sit on a mat on the side, but seeing the encouraging look in the young woman's eyes, Wen Yi retracted his hand that was stretched out to stop the girl.

She has lived here for a long time and understands that children of her age in the neighborhood have to learn to do some chores, but she still feels a little uncomfortable.

Seeing a figure not far away, Shu greeted the person, walked over to ask a few questions, then turned around and gave Amu a few instructions. The little guy glanced at Wen Yi, nodded seriously, and followed the person away.

The two people, one big and one small, who stayed behind cleaned up the garbage scraped from the yard and dealt with the firewood to be burned. Wen Yi and A Mu sat together on the mat that was pulled out to dry.

The branches near the house had been broken off in advance, and you could occasionally see birds perching on them. However, those birds were very cunning, and anyone trying to catch them for a snack would likely be disappointed.

The same is true for the river not far away. Fish and shrimp are difficult to catch, and eating them does not make you feel full and can easily cause stomach upset. Except for teenagers, few adults are willing to spend energy on it.

Wen Yi turned his head and saw that many people were busy with something not far away. On the other side, A Mu brought out a small box from the house, which contained various processed hays.

Seeing these things, Wen Yi knew what to do next. Ah Mu pulled out a few strips of cloth cut from rags and carefully wrapped them around her hand. Wen Yi followed her steps and slowly bandaged her palm.

Twisting thick straw ropes is a strenuous task. While thin ropes are easier, the friction can easily scratch your palms if you're not careful. In this age of infections and inflammation, which have no cure, extreme caution is required.

Amu's body is a little thin, which is due to his being brought here since birth, but his clothes are very clean and he looks energetic, which shows that he has been well cared for.

But even so, a thin layer of calluses had grown on the palms of Amu's hands, and he was much more professional than Wen Yi in rolling the straw rope.

Strands of hay of varying lengths were twisted backwards, looped around the branches, and then rotated in one direction. The strands were then joined at the end of the strand, twisting the originally short hay into a fairly strong rope. This was a cheap item, needed in large quantities by every household, and easy to trade, so merchants would also buy it.

The output time was not long, but Wen Yi and A Mu had already twisted a long rope.

Perhaps this was a very fulfilling thing. When Amu saw the young woman coming back, he ran over with his short legs, muttering to himself for a long time and gesturing with his hands.

"Thank you for your hard work, Ayi and Amu."

Shu passed the things in his hands through the hemp rope and hung them on the tree trunk, preparing to wait for the water to drain before processing them.

Wen Yi moved the mat and wooden stakes under the tree aside, then turned around and went back to the house, taking out several jars in the house.

Meat was scarce at that time, and even salt was a precious commodity. Most people still had underdeveloped cheeks, dull skin, and severely worn teeth. While beans might cause bloating, a lack of protein would quickly lead to physical collapse.

Wen Yi didn't know how long it would take for her to become similar, maybe it would be soon, but seeing Amu's happy face, she felt that she could probably still go on with her life.

Putting those random thoughts aside, Wen Yi drew some water from the sink on the side, washed the grains and beans, and then poured the water into another jar for later use.

He added water to the jar, picked a few pieces of dried vegetables hanging in the house, washed the wild vegetables he had dug on the way back, threw them into the jar, and started to make a fire.

Wen Yi carefully scraped a piece of red solid a few times, collected the powder on clean leaves, and waited until the porridge was cooked before adding it in.

Most stoves are made of some random gravel and yellow mud, and are not very high. Some families even dig a hole for ventilation and place the pottery pot on it.

Cooking would take some time, so Shu took advantage of this opportunity to pick something that had been hanging from the tree. Wen Yi then saw that it looked like a small circle of fish, as if it had been cut from a larger fish. Shu cleaned the fish and put it into the clay pot to heat.

Wen Yi used the water from washing the grain to wash the dishes and water the small patch of plants he had planted nearby. Fortunately, this place was not far from the river, otherwise water would be a problem, not to mention planting things in the surrounding open space.

From time to time, Shu added dead branches and other dried plants that he had saved into the stove. Smoke was rising from several houses around him, probably because they had started to make fires and cook.

The aroma of grains gradually spread.

Amu beside him began to breathe in, and he could faintly hear his stomach rumbling. Wen Yi was also hungry, and began to stare at the place where the jar was.

When Shu turned around, he saw the two, one big and one small, squatting there. They smiled and stuffed the last few pieces of hay in their hands into the porridge, then took a spoon and prepared to serve the porridge out to cool.

It’s not really accurate to call it porridge. It’s more like a hodgepodge of various foods, all cooked into a viscous state, with some gritted particles in it, even though they have been carefully selected.

Amu was holding a smaller ceramic bowl in his hand, so it naturally cooled down faster. As soon as it became edible, he couldn't wait to take a few sips.

Wen Yi and Shu Ze put it aside first, waiting for it to cool down, and not drinking it in a hurry.

"Today..." Wen Yi glanced at the bowl of porridge placed next to him and pointed to the place where the fish was originally hung.

Shu naturally understood that she was asking about the origin of this thing, and it was not something that needed to be concealed.

Some time ago, someone in the village head's family fell ill with a strange disease. It was said that they had to go to the nearest city and spend a lot of food to rescue the person. During this period, the work was done by the people nearby. Now that everything has settled down, the village head's family caught a big fish to share with the neighbors who helped during this period.

"Has that person's illness been cured?" Wen Yi was a little curious. She had seen the medical level of the era, and she had never expected that there would be a legitimate doctor among the witch doctors.

"I still feel uncomfortable, but I can eat now."

In Shu's opinion, being able to eat meant the problem wasn't serious. She didn't really trust witch doctors, but they could certainly cure some difficult ailments, so rather than trying to fight it all on her own, she'd still give it a try.

But today he looks really thin, with skin and bones all over his body. But like the headman said, it is not easy to survive, and he doesn't ask for anything else.