Chapter 12

Perhaps it was because of the many days of coma, when he opened his eyes, he could only see the outline of the person in front of him, and the rest was just a blur. But he could roughly guess that this person must have saved him, or was arranged to take care of him.

The person lying on the bed suppressed his hostility, and after drinking the water in the bowl, he finally felt his throat better.

But my voice is still hoarse, so it will probably take some time before I can speak clearly.

Wen Yi felt that the man's tense body relaxed a little, so he placed a cylindrical linen pillow filled with hay under the man's neck.

Seeing that the person lying down seemed to want to say something, Wen Yi put the bowl aside and said in a calm tone:

"If you wake up, everything should be fine. But you can't move yet. Someone will bring food over soon."

The man lying on the bed nodded. He had been prepared to be eaten by wild beasts, but he had unexpectedly survived. It seemed that Wen Yi must be a mountain dweller. She had heard that these refugees, who had turned into barbarians, also had the habit of cannibalism, but now it seemed that this was not always the case.

The only food served was slightly thick porridge.

It wasn't that Wen Yi and the others were stingy. This person hadn't eaten in a few days, and suddenly eating something too stimulating would cause stomach discomfort. Although it was common sense that people with weak stomachs were not suitable for drinking porridge, he didn't have the conditions at the moment.

They didn't know whether this person was a friend or an enemy, but judging from the attitudes of the others, in this era, the favor of saving a life is still very important, even if they were previously on the opposite side of the enemy, they would still do various things for it.

For example, teaching the enemy how to use weapons they are not good at or guiding their escape routes.

Wen Yi told Shan the news that the man had woken up. After discussing it with several people, Shan took Shu and Zhongji to talk to the man, while Wen Yi returned to the stream and continued to struggle with the stone that could barely be seen as round with a chisel that had some chips on it.

I wear a mask made of folded and sewn fine linen on my face. Although I don’t know how effective it is, it is better than directly inhaling stone dust.

The sound of "da da da" came into the thatched hut not far away. When the few people heard the sound, they knew that Wen Yi had started chiseling stones again.

But the expression of the person lying on the bed suddenly changed. She struggled to get up, but was pushed back down by Shu. "She's chiseling stones, nothing else."

Shan refilled the ceramic bowl placed aside with water, but did not hand it over. He lowered his head and pondered something.

For a moment, the room fell silent, with only the sound of knocking coming from not far away.

Wen Yi's hands were numb from the recoil of the chisel. She pushed the stone into the water, letting the stream carry away the gravel. She washed her hands and lay down beside to rest.

She was actually a little curious about how the injured man had climbed in from the outside. Then she thought that since they could find the hole below, there might be a similar situation. However, it seemed that they had to be more careful in their actions, because they might wake up one day to find strangers surrounding them.

Wen Yi firmly believed that all fear stemmed from insufficient firepower. Sometimes, all it took to become a victim and take the initiative was a chainsaw. Even if there was a significant difference in size and fitness, a kitchen knife wielded by ordinary people was too much to approach.

They had previously checked the place where the man fell and found a light golden copper alloy dagger in a pile of fallen leaves and humus not far away. The craftsmanship was much better than their own tools, and their sharpness could be felt even from a distance.

Without the right basic skills, everything is just wishful thinking. Even if she could remember the details, it would be like overcoming the technical difficulties all over again for her now. What's more, she only has a vague impression of many things, and one person can't make any big changes after all.

But now we have neither technical labor nor technical tools, and every time we do something, the process will be blocked by something else.

Wen Yi sighed, took out a charcoal pencil from the box on the shore, and began to write and draw on the huge rock on the side.

In the evening, the stove was lit in the yard. Wen Yi and others dragged out mats and gathered around the fire to do their own things.

The night sky was still bright as usual. Although the stove was filled with some hay to repel mosquitoes, there were still many small moths circling around the fire. The heat was extremely attractive to them.

These things are naturally unavoidable in the mountains and forests. If you don't cover the pottery jar containing water, it will soon be filled with moths, flying insects, and geckos. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why you can't drink overnight water.

Wen Yi carefully moved the stone slab covering the mouth of the pottery jar and handed the water to A Mu, who was coughing.

"Thanks."

Amu took the water, drank it himself, then covered the stone slab back and put it next to him. He picked up the shuttle again and wound the thin thread on it.

These were cocoons from wild silkworms. They were smaller than those from domesticated silkworms, the silk was finer, and they were more difficult to process. But it wasn't the busiest time yet, so a little time wasted.

Wen Yi occasionally added branches to the stove while listening to Shan telling stories about his past.

Shan was not born in this area, but returned here with his family when he was still a child.

While there are legal requirements now, there aren't as many rules and regulations regarding morality. Or perhaps it's just that those conventional morals were simply added to those rules and regulations by later generations, and the original meaning of some words has been distorted.

At that time, Xinyi was still known as Xidu, the capital of a now-defunct power. However, within a decade, it was eroded by neighboring powers. The city was captured, and the newly arrived generals failed to control their men. Those who could not hide were killed or wounded.

Shan's family was relatively well off at the time, which was why they were able to hire someone to teach Shan how to read. When the incident occurred, Shan's family learned the news from the guards in advance and escaped from the rear of the city when the two sides started fighting.

"Looking back, although life was pretty good back then, I was constantly worried. Living here makes me feel freer."

Although they still had to perform various labor and military services, the restrictions were much more relaxed. This was the advantage of being a "savage" living outside the city. Everyone was more like an independent small entity, and the household registration and taxation requirements similar to those in the new city were not as strict when they were implemented for them.

But now it seems that no matter where you live, it all depends on luck. If you are unlucky, your family will be broken up and your loved ones will die.

The forces occupying the Western Capital didn't prioritize Xinyi for development, but rather used it as a place to garrison and rest, taking advantage of its convenient transportation. Pingyi, by comparison, was more prosperous, which was probably why they chose it for the surprise attack.

In winter, when food is scarce, the more prosperous the place, the more dangerous it is. But everyone has nowhere to go. Shan glanced at Wen Yi, Shu, and the others, then finally looked towards the house by the stream.

The fate of refugees was not much better than being captured and made into slaves. During their escape, the old, weak, and sick would become food for the young. No city would accept these people who would do anything for food, even if they looked like strong laborers.

Before being knocked unconscious by the stick, Shan thought about many things, and actually regretted not letting the child beside him escape. But even if he told her, the child would probably choose to stay like the other villagers, because they saw no hope of survival if they left.

Seeing the change in Shan's expression, everyone remembered those familiar people and the faces that had gradually faded from their memories. Now the only traces left were the household registration records in Shan's box.

*

After daybreak, Wen Yi and Shu went down to the stream together.

Shu took out the clothes in the wicker basket and washed them, while Wen Yi went to deliver some food to the people in the hut.

The man only sprained his left leg and left hand. When he left yesterday, Shan removed the wooden board and hemp rope on top. When Wen Yi came in, he saw the man drinking water in an extremely twisted posture.

"Thank you very much."

His voice today is much clearer than yesterday, his mental state is also good, and his recovery ability seems to be much stronger than theirs.

Wen Yi didn't approach this time, but instead placed her belongings next to the mat where the water pitcher was placed. Her weapons and armor had been taken away, but she still erred on the side of caution.

He sat down on the side and pushed the pottery pot filled with porridge towards the man. He used the ones he had first found in the village, which was not out of place.

"Thanks for saving me."

This was the umpteenth time this person had thanked Wen Yi. At first, Wen Yi carefully considered whether these words had any deep meaning. After a few days, it seemed that this person seemed to have grown up in this kind of environment. Compared with those of them who grew up in the countryside, his tone and commonly used words were somewhat different.

"Why did you come here?" Wen Yi asked directly.

It was really troublesome to think about it in a roundabout way, so she just asked directly. The patient opposite was stunned for a moment, but did not deliberately hide it:

"I... escaped here."

Perhaps he felt his words were somewhat useless, and that no normal person could climb a mountain and get injured. "I didn't mean to come here. I just had no other way to go, and I didn't want to be caught."

She had a vague memory of having dragged her body through countless places and having slept in a cave for an unknown amount of time. After being awakened by pain and hunger, she felt dizzy and slipped and rolled down the hillside.

So there must be a cave near where this person appeared that can connect the inside and the outside. Wen Yi wrote this information down and continued to ask:

"Then do you remember where you were hiding? Where did the people chasing you come from? It was Pingyi...as expected."

"Do you want to go out?" Wen Yi suddenly asked this question among several questions.

The injured person shook his head subconsciously, and by the time he realized that the man was testing him, he had already completed the action.

Wen Yi nodded in satisfaction. The uncertainty surrounding the person leaving was truly unsettling. She'd already prepared for the worst-case scenario, but now it seemed like she could have an extra worker. This person gave Wen Yi a strange feeling, but judging by his eyes and expression, he didn't seem like a bad person. She wondered if her judgment was correct.

"When your injury is better, go to the fields and help with food and medical treatment for the next few days."

"Okay." The injured person nodded, looking very obedient.

After a friendly discussion, everyone had a frank conversation. The injured woman was named Wenjun, surnamed Yao, and originally from Yu. However, her city had been captured some time ago, and the group that had fled had been pursued and scattered by the enemy. She had finally managed to shake off the pursuers, but was spotted and attacked by soldiers from Pingyi.

Wen Yi glanced at Shan, and the old man nodded.

Nowadays, women use their surnames to indicate their bloodline, and men use their clan names to indicate their status, but those were reserved for the nobility. This man made no secret of his identity, so he must have been a well-known figure. Considering the weapons and protective gear Yao Wenjun had previously carried, it's no wonder the searchers returning to the village considered it a military achievement and kept pursuing him.

Jianwen Yi and the others just nodded to show that they understood and had no intention of handing him over. Only then did Yao Wenjun calm down.

She was betting that these kind people who could rescue her would take her in, and it seemed that she was lucky.

As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone, but after less than half a month, Yao Wenjun was able to get rid of the wooden crutches prepared for her by several people. She endured the pain and walked by the stream. She also saw the source of the noise she had heard in the past few days.

Wen Yi heard footsteps behind him, looked back and saw that it was Yao Wenjun, nodded and continued carving the stone.