Wear
In the fifth year of the Jiayuan era, in winter.
Modan Town.
The heavy snowfall over the past few days has blanketed this remote border town in a thick layer of silver, but the weather has finally cleared up today.
Yu Wan, dressed in coarse cotton clothes, went up the mountain alone. The wind blades cut her skin without any resistance, as the tattered cotton clothes only had a thin layer of quilting.
The wind was biting cold. She hugged herself, her teeth chattering from the cold, and quietly hid behind a small mound.
Working at his family's barbecue restaurant until the early hours of the morning, he woke up after a power outage to find himself in a remote, impoverished border town.
The years of war not only cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but also brought suffering to the people. The environment in the area was even worse, and the people were destitute and impoverished.
Two years ago, the original owner's father and brothers were conscripted to the battlefield and have not been heard from since, leaving her with her seriously ill mother and young brother.
In times of war and chaos, rice was as expensive as gold, and the family of three simply couldn't afford it. They could only hunt wild game, dig for wild vegetables, and plant sweet potatoes when the weather was warm. When heavy snow blocked the mountains in winter, life became difficult.
If they hadn't stored some dried wild vegetables and sweet potatoes in advance, they wouldn't have survived the beginning of winter.
As Lunar New Year's Eve approached, the original owner fell ill. Afraid of worrying her mother, she silently endured the pain, but ultimately did not survive.
Yu Wan had also suffered in her past life. Although she started with a bad hand, she was only depressed for one night.
Now that she's here, she has to adapt to the environment quickly. She not only wants to survive, but also wants to make her life better and better.
A pheasant leisurely walked into view and drew a row of bamboo leaves on the snow.
Yu Wan's lips curled into a confident smile, her eyes fixed firmly on it.
My first pot of gold after traveling to ancient times depends on you!
When I first transmigrated, I was bound to a food system. However, the system gave me a beginner's gift pack, which contained only five green peppers, a small bunch of chives, a portion of charcoal, a simple barbecue grill, and a small portion of barbecue seasoning.
It truly lives up to its reputation as a "small" gift pack for beginners.
Only by completing tasks can you earn more rewards; the higher the task level, the richer the rewards.
She planned to set up a barbecue stall, but the limited ingredients were far from enough, so she braved the freezing cold to go hunting in the mountains.
The pheasant slowly approached the trap she had set beforehand. Suddenly, the sound of clashing weapons came from somewhere, startling the pheasant so much that it jumped around a few times and ran away.
Yu Wan was so angry she almost vomited blood. She had endured hunger and cold, and was frozen stiff when a pheasant finally came to her rescue, only to run away right before her eyes!
She wanted to see who dared to cut off her path to survival!
Following the sound, they quietly went over and found two men in black engaged in a fierce battle.
She didn't know martial arts, but she could tell that the two men's swords were all deadly moves, leaving no way out for each other.
Four people were lying on the ground, and the snow was covered with bright red bloodstains, which were probably dead.
We can't afford to mess with them.
She turned to run away, only to hear a scream behind her.
Another one is bound to die.
That's terrifying! Run!
She had lived two lives, and this was the first time she had ever witnessed murder.
In the blink of an eye, she heard the sound of a sword piercing the sky behind her, and a strong premonition made her guess that she was the target of that sword.
The snow was too deep, and she ran awkwardly, stumbling and falling to the ground.
At the same time, she watched as a long sword flew overhead.
If she hadn't been lucky enough to fall, she would probably be dead by now.
Is this an attempt to silence them?
The next moment, she saw a dark figure vaguely appear in the withered grass ahead and fall to the ground with a thud.
It turns out that person was the longsword's ultimate target.
A chill ran down my spine, even more biting than the winter wind.
She slowly turned her head and saw a tall figure dressed in a black outfit appear before her like a ghost.
Her messy long ponytail covered half of her face, while the battle scars on the other half hinted at danger. Her eyebrows and eyes, barely visible through the gaps in her hair, exuded a murderous aura that made people afraid to meet her gaze.
Yu Wan immediately declared, "Big brother, I was just passing by, I'm not one of them, I swear!"
The man withdrew his wary gaze from the longsword, seemingly confirming that all enemies had been killed, and gave her a cold glance.
puff--
He suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed as if all his strength had been drained.
Judging from his appearance, Yu Wan believed he was seriously injured and had no weapon in his hand.
Perhaps realizing that she was a woman who was powerless and posed no threat whatsoever, they lowered their guard and stopped putting on a brave face.
He knelt on one knee, stubbornly supporting himself with one hand, unwilling to fall like this.
Yu Wan mustered her courage, stood up, waved her little hand, said "Goodbye," and ran off.
Having just arrived in this place, I'm unfamiliar with everyone and everything, and I can barely take care of myself, so I can't easily cause trouble.
You can't see into someone's heart; who knows if the person you're saving is a human or a ghost?
Suddenly, the sound of creaking footsteps came from not far away, probably from three or four people, followed by the sound of conversation.
"There are signs of a struggle, so it must have happened nearby."
"He's badly wounded and at his last gasp. Take his head back for the reward, and you'll be set for life."
"Why not capture him alive? The reward might be higher."
A woman's scream pierced the sky, "Ah—"
Several people ran over at the sound and saw a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old slumped down next to several corpses. Her face was pale and she was trembling, her eyes were red, and she was sobbing like a frightened rabbit.
"Brothers, there was a really scary guy just now! He killed all of these people. Is he a wanted criminal? Are you constables? Quickly, catch him! Don't let him harm anyone else! Waaah..."
The men looked her over suspiciously. "Young lady, did you really see that person? He's not dead? How did he kill him?"
Yu Wan nodded obediently, wiping away her tears. "That villain was truly terrifying. He killed people so easily. Look over there, there's someone even worse off. That villain just casually threw out a sword and killed him. I want to go home to find my mother, sob sob sob..."
While the group was talking, Yu Wan moved the man to the pit and covered him with a pile of dry branches.
Fortunately, the man was conscious; otherwise, her frail little body wouldn't have been able to move such a large person.
The assassins examined the wounds and bloodstains on the corpse, their expressions turning serious.
"How is that possible? Wasn't he seriously injured? How could he still fight his way here, easily taking down the assassins along the way? Is he even human?"
"Everyone be careful, he might be lying in ambush."
Yu Wan sniffed and said weakly, "That bastard was indeed seriously injured. He even tripped and fell while running. He probably didn't get very far. We should be able to catch him now. He's running in that direction." She pointed to a direction with footprints.
Everyone looked at each other, then turned to look at Yu Wan.
A man held a sword hilt to Yu Wan's neck, his expression fierce.
"Little girl, it's wrong to lie. Is the thief hiding nearby and taught you to say this?"
Another man shouted, "Tell me! Where is he? Tell me or I'll kill you!"
Yu Wan frantically waved her hands in denial, pleading with a sob in her voice, "Spare me, I really didn't lie to you."
The group exchanged glances, seemingly having made a decision; they should prepare to give chase.
Someone suggested, "We can't let anyone know we were here; just to be on the safe side..."
He made a throat-slitting motion while speaking.
Yu Wan inwardly groaned. She shouldn't have saved him; she'd lost her life right after transmigrating.
The man drew his sword and, without hesitation, swung it toward Yu Wan's neck.
Yu Wan closed her eyes tightly, hoping that when she opened them again she would be back at her family's barbecue restaurant.
However, she heard several muffled groans, but the deadly sword still hadn't severed her neck.
She slowly opened one eye and realized that the others had all fallen to the ground, lifeless.
The man she had hidden had somehow climbed out of the pit and was standing beside her, clutching his stomach.
Yu Wan sat on the snow, looking up at him.
The last rays of the setting sun pierced through his tousled hair, revealing his dark and sharp eyes.
"Aren't you going to run?"
It was a young voice, deep and warm with a hint of urging.
Yu Wan looked slightly embarrassed.
"My...my feet are frozen, could you please help me?"
The man paused, seemingly surprised by the reason, and reached out to pull the person up.
The next moment, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the half of his face that was exposed became even paler and more haggard.
Yu Wan asked cautiously, "Are you... are you alright? Should I take you to see a doctor? But I don't have any money, so you'll have to pay for the consultation and medicine yourself."
Just then, she suddenly saw the pheasant that had run away reappear. Her eyes lit up with excitement, and she murmured to herself:
"Great! There's hope!"
She's obsessed with making her first fortune; seeing a pheasant is like seeing a pile of glittering gold.
But how to catch them quickly is a problem.
She didn't notice that the man beside her was losing strength and was about to collapse again.
Suddenly remembering something, she excitedly grabbed the man's arm, and miraculously managed to catch him.
"You're such a good fighter, catching a chicken shouldn't be too hard for you, right?"
She had originally wanted to say something threatening, such as that she would not mention what she had seen that day to anyone as long as he helped her with this favor, but then she thought that this man could kill without leaving a trace, so she decided not to say anything that might easily provoke him.
He Jing's sharp gaze was somewhat complicated. He glanced at her indifferently and was about to bend down to pick up a dry branch when a sharp pain in his abdomen forced him to cough twice.
"Cough cough—"
Seeing that Shanji was about to leave again, Yu Wan realized that since she couldn't rely on others, she had to rely on herself.
She was about to chase after him when she was pulled back.
He Jing's thick eyebrows were twisted into a pretzel; his injuries were so severe that he could barely speak.
"Give me the branch."
Yu Wan obediently picked up the branch and respectfully placed it in his hand.
"come on!"
The branch, like a short sword, aimed at the pheasant and flew towards it swiftly and accurately.
The pheasant flapped its wings twice and then stopped moving.
"Wow!" Yu Wan couldn't help but exclaim, "You're amazing!"
I kept what I wanted to say to myself. I wish I could get her a few more, but she looked like she was about to pass away.
In my haste to escape, I didn't know where I'd thrown my basket; I had to search all over before I finally found it.
After she put the pheasant into her basket and carried it on her back, she discovered that the man had already collapsed and was not getting up.
Could he be dead?
She cautiously leaned closer and touched the underside of her nose with her finger.
He was still breathing and didn't look like he was on the verge of death; it seemed more like he was severely exhausted.
Before leaving, Yu Wan set up a fire and left a chicken leg.
When she got home, she realized that it was past lunchtime.
"Mother, I'm back."
Yu's mother was cooking porridge and potatoes in the kitchen, and she quickly went over to help.
"Mother, let me do it, you go and rest."
Yu's mother was in poor health and spent most of her time resting in bed.
"Cough cough, Awan, where have you been in this freezing weather?"
Yu Wan turned around. "Let's see what's in the basket."
Yu's mother didn't pay attention at first, but she glanced at it casually and saw that there was a pheasant inside.
She was surprised for a moment, then said earnestly, "Sigh, there's a war going on outside. Who knows when it will reach this area? Don't run around."
"Okay," Yu Wan replied, not wanting her to worry.
She deftly ladled the batter into a bowl and then took out the steamer containing the potatoes.
Yu Cheng suddenly appeared out of nowhere and asked, "Sister, are we having meat today?"
Even though Yu's mother looked haggard, a rare smile appeared on her face. "All you think about is eating meat. Your sister is freezing up there on the mountain, and you're not even helping her."
Yu Cheng stuck out his tongue, hugged Yu Wan's leg, and said sweetly, "Sister, you're the best. Ever since Father and Brother went to war, our family hasn't eaten meat much."
Unexpectedly, these words triggered Yu's mother's sadness, and her eyes instantly reddened. Afraid of affecting the atmosphere, she turned away and wiped her tears.
Yu Wan saw this, sighed softly, then squatted down and explained to her younger brother:
"Acheng, this chicken is very useful to your sister. How about we don't eat it today?"
Yu Cheng looked somewhat disappointed, but still nodded understandingly.
After calming herself down, Yu's mother asked curiously, "Wan, are you planning to save it for New Year's Eve? Never mind, poor families shouldn't be so particular. You and Cheng are both growing, so let's eat it today."
Upon hearing his mother's words, Yu Cheng's anticipation was rekindled.
“No, Mother,” Yu Wan said. “I’m planning to pack up and go sell kebabs.”
Yu's mother looked surprised. "Will this work? Besides, barbecue isn't anything special. Many vendors and restaurants sell it. I'm afraid others won't even look at what we have."
Yu Wan didn't want to explain further. "Anyway, I'm just sitting around doing nothing, so I might as well give it a try. If I make some money, we can improve our lives."
After thinking for a moment, Yu's mother said, "Alright, I'll boil some water and get ready right away."
Yu Cheng also actively participated: "I'll help start the fire!"
After eating a few bites, Yu Wan carried her basket on her back and went to the street, heading to the intersection with the highest pedestrian traffic.
There are vendors selling candy, hair accessories, food, and fabric—a wide variety of goods.
Passersby hurried by, while others stopped to look or buy.
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