Eastern part of the empire, Yuesui Province.
This is a county province in the southern part of the eastern border. Hills and plains alternate in the area, and there are large and small noble fiefs distributed among them. They built castles on the hills and plains, and next to these castles, there are some scattered cities and towns.
Compared to other places, the provinces and territories in the East are relatively peaceful and prosperous. They have a mild maritime climate, and even the provinces in the interior are doing well thanks to their prosperous business.
However, even in relatively peaceful areas, there are still people living in poverty.
Amidst the mountains covered with scattered yellow leaves, a boy of about 14 years old is trekking in the mountains. He is wearing rough linen clothes, which are light yellow in color, and the color blends in with the surrounding environment like dry soil.
Although it was winter, there was no snow in Yuesui Province. It was just a little chilly in the mountains. The young man was wearing thin clothes and sometimes had to move his hands and feet more to avoid getting cold.
Elio, wearing thick straw sandals, hopped onto a large rock and searched the grass and shade of the trees. He soon discovered the tiny, hidden gardenia fruits. These fruits ripen late, usually only available in late autumn. However, due to the local climate, he could still find unripe gardenia fruits in the mountains even in winter.
After finding the target, he jumped off the rock, pushed aside the dry and rough weeds with his hands, grasped the long branches of the shrub, and then stroked his hands down along the roots of the long branches, peeled off a row of small orange fruits, and slid them into his palms.
These fruits are slightly smaller than grapes, covered with a layer of translucent and dry skin, and with small, separate green buds at the tip of the fruit. If piled together, they look like orange dotted with a hint of light green, giving people a comfortable visual effect.
The boy picked up a few gardenia fruits that had fallen from the dead branches and fallen leaves, put them in his cloth bag, tied a rope around his waist, and continued to search for the next place with gardenia fruits.
Gardenia can be sold to some herbal medicine workshops, but their purchasing volume is not large, so it is more often sold to dyeing workshops because it can be used to extract pigments and dye yellow.
It is worth mentioning that the yellow linen shirt he was wearing was dyed with gardenia. For ordinary working people, this color is resistant to dirt and fading, and is very popular.
Walking among the dead grass and bushes, Elio grabbed these tiny fruits and put them in his bag. He tried to find as many as possible so that he could exchange them for more money.
As time gradually approached noon, the young man sat down on a clean stone and took out half a dry biscuit from his pocket. He had very little money, so he could only buy such an affordable thing to fill his stomach.
The teeth struggled to bite off the cold and hard biscuits, then chewed slowly, trying to let the saliva moisten and soften the food so that it would not choke.
Even though his cheeks were a little sore from chewing, Elio was still a little hungry after finishing half of the cake. He licked the crumbs on the corner of his mouth. The young man had to stand up again and continue searching in the mountains with sore steps.
This continued until the sun gradually set, and it was probably afternoon.
Reaching out to swat away the tiny insects stuck on the bag, Elio looked at the not-so-warm sun in the sky and guessed that it was about to set.
He didn't dare spend the night in the mountains. Even if there were no wild beasts, the low temperature there would still kill him.
He untied the bag, reached in, and felt the tiny gardenia fruits rolling through his hands. He couldn't hold them all in one hand, and he felt a sense of satisfaction and happiness.
With all this, I think I can have a full meal tonight. No, not yet. I have to save some money. Winter is coming.
He is already an adult, and after his mother is gone, he can only rely on himself to survive.
Elio grabbed the bag and moved quickly and skillfully between the rocks, yellow mud and dry grass, sliding down the hillside and running forward.
In the distant fields, a big city stands by the flowing river, with wisps of green smoke rising from time to time. This is the third largest city in Yuesui Province, located in Kuyan County.
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There were scattered lights on both sides of the street at night, and the windows of some wealthy houses illuminated the street. Elio walked out of the workshop door with a bag of copper coins in his arms, feeling satisfied.
Looking at the people around him, he carefully wrapped the coins in his collar and ran past quickly.
You have to go to the backyard of that beautiful bakery, where you can probably buy some expired crumbs. Such food can be said to be a luxurious delicacy among the poor.
The sweet cream mixed with cake crumbs was so sweet and delicious. He first tasted it when he was 9 years old. His mother was still alive at that time and made a little for him.
Arriving at the door to the busy backyard, the boy tiptoed to look inside. Seeing a busy maid, he waved with a little joy.
"Sister Anna."
It was a fairly common name; one in ten girls in the East Territory was named Anna. Hearing the young man's call, the maid looked up but didn't immediately respond. She was used to answering the wrong person.
"It's you, Elio." She looked at the boy with a little surprise, then walked over. It was almost closing time, and the shop was quiet.
"It's me. I want to buy some food." The boy said excitedly.
Anna was someone he had known for a long time. It was said that his mother had helped her with some small favors in the past, so they became familiar with each other.
"But it will be very expensive." Anna said worriedly. Although she was a maid in the bakery, she could not take out the things inside at will. This job was very important to her, and she did not dare to do anything against the rules.
"I know." The boy took out a bag of copper coins. For people who have been living on the poverty line all year round, having a good meal is the greatest happiness in life.
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