Because Chenxi was considered a scholarly family in the eyes of the villagers, there weren't many people who mocked or opposed her when she spoke out.
In those days, people who studied were highly respected, especially since her father ran a private school. The villagers paid much less tuition than people from other villages, so they respected Shen's father quite a bit.
Unfortunately, most villagers only go to school to learn to read and write so they can find a decent job in the city. Those with higher aspirations become accountants. Over the years, only Shenfu has actually taken the imperial examinations and passed. Everyone is struggling financially, and the imperial examinations are too expensive. They just need to learn to read and write with a little money.
Therefore, they were very convinced when Shenxi said that there was hunting knowledge in the book. Moreover, the old village chief also chimed in, saying that the idea of going into the mountains and going out to find horse meat was also Shenxi's idea, which made everyone even more convinced.
But the fear of the deep mountains remained, so when Chenxi asked again who was willing to go to the deep mountains with him, the vast majority of people remained silent.
Just then, two of the hunters emerged. They were the same two who had been so passionate earlier. One was named Zhao Rong, and the other was Zhao Peng. They were cousins.
“We’ll go with them.”
In their early twenties, they were in their prime. With the two of them taking the lead, the other four hunters looked at each other, gritted their teeth, and nodded in agreement. After all, they needed to go into the mountains anyway.
Several enthusiastic young people in the village were willing to go, especially those whose families had run out of food reserves; if they didn't go, they would starve to death anyway.
Of the more than 500 people, only about 20 were willing to go in the end. Shen Xi sighed deeply. She was still too young and just starting out. It was normal that no one believed her.
However, among those willing to go was Aunt Li, who said, "Anyway, our food won't last for two more days. Maybe we can survive if we take a chance."
With a solemn expression, Shenxi said to the old village chief, "Those who are not going are not allowed to eat horse meat for the time being. Although the weather is hot now, it is extremely dry because there is no rain. You can cut the horse meat into thin strips and hang it to dry. Wait for us for three days. If we do not return after three days, you can eat horse meat as you please."
"As for the horse's internal organs, those who don't mind can eat them."
The old village chief nodded, then hesitated for a moment, "But what if there's no water?"
They didn't have much water left, barely enough to last two or three days at most.
The drought has dried up many rivers and wells, making it impossible to find water sources, and food is of no use.
But Chenxi had already inquired and learned from Aunt Li that there was water in the deep mountains, but no one dared to go there to fetch water to drink. The deeper the water in the mountains, the more likely it was to be a gathering place for wild beasts.
Chenxi was so anxious to go into the mountains to find food and water because, on the one hand, they were genuinely lacking, and on the other hand, a prolonged drought could easily lead to other disasters, such as locust plagues. "When fire and heat recede, extreme drought inevitably brings locusts." It was early autumn now, and the weather was so hot and dry that a locust plague was highly likely in the near future, which would be even more deadly. At that time, even the deep mountains and forests might not be able to be saved.
Even the wild animals in the deep mountains might be a little poisonous now. After such a long drought, judging from their description of the deep mountains, there is very little grass, and only tall trees have leaves. Many herbivores have probably died. So, the carnivores that ate these corpses will have some poison. But given the current situation, even if they are a little poisonous, we still have to catch and eat them. At most, we just need to cook them thoroughly.
However, her purpose in going into the mountains was not to catch wild beasts. Her goal was to find some drought-resistant plants. Through Aunt Li's introduction, she learned that there were edible things before she came to the mountains, some root plants, but she didn't know their names, and some wild vegetables. After the drought, all the edible things were eaten up.
They ate horse meat and brought some water, which was provided by the old village chief and others, but it was only enough for them to drink for one day.
Li Si was very dissatisfied, but when asked to go into the mountains, he refused.
Shen Xi wanted to go deep into the mountains, but her younger sister Shen Qing pulled her back, saying, "Big sister, don't go!"
Her younger brother also pulled her along, saying, "Big sister, if you really have to go, take me with you!"
Even the youngest sister, Chen Yue, clung to her, saying, "Big sister, don't go, don't go." Although she didn't understand where her eldest sister was going, she could still understand that her eldest sister was leaving without her.
Chenxi gently pinched her little sister's cheek. It was a bit thin and not smooth, but still cute. Then she said to them, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Yue'er, take good care of your younger siblings and wait for me to come back."
Shen Yue nodded vigorously, knowing she couldn't stop her eldest sister. "Okay, I will definitely take good care of my younger brother and sister."
When Chenxi and the others reached the edge of the deep mountains, there was nothing to eat; it was all barren. As they gradually saw greenery, Chenxi stopped them. She began to observe the ground, the trees, and the sparse wild grass. Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief. At least there were no wild beasts nearby, only some small herbivores, and people had been here before.
Unfortunately, they walked for a while without finding anything. Chenxi kept a close eye on the situation. This was her ability from her previous life. In college, she was very interested in wilderness survival and had seriously studied the habits and tracks of various animals. She also studied how to find groundwater for a period of time and went out with a well-drilling team to search for groundwater. She had also visited some remote places and lived there for a period of time. She really wanted to become an expert in this field, but later, family responsibilities forced her to go into business.
Further on, the trees became denser and there were more leaves, but not much grass. Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. If they weren't forced into this situation, who would risk their lives for tomorrow?
Chen Xi suddenly stopped. She had spotted wolf tracks, but not many; it was probably a small pack of wolves, about five or six. It was daytime, and a small pack of wolves wouldn't rashly attack more than twenty people. She sniffed hard but couldn't smell any wild animals, proving the wolves weren't around for the time being. Judging from the tracks, they must have been there a few days ago.
That makes sense. There are few small animals here, and wolves need food, so they must have migrated there.
Seeing that there was no danger here, Chenxi led the group inside. As luck would have it, Zhao Rong actually caught a rabbit, and the group finally had motivation.
A small patch of purple flowers caught Chenxi's attention. She suddenly breathed a sigh of relief; she had won her bet.
There are kudzu roots down here!
Besides, there are quite a few flowers blooming here and there.
Don't be fooled by the small flowers on the ground; if no one digs them up, the underground rhizomes must be quite large. Kudzu is commonly known as "thousand-year ginseng" because it is not picky about its growing environment, has a strong survival ability, and can be found in both the north and south. In years of famine, it was often used as a food to fill the stomach and was called "satisfying food". It has small purple flowers on top, and the underground rhizomes can weigh up to 100 kilograms, with an average weight of 30 to 40 kilograms each.
It seems that the root tuber that Aunt Li mentioned digging up must be this one!
Chenxi deduced that if there were some outside the mountain, there should be some inside as well. Sure enough, heaven rewards those who persevere, and for the time being, they will not starve!
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