Summer always comes faster than spring. Just when the wheat seedlings were planted, it was already hot after the third day of March. Unfortunately, the spring rain was scarce - from the beginning of spring till now, there hadn't been a satisfying rainfall, so the crops were about to die of thirst. This year's harvest wouldn't be great. The villagers downhill began to go up the mountain to forage to supplement their diet, and before the green sprouts could pop up on the mountain top, they were swiftly picked clean.
Early in the morning, Lin Xi was harshly pushed by her grandmother to climb the mountain and forage. The higher she climbed, the more breathless and leg fatigued she got. However, despite the heavy load in her basket, it wasn't filled yet, so she could only groan in misery.
"My god, how can life be so harsh? Why did I end up being transported to such a desolate place...?"
Before she could finish complaining, a "thud" sound echoed - something had fallen from the sky, landing in front of her.
Lin Xi looked closely and to her surprise, it was a fox. The closed eyes and bloodstained body suggested it was no longer alive. Although she was slightly scared, she moved closer and prodded it a bit – the stiff body confirmed her suspicion: a dead fox.
What a stroke of luck! Foxes were rare creatures, and their fur could fetch a decent price. Though this fox's fur was a bit scruffy, to Lin Xi, it was still a significant source of income.
Foxes were sly animals. Lin Xi didn't believe it would simply bump itself to death like a stupid rabbit. After examining the fox's wound, she found a large hole on its neck with coagulated blood – clearly the prey of an unidentified hunter.
No matter how destitute she was, Lin Xi had her dignity and wouldn't take what belonged to others. After a moment of hesitation, she placed the fox back on the ground and stood up, shouting, "Whoever hunted this fox, please claim it. If no one wants it, I'll take it."
She shouted loudly several times. To her surprise, there was no response in the large forest. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the dead fox. If really no one claimed it, she'd take it home.
So, she shouted a few more times and after confirming there was still no response, she let out a triumphant yell, beaming as she threw the fox into her bamboo basket and lifted it onto her back.
"Hooray! You're mine now. I didn't steal you; I found you. This is a gift from the heavens, showing pity on me."
For so many days since she'd arrived in this new world, this was the first piece of good news. She kept calculating in her mind how much this fox fur would sell for. It was pitiful – Lin Xi had been a white-collar worker in modern times, but after getting drunk and waking up from a car accident, she found herself transported to an impoverished family in another era.
From the moment of her arrival till now, she didn't know where she was or what dynasty this was – she didn't even know if the currency here was silver or copper coins. All she knew was that she was forced to labor from dawn till dusk, seemingly without end.
Looking at her own skinny figure, she could hardly estimate how old she appeared. Her arms were as thin as poles, her hair was dry and yellowish, and her clothing was almost falling apart, barely covering her body.
At least today, she'd managed to find something of value. Certainly, an adult fox's fur should bring in a good amount of money! Though that was true in modern times, she had no idea if it would hold in this ancient era.
Walking cheerfully along, all of a sudden, she heard a faint cry for help that was intermittent.
Lin Xi hurriedly looked around and followed the sound, arriving in front of a large pit. Judging by the appearance of this pit, it was clearly a trap set by hunters to capture large game. Now, the trap had been sprung and there was a person inside.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Upon hearing someone’s voice, the person in the pit, who was previously on the brink of death, suddenly perked up: "Save me, please quickly, my leg is wounded, I can’t get out".
Lin Xi looked down at a young teenager. He was clutching his leg, in unbearable agony.
“Wait here, I’m going to find a vine to rescue you.”
Lin Xi took her sickle and cut a thick vine, exerting all her strength to pull the boy out of the pit. She was exhausted.
Just as the boy came out of the pit, he collapsed to the ground, pale as a sheet and sweating profusely.
When Lin Xi saw his wound, it was so deep and long, simply too gruesome to behold.
“Good heavens, this won't do. Your wound needs to be treated immediately; otherwise, you could lose your leg.”
Fortunately, in modern times, Lin Xi had experiences with survival in the wilderness. There were many medicinal herbs in the mountains, she swiftly dug up some, and cleaned them. Disregarding any concerns about sanitation, she chewed the herbs to a pulp and applied them to the wound. She tore off a piece of 'zip zap' cloth from her body to bandage it, and only then did she sigh of relief.
"Hey, young man, this won't do, you need to get down the mountain to see a doctor."
But the boy had lost too much blood, and had fallen into a comatose state.
Lin Xi couldn't just leave him halfway. With the approaching nightfall, leaving him alone here, he'd likely be eaten by wolves by midnight. She gritted her teeth and hoisted the boy unto her back.
With a bamboo basket hanging on her neck, and a person on her back, Lin Xi was both exhausted and hungry. She had no idea how she managed to get down the mountain, but finally delivered the young boy to the local doctor at the foot of the mountain. She felt as though she was on the verge of collapsing.
Looking at the pitch-black sky, then at the bamboo basket that holds only half of the wild vegetables left, Lin Xi felt like she was headed for doom.
With an incredibly nervous heart, she returned home. But before she could even step through the door, she heard a bout of loud cursing.
“You damned woman, seducing wild men again! You've completely dishonored me. Watch as I beat you to death today!"
"Mercy, dear husband! I didn't talk to him, I swear I didn't, not a single word! That peddler merely came to ask for directions, it was Da Niu who guided him, I didn't say a word to him!"
"Not a word, but you were smiling at him? You lowly bitch, I’ll beat you to death!"
An earth-shattering roar, interspersed with wails of pleading for mercy. The sounds of chaos echoed from within the house.
Lin Xi stood stiffly at the entrance of the courtyard, her hands clenched into fists. Nothing she hated more in her life than a man hitting a woman. But within her household, domestic violence has become commonplace. Her father would always find some bizarre excuse to beat her mother.