I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Tribulation (2)

Fang Ling nodded, the two pigtails on the back of her head bobbing as she obediently went on her way.

「Shortly after.」

The three of them bustled about in the small kitchen. In the dim light, there was an indescribable warmth.

...

Night fell. Amidst the evening drone of cicadas and the chirping of unknown insects, the aroma of cooked grain filled the air.

A single lamp cast a dim light.

Dinner was served on the small wooden table: a paste of sorghum flour and wild vegetables, and sorghum flour flatbreads.

Each person had a bowl of the sorghum and vegetable paste, with Fang Rui’s being the thickest. As for the sorghum flatbreads, Fang Rui had a whole one to himself, while Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Fang Ling each had half.

Such a dinner was considered a feast in this year of famine. Seventy to eighty percent of the people in the city couldn’t afford a meal like this, to say nothing of those outside the county walls.

”Mom, Ling’Er, let’s eat!”

Fang Rui picked up his chopsticks first, and only then did Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Fang Ling begin to eat.

—After Fang Baicao left, Fang Rui, as the only male, automatically received the treatment of the head of the household. Even when he told his mother and sister otherwise, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

SLURP!

Fang Rui gulped down a large mouthful of the sorghum and vegetable paste.

In truth, the sorghum flour wasn’t ground very finely. Even as a paste, it was still a bit scratchy on the throat. But habit was a powerful thing. Over the past half a month, he had gone from finding it unbearable to being completely used to it.

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Fang Ling also ate in small, cherished bites.

During the meal, Fang Rui brought up the Chu Family. ”...This afternoon, Old Chu and his son came to our Caozhi Hall for treatment. They gave us ten catties of wheat bran.”

Staple foods were classified from best to worst: white wheat flour, cornmeal, sorghum flour, and wheat bran.

In these times, only wealthy masters and rich landlords ate white wheat flour as their staple, with the occasional meat. The better-off common folk ate cornmeal.

The Fang Family was a step below that. They used to eat a mix of cornmeal and sorghum flour, mostly the latter.

Now, their diet had devolved to nothing but sorghum flour.

Still, this was considered upper-middle class among their neighbors. Most of the other families had only wheat bran for their staple food.

And outside the city?

They couldn’t even get the least nutritious wheat bran. It was said they had started eating tree bark and grass roots long ago.

”Sigh!”

Hearing about the Chu Family’s situation, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family sighed. ”Old Chu was good friends with your father, so we’re on pretty good terms with them! After dinner, you should take a catty of sorghum flour and go check on them.”

She didn’t say it was wrong for Fang Rui to accept the ten catties of wheat bran from the Chus. She knew her son had his own mind and supported him, but she felt they should still show some neighborly kindness.

As for why she wanted Fang Rui to go?

It was because Fang Rui was the head of the household. Naturally, it should be him who went to extend such a favor.

”Alright,” Fang Rui agreed.

He was unwilling to put his own family at risk out of mere sympathy, but he wasn’t opposed to maintaining good neighborly relations.

Besides, a catty of sorghum flour wasn’t much.

”Even with a little help from the neighbors, I’m afraid things will still be difficult for the Chus from now on.”

The Chus’ misfortune reminded Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family of the afternoon’s events, and she couldn’t help but lament, ”In times like these, it’s a blessing just for a family to be safe and sound.”

”Yeah, safe and sound is a blessing.”

Fang Rui repeated the words. He looked at his mom, then at his sister who was slurping away with her head down like a little puppy, and a sense of peace settled in his heart.

”Sister-in-law Fang! Sister-in-law Fang!”

Just then, a voice called out from outside the door. It was a sweet, melodious female voice.

’It’s Third Lady!’ Fang Rui thought, his heart stirring as he started to get up.

”Yes, coming!”

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family had already gone to open the door.

CREAK.

The door opened, and a light, pleasant fragrance wafted in.

Fang Rui stood up to look.

The visitor was a woman of about twenty-five or twenty-six. Her hair was slightly loose at her temples, and she had a slender, graceful figure.

She couldn’t be called a peerless beauty—if her looks were an eight out of ten, her mature, charming aura was a perfect ten.

She was buxom and curvy, with a figure like an hourglass or a ripe honey peach. Her skin was snow-white and so delicate it looked like it would bruise at a touch, seeming to glow faintly in the dim night. This, combined with a pair of large, limpid eyes that seemed to speak, created an intoxicating, swaying allure.

This was none other than Third Lady.

”Sister-in-law Fang, Brother Rui, Ling’Er!”

Third Lady smiled before she even spoke, greeting each of the three in turn. She then gestured with the bowl in her hand, explaining her visit. ”My family got ahold of some white wheat flour and made some dumplings with wild vegetable filling. I brought some over for you to try. There aren’t many, so it’s just a little taste. Please don’t mind.”

”What are you talking about? How could we possibly mind?”

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family took Third Lady’s arm. ”Have you eaten yet? If not, why don’t you have some with us?”

Mrs. Xue didn’t refuse the gift.

In truth, in those days, it was common practice to share a portion with your neighbors whenever you made something special to eat.

”I can’t, Nannan is still waiting for me at home,” Third Lady said, setting down the bowl of dumplings. ”I have to go. I’ll come back for the bowl after you’re done eating.” With that, she turned and gracefully departed.

”Hey, Third Sister, we can’t have you coming back for it! I’ll have Brother Rui bring it over later!” Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family called after her.

After Third Lady left, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family closed the door and returned, beaming. ”Dumplings are such a treat! Come, Brother Rui, Ling’Er!”

There weren’t many dumplings in the bowl, only six. She gave five to Fang Rui, one to Fang Ling, and took... none for herself.

—In that era, favoring men over women was the norm. Comparatively, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family’s bias was mild; in most households, all the dumplings would have gone to the male of the family.

”Thank you, Mom! Omm-nom~”

Fang Ling’s eyes seemed to light up as she stared at the dumpling in her bowl. In her memory, this was a treat she only got to eat during the New Year. She swallowed hard and was about to take a big bite.

”Wait.”

Fang Rui stopped Fang Ling. He picked up one of the dumplings, carefully sniffed its skin, then used his chopsticks to poke a hole and smell the filling inside.

Being a cautious person, he was actually reluctant to eat food given by others. At the very least, he would test it for poison on a small animal.

This time, however, was a special case.

For one, neither he nor the Fang Family had anything worth plotting against.

For another, poison was hard to come by in this era. There were only a few common types, and even the most discreet—arsenic—had a faint odor that his keen sense of smell could detect.

His extreme caution was because in a world like this, Fang Rui felt a profound lack of security and was suspicious of every potential danger.

”Alright, you can eat now.”

After his careful inspection revealed no problems, Fang Rui finally let his sister take a bite.

Nearby, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family saw Fang Rui’s actions. She was about to comment on his paranoia, but then she remembered the events of the afternoon and held her tongue.

”Mom, Sister, you eat too.”

Then, Fang Rui moved the dumplings from his own bowl, giving one to his sister and two to Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family. ”No refusals! Mom, you said it yourself, I’m the head of the household. So you’ll listen to me. Everybody eats!”

”Alright,” Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family agreed, her eyes glistening.

”Thank you, Brother!”

The carefree Fang Ling happily tilted her head up, causing the two pigtails on the back of her head to bob up and down.

After having gobbled down the first dumpling, she had now learned to chew slowly, savoring each and every little bite.

Under the dim, flickering lamplight, the shadows of the family of three huddled together as if leaning on one another.

...

Unlike his mother and sister, who were savoring every small bite, Fang Rui quickly finished his dinner and headed for the inner room. ”You two keep eating. I’m going to rest for a bit. Later, I’ll take the sorghum flour to the Chus and return the bowl to Third Lady’s house... Remember, let me do it. It’s dark out, so it’s not safe for you to go.”

Upon reaching the inner room, Fang Rui lay on the bed and closed his eyes. His vision went pitch-black, save for a single point of light shining in the upper-left corner. He submerged his consciousness into it.

Instantly, a screen of light appeared.

[Name: Fang Rui]

[Tribulation: 138]

[Cultivation Technique: Nourishing Body Skill (Novice) (+)]

[Realm: None]

[Skills: Fang’s Medical Skill (Skilled)]

[Divine Techniques: Immortality (Gray)]

...