Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 102 Extra Ayu (1)

"Oh, when will this end! If only we could have a full meal." A gray-haired auntie, carrying a basket, sighed and complained with a furrowed brow. Her legs were bad and ached every day, but she still climbed the mountain step by step with great difficulty in order to find some food.

"Aunt Liu, don't worry, this cold weather will be over soon. It won't get cold again in a few days. It rained a few days ago, so there should be wild vegetables now. If we're careful with our food, we'll have enough to last until the beginning of spring," said Ayu, carrying a large basket on her back, walking behind Aunt Liu with a smile.

Ayu is always so cheerful. Ever since Aunt Liu met her, she seems to have never seen her worry.

Spring has arrived, but it is also the most difficult time. There is a shortage of food, and every family's grain is almost gone. Every year, some families cannot survive the winter.

"Fortunately, before the New Year, the village chief listened to what you said, Ayu, and dried the wild fruits and vegetables. He also set many traps and caught a lot of wild game. Otherwise, with this harvest, most of the villagers probably wouldn't have survived this winter. Now everyone has made it through, all thanks to you." Aunt Liu stopped to wipe the fine sweat from her brow, patted Ayu's hand, and said with a smile.

"I wouldn't dare take credit. It's just that I've had too many hard times, so I know which wild fruits and vegetables are edible and which aren't. I'll go check today. If I can catch a rabbit in the traps I set a few days ago, that would be good, and it'll be a good treat for the little boy. I'll also see if I can find some wild vegetables like ground ivy or bitter herbs; those things grow fast." Ayu said with a smile as she made her plans.

Hanwazi was the child of Aunt Liu's family. He was not yet two years old and was at the age where everyone loved him. Ayu liked him very much.

"That's what I admire about you, you're quick-witted!" Aunt Liu said with a smile, also looking forward to it. "Slow down, the snow hasn't completely melted yet, the road is slippery."

"I understand, Auntie!" Ayu gently stroked her flat belly. The baby inside was still small and couldn't be seen yet.

The two chatted as they walked, and before noon they had gathered quite a few wild vegetables and even caught a small wild rabbit. Overjoyed, they hurried home, worried they wouldn't be able to get down the mountain before dark. Once it got dark, who knew what wolves, tigers, or leopards might be lurking around?

The two walked to a mountain hollow, where a dark figure lay motionless in the middle of the road not far away.

"Auntie, look, what's that? It looks like a person!" Ayu pointed to the dark figure in the middle of the road, startled, and stopped in her tracks.

The two were kind-hearted, and after a while, they ran over to check on them.

The man was facing the ground, his clothes were tattered, he was emaciated and on the verge of death, and it was vaguely visible that he was wearing the clothing of a soldier from the Great Zhou Kingdom that did not fit him well.

"A soldier?" Aunt Liu craned her neck, peering around. "Is he still alive?"

Ayu shook her head, indicating that she wasn't quite sure.

Ayu turned the person over, only to find that the person's face was hideous and had no nose, only two bright red nostrils!
"Ah! A ghost!" Auntie screamed in fright, her body involuntarily leaning back, tripping on the steps, and falling to the ground. Ayu was also quite frightened, and helped her auntie recover for a long time. Ayu even felt a tightness in her abdomen, which frightened her so much that she quickly touched her lower abdomen.

Ayu was frightened, but she still took out the water bottle and gave the man a few sips of water. After a moment, the man slowly opened his eyes and mumbled, "Hungry... for food!"

Without hesitation, Ayu took out the multigrain pancake from her bosom, about to hand it over, when her aunt grabbed her arm: "Are you stupid! If you give him the pancake, what will you do later? We don't even know if he'll survive. If you don't eat it, your baby will!"

Ayu pulled her hand away from her grasp and laughed, "Auntie, I won't die from missing a meal! But I won't feel at ease if I don't save this person. Consider it doing good for the child in my belly!" Her auntie couldn't do anything about it and could only let her have her way: "You! You'll suffer for it sooner or later."

Ayu smiled and didn't deny it. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, squatted down, and handed the pancake over. As soon as the man saw there was food, he grabbed the pancake and wolfed it down.

"Slow down, don't choke..." Ayu handed over the water.

After eating some food, he felt a little better.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Ayu tried to avoid mentioning the person's face, and only asked some trivial questions.

From the man's account, he was a soldier from the Great Zhou Kingdom. To cover the retreat of the main force, only 103 men remained, and they were now hiding in a cave halfway up the mountain. Many were sick or disabled, and it seemed they wouldn't survive the winter. He had only mustered the courage to come out to find something to eat when he fainted from hunger by the roadside.

One hundred and three mouths to feed... Ayu gasped. With so many mouths waiting to be fed, she dared not make any promises. Seeing that the person was no longer in danger, she stood up. After hesitating for a moment, she shoved the basket in her hand into the person's arms: "Take these. I can't help with the rest because of my limited abilities."

The man gripped the edge of the basket tightly, his eyes revealing complex emotions.

Ayu turned around and pulled her aunt down the mountain, saying, "Auntie, let's go."

"If you give him all the food, what will you eat?" The aunt was furious and wanted to snatch the basket back, but Ayu held her tightly, and the aunt had no other choice.

"Never mind, Auntie, my family can manage for a few more days if we eat sparingly. I'll come back tomorrow!" Ayu smiled faintly, but her brows were clouded with worry.

"What can I say about you?!" the aunt exclaimed angrily.

"Alright, Auntie, let's hurry back. Hanwa must be getting impatient." Ayu changed the subject.

When the topic turned to the simple-minded boy, Aunt Liu's expression softened a bit.

------

The jackals, drawn by the scent, had no reason to give up.

The next day, the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty arrived at the entrance of Niujia Village in a dense crowd. The leader was a middle-aged man. When these more than a hundred men with terrifying faces blocked the entrance of the village, the whole village panicked. What did they want to do?

Fortunately, the middle-aged man who led the group recounted his tragic plight with great emotion. They only asked for a place to stay and some food, promising to find their own way to make a living after spring and assuring everyone they wouldn't trouble them. He even offered to consider the food a loan, promising to repay it with interest later. After much persuasion, the village chief gave them three days' worth of rations before finally getting them to go home.

In the evening, all the villagers gathered under the big banyan tree, a dark mass. The village chief stood on a large rock under the banyan tree and briefly recounted what had happened the day before, including Ayu's encounter with the soldiers of the Great Zhou Kingdom: "Let's decide, should we help or not?"