Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside Chapter 5 - 005: Entering the Mountains to Forage for Food

Gu Dashan spoke with a grin, yet Mrs. Cui and the others realized that any food they discovered would still need to be surrendered. As long as their debt remained unpaid, the entire family of six was forced to subsist on tree leaves, grass roots, and bark.

"Eldest son, are you trying to let us all starve to death? Get out there and hunt for food right now! If you come back with too little today, just watch me flay Mrs. Cui and her daughters alive!"

Granny Gu, spotting Gu Dashan exchange just a single word with Mrs. Cui, immediately accused him of slacking off deliberately and launched into loud complaints.

"Mother, I'll go search for food immediately."

Fearing that Granny Gu might rush over and begin beating people once more, Gu Dashan hastily agreed and led Good Brother An to join the other villagers foraging nearby.

Once Gu Dashan and his son had been sent off, Granny Gu whirled around to scold Mrs. Cui. "You lazy wretch, Mrs. Cui, do you even acknowledge me as your mother-in-law? Hurry up and lay out the mats!"

"Coming right away, Mother." Mrs. Cui hauled her weary frame toward the Old Gu Family's spot, stumbling slightly, then glanced back at Gu Jinli. "Xiao Yu, your injury hasn't healed completely yet, so stay put and rest here with your sister and Brother Cheng instead of going out for food."

To avoid worrying Mrs. Cui, Gu Jinli answered reluctantly, "Got it, Mother."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Rushing to finish so you can reincarnate early? Enough chatter! Get over here fast—do you expect this old woman to stand here all day?" Granny Gu snapped once more.

The Old Gu Family members simply stood idle, refusing to lift a finger until Mrs. Cui showed up. Then they swept the ground, removed the tiny stones, spread out the mats followed by a thin blanket, and assisted Granny Gu to settle down.

With Granny Gu comfortably seated, Mrs. Cui rushed off to gather firewood and kindle a fire.

Gu Jinli observed everything with burning eyes, eager to lend a hand, when a voice suddenly called out, "Xiao Yu, Sister Xiu, Brother Cheng, my mom sent me to play with you all."

A girl around twelve or thirteen, clad in ragged patched clothes, dashed up to the grass mat at Gu Jinli's home. Spotting Gu Jinli, she beamed. "Xiao Yu, I heard you woke up last night. I wanted to visit, but it was too late and my parents forbade it."

Gu Jinli smiled at the girl. "Your parents were wise; things are too chaotic these days. A young girl like you shouldn't roam around after dark."

This was Luo Huiniang, from one of the rare families in Gu Family Village with a different surname. Her father, Luo Tiezhu, had been an Escort Master until an injury sidelined him. He then relocated to the village with his wife Ms. Chu and their two kids, buying ten acres of land to settle on.

The Luo family enjoyed a decent life. Luo Tiezhu and Gu Dashan had sworn brotherhood over twenty years ago and remained thick as thieves, which warmed the bond between Ms. Chu and Mrs. Cui as well.

In this famine, whenever they paused to rest, Luo Tiezhu and his son, plus Ms. Chu, would venture out for food and water. Ms. Chu dispatched Luo Huiniang to keep the kids company, really to make sure they watched out for one another and stayed out of harm's way.

When Gu Jinli got hurt, the Luo family provided the most aid in food. That bamboo tube of water had come from them too. They'd helped repeatedly over these three days; without it, Gu Dashan and his kin couldn't have endured.

"Good, I'm glad you're okay," Luo Huiniang replied, glaring fiercely at Gu Jinli. "You should've called me along when you went foraging. If I'd been there, those Niu brothers wouldn't have dared touch you."

Luo Tiezhu, the former Escort Master, had trained his son Luo Wu in martial arts from childhood; Luo Huiniang joined in too. Though no rival to her father or brother, she packed a solid punch herself.

She spat curses at the Niu brothers too. "Niu Dazhuang and his siblings are utter scum, robbing your sweet potatoes and ganging up to beat you. Don't fret—my brother and I will make them pay."

Gu Jinli adored this spirited, vibrant girl. Once Luo Huiniang finished venting about the Niu brothers, she glanced toward the Old Gu Family's resting area but couldn't spot Mrs. Cui anymore. Abandoning her plan to assist, she told Luo Huiniang, "Sit here and keep an eye on Sister Xiu and Brother Cheng for me. I'm off to find some food."

With those words, she sprang up and bolted away before Gu Jinxiu could hold her back.

"Xiao Yu is far too rash. Imagine if she crosses paths with the Niu brothers once more?" The horrifying vision of Xiao Yu sprawled in a pool of her own blood terrified Gu Jinxiu.

"What else? Give them a good thrashing, naturally. Sister Xiu, you're simply too kind-hearted," Luo Huiniang remarked with envy, gazing at Gu Xiaoyu's fading silhouette. She yearned to scour for food herself, yet her parents had forbidden it, insisting she wasn't there to frolic with Sister Xiu and the infant Brother Cheng, who was far too gentle. Surrounded by countless refugees, leaving them alone to forage would invite troublemakers to harass Sister Xiu and Brother Cheng without mercy.

...

Gu Jinli had already dashed more than ten meters ahead, scanning their temporary camp. It sat right at the base of a massive mountain, overlooked by a riverbed long dried into jagged mud slabs.

Refugees swarmed everywhere like frantic ants, rummaging through the mountain foothills, climbing its sides, and boldly pushing into the deeper slopes in desperate hunt for sustenance.

Yet the endless drought combined with hordes of prior refugees had stripped the area bare of nearly all edible items. When their group arrived, nothing remained but yellowish leaves and shriveled, lifeless weeds.

Desperate and starving, the foodless refugees reluctantly gathered tree leaves, unearthed grass roots, and stripped bark just to quiet their rumbling stomachs.

After scouting around, Gu Jinli unearthed about a dozen damp grass roots, yet discovered no other viable food sources.

Her gaze lifted toward the mountain's deeper recesses, where sturdy folks banded together to seek out provisions. Emboldened, she pressed onward into the mountain's heart.

The mountain stretched endlessly. Near the edges lingered half-withered trees and sparse wild grasses. Venturing inward, foliage thickened, leaves bore faint green tinges, and grasses grew lusher than below. Still, wild veggies were nowhere in sight—only pits marking where they'd been yanked out.

Obviously, earlier refugee waves had plundered every last wild vegetable here.

Spotting a branch as thick as a walnut nearby, Gu Jinli swiftly scraped its ends against a stone to hone them sharp, fashioning a makeshift spear. Clutching it tightly, she ventured further in, merging with the crowd of refugees foraging desperately.

"Xiao Yu, whatever possessed you to plunge into the mountain? You barely stirred awake last night, and now you're risking it all for food today. Are you courting death?"

Hearing the voice, Gu Xiaoyu whipped around to spot Ms. Chu, neighboring Third Grandma, Aunt Tian alongside her daughters Tian Erhua and Tian Xiaohua. They clutched grass-woven baskets brimming with sparse half-green leaf bunches and scattered grass roots.

Clearly, food stocks had dwindled for all, forcing them to resort to leaves and roots for survival.

Flashing a warm smile in greeting, she answered, "I'm feeling much better. Our home's provisions are gone, and Brother Cheng's starving badly. That's why I came into the mountain hunting for eats."

The trio of elders sighed deeply at her words, bemoaning life's harsh cruelties and heaven's relentless torment on the masses.

Hunger-weakened Tian Erhua and Tian Xiaohua stayed silent, offering only timid smiles her way.

Anxious over another clash with the Niu brothers, Third Grandma spoke up first: "Xiao Yu, stick with us—we'll watch each other's backs."

Coming from families long allied with hers, Aunt Tian, Ms. Chu, and Third Grandma made perfect companions, so Gu Jinli gladly agreed to forage alongside them, nodding with a firm "Alright."

Together, the six plunged deeper into the mountain, snatching up every greener leaf they encountered en route.

Ms. Chu warned, "Refugees out of Xing'an Prefecture, Yongcheng Prefecture, and Daliang Prefecture beat us here and snatched most edibles. The deeper we trek, the thinner food gets—even leaves might vanish. Let's gobble more leaves today and hoard any scraps, enduring whatever days lie ahead."