Chapter 4, I am hungry

Her original ability to climb trees and scale walls was quite good, but her body was too weak, and her arms had no strength at all. She could only cling on like this, and her body was starting to struggle. Fortunately, the walls made of stacked boulders had gaps everywhere, providing her enough footholds.

Sun Le covered her stomach with her hand, looking up at the azure sky. Slowly, a smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. "Heaven does not close off all paths for a person; I refuse to believe that the heavens brought me here just to let me suffer humiliation and die!"

After walking for about 2 hours, her linen clothes had already been snagged by thorns, resulting in five or six small holes, which was still the result of her being very careful

Just as she sat down on the yam vine, a tender voice of a young boy came from nearby: "Who are you? How did you get here?"

She has many matters to attend to; she needs to tidy up her sleeping quarters, and she also needs to come up with a way to prepare food! Some insults are enough to endure just once; she does not wish to receive those sisters' charity every day. As for what the Seventh Princess said about going to the Fifth Young Master for meals, that statement is clearly off the mark.

Sun Le looked at the straw sandals on his feet, gritted his teeth, and continued to climb up the slope ahead

A pair of straw sandals appeared in Sun Le's line of sight, and at the same time, a crisp and impatient voice reached her ears, "Eighteen Princess, this is the meal my daughter has prepared for you, take it."

Having said that, she turned to leave. Sun Le lowered his head and humbly asked, "Sister Qiji, could you tell me where I can find a place to eat?"

At this moment, Sun Le was holding a tree branch in her hand, and she was cautiously advancing while using the branch to clear the underbrush.

Having said that, a ceramic bowl was forcefully shoved into her hand

Indeed, these two or three bunches of purslane would be sufficient for her to serve as vegetables for a week, but what about rice? Sun Le looked up towards the wall, uncertain if there was any on the mountain behind.

Sun Le walked less than twenty steps when a burst of laughter came from behind, "Xi girl, you are truly wicked, that bowl of porridge was meant to be thrown away, wasn't it"

Sun Le stared intently at the ground, secretly pondering: Caution prevents major mistakes; under the premise of survival, what is there that I cannot endure

However, the main purpose of her journey was to find foods containing starch that could serve as substitutes for staple grains, while the exploration of the small stream would have to be postponed for another time

The laughter of the girl named Xi came, "My family's Seventh Sister is kind-hearted, but this ugly creature will be driven away in less than two months; it is only a matter of time before she rolls out. Why still give her food?"

In the back mountain, there is also a dense growth of weeds and towering trees, and there are no paths.

At this moment, Sun Le had already cast aside the insults from others; she had long been so hungry that she felt dizzy and disoriented. Stumbling into a corner, she tipped the bowl towards her mouth and began to devour the food ravenously

After giving her instructions, she said to Sun Le: "In this courtyard, there are rations for food and clothing, and the provisions are specially sent from above to each residence. As for your share, why don't you ask the Fifth Young Master? Oh, look at you, unable to stand steadily, truly pitiful. Here, today I will grant you a meal." Having said that, she raised her chin and arrogantly turned her back on Sun Le.

Facing the departing Seventh Princess, Sun Le slightly bowed and said softly, "Thank you, Seventh Princess." Since she did not wish to call her sister, there was no need for her to do so either

After murmuring this sentence, Sun Le heavily wiped his mouth with his sleeve and turned to stride towards his wooden house

After arriving at the small forest behind the wooden house, Sun Le found the undergrowth tangled and mostly over a person's height, making her progress quite difficult. After taking a few steps and finding it truly impassable, Sun Le took a rough stroll around the perimeter of the forest.

Qiji paused her steps, turned her head to glance at her, and said, "Don't call me sister, I have no desire to be your sister!" At this point, she looked at Sun Le's small frame, shook her head, and sighed, "So lacking in flesh, I wonder how many days she can survive. Xi girl, go get her something to eat."

With her toes wedged between the crevices of the stones, Sun Le climbed up the wall, panting heavily. Seeing that no one was around, she sat on the wall and rested for a full half hour before carefully making her way down.

This is a blackened ceramic bowl, with a smudge of dirt on the rim, containing more than half a bowl of clear porridge, with two pieces of scorched yellow vegetable leaves floating on top.

With her stomach filled, she felt a bit more energetic while working. At this moment, Sun Le was somewhat relieved that the room was empty, as it made cleaning much easier. She managed to clean several rooms in less than 2 hours.

After climbing over a small hill, Sun Le was captivated by a cluster of vines: it was yam! There were dozens of clusters of yam! Oh my, she finally found it! A surge of ecstasy welled up in her heart, and Sun Le let out a soft exclamation, using both her hands and feet as she hurriedly rushed towards the cluster of yam.

Having said that, she no longer spoke further and turned to leave

This woman clearly possesses a certain authority; as soon as she spoke this sentence, the laughter ceased.

Upon hearing Sun Le's words, Qi Ji pouted her lips and let out a soft hum, "At least you know your place!"

During this stroll, she came across two or three piles of purslane, which is a type of herb known for its heat-clearing and detoxifying properties. It can also be used in cooking. Sun Le had previously observed her neighbors often collecting it to dry and then preparing it with meat for consumption

Sun Le walked to the edge of the wall, and after turning around for about 100 meters, she gritted her teeth, found a few stones, and with great effort managed to move them and stack them together. After that, Sun Le stood on the stones, her hands just able to grasp the wall.

It is just past noon, and there is still half a day left. She must find something to satisfy her hunger within this half day. Her wooden cabin is the last one in the western courtyard; beyond it lies a tangle of woods, followed by a two-meter-high stone wall. Outside the wall is a small hill overgrown with weeds.

Sun Le is not accustomed to wearing straw sandals, and on several occasions, they have been caught on thorns, requiring considerable effort to pull them out. After repeating this four or five times, the straw sandals have become somewhat damaged

Amidst the laughter of the women, a melodious voice emerged, "One cannot speak in such a manner. Although this girl may be somewhat unattractive, she has saved the Fifth Young Master’s life. Given the Fifth Young Master’s character, he would certainly not treat her poorly. It would be best for everyone not to go too far."

Another girl's voice came through, "Indeed, we must give this ugly creature a taste of her own medicine. We cannot let her think that she is favored by the Fifth Young Master and start to consider herself superior!"

Climbing up the hillside, one can faintly see a small stream passing through the thicket. Is there water in the stream? Sun Le's eyes brightened; could there be fish in the stream?

In no time at all, a bowl of porridge was consumed. She felt a warm current rising from her stomach and let out a gentle sigh

Sun Le tightened his grip on the ceramic bowl and said softly without raising his head: "Thank you, sister"