Chapter Five: Home

After a while, she closed her eyes and let out a long sigh: Indeed, there is no turning back now

As soon as she sat up, she heard the sound of sweeping coming from outside

Yu Zi inspected all twelve rooms and found that only two were intact and suitable for habitation: one was the elderly person's bedroom, and the other was a place where the elderly person stored miscellaneous items

Yu Zilian quickly shook her head and replied softly: "A son does not dislike his mother for being ugly, and a dog does not disdain a poor home; this is the home of the daughter."

What came into her view was a lush and exceedingly dense expanse of green. The old man was bending over, laboriously sweeping a small patch of ground in front of the wooden cabin

Yu Zi walked towards the kitchen

Yu Zi chuckled softly, feeling a bit embarrassed

Yu Zilian quickly stood up and pushed open the door.

Yu Zi walked into another room where miscellaneous items were stored

Even so, Yu Zi could still tell at a glance that this place had once been prosperous. The area, now overgrown with weeds and trees, must have once been a considerable garden. These old wooden houses, once painted a bright and glossy yellow-green, now stand in a state of mottled decay.

After a while, he began to laugh heartily, while the old man shook his head in response.

Yu Zi awoke to the sound of chirping birds, competing with one another in a flurry of excitement

As he walked, he glanced at Yu Zi and said with a hint of embarrassment, "Daughter, the place where your father resides is humble"

In the morning sunlight, the elderly man's high bun, his coarse linen garment, and the straw sandals on his feet, together with the surrounding ruins, create a scene that is ancient, one that has never appeared in the dreams of Yu Zi.

Is it not the case that the elderly person has already gotten up?

The donkey cart goes deeper and deeper into the alley, becoming increasingly off course

An elderly man is driving a donkey cart towards the courtyard

Upon hearing this, the old man laughed heartily, his laughter filled with joy. The numerous wrinkles on his face gathered together, resembling a blooming chrysanthemum. Although he laughed joyfully, he remained silent, ultimately displaying an expression of disbelief towards her.

Looking into the cave from there, it is also overgrown with weeds and moss everywhere

The old man's source of income comes from volunteering to provide protection whenever a caravan passes by. In the state of Zeng, the old man's swordsmanship is somewhat renowned, thus he is able to barely earn a meal by serving as a guard for the caravans

From the words of the elder, it is understood that in this era, grain is considered military supplies, and there are very few available for sale in the market. At the same time, the common people have become accustomed to bartering, and there are very few items traded with currency in the market. Naturally, there are no goods or currency available for trade in the elder's home either

About ten wooden houses formed a circular arrangement. In the center of the circle, there was a well and an outdoor stove. Yu Zi looked around and felt a bit of familiarity; she tilted her head and thought for a long time but could not recall where she had seen it before

After some thought, Yu Zi recalled that people in this era generally use salt to rinse their mouths

The wooden house is quite old, much like the surrounding walls, with patches everywhere and large holes scattered throughout. A glance through the dilapidated door reveals a thick accumulation of dust inside.

Seeing the old man’s expression of disbelief, Yu Zi felt a bit indignant. She raised her head and said earnestly: "Father, I am willing to share the labor."

Yu Zi understood that what he meant by this was, unfortunately, you are just a woman

Yu Zi turned around and, upon meeting the elderly man's remorseful gaze, felt a pang in her heart. She silently thought to herself: As an able-bodied adult living in the old man's house, I cannot expect him to work hard to support me, can I

Before long, a stone wall appeared in Yu Zi's line of sight. Outside the wall, weeds were overgrown, and even the wall itself was covered in moss. Beneath the moss, cracks had formed in the stones, some of which had fallen to the ground, revealing large holes.

Just as Yu Zhi stood there in a daze, the old man turned his head, smiled at her affectionately, and called out: "Yu Er, has it collapsed?"

The old man looked at her with an expression as if he understood something; he shook his head and said no more.

Yu Zi was choked with emotion

After eating two rice dumplings made by her father, Yu Zi spent the entire night cleaning her room. Once it was tidy, she laid down leaves and hay on the floor, creating a makeshift nest comparable to the one a dog would have in her past life, and thus managed to get through the night.

At that moment, she never imagined that filling her stomach would be such a difficult task

The old man's eyes lit up as he fixed his gaze on her and asked, "'A son does not disdain his mother's ugliness, and a dog does not disdain its poor home.' My son speaks with such eloquence.

In response to the old man's skeptical gaze, Yu Zi secretly thought: Hmph, who am I? I am someone who has struggled and navigated through two years in that materialistic society, and you, old man, actually dare to underestimate me

The old man jumped down from the donkey cart and gave a heavy push to the archway. With a creak, a row of dilapidated wooden houses, hidden among the weeds and tangled trees, appeared before Yu Zi's eyes

At this moment, a hoarse sigh from an old man came from behind Yu Zi

She did not know that the wooden house was built according to the most popular principles of yin and yang of the time, which have also had the deepest influence on China over thousands of years

Leaning against the door frame, her jade-purple belly began to gurgle happily. Last night, she had eaten two rice dumplings given by the elderly, each the size of a baby's fist, and her belly had long been hungry

Ah, yes, indeed, indeed.

The salt, contained in a ceramic bowl, is only the size of a thumb. Such a small amount of salt is hardly sufficient for consumption, let alone for rinsing the mouth. Indeed, observing the expression of the elderly person, it is clear that she is reminded of her former status as a noble; this little salt was originally beneath her notice.

She leaned her head out and called to the old man sweeping in the courtyard: "Father, do you have any salt?"

Salt

The old man leaned on his broom, shook his head, and sighed: "There is a little salt in the kitchen, enough for three days." At this point, he looked at Yu Zi and asked in surprise: "Why do you need salt so early in the morning?"

Jade, my father was often impoverished, struggling to make ends meet

After flipping through it from beginning to end, Yu Zi lowered her head and remained still for a long time

The old man was taken aback, staring at her in astonishment

The old man pondered for a moment, shook his head, and sighed: "What a pity, the child is a woman"

She smiled

The edible millet and sorghum weigh less than 3 kilograms, and within this 3 kilograms of millet and sorghum, there is also a significant amount of coarse bran.

The donkey cart stopped outside the arched gate of the wall

Yu Zi slowly sat up

Yu Zi searched around and set her sights on the innermost room on the right side. This room only had two large holes in the middle of the left and right walls, which could be blocked with something to make it livable. Moreover, Yu Zi had already learned that it was early summer, and in this season, having those two holes would actually keep the room cooler, as if there were two additional windows.

After responding in a haphazard manner, Yu Zi hurried to the well, shook a bucket of water, and washed her face. When she was about to rinse her mouth with the water she had gathered in a ceramic bowl, she suddenly realized that there were no toiletries available

Inside and out, not to mention the vegetables, even the shadow of oil is nowhere to be seen

She thought of this and quickly turned to the old man, displaying a broad smile, and said in a loud voice: "Father, your daughter may be able to share the burden."

When she opened her eyes and found herself still lying on the haystack, she remained in a daze for a long time