Chapter 3, as pure as poverty.

Not fully understanding the customs of the Tang Dynasty, Gu Qing felt quite out of place. In her previous life, no matter how destitute she was, she at least had a small dish of pickled vegetables to accompany her rice. Unexpectedly, in this life, she has been cast down to the depths of fate.

The victor is the father, while the vanquished is the son; this is a matter of natural order. Therefore, after defeating Ding Erlang, Gu Qing instinctively carried this rule into this life.

So despicable

Gu Qing smiled and said, "I won't hit you either"

I consider you a brother, yet you intend to bring my end...

Song Gensheng hesitated for a moment and said, "I was not afraid before, but now I am afraid"

Gu Qing stared at the pitch-black hand with a strange expression and slowly said, "Have you ever read any books?"

May I ask what you are digging a pit for again

Gu Qing was focused on his work, digging a pit with a radius of one foot in a relatively flat area overgrown with weeds. As always, he arranged sharpened wooden sticks at the bottom of the pit and carefully completed the camouflage.

Gu Qing sighed: "Setting traps, I am waiting for some unfortunate little animal to step into one, be it a little rabbit, a little deer, a little bear, a little chick... cough, in short, any animal will do"

Song Gensheng also stepped forward to help, and the two of them worked together to dig for a long time, stopping after reaching a depth of approximately 3 feet

Gu Qing looked at the unsuccessful pit before him, feeling a sense of frustration in his heart, and then... for some reason, he fell into a daze again

The young man ultimately possesses a bit of spirit. Song Gensheng immediately wanted to deny it, to show an expression of "I am not afraid of you" or "I can take a beating," but after seeing Gu Qing's emotionless face, Song Gensheng, feeling quite disheartened, said: "Yes... I will not provoke you."

There is food at home, approximately one liter of millet, but the persistent awareness of potential hardship tells Gu Qing that this amount of food will not last long. It is only August now, and the autumn harvest is still far off. The household's grain supply is likely insufficient for even a month's worth, which means that a food crisis is imminent

Gu Qing's expression stiffened; he was skilled at digging pits, but hunting... he truly was not skilled at it, having never done it in two lifetimes

After a brief pause, one must continue; this pit still needs to be dug, and one cannot abandon a task halfway. Gu Qing focused intently on digging the pit, doing so with great seriousness

Gu Qing raised both hands, which were covered in darkness, and exclaimed in surprise, "What is this?"

They had to stop because they unearthed something different

He realized that he had inadvertently created certain misunderstandings, and yesterday, forcing Ding Erlang to call him father was purely a rule stemming from their past life conflicts

A mountain village is called a mountain village because it naturally has both mountains and a village

Gu Qing decided that starting tomorrow, he would do something for his physical fitness. At present, he has nothing, and his only asset is his body

Gu Qing felt a bit awkward

Song Gensheng glanced over, his expression quite indifferent: "Graphite, also known as coal, was said by the elders in the village many years ago to be found near Qingcheng Mountain, but it is of little use."

How should I eat this meal? It's bad enough that there are no vegetables, but there is only a small bowl of rice. No wonder my body is so thin and frail. In my previous life, if I had encountered a bully like Ding Erlang, I could have brought him to his knees with just two punches, making him beg for his life. In this life, not only did I get hurt while fighting, but I also let Ding Erlang return in good spirits, and he even dared to call for help the next day to seek revenge

Song Gensheng said: "There is a valley behind the village, where there is a stone pool. It is currently the season when the fish are plump and the shrimp are robust. Why not go there and give it a try?"

Yes. Song Gensheng immediately became respectful, instantly immersing himself in that mysterious and high-end ceremony

This is the disparity in physical constitution

After having beaten Ding Erlang yesterday, all the boys of the same age in the village feared him like a tiger, looking at him from a distance with terrified eyes. Only Song Gensheng approached him without hesitation, helping him back home and fetching water for him to wash his wounds

Looking at the perfect large pit before him, Song Gensheng cautiously said, "You... seem to be quite skilled at digging pits"

Gu Qing was taken aback: "Did I just speak?"

Have I read books

In the future, make an effort to treat him well; that title of 'father' should not be called in vain

Is the prey here so clever? The pit I dug in front of my door yesterday even fooled a person; could it not trap the prey?

Of course, it is a heart that desires to eat meat

Song Gensheng displayed a proud expression: "My grandfather taught me some things while he was alive; he was the only literate person in the village"

After a moment of surprise, Gu Qing immediately showed a fatherly smile to Song Gensheng, nodding to indicate that he had received his sincerity

Gu Qing looked at him curiously and asked, "Have you always been this afraid of me?"

Song Gensheng let out a sigh of relief; over the past two days, his anxious feelings when facing Gu Qing had finally eased somewhat. With a bit more courage, he also found himself speaking more.

Song Gensheng suddenly realized: "So you want to go hunting"

Song Gensheng gave him an affirming glance. Gu Qing was momentarily puzzled, wondering why he would unconsciously speak his thoughts aloud while lost in thought. He recalled that he did not have this habit in his previous life; could it be that his soul had not yet adapted to his current body

Song Gensheng remained silent, and the two maintained an eerie quietness.

Gu Qing did not raise his head and said: "I am also skilled in carrying coffins, burying the dead, and arranging the funeral hall. In short, I am versatile, and your call of 'dad' was not in vain"

... ...

Song Gensheng appeared dazed, then苦笑道: "You... are too sharp, really different from before"

The saying "To the victor belong the spoils" implies that it is a necessary procedure for the victor to ask, "Do you submit?" The vast majority of the defeated are quite pragmatic, responding with a simple "I submit," after which both sides lower their flags and cease hostilities. Of course, there are also those who, out of stubbornness, say "I do not submit." That is fine; they can fight another three hundred rounds until one side concedes with an "I submit."

What is even more outrageous is that, apart from that little bit of millet, there are actually no vegetables at home

Early the next morning, Gu Qing climbed up an unnamed low hill beside the village and began to dig a hole under a locust tree halfway up the mountain, continuously digging.

I would really like to visit my neighbor's house. After some idle chit-chat, I will get to the point: we are having rice for dinner today, could anyone lend us some meat?

Inexplicably, Gu Qing suddenly felt a sense of responsibility resting on his shoulders, which was difficult to articulate, perhaps it was paternal love

In the rules of the orphanage from a past life, violence can resolve the vast majority of issues, as there are no parents to discipline them. The orphans have established all procedures following violence themselves, with singing "Conquest" and calling "Daddy" being two essential steps in the process

At dusk, Song Gensheng glanced at the sky and took his leave of Gu Qing to return home

After a long time, Gu Qing murmured to herself: "The prey is not fooled, but the person has been deceived. Does that mean the Ding brothers are even worse than beasts?"

Gu Qing sighed, bent down to pull out the wooden branch that was inserted into the pit, and continued to dig deeper into the hole

Strangely, the Ding brothers also called out, yet Gu Qing completely refused to take responsibility for them, resembling a negligent father

After a moment of hesitation, Song Gensheng said, "But the pit you have dug... is too shallow, and the walls of the hole are not smooth. Even if a prey falls in, it will escape quickly."

Standing in front of the door, Gu Qing paced back and forth, hesitating endlessly

So, did people in the Tang Dynasty eat a truly authentic meal? Was there nothing but rice?

Without parents, living alone in a humble room, everything must be done by oneself

"Why is it so difficult to have a bite of meat?" Gu Qing sighed sadly

Carefully holding a small handful of millet, after washing it, I filled the only broken clay pot at home with water. There is no shortage of dry firewood on the stove; what the mountain village has in abundance is firewood.

The sky had darkened, and Gu Qing felt that it would be difficult for her to have meat today, so she could only think of a solution tomorrow

No more explanations, let it be a misunderstanding, explaining is too exhausting

When his stomach began to ache faintly from hunger, Gu Qingcai realized that he should start cooking

In the days when all forms of entertainment and nightlife have been severed, and even survival is under threat, what motivation can sustain him to continue living

So obedient that it evokes a sense of pity

Gu Qing did not expect Song Gensheng to be so perceptive of the situation, and the sudden call of "Dad" left Gu Qing somewhat at a loss.

Later, after growing up and leaving the orphanage to pursue studies and work, there were few opportunities to resort to violence. Gu Qing had almost forgotten his fighting skills until yesterday when he was chased by Ding Erlang, which reignited those skills.

Of course you haven't read it; in the village, only my grandfather and I have received an education. My father never studied, as he said he was not cut out for it

After the rice was cooked, Gu Qing looked at the small bowl of steaming rice in front of her and let out a faint sigh

Gu Qing knew that his previous incarnation must have had a very close relationship with this Song Gensheng; he might have been his only friend in the village

No, so clever. Song Gensheng is obviously a very good conversationalist

Gu Qing opened the small jar of stored rice at home, and then began to worry

Gu Qing admired him with a glance, increasingly realizing that Song Gensheng was quite a good friend. If the term "friend" could be upgraded like in a game, she had quietly upgraded Song Gensheng from a stranger to a buddy in her heart, though there was still a gap to true friendship. She was working hard to accumulate experience points, and by the end of the year, she might be able to level up again.

Gu Qing's tone became increasingly slow as she pointed to the dark object in the center of the large pit, articulating each word: "I have read little, so do not deceive me. Do you call this thing 'graphite'? Is it not called 'coal'?"

Are you afraid I will hit you? Just like I would hit the Ding family rats

Song Gensheng stood behind him, his expression complex, as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.

Looking at the thin and frail figure of Song Gensheng, Gu Qing couldn't help but feel a warmth rising in her heart

Song Gensheng explained: "That was the oversight of the Ding brothers; they never expected that you would actually..."

The feasibility of doing this is still quite high, after all, one can leverage the authority of the newly appointed village bully, though it is somewhat shameless. The title of village bully is already low enough; one cannot truly go and snatch the eggs from the baskets of fellow villagers, can one