Chapter 52: Mountain People

In Chen Xiao Mi's house.

Chen Xiao Cai munched on his food while talking to Chen Xiao Mi, "Lin Gege, I heard Grandpa Lu is planning to sell farmland, 2 mu."

"Sell farmland? I guess Grandpa Lu is willing to do anything for Lu Cheng Yu, the future scholar and official!" Lu Lin's voice dripped sarcasm.

"Sell farmland?" Chen Xiao Mi was surprised to hear that, his eyeballs kept rolling around and he was lost in thought.

Lu Lin guessed Chen Xiao Mi was thinking about buying farmland from the Lus.

Lu Lin had also thought about buying farmland, but he had zero interest in buying farmland from the Lus. He didn't want to get entangled in the Lus' drama.

"How much are the Lus spending on Lu Cheng Yu's wedding ceremony?" Chen Xiao Mi asked, he didn't understand why the Lus were reduced to selling farmland for money.

Lu Lin thought for a while and said, "I'm afraid it's at least 40 or even 50 taels, otherwise they wouldn't plan to sell farmland for money."

Chen Xiao Cai raised his head in astonishment, "40 or even 50 taels?"

That was a large number for Chen Xiao Cai who grew up in poverty and was kept in dark about the fact that they had made a fortune already.

Lu Lin smiled and said, "I'm afraid so, it looks like the Lus has a strong economic foundation after all."

Chen Xiao Mi lied prone to the kang and said, "Grandma Lu and Grandpa Lu really dote on this grandson."

"So true." Lu Lin sighed and nodded his head. He felt so sorry for the host Lu Lin, he wasn't heartbroken or anything knowing Grandma Lu and Grandpa Lu were willing to spend so much money for Lu Cheng Yu yet they refused to even pay 'single tax' for him. But he couldn't imagine how the host Lu Lin was going to feel if he knew about this. He and his parents had worked so hard for the big family, but he was sold by them for money.

Grandpa Lu would rather send the host Lu Lin's father to the army and risk his life on the battlefield than sell any farmland. But now he was willing to sell 2 mu of farmland for Lu Cheng Yu's wedding ceremony.

Lu Lin shook his head, he decided to not torture himself with those thoughts, he was Lu Lin from modern society who had nothing to do with the Lus.

The Lus had been preparing for Lu Cheng Yu's wedding ceremony with great fanfare while Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi had been going into the mountains.

Lu Lin would just look around and go for his fruit trees hunting adventures while Chen Xiao Mi was busy setting up traps.

Most fruits on the trees were bitter and sour, but Lu Lin was lucky enough that he had found some edible ones.

Chen Xiao Mi suddenly frowned, "Lin, I heard something, we are not alone!"

Lu Lin looked around, "Are you sure?"

Chen Xiao Mi nodded, "I've definitely heard some footsteps, but how strange, I don't see a soul either."

"Maybe some other hunters from the village are here too."

Chen Xiao Mi shook his head, "I don't think that's the case, other hunters usually wouldn't venture this deep into the mountain. And look, these footprints are very fresh!"

Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi walked around to look for more information, and suddenly they heard someone crying.

Lu Lin frowned, he was a bit horrified on hearing crying deep mountain.

Chen Xiao Mi was amused by Lu Lin's expression, "Are you scared?"

Lu Lin smiled embarrassedly, "No, not really."

Lu Lin didn't want to seethe ghosts or spirits in the mountain, he became a bit superstitious after he was transmigrated. But he felt so embarrassed on seeing how calm and collected Chen Xiao Mi was.

"Maybe it's some mountain people who are compelled to leave the mountain and they are just lamenting."

Lu Lin heaved a sigh of relief on hearing that. The mountain people were like the hunters in the villages, but there were some differences. Hunters usually resided in the villages, they only go to the mountains for hunting, while the mountain people resided in the caves in deep mountains and they still kept a primitive lifestyle.

They lived in extreme poverty, a lot of elders suffered from malnutrition and other diseases, but mountain people were exempted from military service and they could have meat from time to time.

The disadvantages of their primitive lifestyle definitely outweighed the benefits. They all so impoverished that they couldn't afford a doctor or any medicine, a lot of kids would die of minor illness that had worsened into serious illness.

Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi kept on walking and they saw two kids, one was eleven or twelve years old, the other one was younger, probably eight or seven. The younger one was crying, it looked like he fell and hurt himself.

The older one started at Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi watchfully.

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mi with a bewildered look, "How come there are two kids in such a dangerous place?"

Chen Xiao Mi cast a glimpse at the two kids and sighed, "I'm afraid something has happened."

Mountain people usually forsook society and lived alone, kids of this age usually lived with their parents. Chen Xiao Mi was worried maybe something had happened to the kids' parents.

Strong emotion welled up in Lu Lin. Living was a daunting task for some people in that time and space. Lu Lin couldn't help but think about Chen Xiao Cai and Chen Xiao Mai on seeing the two kids in front of them, he dreaded to think what would become of Chen Xiao Cai and Chen Xiao Mai if, Heaven forbidden, something had happened to Chen Xiao Mi.

Lu Lin tilted his head and looked at Chen Xiao Mi with affection in his eyes. Then he asked the two kids what they were doing in deep mountains.

The elder one looked at Lu Lin and said, "I'm Qin Lang, this is my younger brother Qin Ming, our father is sick and we are on the way to look for a doctor for him."

Their father Qin Yi was attacked by a wild animal days ago, and now he suffered a high fever. Their mother died two years ago from a severe cold.

There was no other adult in their family, Qin Lang and Qin Ming had to shoulder the responsibility to look after their father, they left their cave, hoping to find a doctor for Qin Yi. The two had learned a few hunting skills from their father, but they were still very green and inexperienced, they got lost in the mountain and they kept going in circles for hours, now they were both going cold and hungry.

Chen Xiao Mi looked at the two and sighed, "This is dangerous for you guys."

There were no doctors in the neighboring villages, Chen Xiao Mi didn't think the doctors in town would be willing to travel all the way to the mountains to give medical treatment to Qin Yi even though Qin Lang and Qin Ming had enough money to pay the doctor.

Qin Lang gnashed his teeth and said, "But we have to find a doctor for our father! Father is our world, we will leave no stone unturned for father!"

Chen Xiao Mi stared at the two kids for a while and asked, "Is your father Qin Yi? Uncle Qin?"

Qin Lang looked confused, "How come you know my father's name?"

"I've met him before."

Qin Yi resided in deep mountain where few people treaded. Chen Xiao Mi had lost his bearings when he first ventured into the deep mountains, he had met Qin Yi a few times, Qin Yi had showed him the way for a few times. There was one time when Chen Xiao Mi was chased after by a wild animal, it was Qin Yi who had helped rescued Chen Xiao Mi from the siege.

Qin Lang's eyes sparkled on hearing that, he looked at Chen Xiao Mi like he was a life-saving straw, "Can you help us, I can pay you!"

Lu Lin asked tentatively, "How much do you have?"

But Lu Lin deeply regretted asking that question, he had zero interest in taking their money, life-saving money!

"I have 500 cents." Replied Qin Lang.

Lu Lin frowned and thought, 'I don't think 500 cents in enough to send for a doctor!'

And once again had Lu Lin realized how rich he was now, some family's entire saving was as little as 500 cents!

Doctors were revered in this time and space, but unfortunately, there were some quacks who lived on swindling. Lu Lin was worried for the kids.

"500 cents is not enough, Qin Lang, no doctor will travel all the way to deep mountains to treat your father." Chen Xiao Mi analyzed the hard cold reality.

"I've thought about carrying father to town to get treatment, but father is unable to move, he is bitten by some wild animal." Qin Lang lowered his head, how he wished he and his brother were stronger so they would carry their father to town.

Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi followed the two kids home to have a look at Qin Yi's situation. Qin Yi was already in a coma, he had a high fever and his wound was inflamed.

Lu Lin was shocked on seeing that, "Mi, have you seen someone in a similar situation before?"

Chen Xiao Mi shook his head, "No, I haven't", with that Chen Xiao Mi lowered his voice, "but I've heard of it. People say even doctors can't cure someone in this situation, it just depends on luck now, if all depends on whether you can power through it. Many hunters have died of inflamed wounds from wild animals bite."

Lu Lin exclaimed in his heart that the medical level was horrific in this time and space. They indeed in world where a cold could devitalize a human being's life.

Chen Xiao Mi asked in a low voice, "In your hometown, will people die from wild animal attacks?"

"I don't think so, people who are bitten by wild animals will get some injections, so the wound won't be inflamed. The injections can be painful, but people won't lose their lives."

Chen Xiao Mi said in an admiring tone, "That sounds so great! People can survive after being bitten!"

Lu Lin asked Qin Lang and Qin Ming to fetch some water, the boys were a bit uncomfortable leaving their father like this, but they did what they were told anyways.

Chen Xiao Mi asked Lu Lin, "Why did you send them away with that excuse? You know how to treat Qin Yi?"

Lu Lin looked hesitant, then he said, "I know the general pathology behind this, and I think it deserves a try, he is in a coma already and he will die soon if we do nothing. But at the end of the day, it all depends on the will of Heaven."

"That is true, desperate time calls for desperate measures. I heard even the imperial physicians can't cure this, so let's just do one's best and leave the rest to Heaven." Chen Xiao Mi nodded.

Lu Lin closed his eyes and fetched a bottle of liquor from the shop. There were strong liquors in Lu Lin's shop, but he had never showed them before. And now he needed some strong liquor to disinfect the wound.

Lu Lin opened the bottle, Chen Xiao Mi sniffed and exclaimed, "Such strong alcohol fragrance!"

Lu Lin smiled and said, "Thanks to modern brewing technology."

Lu Lin sterilized Qin Yi's wound with liquor, Qin Yi woke up by the acute pain and he screamed in pain.

Qin Lang and Qin Ming who were back with water heard that by the door and burst the door open.

Lu Lin mixed some antibiotic pills into the water that he had fed Qin Yi. Lu Lin was so glad that he had some OTC medicines in his shop, otherwise he would be at a loss what to do.

With that Qin Yi collapsed in the bed again.

Qin Ming asked anxiously, "What happened to father? We just heard him screaming!"

Lu Lin looked at Qin Lang and Qin Ming, he wanted to comfort the two boys so bad so he explained, "I just treated him with a secret treatment I've heard from a highly skilled doctor. I used some liquor to kill something called germs that is hurting your father. That liquor is something you can buy from those fancy restaurants in town, it is worth 3 tales per bottle, it must be good."

Lu Lin was being modest by saying it was worth 3 taels per bottle, he was confident that he could sell this bottle for at least 10 taels.

Qin Lang and Qin Ming were both dumbfounded by that high price.

"I have cleaned your father's wound, let's just wait and see." Continued Lu Lin.

Qin Lang and Qin Ming's stomachs started to grumble as they were waiting, they blushed in embarrassment.

Chen Xiao Mi hunted two rabbits. Lu Lin roasted one and stewed one for them, he and Chen Xiao Mi didn't eat much, but the two boys had wolfed the food down. They were starving, they hadn't had a proper meal for so long.

It was getting dark, Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi had to say goodbye because Chen Xiao Cai and Chen Xiao Mai were home alone.

Chen Xiao Mi murmured on the way back home, "Hopefully Qin Yi can make it, otherwise I'm afraid Qin Lang and Qin Ming will starve to death in the deep mountain."

Lu Lin's heart contracted in pain as if stabbed by a knife when he heard that. Many people were dying from starvation in troubled times like this.

Chen Xiao Mi planned to go back to Qin Yi's cave the next day, there was not much he could do, but he wanted to bring some food to the boys. Qin Yi wouldn't be able to go hunting for a while even though he could survive this. Chen Xiao Mi didn't have the heart to just sit back and do nothing when he knew Qin Yi's kids were likely to starve to death.