Chapter 12: A Way to Make Money

Twenty-four yuan and sixty cents.

He thought that even if he added up all the money he had ever held in both of his lifetimes, it wouldn’t carry as much weight as this single sum.

…

Two hours of walking along a snowy mountain path.

Perhaps sustained by the fire burning in his chest, he didn’t feel tired at all.

Pushing open the dilapidated wooden door, a rush of freezing air poured into the room.

Only then did Xie Zhao realize just how poor and desolate this house was.

The cotton quilts were worn and tattered, the mattress was a pile of straw, and the windows were covered with newspaper. The rice paste used to glue them down hadn’t held, and they flapped open whenever the wind blew.

The house was bone-chillingly cold, filled with a musty odor.

Even the main support beams had been heavily eaten by termites, leaving piles of sawdust scattered across the floor.

Xie Zhao withdrew his gaze, his expression turning solemn.

I need to make money!

Otherwise, when Muyu and the child came back to live in a place like this, it would definitely be bad for their health.

He made a silent vow to himself.

After parking the handcart in the yard and taking down the wooden buckets, Xie Zhao turned to fetch the fish traps he had cleaned during the day, then set a pot of water to boil.

It was freezing.

Once night fell, the cold became bone-chilling.

Fortunately, the river was flowing water, and Xie Zhao was young and resilient enough to withstand it. He sprinkled some dry white flour into the fish traps, threw in a few earthworms he had dug up, and finally waded into the water.

“Sss…!”

Even though he was prepared, stepping in still sent a bone-chilling shock through him.

Shivering, he waded slowly into the reed marshes.

Fish had poor eyesight, and they could see even less at night. With a hurricane lantern clenched between his teeth and a fish trap in both hands, Xie Zhao remained calm and composed. Waiting for the right moment, he made a sudden, swift scoop.

Each scoop brought up two or three fish.

The moon, thin as a hook, hung in the sky.

Xie Zhao finally climbed back onto the bank.

However, because he had been wading downstream, he ended up three to four hundred meters below Dahetan by the time he got out.

This was the foot of a mountain, with ridges of farmland to the left and a steep mountain to the right.

The patch of land growing along the river in the middle was unclaimed wasteland. Because it bordered the mountain, the soil was barren, and anyone wanting to cultivate it would have to spend an entire year fertilizing it first.

That was why nobody wanted it.

Xie Zhao stepped onto the bank, carrying two large, overflowing baskets on his back, heavy with the night’s catch.

His teeth chattered from the cold. Setting the lantern on the ground, he quickly stripped off his wet socks, shirt, and pants, then swiftly changed into the dry clothes he had kept balanced on his head.

A gust of wind made him shiver violently, goosebumps erupting all over his body.

I need to get home and brew some ginger soup right away.

With that thought in mind, Xie Zhao bent down to pick up the lantern, preparing to head back.

But as he looked down, he froze.

Huh?

This is…

He squatted down and examined it closely. Once he recognized the plant before him, his eyes lit up with pleasant surprise!

Shepherd’s purse!

This entire patch, with tender sprouts poking through the snow, was actually purplish-green shepherd’s purse!

In his previous life, both plants and animals could be farmed on a massive scale.

Even shepherd’s purse was no exception.

Carefully cultivated in greenhouses, the herb, which was originally only the length of a finger, could grow to the size of a small bok choy. Although it looked beautiful and vibrant green, it had long lost its characteristic fragrance by the time it reached one’s mouth.

Xie Zhao quickly knelt down, dug one up, and inspected it closely.

The shepherd’s purse in his hand wasn’t large, only about an inch long, but it had thick roots, a strong aroma, and densely serrated leaves.

He didn’t even need to bring it close to smell its distinct, fresh fragrance.

This would make the perfect filling for dumplings!

An idea forming in his mind, Xie Zhao quickly washed the herb in the river water, popped it into his mouth, and headed home carrying the two heavy fish baskets.

The first thing he did upon returning home was pour the fish into the large water vat. Only after confirming that every single one of them was lively and kicking did Xie Zhao breathe a sigh of relief.

He turned and walked quickly to the kitchen, sliced some ginger, and threw it into an enamel mug.

The water in the pot had already boiled and was now steaming hot.

He ladled out a scoop. Having no brown sugar, he just drank the ginger water plain.

As the cup of piping hot ginger water settled in his stomach, its spicy heat dispelled the chill, and Xie Zhao’s freezing body finally began to warm up.

Not daring to delay, he ladled out the rest of the hot water from the pot and took a steaming hot bath.

Only then did his body temperature fully return to normal.

Whew!

He gave a satisfying stretch.

Looking up at the crescent moon, he estimated that it must be around midnight.

After a quick calculation, Xie Zhao decided to get some sleep first. He had walked too much today and then gone fishing; his calves were already cramping.

He wanted to make money, but he also wanted to stay alive.

The next day.

At six o’clock, the sky began to brighten.

A faint ray of morning light shone on Xie Zhao’s face, carrying a hint of warmth.

He had been utterly exhausted the day before. Blearily rubbing his eyes, he instinctively rolled over, wanting to sleep a little longer.

But the moment he moved, his entire body ached.

The excessive buildup of lactic acid made him grimace in pain.

Well, then.

Any lingering sleepiness vanished instantly.

Opening his eyes, he stared at the blackened roof beams as his mind slowly cleared.

Now that he was awake, he had no intention of idling in bed.

He had promised to deliver the fish today. He couldn’t break his word on a hard-won way to make money.

Xie Zhao got out of bed and stretched a bit. Although his legs were weak with pain, his sheer willpower kept him moving until he reached the water vat.

Fish didn’t easily run out of oxygen or die during the winter.

He hadn’t counted them last night, but as he took a careful tally this morning, he found that his harvest from the night before was actually quite impressive.

There were thirty-three larger fish in total.

There were also smaller, miscellaneous fish: glossy black sleeper fish, inch-long sharpbellies, and patterned loaches.

The smaller fish were fragile, and a few had died, floating rather pitifully in the water vat.

Xie Zhao didn’t mind.

He scooped out the dead fish, tossed them into a broken bamboo basket, and set it out in the snow. To keep stray cats from stealing them, he covered it with a lid.

With everything ready, he didn’t rush off to the county seat just yet.

He still remembered the wild herb patch he had found the night before!

Xie Zhao grabbed a small hand hoe and headed out the door.

…

Today was a beautiful day.

It was the second day of the Lunar New Year, the day to start paying New Year visits.

Although Shishui Village was poor, it still kept this tradition.

The adults dug out their most decent and clean clothes to wear, while the children were dressed in new outfits that they had to wear for the entire first lunar month.

The older ones led the younger ones, carrying gifts as they set out to visit relatives.

Those with relatives in other villages were already up and about by this time.

Walking down the road, Xie Zhao saw quite a few people. Yet, even though he had lived in Shishui Village for a year, he barely recognized any of their faces.

This also caused the smiles to freeze on the faces of Wang Jinhua and Xie Youshun as they walked toward him.

The two were Xie Zhao’s uncle and aunt^[1]. Xie Youshun was the eldest son of the Xie Family, and Old Man Xie and his wife lived with them.

Although they disliked Xie Zhao, they lived in the same village and were close relatives. Since they cared about their reputation, they still had to maintain appearances.

Unfortunately, just as the corners of their mouths curled upward, Xie Zhao brushed right past them without a change in expression.