8: Berry hunting

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Edited by Relendria


After breakfast Hong Jia Yi packed a bag with some cooked rice for them to eat on their way along with water. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing.

Liang Meng Yao didn't complain or anything. After all he knew Hong Jia Yi's situation wasn't great and he was struggling right now. How is he supposed maintain the lives of 2 people when he is barely maintaining one?

It took about an hour and half to reached the forest. Meng Yao drank a little water before starting to look around for edible food and useful things.

He could hear the sounds of nature all around. As he looked around, he saw a bunch of berries against the rocks to one side. He smiled and went over there happily.

He checked to see if they were poisonious and felt lucky when he realized they weren't. He grinned happily.

"Hong Jia Yi!"

"Yes?" He came over.

"Do you have sugar?"

"Yes, I do have some."

Jia Yi always kept sugar so he could sell some when he is in desperate need for money. In fact, he was not for from that at the moment.

Liang Meng Yao smiled at him and Hong Jia Yi was confused.

"Pick these, they're edible." he said, indicating the berries.

"They are?"

His people didn't eat these, even though they were pretty looking, because they ate berries that looked the same and got very sick from it. He was skeptical about them but when he saw Liang Meng Yao happily eating some, he believed that these weren't the bad ones.

"I'm going to go set some snares and animal traps while you pick those." Liang Meng Yao smiled.

"Traps?"

"Yes, so we can have meat. But before I can do that, I need to gather some materials."

"Did you do this at your home?" Hong Jia Yi asked.

"Yes, before my father died, we use to go hunting in a cabin in the woods," Liang Meng Yao said.

"I thought you didn't remember your past..." Hong Jia Yi said.

"I lied. I thought if I lied, I could stay here since I don't know the way back home," Liang Meng Yao explained.

"But won't your daddy miss you?"

"I told you he died," Liang Meng Yao said sadly.

Hong Jia Yi felt sad thinking he must have offended him greatly. He didn't mean to do that.

Liang Meng Yao walked a bit deeper looking around and found some wild dandelions he smiled and picked some.

As he searched around some more, he found potatoes. Hong Jia Yi tilted his head as he watched Liang Meng Yao picking... 'roots?'.

Suddenly a gray rabbit rushed past. Hong Jia Yi immediately dropped the basket and chased after it, catching Liang Meng Yao's attention.

In bewilderment Liang Meng Yao watched Hong Jia Yi chasing the rabbit and trying to catch it. Soon his cheeks began to swell and then he burst out in hysterical laughter. It was a live action comedy in live.

Hong Jia Yi stopped and looked at him, pouting. It wasn't funny! Liang Meng Yao couldn't help himself but he soon stopped and observed the bunny.

He gently placed some berries in an open space then hid and watched the rabbit as he lured to the bait. As soon as its guard was down and it was eating the berries, Liang Meng Yao caught it by the ears.

"Rabbit meat for dinner," Liang Meng Yao smiled.

Hong Jia Yi nodded. When the sun began to set, they both returned home. They were tired from a day of harvesting berries, potatoes, and wild veggies.

"I'll go sell the rabbit."

"No, don't. The people will exploit you," Liang Meng Yao said.

"But how else will we make money?" Hong Jia Yi asked.

"This village is small. Where is the town where you buy rice and sugar?" Liang Meng Yao asked.

"Ah, Hans town - it's half a day away from here on foot," Hong Jia Yi said.

"Okay, then."

Liang Meng Yao got up and went to the kitchen, taking out the berries washing them before crushing them and putting them into a pot of water.

Hong Jia Yi was puzzled. He-men didn't usually know how to cook. How did Liang Meng Yao know this?

Liang Meng Yao was glad he had learned many skills as a child so it wouldn't be too difficult for him to handle the ancient stove, although it did give him some trouble.

Soon he dropped the berries into the boiling water, smiling. This is going to be a temporary measure to get started on his plan to improve their lives.

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