Chapter 166: Find a Way to Survive!
Jian Xingxia didn’t give Shang Yue time to process his emotions and cut straight to the chase.
“I want to raise chickens, ducks, and geese here, and in the future, maybe cows, sheep, and pigs. I need to build pens and coops for them. Do you know how?”
Shang Yue answered blankly, “Yes.”
“Good. Time is running out. Do you still need to rest? If not, start right away!”
Jian Xingxia signaled Da Hei to set down the back basket on his back.
“There are machetes, cleavers, sickles, and other tools inside. You can also use Da Hei’s hoe and shovel for farming.”
“As for materials, it’s best to use bamboo. If you need to chop down any trees, you must ask me first.”
Although her grandmother had left behind a lot of fast-growing timber in the mountains, it was all registered, meaning the commercial fast-growing timber on her own mountain lot could legally be logged. However, as a modern person, Jian Xingxia was still instinctively more cautious about chopping down trees.
While Shang Yue was still dazed, Da Hei had already shoved a machete into his hand.
“Bamboo, chop!”
Shang Yue gripped the machete sub-consciously.
It was only when the coarse, heavy sensation of the machete registered in his palm that Shang Yue snapped out of it.
With a sharp clang, the machete slipped and fell to the ground.
Fortunately, Da Hei pulled his foot back quickly. When he worked, he couldn’t bear to wear shoes, so his master had forced him to wear slippers. The toes of slippers left one’s feet exposed. If he hadn’t pulled back fast enough, the machete would have dropped right onto his toes.
Da Hei glared at Shang Yue—so careless! This was a highly precious item!
Only then did Shang Yue realize what he had done, and panic instantly gripped him.
“No… I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! I-I just didn’t expect…”
He hadn’t expected Jian Xingxia to hand him a machete so casually. This was a blade! If he were holding this… if it were back in the Great Yu Dynasty, those branded felons performing hard labor deep in the mines would never spare the government troops who viewed them as mere pigs and dogs—and dead ones at that—once they got hold of a machete. A blade meant rebellion and death.
Yet now, a sharp, fine-iron machete was placed right into his hands just like that. Shang Yue was truly shaken to the core.
Jian Xingxia could see it, but she didn’t say much. She silently allowed Da Hei, who was keeping a dark face, to place the machete back into Shang Yue’s hand.
Shang Yue’s hands trembled, and his heart trembled along with them.
After a long while, he finally pulled himself together. Gripping the machete tightly, he walked step by step toward the bamboo grove Jian Xingxia had pointed out.
Thud!
Thud!
The machete hacked into the bamboo, producing crisp cracking sounds.
Shang Yue hadn’t eaten his fill for a long time, and combined with the overloaded labor, his body was rather frail. But for some reason, he felt filled with strength at this moment. It felt as though with every swing, he could use the full might of his body to fell a stalk of bamboo.
As Shang Yue began chopping bamboo, Da Hei cast a glance at him and returned to clearing the wasteland. His master had said to leave a wide road, as flowers and trees would be planted on both sides in the future. The remaining space could be divided into large and small fields.
With the two workers busy at their tasks, Jian Xingxia pitched in to offer small bits of help from the side.
It was only when she saw Shang Yue turn his back to them, have a good cry, wipe away his tears, and begin chopping bamboo at a faster frequency that Jian Xingxia finally set her mind at ease. It appeared the pressure in his heart had been slightly released.
However… once his working hours concluded, Shang Yue would still have to return to the Great Yu Dynasty, right back beneath that collapsed mine shaft.
Jian Xingxia didn’t dare waste any time. Setting down food and water, she told Da Hei to watch over Shang Yue.
“Once you finish clearing this plot of land, eat the food and drink the water in this drawn circle with Shang Yue.”
“After that, clear this other plot. Once you finish digging it over once, eat the food and water in the second circle.”
“Do you understand?”
Da Hei nodded. “Yes, Master! I understand!”
Jian Xingxia cast a final look at Shang Yue, then quickly sprinted back to the old house to look for items that could resist a mining disaster.
She had originally thought a three-hour recruitment shift would be just right for a trial work run. Now, look at how things turned out—three hours was far too short. Almost an hour had already passed, which wasn’t even enough time for Jian Xingxia to travel to town to buy supplies. She could only do her absolute best to find things within the limited confines of the manor that could help Shang Yue.
Based on Shang Yue’s description, the collapse was man-made rather than a natural cave-in, meaning the scope was manageable. When the collapse occurred, Shang Yue wasn’t crushed by the falling earth; rather, he was trapped in a corner beneath the mine shaft. He was simply waiting for death to claim him.
But in the end, the debris hadn’t fallen on top of him. Instead, the loose soil above had dropped into the empty spaces beneath his feet, allowing him to actually see the sun in the sky.
Jian Xingxia analyzed the situation and felt that Shang Yue seemed to be trapped in a deep pit or shaft, with no heavy overhead covering crushing him. If that were the case, as long as he was guaranteed food, water, air, and medicine… it seemed Shang Yue could still hold out for a period, and might even be able to save himself by climbing out.
In that case, she needed to provide him with tools for climbing and self-rescue.
Jian Xingxia rummaged all over the guesthouse. Food and water were easy to manage. As for air, it was a bit tricky, but since Shang Yue wasn’t completely buried, Jian Xingxia found a few long bamboo poles and used an iron rod to hollow out the joints inside. For climbing tools, she prepared hemp ropes, a small pocket knife, a machete, and an iron rod.
Only when she held these items in her hands did she remember to check the system for Shang Yue’s wage standard. Upon looking, her vision instantly went dark—
Another slave! Except this time, the title sounded a bit fancier: “Branded Convict.” Branded meant tattooed, and convict referred to the punishment of forced corvée labor… in other words, a suspended death sentence undergoing reform through labor.
The wage standard was even lower than Da Hei’s: a mere 0.5 to 1 yuan per hour. For three hours, the maximum was three yuan.
Jian Xingxia: “…”
If it were before, she would have been wickedly happy for a brief moment—having recruited another cheap worker. Now, she was solely worried about how Shang Yue would survive the crisis on the Great Yu Dynasty’s side.
Jian Xingxia was in no mood to receive guests, but fortunately, Lin Sanniang was around. Leaving the affairs of the guesthouse to Lin Sanniang, she hoisted the pile of gathered items and headed to the foot of the mountain to find Da Hei and Shang Yue.
Pressed for time, she rode her electric tricycle over.
In this brief window, Shang Yue had already chopped dozens of bamboo stalks and located a spot suitable for a chicken coop. He was currently using a cleaver to split the bamboo, driving them into the dirt, and then hammering them down with a shovel to make them take deeper root.
Seeing Jian Xingxia ride over on a highly bizarre vehicle, Shang Yue’s eyes popped out once again.
“Th-this… what manner of object is this?”
“A tricycle.”
Shang Yue opened his mouth wide—tricycles existed in the Great Yu Dynasty too. When they excavated mines, earth and stone were transported using wheelbarrows, two-wheeled carts, tricycles, as well as four-wheeled flatbeds. Different vehicles were suited to different terrains in the mine. But… he had never seen such a strange tricycle.
Judging by the sound, it seemed to be made of iron, but looking at its appearance and peculiar color, it didn’t seem like iron either.
Jian Xingxia looked back at it. Well… for the grand opening of the guesthouse, she had specially painted the tricycle pink and white. It wasn’t that strange, right?
“Oh, none of that matters!”
Jian Xingxia called Shang Yue over. “I don’t know what the situation is like on your end in the Great Yu Dynasty, but I’ve prepared some tools here. Take a look, pick one, and see if you can carry it back with you.”
Jian Xingxia looked at Shang Yue solemnly. “The fact that you could come to this manor proves that you aren’t meant to die. Do not harbor any more thoughts of waiting around for death.”
“I know you possess craftsmanship and skills. Even if you encounter a mine collapse, you have a few more lifelines than others.”
“If you die right now, your enemies will only laugh in sheer satisfaction and sleep soundly with absolute peace of mind.”
“Your brothers might be just like you, returning to your hometown after enduring thousands of hardships.”
“What they want to hear is absolutely not the news of your death.”
“Shang Yue, don’t let your brothers experience the exact same pain all over again.”
“For my sake, find a way to survive in the Great Yu Dynasty!”
