Chapter 4: The Ugly Ger’s Farming Story

“I feel like I forgot to buy something…” With the courtyard gate closed, Xu Qing felt uneasy. He instinctively reached up to scratch his head, but instead of familiar short hair, his hand touched a cold bamboo hairpin. “I’m still not used to long hair,” he murmured. Reluctantly, he pulled out the new “accessory” from his head and walked towards the kitchen, feeling somewhat satisfied.

After tending to the fire in the stove and adding some dry firewood, he scooped the lukewarm water from the pot into a basin for washing his face later. Then he poured enough water for cooking into the pot from the fresh water he brought in earlier, covered it with a wooden lid, and went to find a knife from the utility room before heading out to pick vegetables.

This time, he didn’t go to the back of the house where he found vegetables yesterday. There was only some ginger, garlic, and greens there, and he had been surviving on greens for the past few days, fearing that the original owner would return to find nothing to eat.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

A few steps to the right side of the house, all of Xu’s vegetable plots were located. Finding vegetables was easy, and so was growing them. That’s why Xu Qing only partially closed the door when leaving, as the vegetable plots could be easily seen from the entire house, eliminating any worries.

From a distance, he could hear the faint laughter and playful voices of children in the village. Xu Qing glanced in that direction, feeling a tinge of sadness in his heart.

“It’s so lively. I wonder when I’ll have a real home in this world.” He immediately felt that something was off and his cheeks flushed. “What am I thinking!” He angrily patted the back of his head, then hurriedly walked towards the vegetable plots.

“I bought some fatty pork today, but unfortunately, I can’t eat anything too spicy because of my face.” Xu Qing felt a twinge of regret. He could give up anything except his craving for spicy food, but here, the dense acne left by the original owner prevented him from indulging. Even with the occasional healing of the spiritual spring, his face wouldn’t fully recover so quick. In order to enjoy spicy food in the future, he had to endure!

At that moment, Xu Qing completely forgot that when he asked the shopkeeper at the market for chili powder, he was told, “Young man, I have no idea what this ‘chili’ is. How does it taste? I’ve been running this shop for so many years and I’ve never heard of such a thing.” There was no chili in this world! But he had been too optimistic!

Xu Qing wandered around the plot of land with limited vegetables. In the end, he picked a bunch of bitter chicory for a cold chicory salad, a few celery stalks for stir-fried celery with shredded meat, and finally decided to pick a few baby bok choy for a clear soup. Content with his choices, he headed back. Even though he was alone, he still had to live a good life. Xu Qing firmly closed the courtyard gate, feeling somewhat relieved. Let them have their fun, he also wanted to have a lively meal today!

He placed the vegetables by the well, washed his hands, and returned to the kitchen to check the water. It had just started boiling. He poured the cleaned corn into the pot and added some firewood. Then he leisurely went to the well to wash the vegetables.

“Today, I spent 650 wen on the piglet, 60 wen on three pieces of cloth, a total of 15 wen on seasonings, and the fatty pork was 20 wen. As for the seeds…” Xu Qing stopped washing the bok choy and suddenly jumped up.

“I forgot to buy seeds!!!”

Xu Qing felt a bit frustrated as he looked at the two vegetable plots that sprouted yesterday in the yard. He felt like crying without tears. “How could I forget!”

“Sigh, it looks like I’ll have to go to the market again in a few days.” Xu Qing felt a bit bewildered. He noticed that his memory seemed to have declined. He could handle several tasks at once in his previous life, but now Xu Qing was struggling. Perhaps, he speculated as he scratched his messy hair with damp fingers, it was due to the condition of the original owner’s body?

Thinking about this possibility, Xu Qing quietly assessed the physical qualities of his original body and the current one, which immediately lifted his mood.

“It must be because the original owner has aged in this world. It’s the ancient times, after all. Haha.” With his newfound understanding, Xu Qing happily picked up the unwanted vegetable leaves and fed them to the little pig that had just arrived in this unfamiliar place. Then he returned to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Xu Qing placed the clean bitter chicory in a large bowl and poured in some lightly salted water for soaking. He set it aside. Next, he sliced the fatty and lean parts of the cleaned pork belly. The fatty portion would be used for rendering oil later, while the lean part would be stir-fried with the sliced celery. Anticipating that the rice would be ready soon, Xu Qing scooped it onto a plate and set it aside. After washing the pot clean, he added firewood and waited for the steam inside the pot to dry.

Taking advantage of this moment, Xu Qing drained the soaked bitter chicory and placed it in a large bowl. He added a little garlic paste and a pinch of salt, stirring it well before placing it on the dining table. Bitter chicory, also known as bitter vegetable, had various benefits such as antibacterial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and eyesight-improving effects. It was beneficial for the red bumps on Xu Qing’s face, and he also enjoyed its slightly bitter taste.

The steam in the pot had dissipated, and Xu Qing assessed the temperature by placing his hand in the air above it. He poured the previously set-aside fatty pork into the pot. There was no more oil in the house, and he had planned to buy more meat today, but he was afraid it would raise suspicions from Xie Ama, so he gave up on the idea. As for the meat and rice in his space, unless there were special circumstances, he didn’t plan to touch them. After all, in these times, having a backup plan was essential in case of any disasters. It was a principle of surviving in the end times.

Soon, the distinct aroma of rendered oil permeated the air. Xu Qing squinted his eyes and eagerly inhaled the fragrance with his small nose. Looking at the golden oil residue forming in the pot, he thought for a moment, then took out another bowl from the cupboard and poured the oil into a container, leaving the residue in the bowl. He added a bit of salt, mixed it together, and created another dish.

The stir-fried celery with shredded meat and the white cabbage soup were also skillfully prepared by Xu Qing, and he soon brought them to the table. “Today, I spent a little over 700 wen, which is less than one tael of silver. It seems like the remaining money will last for a while. In a few days, I still need to pay Xie Ama for making clothes and for the chickens…”

While Xu Qing calculated his future expenses, enjoying the flavorful oil residue, Xie Ama, on the other side, was eating the meal prepared by his husband and talking about Xu Qing.

“Brother Qing has really changed this time. He used to keep his head down in front of us, afraid to look at his own face. But today, on the street, even with so many strangers around, he could still smile.”

“That’s a good thing.”

Xie Ama, with a mouthful of cornmeal flatbread, responded with a happy expression.

“But now there’s a new problem.” Xie Ama’s face, which was just filled with joy, suddenly drooped.

Uncle Xie quickly swallowed the flatbread. “What’s wrong now?”

Xie Ama glanced at Uncle Xie, who had a bewildered expression. “That child is almost turning twenty-one! Just two more months to go!”

“What’s wrong with being twenty-one? It’s just getting older.” Uncle Xie thought it was not a big deal. He picked up a flatbread and put it in Xie Ama’s bowl first, then grabbed another one and continued stuffing it into his mouth.

“I don’t understand why you’re so clueless! After turning twenty-one, he’ll have to be assigned a spouse by the government on his birthday! Tell me, what kind of future can a ger who waits for an assigned spouse have!” Xie Ama was frustrated, feeling suffocated. They had been married for so many years, and he was still so oblivious. Couldn’t he see that he was upset and couldn’t eat anymore?

Ignoring his wife’s scolding, Uncle Xie took a big sip of porridge and smacked his lips. “You’re worrying too much. He hasn’t reached twenty-one yet, so why rush?”

Then he gestured towards the gate. “Don’t you see what day it is today? Those men who finished their military service are coming back. Aren’t they enough for you to choose from for Brother Qing? Those young lads could have gotten married five years ago!”

The villagers in this village are not supportive. If they had shown interest in Brother Qing all these years, he wouldn’t have been so isolated. He has realized over the years that not all the young gers in the village who are of Brother Qing’s age are easy to get along with. Otherwise, the nickname “Ugly Ger” for Brother Qing wouldn’t have spread and lasted for so many years.

“Oh, by the way, I asked Liu Ama from my natal village to keep an eye on the situation there. I want to know a bit about the character of the younger generation there and understand their family circumstances,” Xie Ama said as he pulled out a jade-colored handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the corners of his mouth. He recalled the matter he asked Liu Ama to pay attention to at the market today.

“Alright, you understand this matter better than me. But still, give Brother Qing a heads-up, so that you don’t confuse him. Don’t say later that you meddled too much,” Uncle Xie stood up and swiftly tidied up the table. In their small household, they didn’t follow the traditional gender roles, with the man being in charge of external matters and the wife taking care of the household. Uncle Xie cherished his wife and didn’t want him to bother about others.

Xie Ama wasn’t angry and strolled leisurely towards the inner house. “Brother Qing is not that kind of person. I’ll take the clothes over in a few days and have a good talk with him.” It would be better to sew the clothes during the daytime—bright and easy on the eyes. Xie Ama needed to think carefully about the style. Brother Qing’s mother passed away early, so it’s no wonder he doesn’t remember how to make clothes. Xie Ama needs to teach him, or else when he has a family of his own, he won’t know how to handle it.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing had already packed his things and headed towards the mountains behind the house. There wasn’t much food left at home, and the meat they bought today would only be enough for dinner. He wanted to try his luck in the mountains. In the memories of his original self, whenever his father went into the mountains, he always returned with a decent harvest. The resources in these mountains were indeed abundant, but also dangerous. The ordinary hunters in the village only roamed around the outskirts of the mountains and didn’t dare to venture too far. Even Xu Qing’s father could only go in a little bit.

That’s because Xu Qing’s father and the others had hunting experience but lacked martial skills. They couldn’t defend themselves if they encountered dangerous beasts. However, Xu Qing, with his excitement, looked at a big white rabbit not far away. He had his space, and if there was any danger, he could hide in there. Moreover, the Spiritual Spring could accelerate wound healing. That’s why he felt so fearless.

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