Chapter Seven: Rescuing Someone from the River

In the blink of an eye, the afternoon sun began to dip toward the horizon.

"Big Sister, we really have our own home now! I’m so happy!" Su Jinxiao, energized after finishing his nutrient water, paced back and forth inside the dilapidated thatched cottage, unable to take his eyes off his new surroundings. "If only Mom and Dad were here with us. Now it’s just the two of us, I miss them so much..."

Su Jinyu patted her younger brother’s head, comforting him. "Jinxiao, consider this house just a temporary transition. Once we’ve saved enough money for the journey, we’ll head to the frontier and search for news of Mom and Dad."

"Yes! I’ll work hard to earn money. Tomorrow, I’ll go into town to find work as a brick carrier. Er-zhuang said his uncle earns over a hundred coins a month!"

Su Jinyu hadn't the heart to discourage him. The frontier where their parents were located was thousands of miles away; even on the swiftest horse, it would take dozens of days. Given the long trek, to say nothing of travel and lodging expenses, the journey was fraught with risks—a hundred silver taels might not even be enough.

She smiled faintly. "Don't you worry about earning money, Big Sister will find a way."

Having spent the day tidying up, she felt hungry. She told her brother to stay home, grabbed her basket and shovel, and headed alone toward the mountain behind the village.

Although the separation from the main family had left them with a few pounds of sweet potatoes and some coarse grain husks, her current body was in desperate need of nutrition. She didn't want to gnaw on tasteless sweet potatoes every meal, and the coarse husks were practically pig feed as far as she was concerned.

The items in her laboratory space could only be brought out reasonably if she made a trip to the mountain. Besides, she wanted to try her luck at digging up more medicinal herbs to exchange for store credits.

"Tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll be sure to bring it back for you!" she said to her brother with an air of wealth and confidence.

Su Jinxiao tilted his head, his face full of longing. "I’ve never tasted pork. I’ve only heard Er-zhuang and the others talk about it. I’ve only ever smelled it when the villagers stewed meat during the New Year—it was so fragrant!" He then forced a bitter smile. "But meat isn't easy to come by; I’m just daydreaming. It’s getting late, Big Sister, please hurry back. I’ll wait for you here."

Su Jinyu silently noted her brother’s wish, shouldered her basket, and waved goodbye. She insisted that he stay behind; otherwise, it would be inconvenient to produce food from the space.

As she passed through the village, thin wisps of smoke rose from many homes where families were preparing dinner.

"Jinyu, girl, you’re heading to the mountain this late? Let Grandpa accompany you!" Old Man Zhao, sitting in his courtyard, couldn't help but worry as he watched the frail young girl head toward the mountain.

"Grandpa Zhao, you’ve worked hard all day, don't bother yourself with me. I promise I’ll just stay near the edge of the mountain and be back soon!" she said with a warm smile.

"Jinyu, is it because there’s no food at home? Here, Grandma Liu just baked some shepherd's purse cakes, take a few back for you and your brother." Old Man Zhao’s wife stopped her and stuffed the cakes into her basket.

Unable to refuse, Su Jinyu hurried away after bidding the elderly couple farewell. "Grandpa Zhao, Grandma Liu, I’m off! If I get lucky and catch any game, I’ll share some meat with you!"

"You silly child, catching game isn't that easy! Just come back safe and sound!" the old man shouted after her retreating figure.

Once she reached the mountain and ensured no one was around, she slipped into her laboratory space. She had 150 store credits remaining from the morning's herbs. She browsed the prices of various foods in the freezer and refrigerator cases, calculating what she could afford.

There were no live animals, so she checked the fresh meat section first; if she brought that back, she could at least claim she had dressed it herself.

She glanced over the prices: freshly slaughtered chicken, 100 credits; duck, 120; rabbit, 300; crucian carp, 30; grass carp or silver carp, 50; pork tenderloin, 100 per catty; pork ribs, 120 per catty...

Su Jinyu’s face fell. She had intended to buy meat, but with only 150 credits left, she had to cover their dinner and wanted to bring some for the Zhaos as well—it simply wasn't enough. The fresh items were too expensive, while the pre-processed frozen foods were much cheaper.

The system allowed for one credit purchase per day. Not having decided on a plan, she left the space and wandered the mountain before dark. However, after a long time, the system detected no herbs nearby.

Just as she was about to head deeper into the mountain, she heard a scream nearby!

"Help! Is anyone there?"

She rushed toward the sound and found a seven or eight-year-old boy standing by the river—it was Zhu Er-zhuang, the village bully her brother had mentioned.

As she drew closer, she saw a boy of four or five floating in the middle of the river, eyes closed and face deathly pale—a terrifying sight! Zhu Er-zhuang was paralyzed with fear, but upon seeing her, he ran over in tears, begging for help.

"Big Sister Jinyu, please, do something! Debao fell into the river, what do I do?"

The child in the water was Yang Debao, the grandson of the village head, known to be pampered by his family. She had no idea how he had ended up at the mountain alone.

Su Jinyu didn't hesitate. She dropped her basket and dove into the river with a splash, dragging Yang Debao toward the bank. It was late autumn, and the water was biting cold; she couldn't help but shiver. Despite the ten bottles of nutrient water she had consumed, her body was still too weak; she would definitely need to start morning training.

"Debao, wake up!" Zhu Er-zhuang, realizing his mistake, knelt on the ground and shook the boy in a panic.

Su Jinyu wrung the water from her sleeves and pants and pushed the boy aside. "Stop shaking him, move aside."

She knelt to check on Yang Debao. He had been underwater for a while; she needed to perform CPR immediately.

"Debao! My son, what happened?"

"What are you doing to my son?"

The newcomers were Debao’s mother, Mrs. Luo, and his father, Yang the Elder.

"Jinyu, get away from my son!" Mrs. Luo’s expression was fierce as she scooped up Debao, shoving Su Jinyu aside.

"Aunt Luo, Debao’s condition is critical, he needs emergency aid! Lay him flat on the ground—if you keep holding him like that, you’ll only hasten his death," Su Jinyu said calmly, steadying herself.

"Jinyu, do you know medicine?"

Just then, Old Su and Wu Cuihua happened to be passing by. Hearing this, Wu Cuihua let out a shrill, mocking laugh. "Wife of the village head, if you actually believe this little wretch knows medicine, your Debao is as good as dead!"