It was the fifteenth year of Great Liang Dezheng, and the cold wind of the twelfth lunar month raged across the barren slope, making the withered yellow thatch rustle.
Wu Guohua hunched his neck, his hands, red from the cold, tucked into the sleeves of his thin cotton padded jacket, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
He stamped his ice-encrusted straw sandals, and the white mist he exhaled condensed into tiny ice crystals on his eyelashes.
"Just a little longer…" he told himself, bending down to push aside the withered straw mat covering the crops. Beneath it, tender green wheat seedlings stubbornly stretched their leaves, standing out remarkably amidst the surrounding yellow.
This was a miracle brought by his talent—in sub-zero temperatures, these winter wheat and potatoes were still full of life.
"Watering, experience +1."
"Weeding, experience +1."
A mechanical prompt sounded in his mind, and Wu Guohua grinned, his lips purple from the cold. He carefully took out a broken clay pot from his embrace, which contained half a bowl of warm water he had secretly saved that morning.
The water was already cold, but in such weather, having a mouthful of water that wasn't frozen was a luxury. "Splash—" A faint sound of water was exceptionally clear on the silent barren slope.
Wu Guohua held his breath, afraid of being discovered. If his family knew he secretly ran here every day to tend to these "weeds," he would likely get a good beating.
After all, in the adults' eyes, this time should have been spent collecting firewood.
After watering the last plant of Gastrodia elata, Wu Guohua suddenly heard footsteps in the distance. He darted behind a large rock like a startled rabbit, his heart pounding.
Through the crack in the rock, he saw Third Aunt Cai Liuer walking towards him with a basket, humming a tune.
"God bless…" Wu Guohua silently prayed in his heart, his forehead pressed against the cold rock.
Third Aunt was the most shrewd person in the family. If she discovered this "secret garden," the consequences would be unimaginable. Fortunately, Third Aunt was only there to pick up dead branches. As she bent down, the hem of her yellowed cotton padded jacket touched the dirt, but she didn't notice.
Wu Guohua noticed that she was much thinner than when she had married in; her once round cheeks were now sunken, and there were two dark circles under her eyes.
"When will these days end…" Third Aunt muttered to herself as she picked up firewood, her voice carrying a weariness Wu Guohua had never heard before.
After Third Aunt walked away, Wu Guohua let out a long sigh, only then realizing that his back was soaked with cold sweat. A gust of cold wind blew, making him shiver. He rubbed his stiff fingers and continued to check the other crops.
The potato seedlings had already grown to half a foot tall, with fine fuzz on their emerald green leaves; the winter wheat was neatly arranged, like rows of tall little soldiers.
What surprised him most were the few ginseng and Gastrodia elata plants; although they had only been planted for less than a month, their leaves were already much more luxuriant than when they were first dug up.
He wrapped his broken cotton padded jacket tighter and walked home.
Passing by the village entrance, he saw several children from the Zhao Family playing Cuju. They were wearing thick cotton clothes, their faces rosy, and their laughter carried far.
Wu Guohua lowered his head and quickened his pace, but he tripped over a protruding tree root and fell heavily onto the frozen ground.
"Oh, isn't this the Wu Family's little brat?" A sharp voice came from above his head.
Wu Guohua looked up and saw Zhao Fugui, the youngest son of Landlord Zhao Zhilin, looking down at him, a mocking smile on his round face.
Wu Guohua bit his lower lip hard, the taste of blood spreading in his mouth. He got up without a word, picked up the potato, wiped it on his clothes, and turned to leave.
Behind him, Zhao Fugui's triumphant laughter came: "A pauper is a pauper!"
By the time he returned home, it was already dusk. Wu Guohua sneaked into the kitchen but ran into his mother, who was making a fire.
"Guohua?" His mother, Zhang Chunfang, turned her head, the dim stove fire illuminating her haggard face.
Dinner was, as usual, wild vegetable porridge so thin you could see your reflection in it. Wu Guohua pushed his portion towards his mother: "Mother, I'm not hungry."
"Nonsense!" His mother's face hardened. "You're at the age where you're growing…"
Before she could finish speaking, his sister Guofen's crying came from inside the house. His mother sighed and hurried into the room with the bowl.
Wu Guohua looked at her hunched back and secretly clenched his fists.
Late at night, Wu Guohua lay on the cold kang, listening to the even breathing of his younger siblings beside him. Hunger, like an invisible hand, tightly gripped his stomach.
Moonlight streamed through the broken hole in the window paper, casting mottled shadows on the ground.
Wu Guohua looked at the cold moon and recalled the agricultural documentaries he had watched in his previous life. Those modern farms, those golden waves of wheat, those heavy fruits…
"One day…" he vowed in his heart, "I will make sure my whole family has enough to eat, lives in warm houses, and never has to look at others' faces again…"
This thought, like a spark, burned brighter and brighter in his heart. Even if the cold wind was biting, even if his stomach was rumbling, he had to persevere.
Because on that barren slope lay all his hope. Outside, the north wind howled, sweeping up the snow on the ground. And in the thicket on the barren slope, about an acre in size, Wu Guohua's planted area was now only one-third of it.
In the following days, Wu Guohua first took the time to clear all the remaining land, cutting weeds, picking up stones, and then tilling the soil to make it softer.
It took Wu Guohua more than ten days to complete this arduous task. Because he didn't eat enough every day, his frail body had no strength, so he could only rely on his tenacious will to work.
Afterward, Wu Guohua followed his grandfather and the others into the mountains again, digging up various wild vegetables, medicinal herbs, and even some small trees, and then planting them in the thicket on the barren slope.
Wu Guohua discovered that some plants did not yield experience after being planted, so he discarded all these plants and only planted those that could bring experience.
"Planting shepherd's purse, experience +10."
"Watering, experience +1."
"Planting honeysuckle, experience +10."
"Watering, experience +1."
"Planting dandelion, experience +10."
"Watering, experience +1."
"Planting Sanqi, experience +10."
"Watering, experience +1."
"Planting wild yellow peaches, experience +20."
"Watering, experience +1."
"Planting Siberian solomonseal, experience +20."
"Watering, experience +1."
By the time the Spring Festival arrived, Wu Guohua had gained over 100 experience points by planting new crops, plus managing these crops, he consistently gained over 10 experience points every day.
However, in winter, due to the lack of warm clothing and no work to do, the family only ate two meals of thin porridge a day.
Therefore, apart from his grandfather taking his father and two uncles out occasionally to find work or hunt in the mountains, most of the others spent their time hiding in bed to reduce consumption.
Wu Guohua, however, had to force himself to go every day to manage the crops planted in the thicket on the barren slope, which made him suffer immensely.
But, to be able to eat his fill in the future, he had to persevere. As long as his Farming talent leveled up a few more times, he believed his whole family would never lack food.
Wu Guohua was confident that he could lead his family to a better life in the future.
Moreover, both the potatoes and winter wheat were growing extremely well, much better than the potatoes and winter wheat planted by his own family on the eastern slope of the village.
Also, the ginseng, Gastrodia elata, Siberian solomonseal, and other crops were all growing very well, especially several wild vegetables like dandelion and shepherd's purse.
Under the effect of his talent, they not only grew well but also grew very quickly; in a few days, they could be picked and brought home to eat.