Chapter 4
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Chapter 4: The Serious Illness
Five kilometers outside Baishi Town, in Mingzhu Village, which is just two kilometers away from Xiaoye Village, a newborn baby has arrived.
In this resource-scarce village, although the birth of a newborn does not lead to celebrations like a feast, the villagers come to congratulate and have the elders name the child for the sake of safety.
After careful thought, the elders decided that this child’s family had been hunters for generations, destined to learn to run and be agile, but since the child was born bright yet somewhat unstable, it would be better to hide his brilliance and choose a name that symbolizes safety. They named him "Shi," meaning "stone," to suppress his Fate.
Thus, Yun Ye accidentally received the new name Yang Shi.
Though ordinary, it fit his expectations well.
…
In the blink of an eye, Yun Ye was already five years old.
Mingzhu Village is a subordinate village of Baishi Town, handling a part of its material consumption. The most special resource here is a unique plant called Mingzhu bamboo.
This bamboo is as hard as iron; when swung, it produces a muffled thunder-like sound, making it suitable for weapon crafting.
Each year, Baishi Town requires a large amount of Mingzhu bamboo, and it must not be lacking.
To meet this demand, Baishi Town has specifically opened a plantation and brought in many slaves and commoners for cultivation.
This is Mingzhu Village.
Baishi Town requires Mingzhu Village to deliver ten thousand pieces of bamboo each year; if they fail, they must compensate at a rate of thirty pieces of dark copper for each missing piece.
Although Yun Ye does not cut bamboo himself, he knows the general situation through his surroundings.
This number is enormous and far from easy.
Mingzhu bamboo is a plant with properties comparable to metal; an adult cannot chop down even one piece in a single day.
With over two hundred people in the village, even if half of the cutters did nothing else but cut bamboo, delivering ten thousand pieces on time would require relentless work throughout the year. For a village that struggles to eat and drink, this is a huge burden.
Missing just one piece of bamboo incurs a cost of thirty dark copper, while selling an extra piece only fetches three dark copper.
That’s a tenfold difference.
It’s important to note that the first ten thousand pieces of bamboo are not paid for; they must be delivered.
To avoid working for nothing for a year, they would have to chop enough bamboo to support their food supply after handing over the ten thousand pieces.
Clearly, the price paid for extra bamboo directly affects the living standards of the cutters.
Given the current state of Mingzhu Village, the three dark copper price only barely keeps them from starving.
Even a single extra copper coin could make a significant difference, improving Mingzhu Village’s situation considerably, but the government intentionally holds the price at this point, leaving the village exhausted.
Mingzhu Village, although better off than Xiaoye Village, still faces many limitations.
Yun Ye’s hunting family was no different.
While they could barely afford food, they had no savings and virtually no ability to cope with crises.
"Cough, cough, cough…"
A worn-out woman coughed while weaving straw sandals, occasionally glancing at the child on the bed with an expression filled with deep concern.
Five-year-old Yun Ye lay on the bed, his face somewhat pale, and he felt utterly desperate.
He had tried very hard to avoid repeating past mistakes, but reality was completely unreasonable.
This winter’s bitter cold was not something he could escape just by being cautious; in the end, he fell seriously ill.
In ancient times, being sick was akin to facing the Grim Reaper, and the chances of survival were very slim.
Even the princes and grandsons of the emperor often faced death, let alone an insignificant commoner like him.
What made Yun Ye feel the most despair wasn’t just his illness, but that his own mother also fell sick!
If he died, he could be reborn, but if his family died in this life, there was no way to revive them!
After just a few years, was he really going to witness his loved ones perish before his eyes once again?
"So annoying!"
After thinking it over, Yun Ye found no solution and couldn’t control his anger, punching the bed frame.
The woman was startled, thinking Yun Ye, tormented by his illness, couldn’t hold back anymore. She quickly said, "Little Shi, don’t worry. Father will be back soon with medicine, and you’ll surely get better. Just hold on!"
Yun Ye shook his head.
He knew Yang Shu had gone to buy medicine, but with the Yang family’s savings, how could they afford enough?
Even if they managed to buy enough medicine, his weak immune system meant his chances of surviving were very low. He feared he would suffer greatly, only to end up dying in the end.
Feeling increasingly unwell, thoughts of suicide unexpectedly arose in Yun Ye’s mind.
He had a way to be reborn, and dying once would only shorten his life by a year, which he felt was a price he could bear.
Besides, if he died early, he could be reborn sooner; he thought that if he delayed by five years, there would still be hope.
As this thought emerged, the idea of suicide took root in his mind uncontrollably.
Once he died, all the tormenting illness would vanish, and he would regain his health.
And the only cost would be a short year from his lifespan.
This thought revolved in his mind for a long time.
With his willpower, even the pain caused by fever could make him feel like dying.
After twenty years of honing his resilience, this threshold had risen a bit, but now that he knew he could be reborn, that threshold was suddenly kicked to the ground.
Since he could come back to life, why should he suffer?
This idea was frightening; even though this illness wasn’t as bad as his first life, he still had thoughts of suicide.
Yet, after wrestling with this idea for a long time, Yun Ye defeated it.
The reason was simple.
Right beside him, his mother, suffering from the same illness, was drenched in cold sweat but continued to work.
Besides occasionally checking his condition, she didn’t stop for a moment.
In the entire room, only the sounds of breathing and the rustling of weaving filled the air.
"…"
Seeing this scene, Yun Ye gritted his teeth and used his willpower to fight against the illness.
He could be reborn; his death didn’t matter.
But his death would be an unbearable pain for this family.
Just like when he discovered the massacre in Xiaoye Village, he felt utterly disheartened and didn’t want to live anymore.
His mother’s lifeline was him, her child.
If he died, the immense grief would likely lead his mother, already ill, to follow him to the grave.
“Live on, become someone great, and then live forever!”
At this moment, Yun Ye held onto this simple thought, deeply understanding that the cost of inaction was his own suffering.
Just then, a flicker appeared on his forehead, as if he were about to awaken.
"Bang!"
The flimsy door suddenly swung open, and a strong man in animal skin entered, his face filled with suppressed anger. He quickly shut the door, preventing the cold wind from dispersing the little heat inside.
"Hubby, you’re back?"
"Shuzhu… sigh."
In response to his wife’s surprise, Yang Shu could only let out a sorrowful sigh.
He said, "This illness has spread throughout Baishi Town. There are many patients, and the medicine is simply not enough. I spent all our money and only got half a talisman for curing the illness."
"Half?" Shuzhu was taken aback.
She had thought that getting a full one would already be difficult, but the shops in Baishi Town had suddenly raised the prices, leaving them with only half a talisman for all their savings?
Were they really that cruel?
