The head of the Mu family

Chapter 3 Really! Really! It's hard to adapt.

A moment later, the woman led Daya in, each carrying an old wooden basin with water in their hands; the smaller basin contained a piece of old cloth.

The woman picked up the old cloth, wrung it out a couple of times, and the man, seeing this, held the back of Wuya's head with his hand. The woman quickly wiped Wuya's face clean.

He rubbed his hands with the cloth again, and Shen Huai's face stung from the smear. Fortunately, the damp cloth was cool, and the face felt refreshed as soon as the cloth was removed.

Next, the children washed their faces one by one.

Finally, the woman wrung out the towel and handed it to the man who was still holding Wuya to wash his face, while she herself bent down and wiped her face.

Pour the grayish water into a larger basin on the ground.

The larger basin contained slightly steaming water; once the grayish water was added, it immediately turned cloudy.

Shen Huai: Ah!!! Don't come any closer!!!

I'm no longer clean...

The children washed their feet in the same order they had just washed.

Shen Huai: I'm really not clean anymore!

The woman and man then noticed that Wuya was not wearing shoes. They were surprised for a moment, then discussed it briefly and didn't rush to conclusions.

The man helped Wuya take off her outer clothes and put them on the kang (a heated brick bed), and the woman also helped Siya take off her outer clothes and invited her to get on the kang.

The other larger ones poured their water in as well.

The man and woman urged them to go to sleep, then picked up the old oil lamp from the table, shielded it from the wind with their hands, and went out together, closing the door behind them.

Shen Huai thought he would have insomnia, but to his surprise, he fell asleep in no time!

Shen Huai: This body that adapts to local customs is really not pretentious at all~

Uh... no! It's probably because of physical weakness.

When Shen Huai woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.

I opened my eyes, still somewhat incredulous.

Lying on the hard kang (a heated brick bed), I closed my eyes and opened them again and again, and every time I opened them, I saw the same scene.

She reached out and looked at her hands again; they were tiny. She looked at them several times, then pinched her own cheek.

Ouch! That hurts! I'm really in this unfamiliar place!

I racked my brains, but I still couldn't find the original owner's memories.

Shen Huai pondered, perhaps someone so young simply doesn't remember anything.

After waiting for ages, I didn't get any cheat codes, special identities, or anything like that!

Shen Huai comforted himself:

It might be too early. Maybe there will be a surprise after a while?

Otherwise, I really don't have the ability or courage to survive in such an environment!

I finally convinced myself to accept the fact that there was nothing to be had.

Shen Huai thought that he needed to understand the situation first, and that being able to understand what others were saying was the most important thing.

I turned to look around, but there was no one there. Everyone must have gotten up.

Never mind, what's done is done!

Get up! Let's go out and see what's going on first, then we'll figure out a solution.

Three months have passed since Shen Huai arrived here.

My biggest takeaway comes from a song lyric: "Colorful clouds easily scatter, and the years are hard to endure!"

Early autumn has passed in the blink of an eye, and now winter has arrived. It was just July or August when it started, and now we've entered the eleventh month.

He could understand most of the local dialect now, but his deeply ingrained southern accent made Shen Huai hesitant to speak.

Shen Huai: The output system for this language prodigy isn't finished yet!

After working on it secretly for a long time, Shen Huai finally came up with a solution:

Since they're young and only speak three to five words at a time, their accent should be easily overlooked.

In the few months since he arrived, Shen Huai has been genuinely grateful for his age advantage.

There's no work required right now, as long as you don't get in the way of others.

Shen Huai: Long live not having to do any work!

Being young has its advantages; you won't attract attention wherever you go.

For the past few months, Shen Huai has practically been a vagrant in the pastoral village.

Fortunately, we've finally figured out the basic situation.

Shen Huai's heart sank to the ground!

This dynasty is ancient, but the specific period is unknown. It should belong to a parallel universe, and the setting is the Great Hao Kingdom.

To the west of Hao Kingdom is a ring of small kingdoms, and to the southeast is the slightly smaller Great Liang Kingdom, which stands alongside Great Hao Kingdom.

The Kun Kingdom in the southwest is not large, but it is restless!

The Great Hao and the Great Liang signed a border treaty, helping each other and restraining the restless barbarians in the surrounding areas.

Currently, the royal family of Dahao is surnamed Huo, and the emperor, who is over sixty years old, is in power. His reign title is Yuanding. The princes are young and strong, while the emperor is old and frail, yet he refuses to relinquish power.

The Great Liang emperor was a seven-year-old boy, and the government was ruled by a regent, ministers in charge, and the empress dowager.

The Kingdom of Kun is ruled by the young and powerful King Kun, who is in charge of the kingdom with a mysterious high priest.

Further west and north, there were small kingdoms led by Loulan, Xihu, and the Mongol Tartars. The tribal leaders of each kingdom were strong and healthy, and they fought each other for territory and resources.

The pastoral village is located on the westernmost edge of Dahao, with a natural barrier behind it to the west—Niushou Ridge, which stretches for hundreds of miles and forms the national border.

It is said that many years ago, the ancestors of the villagers were all herdsmen. Later, due to years of war, their livestock were all stolen and they were displaced.

After the war, a group of herders survived and eventually settled here, which gradually led to the present-day pastoral village where no one grazes their livestock.

Apart from the temple, which is a tiled house, the village head's family has a tiled house and a thatched hut mixed together. All the other villagers' houses are mud-walled and thatched huts.

At the southwesternmost edge of the village, there is a large, open threshing ground, which is where the bonfire is lit to celebrate the harvest.

About a hundred meters to the east is the Ping'an Temple, where the bodhisattvas are all made of clay.

The temple has two courtyards. The front is the Hall of Heavenly Kings. After walking through the courtyard, you will see a Maitreya Buddha statue in the main hall, with Guanyin and the God of Wealth on either side. Along the courtyard walls on both sides, there are lower meditation rooms and kitchens.

Inside, there was an old abbot and two young monks.

Both young monks were orphans, so they decided to follow the old monk and become monks themselves.

The old abbot also often took two young monks out to beg for alms and travel.

When Shen Huai arrived here, they had just gone on a journey.

A dozen meters outside the temple gate stands an old locust tree with lush foliage that looks almost like it has become a spirit.

Perhaps the villagers were afraid it would be too lonely, so they planted a pear tree, a jujube tree, a persimmon tree, and two peach trees sparsely nearby.

They've all grown into big trees, and when their fruit ripens, they become a paradise for children.

Not far to the south, there is a small river.

It is said that the river to the west, all the way to Niushou Ridge, is called Xiaoniu River, and the eastern part begins somewhere unknown.

Although the climate here is relatively dry, the Xiaoniu River flows year-round. In times of drought, the villages along the river rely on the Xiaoniu River for their livelihood.

These fruit trees were the biggest surprise Shen Huai had when he first arrived here.

Every year at harvest time, if there are few fruits, the children will share them. In a year of bumper harvest, each of the dozens of households in the village can get a share.

Dry the red dates and keep them, and make dried persimmons.

Persimmons, pears, and peaches can all be sliced ​​and made into candied fruit, which can be taken out and sweetened during the Chinese New Year.

Shen Huai was lucky; he arrived not long ago and was also able to enjoy the delicious fruit. Moreover, it was a bumper harvest year, and he could even taste dried fruit during the New Year.

Shen Huai couldn't help but sigh inwardly:

The fruits grown in this pollution-free environment are truly wonderful!

On the east side of the temple, there is a small courtyard enclosed by the wall, which is where Shen Huai came from.

The small courtyard houses the only doctor in the herding village.

His surname is Gao, and his given name is currently unknown; everyone calls him Doctor Gao.

He is nearing fifty and I heard that he had a wife and children when he was young, but they died from an epidemic. The doctor was heartbroken and has not remarried since.

After losing his wife and children, he became an apprentice to an old doctor in the county.

Although he was a latecomer to the profession, he knew how to work harder than others.

Having learned some medical skills and quickly mastered the ability to identify herbs, he trained other apprentices for his master after completing his apprenticeship, and later became a doctor himself.

After becoming a doctor himself, he started going to remote villages.

Later, when I went to Niushou Ridge to collect herbs, I encountered a pit and sprained my ankle. I was rescued by an old monk from a nearby temple.

From then on, they settled down next to the temple.

He must have some real talent. Besides, there aren't many doctors in the surrounding area, so people from neighboring villages, which are about six or seven miles away, often come to him for treatment.

Dr. Gao was a sincere, kind, and honest man. Even though he suffered injustice from fate, he still treated the world with kindness.

The doctor's services are good and the medicine is inexpensive; he has a great reputation in the surrounding area.

Shen Huai later figured out what had happened that day:

Wuya fell asleep that day, so Wuya's mother settled her with the doctor and went to take care of her own business.

The doctor's room was fairly clean, but since there were no cabinets, he piled two old, thick cotton quilts on the kang (a heated brick bed) so that he could cover himself with them when it got cold at night.

While Wuya was sleeping, she somehow bumped into a thick, heavy blanket that pressed down on her upper body.

It's too airtight and too heavy; children with small hands and feet can't move heavy objects around.

Little Wuya, who hadn't even seen the world yet, was sent back to heaven!

When he woke up again, he was Shen Huai inside the shell.

Shen Huai: Sigh! I can't explain it...

By the way, Wu Ya's eldest sister isn't called Da Ya!

Shen Huai, a villager, inquired about the reason and learned that the baby was born with a lot of lanugo, so he was named Da Mao (Big Hair).

The village head's family later adopted a dog, also named Da Mao.

Many children in the village share the same name as dogs, because, according to the village elders, this makes them easier to raise.

For example, Aunt Li's daughter, Sister Ahua, and Brother Gou Dan from next door~

And there's also the village head's newborn granddaughter, Xiao Mao.

It is said that they originally wanted to name it Da Mao, because dogs are called Da Mao, and Da Ya is also called Da Mao, and it would be inconvenient to call it Da Mao too many times.

There are many other girls in the village whose names are even more hastily chosen.

Most boys' names are also given hastily, but at least they have a name.

Shen Huai has had enough of the many habits here during the past few months!

First of all, taking a shower is truly speechless!

When it's hot here, it doesn't matter if you're male or female! You can stand in your own yard, grab a basin of water, and wipe yourself down...

When it gets cold, I don't work much anymore, and I only take a shower once every month or two.

A month or two!!!

The thing I'm least used to is going to the toilet!

In ancient times, poor families couldn't afford toilet paper!

Many of the men just wiped it with sand...

Yes! Sand!!!

The woman looked after the field, taking whatever leaves were available, and in winter she would take withered leaves.

Yes! Leaves!!!

I can endure other harsh conditions, but I simply cannot adapt to this one!

Shen Huai: Oh my god! Please help me!

I really, really, really, really, really can't adapt!