Chapter 8: Ye San Shou's Scheme
5 days ago
After eating a few pieces of chocolate, Su He felt full. He hadn't eaten much for lunch and had been somewhat hungry, but the chocolate did the trick.
"Chocolate truly is a high-calorie food," Su He mused, picking up a moldy loaf of bread from his bedroom. "Just a few pieces, and I'm already full!"
He decided, "I need to go out!"
He soon found himself back on the big tree behind the mountain. He gathered all the scattered items, including a fishing rod and a slingshot, and stored them in the warehouse for easy access.
Originally, Su He intended to toss the moldy bread away. But, what humans couldn't eat it, birds could. However, as he was about to throw it, he overheard a conversation between two people.
"How's it looking? Everything in place?"
"Yes, everything's set. We'll make our move tonight!"
Their voices gradually faded as they walked away. Curious, Su He emerged from his treehouse, clutching a branch and peering down. He saw two figures walking away, one of whom looked familiar. A moment of thought, and he recalled, "That looks like Ye San Shou."
Most of the villagers in Nanzhu Village shared the surname Ye, the same as Su He's grandfather. Ye San Shou was a nickname given to a man fond of petty thefts. His real name was unknown to Su He.
Su He frowned. Eavesdropping on Ye San Shou's scheming, it looked like they were planning to steal something. However, their conversation was too vague to determine what or from whom they intended to steal. Without precise information, it was impossible to keep watch on them.
Helpless, Su He climbed down the tree. He needed to think about how to earn money himself. The warehouse was stocked with supplies worth millions that he had bought in 2021. Though they wouldn't fetch as high a price now, they were still valuable. If he consumed them alone, they'd last for decades. However, selling them was risky due to their high quality and distinctive packaging, which didn't exist in this era.
Su He, who didn't lack money, was the chief engineer at the company with a substantial salary. He was single, with minimal expenses apart from books and food. The savings had gone into stocking up the warehouse with top-quality goods. Taking them out to sell was too conspicuous. Until he was confident, he decided against selling them.
"At least eating them myself will be fine," Su He reassured himself.
Climbing down the giant camphor tree, which had a history of several hundred years and stood over thirty meters tall, requiring multiple people to encircle its trunk, Su He recalled how Camphor Tree Town (Zhangshu Zhen) was named after these trees. By the 21st century, camphor trees had become nationally protected plants, prohibited from private felling.
Most of the back mountain, covered with Moso bamboo, lent its name to Nanzhu Village (Nan Bamboo Village). Before he knew it, he reached the village entrance. An old banyan tree stood in the center, with many elderly people sitting underneath, enjoying the shade and working on sewing soles.
{“南竹村” Nán zhú cūn.}
"Hey, Su He, did you go hunting in the back mountain again?" Granny San smiled, her toothless grin revealing her age.
Su He smiled back, "Yes, but unfortunately, I didn't catch anything."
In the past, he often returned with a bird or a rabbit, a common sight for Granny San and the others.
"Granny San, you all carry on. I'm heading home!" Su He said, fanning himself with his hand. The weather was scorching.
The cicadas on the banyan tree relentlessly buzzed, adding to the heat's intensity.
"Even if it’s hot, don't play in the water too much," Granny San advised, waving her hand. Many preferred cooling off in the river, though accidents were frequent.
Su He nodded, an idea flashing in his mind, "Catching Cicadas." Yet, he wasn't sure if they could be sold in 1979. He decided to let it go for now.
Back home, Su He fetched a bucket from the kitchen, intending to check the river for any catch. Apart from fishing and catching crabs, he remembered a reed patch by the river that might have wild duck eggs.
As he was about to leave, Xiao Nanhua ran out, hugging his leg, "Brother, take me to play!"
With no one to look after Xiao Nanhua at home, Su He had no choice but to take her along. He also called for Heixing and Heizi, who joined the group, making it a team of two people, a water buffalo, and a dog.
Nanzhu Village, nestled between two rivers and backed by bamboo-covered hills, thrived on its natural resources. However, the only bridge to town was far away in Mount Lan Village, making it hard to transport goods. Coupled with the era's restrictions on commerce, the village's poverty was understandable.
The Su family originally lived in Old River Village across the wider river but moved to Nanzhu Village after splitting from the main family. Now, Su He and Xiao Nanhua headed to the narrower river, opposite which lay Confucian Forest Village, renowned for its scholarly ancestors who had passed the imperial exams.
At the riverbank, the sparkling water tempted Su He to swim. The heat was unbearable, sweat pouring down his face.
"Brother, I want to play in the water!" Xiao Nanhua's muffled voice expressed her excitement.
The riverbank was shallow, just twenty or thirty centimeters deep, gradually deepening a few meters out. Su He nodded, "You can play by the river but stay out of the middle."
Xiao Nanhua agreed happily, wading into the river and holding onto the grassy bank.
Rural kids often walked barefoot, and Su He felt a pang of sympathy because of that. He had no suitable shoes in the warehouse and even if he did, he couldn't take them out without raising suspicion.
"Heizi, watch over Xiao Nanhua!" Su He instructed.
The dog, intelligent as always, barked in response and lay down nearby, watching over Xiao Nanhua. The heat sapped the energy from even the dog.
Thinking of the food in the warehouse, Su He decided to give some to Heizi and Heixing. These animals wouldn't talk, so there was no risk of secrets getting out, but he needed to be discreet about it.
"Heixing, come into the water with me!"
Chapter 8: Ye San Shou's Scheme
5 days ago
After eating a few pieces of chocolate, Su He felt full. He hadn't eaten much for lunch and had been somewhat hungry, but the chocolate did the trick.
"Chocolate truly is a high-calorie food," Su He mused, picking up a moldy loaf of bread from his bedroom. "Just a few pieces, and I'm already full!"
He decided, "I need to go out!"
He soon found himself back on the big tree behind the mountain. He gathered all the scattered items, including a fishing rod and a slingshot, and stored them in the warehouse for easy access.
Originally, Su He intended to toss the moldy bread away. But, what humans couldn't eat it, birds could. However, as he was about to throw it, he overheard a conversation between two people.
"How's it looking? Everything in place?"
"Yes, everything's set. We'll make our move tonight!"
Their voices gradually faded as they walked away. Curious, Su He emerged from his treehouse, clutching a branch and peering down. He saw two figures walking away, one of whom looked familiar. A moment of thought, and he recalled, "That looks like Ye San Shou."
Most of the villagers in Nanzhu Village shared the surname Ye, the same as Su He's grandfather. Ye San Shou was a nickname given to a man fond of petty thefts. His real name was unknown to Su He.
Su He frowned. Eavesdropping on Ye San Shou's scheming, it looked like they were planning to steal something. However, their conversation was too vague to determine what or from whom they intended to steal. Without precise information, it was impossible to keep watch on them.
Helpless, Su He climbed down the tree. He needed to think about how to earn money himself. The warehouse was stocked with supplies worth millions that he had bought in 2021. Though they wouldn't fetch as high a price now, they were still valuable. If he consumed them alone, they'd last for decades. However, selling them was risky due to their high quality and distinctive packaging, which didn't exist in this era.
Su He, who didn't lack money, was the chief engineer at the company with a substantial salary. He was single, with minimal expenses apart from books and food. The savings had gone into stocking up the warehouse with top-quality goods. Taking them out to sell was too conspicuous. Until he was confident, he decided against selling them.
"At least eating them myself will be fine," Su He reassured himself.
Climbing down the giant camphor tree, which had a history of several hundred years and stood over thirty meters tall, requiring multiple people to encircle its trunk, Su He recalled how Camphor Tree Town (Zhangshu Zhen) was named after these trees. By the 21st century, camphor trees had become nationally protected plants, prohibited from private felling.
Most of the back mountain, covered with Moso bamboo, lent its name to Nanzhu Village (Nan Bamboo Village). Before he knew it, he reached the village entrance. An old banyan tree stood in the center, with many elderly people sitting underneath, enjoying the shade and working on sewing soles.
{“南竹村” Nán zhú cūn.}
"Hey, Su He, did you go hunting in the back mountain again?" Granny San smiled, her toothless grin revealing her age.
Su He smiled back, "Yes, but unfortunately, I didn't catch anything."
In the past, he often returned with a bird or a rabbit, a common sight for Granny San and the others.
"Granny San, you all carry on. I'm heading home!" Su He said, fanning himself with his hand. The weather was scorching.
The cicadas on the banyan tree relentlessly buzzed, adding to the heat's intensity.
"Even if it’s hot, don't play in the water too much," Granny San advised, waving her hand. Many preferred cooling off in the river, though accidents were frequent.
Su He nodded, an idea flashing in his mind, "Catching Cicadas." Yet, he wasn't sure if they could be sold in 1979. He decided to let it go for now.
Back home, Su He fetched a bucket from the kitchen, intending to check the river for any catch. Apart from fishing and catching crabs, he remembered a reed patch by the river that might have wild duck eggs.
As he was about to leave, Xiao Nanhua ran out, hugging his leg, "Brother, take me to play!"
With no one to look after Xiao Nanhua at home, Su He had no choice but to take her along. He also called for Heixing and Heizi, who joined the group, making it a team of two people, a water buffalo, and a dog.
Nanzhu Village, nestled between two rivers and backed by bamboo-covered hills, thrived on its natural resources. However, the only bridge to town was far away in Mount Lan Village, making it hard to transport goods. Coupled with the era's restrictions on commerce, the village's poverty was understandable.
The Su family originally lived in Old River Village across the wider river but moved to Nanzhu Village after splitting from the main family. Now, Su He and Xiao Nanhua headed to the narrower river, opposite which lay Confucian Forest Village, renowned for its scholarly ancestors who had passed the imperial exams.
At the riverbank, the sparkling water tempted Su He to swim. The heat was unbearable, sweat pouring down his face.
"Brother, I want to play in the water!" Xiao Nanhua's muffled voice expressed her excitement.
The riverbank was shallow, just twenty or thirty centimeters deep, gradually deepening a few meters out. Su He nodded, "You can play by the river but stay out of the middle."
Xiao Nanhua agreed happily, wading into the river and holding onto the grassy bank.
Rural kids often walked barefoot, and Su He felt a pang of sympathy because of that. He had no suitable shoes in the warehouse and even if he did, he couldn't take them out without raising suspicion.
"Heizi, watch over Xiao Nanhua!" Su He instructed.
The dog, intelligent as always, barked in response and lay down nearby, watching over Xiao Nanhua. The heat sapped the energy from even the dog.
Thinking of the food in the warehouse, Su He decided to give some to Heizi and Heixing. These animals wouldn't talk, so there was no risk of secrets getting out, but he needed to be discreet about it.
"Heixing, come into the water with me!"
