Chapter 10 Sunstroke_1

Nanzhi had gathered about forty catties of chestnuts throughout the morning. Exhausted, she flopped down next to her large, full basket.

It was unbearably hot. Even hiding in the shade, a slight movement would induce a sweat-drenching perspiration.

After three days here, she felt she stank.

Disgusted with herself, Nanzhi took a rest, while Liu DaNiáng picked up more energetically, sweating profusely but never stopping her hands.

Every extra chestnut she gathered meant a little more food for her grandson.

Although initially not as adept at chestnut gathering as Nanzhi, Liu DaNiáng quickly got the hang of it and filled her basket over the course of the morning, collecting even ten catties more than Nanzhi.

"Miss Lin, should we carry back the chestnuts and make a few more trips later on?"

Liu DaNiáng wiped the sweat from her face, excitement still sparkling in her eyes, and showing no sign of fatigue.

"Alright."

Nanzhi felt weak. She could not even keep up with a woman in her forties.

They agreed to return home at noon. Under the scorching weather, everyone in Lihua Village usually took afternoon naps.

They could make use of this time to return home without bumping into anyone.

After lunch, Nanzhi covered their baskets with maiden thistles and wild garlic. Seeing this, Liu DaNiáng copied her actions.

Each of them then picked a large leaf to cover their heads and finally set off down the mountain with their baskets.

By the time they arrived home, Nanzhi felt dead tired. The raw spot on her shoulder began to chafe again.

"Mom, are we going back to East Mountain later?" Gougou asked worriedly as he noticed how fatigued his mother looked.

He had already helped Nanzhi pick up the smooth chestnuts when she was gathering them; in the end, because he couldn't keep up with her, he took his small basket and went off on his own, and has since filled a whole basket on his own.

"Yes, we'll go back to East Mountain with Old Lady Liu later to gather some more chestnuts." Nanzhi sighed.

She needed to stock more food at home; she didn't want to become the first person in history to die of hunger after time-traveling.

Seeing Gougou, covered in dust, Nanzhi felt even reluctant to touch his face, not because she thought he was dirty, but because she herself reeked faintly of sweat.

Anticipating that Uncle Li Zheng would inform the villagers about the chestnuts on East Mountain the day after tomorrow, Nanzhi shook her head to clear her mind.

She planned to go with Liu DaNiáng into the mountains a few more times. Tomorrow at noon she would take a good bath with Gougou, and in the afternoon they would borrow Liu DaNiáng's donkey cart to sell the chestnuts in town in exchange for food.

Although there were plenty of wild chestnuts on the mountain, if the villagers found out, she and Gougou might not be able to gather much.

When they returned earlier, she noticed the river at the edge of the village.

Now, with the riverbed exposed and water rapidly evaporating, she thought about foraging there as, despite the drought, there were sure to be some fish remaining. Moreover, she recalled from the original owner's memory that the villagers here didn't usually eat fish.

If the original owner had fished in the river, she might not have starved to death.

After a short rest at home, Liu DaNiáng knocked on the door. Seeing the underweight Gougou, Nanzhi couldn't stay idle, so she gritted her teeth and got up.

The midday sun was scorching. Nanzhi felt dizzy. She breathed a sigh of relief only after they reached the shade of the trees on East Mountain.

Nanzhi had a premonition that it would not rain before the autumn harvest.

Even after the harvest, rain might still not fall.

Nanzhi struggled through the afternoon. Liu DaNiáng brought an additional basket which she managed to fill completely, while Nanzhi had just about thirty catties in her own basket.

"Miss Lin, what's wrong with you?"

Mrs. Liu looked at Nanzhi with some concern. Given that Nanzhi and Gougou were currently all alone, not gathering enough chestnuts for their future could be a problem.

"No, nothing." Nanzhi waved her hand, feeling she might be having a bout of heatstroke.

With no essential oil for relief in sight, a severe case of heatstroke could be deadly, even if hunger didn't get the better of them first.

Mrs. Liu didn't believe Nanzhi's dismissal, judging from her condition, it seemed like she had suffered heatstroke.

"Miss Lin, are you having a heatstroke?"

Nanzhi, in her confused state, didn't answer, only staring blankly at the tree above her.

By the time she regained her senses, an hour had already passed. Nanzhi felt confused as she looked at Gougou, asleep on her lap.

All she could remember was pressing chestnuts; how did she end up falling asleep?

Mrs. Liu, noticing that Nanzhi had woken up, came over to take Gougou, "Awake now? You had heatstroke. I rubbed some key points on your body to relieve it. Go home and take some more rest; you'll be fine."

She put Gouguy in an open space nearby and continued her work on the chestnuts.

Seeing her basket already full, Nanzhi felt touched.

Just as she was about to get up, she felt a sudden pain in her arms. Rolling up her sleeves, she found dark purple patches, quite scary to look at.

After a while, she remembered what the old folks had taught her: In case of heatstroke, if no scraping tool or oil were available, massaging the neck and arms could help alleviate the symptoms.

"Thank you, Mrs. Liu."

Nanzhi said it earnestly, knowing that Mrs. Liu had saved her life.

"There's nothing to it, just lending a hand." Mrs. Liu shook her head and carried on with her work.

"Actually, I should be thanking you. These chestnuts can be lifesaving."

Nanzhi didn't argue, she just made a note of Mrs. Liu's kindness in her heart.

Admittedly, her decision to inform Mrs. Liu had ulterior motives. After all, even if she hid the existence of Chestnut Forest, people would eventually find it once food got scarce.

Once people turned to East Mountain for food, keeping such a vast Chestnut Forest a secret was impossible. She figured it was better to be the first to flag it.

She had reasons to tell Mrs. Liu first: one, she foresaw frequent borrowing of the donkey cart to go to town. Embarrassment wasn't always welcomed. And two, Mrs. Liu had done a lot for her family. It was high time she returned the favor.

It was still quite early, so after taking a small break, Nanzhi and Mrs. Liu carried the chestnuts home, then went back into the mountain again.

All three worked hastily, failing to notice Ms. Wu trailing behind them.

Ms. Wu had originally planned to fetch more water from the village well while nobody was around, but she spotted Mrs. Liu and Nanzhi heading to the hills with their baskets.

She got suspicious and decided to quietly follow them.

The East Mountain used to be infested with wolves. She didn't believe Nanzhi would risk her and Gougou's lives. And seeing Mrs. Liu with them, she suspected there might be something valuable there.

Once Ms. Wu saw the Chestnut Forest, it felt like she had discovered a great secret.

She always thought of Nanzhi as a sly girl, not to be trusted. And as for the apparently kind Mrs. Liu, wasn't she also hiding this massive Chestnut Forest?

Smiling secretly, Ms. Wu quietly wandered down the hill, planning to report this to her mother-in-law, who would surely praise her for the discovery.

Feeling pleased with herself, Ms. Wu practically ran down the hill to avoid getting a scolding for being late.

Leaving the delighted Ms. Wu aside for now, Nanzhi and Mrs. Liu were still drowning in hard work.