Cheng Duo actually didn't know how much silver he had. He wasn't an ancient person, unlike them who could estimate the approximate weight just by weighing it casually. Moreover, the silver he had wasn't in whole pieces; apart from the twelve taels of silver given by Meng Ji, the rest were scattered pieces of silver.
It's worth mentioning that the silver he took from those three foreigners was not as much as what Meng Ji gave him, but one of them had a good jade pendant, which Cheng Duo took.
He remembered that the person with the jade pendant was supposed to be the leader among the three, as he ordered the others to kill Cheng Duo together. He was also the first one Cheng Duo beheaded. Cheng Duo had no qualms about taking things from the dead because in the later stages, when he couldn't kill zombies, he often relied on searching corpses to sustain his family.
However, while the jade pendant was of good quality, it might be troublesome to sell, so Cheng Duo didn't want to move it for now. He didn't dare underestimate the wisdom of ancient people, and besides, he didn't even know how to navigate through the market, let alone disguise himself.
Fortunately, the silver should be enough for him to buy tools and daily necessities for the time being. Cheng Duo thought for a moment and realized that he still needed a guide. Not only could they show him the way, but they could also help him understand the local prices.
He remembered that Uncle Li had promised to find someone to teach him how to farm, so he decided to bother him with one more thing—he was the one.
Early the next morning, Cheng Duo carried the wild chicken he had caught last night and a coarse pottery jar from the cave and leisurely made his way to the old house in the mountain hollow.
In the rural mountains, the morning air was exceptionally fresh. The rising sun pierced through the clouds on the horizon, revealing the long-lost sunlight.
Cheng Duo's mood was unusually open, calculating that he would stew a pot of chicken soup as breakfast at the old house and wait for the person to arrive. If the chicken soup was ready and the person hadn't come yet, he would go to Uncle Li's house to ask for the person…
What Cheng Duo didn't expect was that Uncle Li was extremely efficient, and the person had arrived at the old house earlier than he had imagined. Moreover, the person's face, originally filled with embarrassment, quickly turned into dissatisfaction upon seeing Cheng Duo carrying the coarse pottery jar. Then, the person dared not speak out.
Why is it him?
This is really unfortunate…
"Haha… I just borrowed it for a while, and I'll return it when I'm done." Cheng Duo, rarely feeling a bit guilty, because not only the pottery jar, but until now, he was still living in someone else's cave, using their things, and covering himself with the fur blanket personally sewn by someone else…
Yong-ge's lips moved, but in the end, he only muttered, "Just don't break it while using it."
"Don't worry, if it breaks, I'll compensate you." Cheng Duo, feeling financially powerful at the moment, made the promise readily.
In front of Yong-ge, Cheng Duo fetched water from the ditch on the mountainside, picked up stones and wood debris from the ruins, and stacked them to make an earthen stove. When it came to starting the fire, Cheng Duo paused for a moment and discreetly glanced at the little brother sitting far away on a wooden stump. With a thick-skinned face, he pretended not to know and took out the flint from his pocket, lit the fire, and then casually put it back.
Unfortunately, no matter how natural Cheng Duo acted, most of Yong-ge's attention was on him, so naturally, he noticed. He jumped down from the wooden stump and stomped his feet in anger, "You… how can you be like this!"
The pottery jar could be overlooked, but the flint was something that should be used sparingly.
He helped people everywhere, was it easy to find such things? This person used them so readily, both the jar and the flint, who knows if he had already ruined everything in his cave!
Yong-ge was not wrong in his thinking. Cheng Duo didn't have anything, but he used whatever was at hand…
The young man was full of anger, but when asked to come over and snatch it, he didn't dare.
Cheng Duo looked at his stingy and hesitant appearance and couldn't help but want to laugh. He reached into his pocket and magically pinched out a small piece of silver, waving it in front of Yong-ge's eyes. "Is this enough?"
Yong-ge's eyes lit up, and he instinctively reached out his hand to take it. "Enough, it's enough!"
Cheng Duo withdrew his hand and glanced at him sideways. "Did Uncle Li send you to help me with farming?"
He secretly changed the concept, turning helping with farming into "helping me with farming."
Yong-ge fell for it, nodding foolishly.
Cheng Duo frowned. He originally wanted to ask if his family wouldn't mind, but considering that Uncle Li had sent him, it should have been carefully considered. Since the person had already come, it would be inappropriate for him to ask further questions.
For example, if he emphasized it too much, it might lead to trouble…
In just a few encounters, not only did Uncle Li believe in Cheng Duo's character, but Cheng Duo also felt that Uncle Li, the village chief, was reliable. Having a reliable village chief could reduce a lot of trouble for him, so despite the difficulties he encountered in joining Yang Village, Cheng Duo had no intention of going elsewhere.
Actually, Cheng Duo had overestimated Uncle Li. He didn't have much consideration at all. He simply couldn't find anyone and happened to see Yong-ge, who was desperately looking for work. He just grabbed him as a replacement.
Yong-ge believed that Cheng Duo couldn't possibly be interested in him. Any capable man in Yang Village wanted to marry a woman to warm his bed. The few who liked men also preferred those who looked clean and delicate.
Yong-ge was dark and thin, and he was too tall. When he stood among the men in the village, he was even taller than some of the shorter ones. As for his appearance, it was passable, and with a little tidying up, it could be considered decent… but the thought of marrying him meant dealing with his two rascal brothers. Most people didn't have the courage for that.
The aunt from the Li family, Wu Guihua, was already a troublesome one, right? Because of their family relationship, Uncle Li and his whole family had already been harassed enough by those two brothers, Li Da and Li Er. Wu Guihua couldn't stop Li Da and Li Er, her own nephews, from coming to their house and causing trouble.
That's why Yong-ge, at the age of eighteen, still couldn't find a partner.
But let's say… if Cheng Duo really had his eyes on Yong-ge, it might be a good thing. Although Yong-ge definitely couldn't become a legitimate wife, with Cheng Duo's terrifying strength, he probably wouldn't mind keeping an idle person around.
As for Li Da and Li Er, would they dare to cause trouble with Cheng Duo?
Of course, that possibility was very slim. Uncle Li felt more pity for Yong-ge —because Yong-ge's family's land had long been taken over by his two useless brothers.
Yong-ge was honest and didn't spread any bad rumors about the main household when doing odd jobs for various families. He was probably also afraid that his two brothers would cause trouble, so he deliberately made himself look like a child.
It was also fortunate that he wasn't outstanding in appearance. Otherwise, Li Da and Li Er, who were extremely crazy, might even sell him.
Of course, Cheng Duo didn't know about the above situation. In his understanding, Yong-ge was more or less associated with "married gèr." Farming wasn't a big deal since the main activities were in the fields, so he just needed to avoid being too close to one place.
However, taking him to the market might be a bit troublesome. It was similar to going shopping with someone else's wife. To avoid causing trouble, he should choose someone else…
Yong-ge eagerly stretched out his hand, waiting to receive the money. When Cheng Duo asked a question and didn't continue, he couldn't help but feel anxious.
Is this his payment, or will he only receive it after finishing the farming? Why is this person so mean? Did he take out the money just to tease him?
It was the same last time. He clearly asked for something in return, but when he made a request, Cheng Duo refused to agree. He's just playing with him!
Yong-ge had all sorts of thoughts in his mind but didn't dare to complain in front of Cheng Duo. Disappointed, he lowered his head and secretly glanced at the small silver pieces rolling in the big hand, thinking he hadn't been noticed.
Cheng Duo paused while counting the silver pieces, noticing Yong-ge's gaze. Somehow, he was reminded of the stray dog that used to beg him for food in the base. It was dirty, but its eyes were clean and full of hope, occasionally revealing a hint of the hardships of life… It always softened his heart.
Cheng Duo shook his head and casually tossed the silver pieces to Yong-ge, then instructed him with a justified tone, "Go pluck the chicken feathers for me and stew a pot of chicken soup."
It's not good to just take the money without doing any work. Saving someone's life is a different matter, but everything has its own value.
"Okay, I'll go right away!" Yong-ge was overjoyed. He would do whatever he was paid for.
Cheng Duo noticed that this young ger was more meticulous in his work than him. He was least patient with plucking chicken feathers. The first time he made stew, the pot of chicken soup, apart from lacking salt, had a faint burnt chicken feather smell because he didn't pluck them properly.
Later, when they ate the chicken, he simply removed all the skin. Although it was a bit wasteful, it saved time and effort.
Yong-ge, on the other hand, was very patient. Using two pieces of scrap metal, he carefully plucked the chicken feathers until they were clean.
While Yong-ge was stewing the chicken soup, Cheng Duo didn't idle either. He went to clean up the ruins, dismantling the collapsed roof and stacking the rotten wood aside, planning to use it as firewood in the future.
Cheng Duo found it easy to handle, while Yong-ge was amazed by his efficiency. Just take the main beam of the roof, for example. He remembered that a couple of years ago, when someone in the village was building a house, it took five or six men to carry the main beam. Although the main beam of this house was soaked and damaged, Cheng Duo held it as if it had no weight at all.
No wonder his older brother and second brother were beaten by this person. Not only did they not dare to retaliate, but if they encountered him elsewhere, they would run. If he had this kind of strength, he would carry loads for people in the neighboring village for sure, guaranteeing a worry-free livelihood…
"What are you looking at? Focus on stewing your soup!" Cheng Duo glanced at him, and seeing the cleverness of the young ger, he noticed how Yong-ge covered the jar with a cabbage leaf from the field to prevent dust from falling in.
After being warned, Yong-ge pouted and dared not stare anymore.
Cheng Duo estimated that the chicken soup was almost ready. He went to wash his hands in the mountain stream before going over to prepare breakfast. He noticed that Yong-ge had a bamboo tube for drinking water, so he poured him half of the bamboo tube filled with chicken soup and used chopsticks to separate a piece of chicken leg meat for him.
The chicken meat had become tender and could be easily torn apart with chopsticks.
"You mean, is this for me?" Yong-ge widened his eyes. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, not remembering how long it had been since he last had meat. He was truly craving it.
However, Cheng Duo noticed that Yong-ge only drank the chicken soup and didn't touch the meat. Cheng Duo didn't know that it was left for his father. He only sighed in his heart, thinking that ancient young men were truly virtuous. Even when they obtained a piece of chicken leg outside, they didn't forget to bring it back for their husband…
The chicken soup in the jar needed a bit more time to cool down compared to the bamboo tube. Cheng Duo felt it was about right, so he picked up the jar and took a sip of the soup, then became slightly surprised. "Did you add salt?"
Yong-ge nodded. In fact, he also added a bit of wild ginger he found in the mountains.
Cheng Duo clearly noticed it too and asked curiously, "Why do you carry these things with you?"
Logically speaking, as a hunter, he should be the one carrying salt and seasonings so that he can roast the game he catches in the mountains.
"I… I'm just used to it," Yong-ge felt a bit embarrassed. Whenever he found something outside, he would cook it immediately and secretly bring it back for his father. Otherwise, if he brought the ingredients back, his older brothers would snatch them away, and he and his father wouldn't get a single bite.
In fact, their family didn't even have a pot. Don't ask him how his older brothers ate. They either relied on their friends or went to Zhao Widow's house at the end of the village…
Cheng Duo nodded thoughtfully without saying anything else. After finishing a whole jar of chicken soup, he praised with satisfaction, "You're quite good at stewing soup."
Of course, after praising him, he instructed the young ger to wash the jar.