Journey to the West: The Immortal Clan Begins by Feeding Monkeys at Five Elements Mountain

Chapter 17 The mountain doesn't raise chickens, yet the chickens come of their own accord.

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

The spring wheat from the Jiang family's land has been harvested and stored early.

The golden waves returned to the stack, leaving only a pile of straw, which the chicks pecked clean.

The land has been plowed, and the late rice has been planted. Now the rice is growing tall and the fields are covered in tender green. When the wind blows, the fields ripple with light.

The orchards and medicinal herb gardens at the foot of the mountain did not disappoint either.

Fruit branches spread out, and medicinal vines twine around them.

Especially those apricot and jujube trees transplanted from the Yu family's orchard, which were originally just medium-sized saplings, have now grown to be as tall as a person.

Judging by how well it's growing, it'll probably bear fruit and attract birds next year.

The area around the chicken coop was also bustling with activity.

The two broods of chicks hatched six months ago have shed their feathers, unfolded their wings, and are all lively and well-behaved.

Several of the faster-growing hens have already started laying eggs, taking over the work from the old hens in the cage.

Chickens lay eggs, eggs hatch chickens, and life goes on like this, going round and round without stopping.

My eldest son is now seven years old, and my youngest is almost sixty.

He doesn't look particularly strong, but he has a sturdy frame and is much stronger than other children his age in the village.

He was also resilient and fast, and had long since become the king of the kids at the private school.

If it weren't for Jiang Yi's strict control, old women would come to complain every few days.

The little girl in the house, Jiang Xi, is also growing faster than other children.

At four months old, it already knows how to roll over and crawl, using its hands and feet to scoot forward like a furry little animal.

At six months old, she could already stand up unsteadily while holding onto the table legs, standing wobbly from side to side, yet she loved to laugh and didn't cry even when she fell.

It's only October now, and he can already stand up for a short while, taking those shaky little steps, looking quite spirited.

He was babbling, and although his words were not yet complete, his tone already showed signs of recognizing people and things.

I don't know if it's because my daughter is thoughtful or naturally clever, but when someone teases her, her eyes crinkle and she smiles with two little dimples.

At this juncture, the Jiang couple were secretly competing with each other.

Every day, whenever we had a spare moment, we would whisper "Dad" and "Mom" in her ear.

Of the two boys, Jiang Ming called out "Dad" first, but Jiang Liang called out "Mom" first.

Now, with this third one, neither of the couple is willing to back down.

Days passed by, one after another, and everything seemed to be moving in a stable direction.

However, Jiang Yi's heart was not entirely lighthearted.

Putting everything else aside, the mouths in the room were becoming increasingly open.

As the saying goes, a half-grown boy can eat his father out of house and home.

Although the two boys in the family are not yet "half-grown" age.

But after a day of standing meditation practice, what you consume isn't water, but rice.

A meal starts with two bowls of rice, and must be accompanied by side dishes and soup.

Even he and Xiulian are now becoming stronger and stronger through training, their energy and spirit have increased, and their appetites have also increased by 20%.

Jiang Yi didn't have any trouble eating just grains and coarse cereals.

Ten acres of thin land can support a family by harvesting three crops a year in spring, summer, and autumn.

It just means a little more effort and less money, but life is still manageable.

But practicing martial arts requires more than just physical strength.

Especially those two boys, their stomachs started growling again right after they finished their breakfast and a set of stance training exercises.

They were so eager to turn the rice jar upside down and search for food.

Jiang Yichu was puzzled at first, wondering if the child had worms in his stomach, so he took the child to see Doctor Li.

Doctor Li was of a calm nature and spoke in a calm manner, stroking his beard as he slowly said:

"When martial arts practitioners deplete their qi and blood, how can they replenish it with grains and vegetables? Coarse grains alone are not enough; to grow strong muscles and bones, they need to add some meat."

With just one sentence, Jiang Yi lost his temper.

From that day on, two more eggs were added to the rice cooker.

Whenever a family in the village slaughters a pig or sheep and gets some mountain produce, they grit their teeth and buy some back.

But these are just a drop in the ocean; they can only provide temporary relief, not a lasting solution.

Ultimately, these days it's not common for every family to slaughter a pig or hold a feast.

Moreover, after the incident, far fewer people in the village went hunting in the mountains.

Even the most daring ones would only wander around the mountainside, never setting foot deep in the forest.

The front of the mountain had been swept several times, making the prey increasingly scarce.

Days passed like this, and the little bit of silver I had saved up after the New Year was almost gone.

On this day, the sun was shining brightly, so bright that it made one's bones feel a little loose.

Jiang Yi sat in the courtyard, his hands deftly weaving a new basket with bamboo strips, his movements practiced and unhurried.

Just as I was getting into the swing of things, I heard footsteps thumping around.

Looking up, I saw Jiang Ming returning from school. He threw his schoolbag on the table, turned around, and was about to dash towards the back mountain.

"stop."

Jiang Yi didn't raise an eyebrow, but his voice had already deepened by three points.

Upon hearing this tone, the young man paused, turned around, and looked at the man with a mixture of embarrassment and confusion on his face.

What's in your pocket?

Jiang Yi's eyes swept over his bulging pockets, and his voice grew even colder.

Jiang Ming hesitated for a long time, but seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, he had no choice but to obediently take the things out of his pocket.

Two red apples, two yellow pears, and a round persimmon, all with a fresh and vibrant color, clearly indicating that they are good fruits.

Jiang Yi's face darkened.

Our fruit trees are still a long way from bearing fruit, and we haven't added any of these things to our house recently.

If it's your own stuff that you're taking up the mountain, that's fine.

But if someone does something like stealing chickens or dogs... that's not something that can be solved with a slap.

"Where did it come from?"

Jiang Yi's tone was even colder, like well water in winter, covered with frost.

Upon hearing this commotion, Jiang Ming immediately became anxious and hurriedly waved his hands to explain:
"Father, this wasn't stolen!"

He spoke so fast, as if he was afraid of getting beaten up if he was slow.

"A gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way. I remember everything my father said!"

"The Way is the Way, and the Fruit is the Fruit."

Jiang Yi's tone remained firm:

"Where did you get this fruit from?"

Jiang Ming scratched his head, hesitated for a moment, and then said in a muffled voice:

"Anyway, it wasn't stolen or robbed; it was...it was a gift from Yu Xiaodong to me."

"Yu Xiaodong?"

"Yes, he's the grandson of Grandpa Yu from the west end of the village. He just started school this year, and he's a year younger than me."

At this point, the young man puffed out his chest, and his voice became a bit firmer:
"I taught him two tricks, and he started bringing me fruit every day. As the saying goes, 'By engaging in pawnbroking and regulating the world, one can embrace all things!'"

I don't know which history book he learned it from, but he read it steadily and quite methodically.

Jiang Yi's expression was unreadable, and he was about to say something more.

The boy had already turned around and dashed into the back mountain.

With light steps, his shadow flashed and disappeared into the greenery.

Jiang Yi stood in the courtyard and could only shake his head slightly.

This little brat, now relying on his excellent stance training, has already made a name for himself in the academy.

It's not surprising that he taught those "underlings" a couple of tricks to get some fruit and snacks in return.

Although such actions are not respectable, they are still better than petty theft.

Although Jiang Yi felt somewhat helpless, he couldn't really stop him.

I decided to stop thinking about it and simply placed the basket at my feet. Then I looked up and gazed towards the back of the mountain.

That mountainous area is rare in terms of wild delicacies, but it is also rich in grass and dense forests.

The fewer people set foot there, the more wildly the vegetation grows, vying for sunlight and rain in successive waves.

Jiang Yi had considered it before.

A few months ago, after the spring rains, tender buds sprouted, their green leaves looking as if they had been coated with oil.

Jiang Yi paced a few steps in front of the yard, thinking that if he could cut some tender grass to take home and feed the chickens, he could save a few handfuls of bran.

That afternoon, he carried a basket and a sickle on his back and went into the mountain path.

As soon as you step inside, you feel the shadows of trees before your eyes, and the path twists and turns under your feet, making it impossible to distinguish east from west or north from south in the blink of an eye.

After wandering around in the woods for most of the day and struggling for two or three hours, I finally stumbled back to the foot of the mountain, carrying a basket of weeds on my back.

Putting everything else aside, the sheer efficiency of this experience completely disheartened him.

But now, the mountain is getting greener year by year, and the vegetation is growing even more vigorously than people.

My heart started to stir again.

This mountain forest is somewhat eerie.

But over the years, I haven't really heard of any major mishaps.

It's nothing more than people going in, wandering around in a daze, and then coming out in a daze.

But what if people don't go in?

Jiang Yi stood in the courtyard, gazing at the bright green foot of the mountain, when suddenly a thought struck him.

They'll eventually circle back to the foot of the mountain; livestock are never reasonable, so don't be afraid of getting lost.

If you drive that brood of chirping hens into the woods, wouldn't they just find their own way to find the grass and insects?

(End of this chapter)