Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

After chatting for a while, Ji Manchuan learned that the group of people were soldiers under the command of General Wudu, who were escorting a batch of supplies to the capital.

Yesterday, we stopped to refill our water and rest in this ravine. During the night, we encountered a pack of wolves, and a group of us were slightly injured. Today, we had only been traveling for a short while when we encountered bandits. Because of our injuries, we almost died here.

Upon hearing that this group of people were under the command of General Wudu, Ji Manchuan excitedly rubbed his hands together and said, "Oh my, you are General Wudu's men! General Wudu is the benefactor who protected our Great Northwest from being plundered by foreign tribes. It is truly an honor to be able to help you gentlemen today!"

Ji Yongling listened to Ji Manchuan and Ji Manchuan chatting and thought to himself that these soldiers were also working hard.

She took the opportunity to observe the bandits and found that although they were poorly equipped and few in number, they all had blades, unlike ordinary bandits who were just a group of refugees. She was a little suspicious, but before she could think about it, she heard Li Tiezhu say goodbye.

“Brother Ji, it’s getting late. To avoid any further accidents, we should leave as soon as possible. We won’t linger here any longer. We’ll visit again to express our gratitude when we have the chance,” Li Tiezhu said, clasping his hands in thanks.

Ji Manchuan clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Then I wish all of you gentlemen a safe arrival in the capital soon. I also need to get home as soon as possible; it's too late, and my elderly relatives at home must be worried."

Just as Ji Manchuan turned around, he heard Li Tiezhu call out from behind, "Wait, Brother Ji. There's a mule cart here. We rescued someone on the road earlier, but unfortunately, the owner died from his injuries, so we're leaving it with us. If you don't mind, please accept it, consider it a small token of our gratitude."

"Oh, I can't accept this, this won't do, this won't do," Ji Manchuan quickly declined.

Li Tiezhu took the mule reins from his men and shoved them into Ji Manchuan's hands, saying, "My benefactor, you're too kind. This mule cart is slow and can't keep up with our horse-drawn cart. We were originally planning to sell it in the county. Since we've run into it, please accept it, Brother Ji, as a way of thanking you for your help earlier. Please don't find it offensive."

Ji Manchuan hesitated and said, "This...this is really inappropriate. I only wanted to help you gentlemen, and I didn't want anything in return."

Li Tiezhu's face fell, and he said, "Brother Ji, if you don't accept it, you're looking down on us."

"Father, please accept it." Seeing Li Tiezhu's unyielding expression, Ji Yongling tugged at Ji Manchuan's sleeve and said.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with you gentlemen. Thank you all. If you don't mind, please do me the honor of having a meal at my house next time you pass through Ningping County." Ji Manchuan, holding the mule's reins, clasped his hands in a fist and smiled at Li Tiezhu.

As she turned to leave, Ji Yongling glanced at the wounded soldiers. They were all pale, and one of them seemed to be shivering. She thought for a moment, then reached into her pocket and found a packet of powder in her hand.

Ji Yongling walked back and reached out to Li Tiezhu, saying, "Sir, this medicinal powder has been passed down from our ancestors. It has remarkable effects on external wound infections. If you don't mind, please accept it. Each person should take a dose the size of a little fingernail each time, twice a day. If the condition is severe, you can take it more often."

"How can you give away something so precious so easily? Please put it away quickly." Upon hearing that it was passed down from his ancestors, Li Tiezhu immediately refused with a serious expression.

“It’s alright, we have other herbs. The journey is long, and with the adults injured, some might get infected and develop a fever, delaying our trip. This medicine will help them recover quickly, so you can continue your journey without worry.” Ji Yongling said, placing the pills in Li Tiezhu’s hand before leaving.

In fact, these anti-inflammatory drugs were taken by Ji Yongling from the medicine warehouse in the reserve warehouse. They had been crushed into powder and kept in the control room for emergencies.

Actually, she hesitated for a moment when she gave the medicine to Li Tiezhu, afraid that something would be discovered and she would get into trouble, but after struggling with the decision, she still decided to give it to him.

Human life is worthless in this era.

Li Tiezhu and his men had been attacked by wolves and had also sustained wounds from fighting with bandits. Without anti-inflammatory drugs, some of them might have died.

Now that she has come to this era and seen some things, how could she remain indifferent?

These medicines are like lifeless objects to her, but to some people, they are a life.

She suddenly remembered a quote she had read before: "Heaven gave me a compassionate heart, but not the ability to save all living beings. Even though I am not living a satisfactory life myself, I cannot bear to see the myriad sufferings of this world!"

She shook her head. In this life, all that matters is making choices.

Human suffering is common, and occasionally reaching out a helping hand can warm not only others but also one's own heart.

After Ji Manchuan and Ji Yongling led the mule cart away, a group of soldiers surrounded Li Tiezhu, looking at the powder in his hand with great curiosity. They said, "We've really met some good people." "Is this powder really that miraculous? When we get injured, we always die. Is it really possible that we won't die this time?"

"Eat quickly, deal with these bandits, and hurry on your way." Li Tiezhu waved his hand, distributed the powder, and arranged for people to carry the bandits and throw them into a deep trench dozens of meters away.

"Boss, what kind of stick did that guy use? It was pitch black, I've never seen one like it before," a round-faced soldier asked Li Tiezhu.

"Who cares what he is? He saved so many of our lives all by himself, he's a god reincarnated," Li Tiezhu said casually as he tended to the horses.

The round-faced sergeant pouted and said, "Boss, I don't mean anything by it, I just want to know where this thing came from. It looks really powerful, even a knife can't cut through it. I'm thinking... if we can buy it, let's go buy some too."

"Don't ask too many questions. There are many lay disciples of the Kongtong Sect in this area, and they're quite formidable!"

"Understood." The round-faced soldier reluctantly lowered his head and walked away.

On the other side, Ji Manchuan held a telescopic baton in one hand, swung it up and hoisted it onto his shoulder, while leading the mule with the other hand, occasionally glancing back at the mule cart with a cheerful smile.

This is a mule cart with a detachable carriage, used for both hauling goods and people. In Ningping County, only wealthy gentlemen could afford to use it.

"Dad, I'll go up and see what's in the carriage." With that, Ji Yongling nimbly climbed onto the mule cart.

The carriage was piled high with sacks, presumably containing grain, along with some books and clothing. Ji Yongling, seizing the opportunity, took some books and crop seeds from the storage bins and put them in a cloth bag.

"Father, there's some food, clothing, and books," Ji Yongling said to Ji Manchuan as he jumped out of the carriage.

“Alright, then you try pulling the mule cart, and I’ll pull the handcart.” When they got to their handcart, Ji Manchuan handed the reins to Ji Yongling and went to put the harness on the handcart himself.

"Wait a minute, Dad. Let's move some of the stuff from the cart to the mule cart, so it'll be easier for you to pull it."

"Alright, my daughter really loves her dad." Ji Manchuan was as happy as if he had eaten candy, showing his big white teeth. He was secretly pleased. Although everyone in the village said he didn't have a son, he had a good daughter who was sensible and capable from a young age, which was more useful than a son.

Ji Yongling smiled, because she had just casually stuffed some cotton from the reserve warehouse into the pile of cotton she had bought at the market that day.