She became a god

In the Central Continent there is a small country called Daqi.

In the southwest of the Great Qi Dynasty, a large river flows through several counties. A small village in Luofeng County was named "Xihe Village" because it was located on the west side of the river.

At the end of Xihe Village stands a dilapidated temple, its statues weathered and worn, making it impossible to discern which deity is enshrined there.

In the only habitable room in the dilapidated temple, a woman is inspecting her bow and arrows.

It was a very simple bow, but it was enough for the woman.

The dried meat hanging on the hemp rope in the east wing and the silver hidden under the stone bricks were all her savings accumulated over the years.

But these are not enough.

Before stepping out of the room, she glanced at the row of straw bears on the headboard.

She made these little bears very lifelike, but they were still far from the one in her memory.

Although there was no one near the dilapidated temple, she had to cross the bridge to go hunting in the mountains, and there were many women washing clothes on both sides of the river under the bridge.

The women, who had been chatting and laughing, fell silent upon seeing the woman.

Only after the woman had walked away did the women begin to speak quietly again.

"I never imagined that this little girl could stay in the dilapidated temple for so many years."

"This girl is really lucky. I remember the first time I met her, she was only ten years old. It's really not easy for a little kid to figure out how to hunt and sell for money."

"There aren't many adults who can support themselves, so it's really impressive that she can support herself."

Everyone started talking about how hard this little girl had it.

.........

A woman who had just married into the family last month asked in bewilderment, "Why is no one willing to adopt such a capable young woman?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent.

It was her cousin, who had been married into Xihe Village for several years, who came to the rescue, saying, "This girl can eat too much."

"Being able to eat is a blessing! Besides, isn't she good at hunting?"

The new bride's cousin whispered, "Sister, those families who adopted her did so because they thought she could hunt. But it turns out this child can eat a lot; she eats both grain and meat."

“Those people originally intended to give her a bite to eat and sell her prey. But by bringing her into their homes, they would only get a few more bites of meat and no money in return, so naturally they were no longer willing to keep her.”

The new bride was stunned and didn't know what to say.

These are tough times, so it's normal that villagers are unwilling to raise another child.

But to raise someone for a while and then send them away, treating them like a football, is really too cruel.

By this time, the riverbank was already filled with laughter and joy again.

The new bride couldn't contain her curiosity and asked her cousin about the little girl again, "What's this girl's name? We're from the same village. It would be embarrassing if I met her alone and couldn't remember her name."

My cousin said, "Wen Xichun. She's a girl with a hard life, but also a strange person. Remember, it's best to avoid her, especially..."

"Especially what?"

My cousin kindly reminded me, "Especially don't touch her straw bear."

The new bride asked curiously, "What if I accidentally bumped into it..."

"It's best to avoid it, otherwise someone could die."

“A group of naughty boys took advantage of Wenxi Chun’s trip to the mountains to hunt, entered the dilapidated temple, stole the cured meat, and burned many things, including the straw bear.”

"Wen Xichun returned just in time to witness this scene, and beat all those little boys half to death..."

At this point, my cousin shuddered. "The children were crying so loudly that adults came to their rescue. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened."

"After that incident, the village chief wanted to send Wen Xichun away, but the county magistrate disagreed."

The new bride was shocked. "What does this have to do with the county magistrate?"

"The emperor is a firm believer in ghosts and gods. Wen Xichun suddenly appeared in a dilapidated temple ten years ago and has lived there peacefully for so many years. The county magistrate has long since proclaimed it as an auspicious omen."

"Why is that temple still so dilapidated?"

Her cousin rolled her eyes at her, "Auspicious omens are just a matter of words, but repairing the temple costs money. The officials' money never goes out, so if the day comes for repairing the temple, the people of our county will suffer."

………………

After an hour in the mountains, Wenxichun had a bountiful harvest: two pheasants and a litter of rabbits.

She roasted a rabbit, sprinkled it with coarse salt, and had it for lunch.

She strung her prey together with vines, put it in her basket, and continued walking deeper into the mountains.

It was the Grain Rain season, and a light rain had just fallen the night before. The wild fruits in the mountains still had glistening dewdrops on them. She picked a few at random, and each one was sweet and delicious.

Wenxi Chun didn't like eating fruit, so she didn't specifically collect wild fruit; she would just pick a few edible fruits on the spot when she was thirsty.

Half an hour after she ventured deep into the mountains, she caught another wild roe deer. It looked silly, and she couldn't understand why those high-ranking officials and nobles insisted on eating such a foolish wild animal.

Wen Xichun couldn't understand it, and she was too lazy to think about what those people were thinking. As long as she didn't lose the money they gave her, that was enough.

Before she knew it, she had entered the jungle.

Wen Xichun had always had excellent hearing, and she clearly heard a strange yet familiar wild beast cry.

It sounded like a pig's squeal, and also like a bird's cry.

Wen Xichun put the basket on his back at his feet and pulled up a large handful of wild grass to cover it.

She found a big tree and climbed up it quietly.

Climb to a certain height, and then use your memory to find the strange-sounding beast.

Wen Xichun was a very patient person. She waited for almost half an hour before she could see the true face of the strange beast.

The beast was reddish-brown all over, with a round face, white markings on its cheeks, and large ears. Its limbs were short and thick, and dark brown. Its tail was long and thick, with bushy fur and several dark red rings.

Its large tail swayed gently, making it difficult to count exactly how many rings it had.

This beast resembles a cat or a dog, and is close to a fox but looks like a bear.

If the elk is considered a creature that resembles neither fish nor fowl, then this beast should be considered a smaller version of the same creature.

Just one glance, a distant look across dozens of trees, and Wen Xichun felt her heart pounding.

Straw Bear!

Her straw bear!

I finally found you!

Wen Xichun gazed greedily at the little guy several more times, then, after locking onto the direction, slowly climbed down the tree and moved to the tree where the little guy was hanging.

When they got closer, Wen Xichun, with her good eyesight, could even see the little guy sticking out his tongue.

Actually, the best way to catch the little guy is to shoot an arrow from ten paces away.

But Wen Xichun couldn't bear to hurt her straw bear. She would quietly climb up, grab the straw bear's big tail, and take her bear home.

But when Wen Xichun climbed up, she discovered... the straw bear was gone!

who is it?

who is it!

Who kidnapped the straw bear when she wasn't looking?

Wenxichun sat where the straw bear had been, with only a few scattered green fruits on the nearest branches.

Wen Xichun looked up and around. It was a wild cherry tree. It was cold in the mountains, so the cherry trees grew slowly and the cherries were not yet ripe.

So, the straw bear likes to eat sweet fruits!

Wen Xichun smiled; she was so happy that she almost missed a step when she was climbing down the tree.

The moment she stepped out of the mountains, she looked back once.

Straw Bear, see you next time!

I will definitely catch you!