RIIDMDR chapter 4

 

Nan Xu immediately spotted the words “sweet potato.” Having not eaten starch for so long, he widened his eyes. The abundance of food seemed tailor-made for his situation.

An encyclopedia system? Sounds great.

Nan Xu felt instantly recharged. He opened the inn profile and checked the upgrade requirements.

[Name: Mountain Inn]

[Level: Level 0]

[Address: Zhuyu Mountain]

[Prosperity Value: 32]

[Coins: 0]

Nan Xu tapped on the word “Level,” and the next second, a line of small characters appeared after it.

[Level: 0 (Upgrade Requirements: House: Level 2/Level 2; Courtyard: Level 0/Level 1; Vegetable Plot: Level 0/Level 1; Prosperity: 32/50; Coins: 500).]

The upgrade tasks for the vegetable plot and courtyard haven’t been issued yet, but prosperity seems closely related to the inn environment.

Nan Xu was a bit troubled. Chopping trees and picking up rubble would be easy, but Prosperity is something that won’t be achieved overnight.

The previous two house upgrades increased Prosperity somewhat. Since the requirements for the next house upgrade haven’t been released yet, Nan Xu recalled that the table and bench set increased Prosperity slightly. It seemed like a good starting point.

A simple prompt from the system eased Nan Xu’s disappointment over opening the blind box. It was as if a carrot were dangling before him, and he was the foolish donkey who had no choice but to follow it.

Two pieces of ginger from the blind box on the stove had sprouted. She broke the ginger into pieces by the sprouts and planted them in a cool spot behind the house. He then checked on the scallion roots he’d planted a few days earlier. They were still doing well, and he figured they’d sprout new scallion seedlings soon.

After finishing his chores, Nan Xu decided to venture out and explore further afield.

The task of attracting customers seemed simple enough, but the courtyard was in a remote location. Nan Xu hadn’t seen anyone in days, so he decided to walk out and try his luck. Fortunately, electronic maps meant he no longer had to worry about getting lost. Nan Xu took his bamboo basket and sickle and headed out.

The leather on one of his two pairs of sneakers was scratched from all the climbing and rolling around in the mountains, but the sneakers were still wearable. He just hoped he could get a new pair before they broke.

Birds chirped sweetly in the woods, and Nan Xu felt a surge of joy thinking about the sweet potatoes that were about to arrive.

Two days ago, he dug two small traps near the stream, hoping to catch small animals, such as rabbits or pheasants. He had never hunted before, and perhaps because of his inexperience, the leaves covering the traps remained there for the past few days with no sign of an animal having been caught.

Nan Xu made a special detour to check on them today. The traps were still intact—another day without a catch.

Nan Xu had caught the fish in the stream several times in a row, and now they were much more alert. It was taking him longer and longer to catch them. With his poor fishing skills, once the fish evolved into smarter ones, Nan Xu would lose his biggest source of food.

As he descended the mountain path, the bright area on the system’s map gradually expanded, guiding him to the best route.

He avoided the seemingly treacherous old forest and followed the route the system provided instead. He gathered wood ear mushrooms, as well as mushrooms he recognized, and a few stalks of angelica. He used the angelica to treat bruises, scrapes, and scratches. He even crushed it for external application in case of snakebites. It was truly versatile.

Nearly two hours later, Nan Xu arrived at a stream. He drank the water and washed his face. From his current location, he had an expansive view, but all he could see were the mountains beyond. He could vaguely make out a one-meter-wide path running down the opposite mountain.

The path didn’t look naturally formed; it had more gravel than anything else. It looked as if someone had occasionally walked on it, creating ruts and wear.

Alone in the mountains, Nan Xu had almost thought he wouldn’t see anyone. Now, looking at the path, his heart pounded.

Although it didn’t look that far, as the saying goes, ‘watching the mountain will run a horse to death[mfn]望山跑死馬 (wàng shān pǎo sǐ mǎ) is a Chinese idiom. Literally: “A horse runs to death while trying to reach the mountain it sees.” mean, Things often look closer/easier than they really are, but once you start, it turns out to be much longer/harder.[/mfn].’ If you rely on your legs to walk over there, it’ll probably take at least an hour.

Nan Xu looked up at the sky and decided not to go that way today. If anyone was walking on the path below, he would be able to see them from there. So he sat on a boulder and wove a hat out of vines he had collected along the way while keeping an eye on the path.

After these few days of climbing mountains and diving into the water, it had to be said that he had gotten a shade darker than before.

After finishing the hat, he used the leftover vines to weave two small fish cages. He dug up some earthworms and mud and stuffed them into the cages, ready to fish.

The terrain here was much flatter and the stream was much wider than near the cabin. Nan Xu took off his shoes and waded into the water. He lowered the cages into the cracks between the rocks to secure them. Then, he found some evenly shaped stones in the water and placed them in a dry area near the shore. Finally, he placed a wide stone slab on top to make a simple stove.

After waiting half an hour, he retrieved the cages. Inside were some small fish and shrimp. Nan Xu cleaned the fish and shrimp, then fried them on the stone slab.

After eating fish and bamboo shoots for a week, they were starting to get cloying. Today, Nanxu particularly favored the small, tender, crispy, springy shrimp.

If only there were green peppers! Stir-fried shrimp with green peppers would also be a delicious river delicacy.

Nanxu remembered the dried chili peppers in the seasoning from last time. Maybe he could use the chili seeds to grow a few chili plants. Then, he wouldn’t have to worry about running out of dried chili peppers from the blind box.

As time passed and the sun gradually set in the west, Nanxu decided that he wouldn’t see any passersby that day. He returned to the cabin carrying a basket of mushrooms, black fungus, and shrimp from the fish cage.

Over the next few days, Nan Xu explored the perimeter of the courtyard. He didn’t dare enter it, except for the lush forest. He lit nearly the entire area surrounding the courtyard, which made him realize how unlikely it was that a guest would ever stay in this remote mountain forest.

He began to wonder if the system was playing tricks on him by giving him an impossible task: keeping him busy and wasting his time in the hope that he would eventually be trapped to death in this deserted mountain.

This thought was too extreme, but as the days passed without a single living soul in sight, Nan Xu’s spirits began to wane. The lack of communication, the harsh living conditions, and the uncertainty about the future could easily destroy a person’s mental defenses. Nan Xu realized that he couldn’t continue like this and forced himself to forget about the mission temporarily. He began to find a way to survive peacefully.

As April came to an end, Nan Xu made several trips to the bamboo forest. He harvested a large amount of bamboo shoots using bamboo baskets that he had woven himself. He cut the shoots into slices and strips, then dried them in the sun for storage. Otherwise, if it rained in the next few days, the shoots would grow into stalks half a man’s height and become inedible. Nan Xu knew survival in the mountains was difficult, so he’d been carrying a bamboo basket wherever he went lately. He gathered whatever he found—whether mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, ferns, or herbs—preparing and drying them for storage if necessary.

Seven or eight days passed, and two bamboo baskets of dried goods were stacked on the stone slab next to the stove in Nan Xu’s kitchen. This abundance of supplies helped improve Nan Xu’s mood.

That day, Nan Xu left after daybreak as usual. His traps still hadn’t yielded any prey, so he took his hatchet and entered the dense forest near the stream, attempting to go deeper in.

Nan Xu was reluctant to enter overgrown forests. First, he couldn’t see the path clearly and feared venomous snakes or wild animals lurking within. Second, the environment was too harsh. It was difficult to carve a path through the overgrown vegetation, which would easily damage his clothes and shoes.

Today, however, he wanted to enter because he had explored the surrounding area, and this area was the only blind spot on the map. The courtyard where he lived was not far away. If he continued to be timid and didn’t approach it, this unfamiliar place might become dangerous in the future.

Today, however, he was lucky. After walking for about half an hour, he came upon a patch of wild raspberries. The bright red berries, juicy and vibrant, hung from the slender bushes like tiny lanterns—a delightful sight.

Eagerly, Nan Xu approached, plucked one, and popped it into his mouth. It was juicy and sweet with a hint of tartness—and incredibly delicious!

Wild raspberries contain a variety of trace elements and are highly nutritious. For someone like Nan Xu, who currently has a limited diet, they are a rare delicacy.

After eating a dozen or so berries, Nan Xu found some soft leaves nearby. He placed them in the bottom of his bamboo basket before beginning to pick more berries. He was extremely careful, plucking and placing them gently. He cherished this rare delicacy with all his heart.

After picking the berries, Nan Xu circled the raspberry bushes. Then, he decisively picked the best and strongest one and uprooted it. He planned to take it home and plant it near the edge of his yard.

The system beeped as if trying to determine if Nan Xu’s unauthorized act of plucking violated any regulations. In the end, however, no notification popped up.

Satisfied, Nan Xu returned to the cabin with a basket of berries and a sapling. As he pushed open the small courtyard door, he paused. In the center of the yard, where he had woken up, a vibrantly feathered bird lay quietly, its fate uncertain.

Soup, stir-fry, grill…

Nan Xu stared at the motionless bird, his mind racing with recipes like the closing credits of a movie.

After gorging on fish and shrimp, he had long since stopped craving other meats.

Furthermore, he had set his traps for days without catching any prey. Now, after a trip out, he had found food in his yard. Wasn’t this a gift from nature?

But the bird’s location was awkward indeed. If the bird were anywhere else, Nan Xu wouldn’t have given it much thought. But this bird was like another Nan Xu. Could it be another system—an outsider who had arrived inexplicably with a mission?

Nan Xu didn’t have time to dwell on it before the system issued him a mission:

[Side Mission 1: Rescue the Golden Eagle Cub.]

This was the first time the system had issued a side mission. Amused by his own fertile imagination, Nan Xu collected his thoughts.

He stopped thinking about the target of the mission. At that moment, the lifeless bird fluttered its wings slightly — a hint of movement.