Chapter 5: Harvest

Everything was ready. Yu Chengfeng lit the fire and first crushed some caustic soda, throwing it into the pot.

He hadn’t protected his hands while crushing it, so after a short while, his fingers began to redden and burn painfully.

However, the alkalinity of caustic soda wasn’t very strong—it could at worst burn a bit of skin. But the fire alkali was dozens of times stronger; if swallowed by prey, it would immediately burn through their stomachs.

When thick white smoke began to rise from the caustic soda, Yu Chengfeng quickly poured the prepared lime water into the pot. Instantly, dense smoke spread out, accompanied by a hissing sound.

Yu Chengfeng hurriedly dodged to the side, knowing that the fumes alone could damage the respiratory tract.

The fire burned for about half an hour before burning dry. Afterward, a layer of white powder coated the bottom of the pot. Yu Chengfeng carefully poured it out and stored it in a small earthenware jar.

With everything prepared, he went inside to check on Anning, who was still lying on the bed. He added some firewood to the kang stove, took the jar, and stepped outside.

At the door, feeling uneasy, he went to his neighbor’s house to call Gou Dan, asking him to stay and keep Anning company. Then he headed toward the meat stall, spending some money to buy a few sets of offal before carrying them out of the fort.

In fact, offal wasn’t uneaten in ancient times; it was just that nobles and officials avoided it. For poor commoners like them, any meat was a blessing.

Carrying the offal outside the fort, he walked about twenty li until near the forest. The sun hung behind him, about to set.

Yu Chengfeng had deliberately chosen this time, as more animals would come out to forage at night.

He planned to hunt a few foxes or badgers. Using the same amount of fire alkali, he wanted to target animals with higher value.

Moreover, the fire alkali would only burn through the throat, leaving the fur untouched. The pelts of foxes and badgers alone would be worth more than a dozen rabbits.

While pondering this, he scouted the terrain and came to a windy spot. He stuffed fire alkali into a set of offal and threw it on the ground, so the wind would carry the already pungent stench farther.

He set up a total of three sets of offal across five trap locations.

Now all that remained was to wait. By the time he finished, night had fallen, the cold wind rising. Returning was dangerous, and if he went back tonight, he’d have to come out tomorrow morning to check the traps, which would consume too much time and energy.

Yu Chengfeng finally decided to find a place in the mountains to shelter overnight.

He groped through the dark to the foot of the mountain and saw a cave. It was pitch black inside, but outside there was no scent of wild beasts.

He had already endured two hours in the biting cold, his body chilled through and through. After much consideration, he crawled into the cave.

As soon as he entered, he felt notably warmer. As his body warmed, his spirit relaxed. He gathered some dry wood, built a simple fire, and began warming himself by the flames.

After a while, his limbs softened, but then he heard strange noises from deep within the cave.

Yu Chengfeng, a teacher in his previous life, did not believe in ghosts or spirits. Holding a torch, he ventured deeper into the cave. It was not shallow; after more than twenty steps, he reached a bend.

Peering around the corner with his torch, he was nearly scared out of his wits!

There, lying deep in the cave, was an enormous black bear, sound asleep!

The strange noises he’d heard were the bear’s snores.

His hand holding the torch trembled. His previous memories told him that in these mountains, the saying went: one bear, two tigers, three boars. The most fearsome animals here were black bears, followed by tigers and wild boars.

This black bear, possibly weighing a thousand jin, was sleeping soundly less than ten steps away, and it made Yu Chengfeng break into a cold sweat.

Without thinking, he tiptoed back toward the cave entrance. Only upon reaching the mouth did he dare to stop and catch his breath.

Yu Chengfeng hurriedly packed his things, ready to leave, but hesitated, looking outside at the night and the snowstorm.

He was no expert in mountain terrain. If he left the cave now, he might encounter nocturnal predators or become lost in the snow-covered woods. His thin cotton clothes could not protect him overnight in the wilderness.

What to do? Leaving meant death; staying meant death.

His mind raced, and in the end, he chose to stay in the cave.

The bear was likely hibernating and would not wake easily. As long as he was cautious, nothing should happen.

Yu Chengfeng anxiously secured his belongings and curled up beside the fire. Though the warmth initially made him drowsy, the fear robbed him of any rest, and he stayed awake until dawn.

At first light, when the path became visible, he left the cave and headed to check his traps.

With a nervous heart, he approached the first trap and found a pure white fox lying there, mouth dripping with fresh blood, already dead.

He lifted it and stroked its fur; its smoothness guaranteed at least two taels of silver.

Feeling hopeful, he moved to the second trap, where a badger lay nearby.

This badger’s fur was coarse and loose, and its yellowed canine teeth suggested it was old. The pelt wouldn’t fetch much, but some money was better than none, so he took it.

The third trap’s offal was gone, and no animal carcasses or footprints were nearby. Squinting, Yu Chengfeng judged that the strong night wind had likely blown it elsewhere.

He sighed softly and moved on to the remaining two traps.

The fourth held another badger, younger this time with smooth fur, worth a fair price.

At the fifth trap, there was blood spatters and signs of a fallen animal, but no carcass.

After searching the area for some time, he found a set of human footprints. Someone had beaten him to the catch.

With no choice, Yu Chengfeng called it quits and headed back, carrying a modest haul.

Upon returning to town, he went directly to the fur shop and tossed the three animals onto the counter.