Chapter 3

Lu Yue had barely walked a few steps before her legs started wobbling. She wasn't being dramatic. Her legs really had gone weak. Both felt as heavy as lead. Every step was like walking on cotton, and her vision kept going dark in waves. Even the tree in front of her seemed to split into two. Her pace slowed. She rested a hand on Lu Man's arm, and her whole body suddenly sagged. “Dad…” Her voice was weak and drawn out. Lu Man hurriedly caught her. The lingzhi mushrooms nearly slipped out of her arms, and he scrambled to keep them from falling. “What is it? What's wrong?” “I can't walk anymore…” Lu Yue raised her head. Her face was as pale as paper, and her lips had lost all their color. “I haven't eaten anything. My legs are weak, and I'm really dizzy.” Lu Man's brows knitted together. He didn't hold back as he scolded her. “You little rascal! How many times have I told you? Don't go into the mountains alone! Don't go into the mountains alone! Where are your ears? “Do you think this mountain is your own backyard? What kind of things are out here at night? Wild boars, wolves, snakes! Any one of them could kill you!” The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. His voice even cracked. “If something happened to you, wouldn't your mother cry herself to death? You…” He stopped mid-sentence and looked down at Lu Yue's face. She was so thin that there seemed to be nothing but skin covering her bones. Her cheekbones protruded, her eye sockets were sunken, and her lips were cracked and dry, with bits of wild greens still stuck to them. The words caught in Lu Man's throat. He took a deep breath, removed his outer jacket, and used it to bundle all the lingzhi mushrooms together. He shifted the bundle to his left hand, wiped his face with his right, and crouched down. “Get on!” Lu Yue froze for a moment. “What are you waiting for? Get on! I'll carry you. It'll be faster this way. “It's almost completely dark. Do you want to spend the night in this forest?” Lu Man turned his head and urged her impatiently. Lu Yue looked at his back… There were two holes in the back of his tattered shirt, revealing the dark, sun-weathered skin underneath. His backbone protruded, each vertebra clearly visible, like the ridges of a washboard. She climbed onto his back and draped her arms over his shoulders. Lu Man supported the backs of her knees with one hand and carried the bundle of lingzhi in the other. He staggered slightly as he stood up, but he didn't stop. He immediately started walking. “Hold on tight. Don't slip off.” “Mm.” Lu Yue lay against his back, her cheek resting on his shoulder. She could smell the sweat on him. It was mixed with the earthy scent of plants and trees, along with the smoky smell of firewood. It had been so long since anyone had carried her! She remembered that when she was little, she'd once had a terrible fever. Her father had carried her straight to the small village clinic! Before she came here, her parents had both passed away. But now, she had parents again! Her eyes were half-closed when her stomach growled once more. This time, it was so loud that even Lu Man heard it. “Did you really go the whole day without eating?” “I only ate a couple of bites of wild greens… “They were roasted over the fire. Some of them were burnt…” “You can eat things roasted directly over a fire?!” Lu Man's voice shot up. “You've gotten quite bold, haven't you? You even dared to eat them burnt? What if you upset your stomach?” “I was hungry…” Lu Yue answered weakly, her voice barely louder than a mosquito's buzz. Lu Man said nothing more. He quickened his pace, his feet crushing the dry branches beneath him with sharp cracks. The forest was growing darker. The thick canopy overhead blocked out almost all the light. Only a few beams of sunlight slipped through the gaps, falling onto the ground like scattered gold. Lu Yue lay on his back, her head swaying gently with each step. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed. On the hillside ahead, among a patch of low shrubs, something bright red hung from the branches. She blinked hard and looked again. She could see it clearly! Little cherries! They were bright red, hanging in clusters from the branches like tiny lanterns. They were visible even from quite a distance. “Dad…” “What is it now?” “Over there! There are little cherries over there.” Lu Man followed the direction of her pointing finger and paused. “Where?” “Right there! That short tree, the one with the red things on it.” Lu Man squinted and looked for a couple of seconds. Then he changed direction and headed toward it. When they got closer, they could finally see clearly! It was a clump of shrubs with slender branches and lush, bright green leaves. Hanging from them were clusters of little red fruits, each about the size of a pinky fingernail. They were round and plump, with skins so thin that the juice inside was almost visible. Lu Yue leaned forward from his back and reached out to pluck a cluster of the fruits. They felt soft and tender in her hand. She carefully picked the dark reddish ones and brought them closer to her nose. They had a sweet-and-sour fragrance. She popped one straight into her mouth. “Hey! You…” Lu Man wasn't quick enough to stop her. Lu Yue gave it a chew, and the juice burst across her tongue. It was sweet with just a hint of tartness—nine parts sweet and one part sour. Absolutely perfect! Even after swallowing, the refreshing fragrance lingered in her mouth. “They're edible!” She popped two more into her mouth. “They're sweet, not sour.” She lowered her head and looked at the fruits in her hand, searching through her knowledge from her previous life. These weren't as big as cherries, but once they turned a dark reddish-black, they became very sweet. The red ones were edible too, but they were on the sour side. She didn't like those! She plucked another cluster and stuffed the fruits into her mouth, puffing out her cheeks. Juice trickled from the corners of her mouth as she chewed. She desperately needed some sugar. Her blood sugar was already low! “Dad, you should eat some too.” She held the fruits up to Lu Man's mouth. Lu Man hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth and biting down on one. He chewed twice and was just about to frown when his expression relaxed. It was sweet! He'd tried these fruits once before. They were bright red and looked pretty, but they had been so sour that they made his teeth ache! “They're sweet! The ones I ate before were all sour.” “Dad, the red ones are sour, but the dark reddish ones are sweet. I'll pick some more!” “Mm. I'll do it!” Lu Man put Lu Yue down. He broke off the two branches that were almost entirely covered in dark reddish-black fruits. Then he broke off another branch and stuffed it into her arms! Quick and straightforward. Then he said, “Come on. Get on!” He popped two more fruits into his mouth, shifted the lingzhi mushrooms to his other hand, and continued carrying Lu Yue toward home. Lu Yue lay on his back, one arm around his neck and the other holding the little cherry branch. Every now and then, she turned her head to bite off another fruit. Mm! So sweet. This dad was pretty good! “That's enough. Don't eat too many, or you'll end up with a bloated stomach,” Lu Man said, turning his head slightly. “Got it, got it!” She agreed obediently, but turned around and ate two more. Lu Man sighed and said nothing else. He continued walking steadily. The sun had already sunk behind the mountains, leaving only a streak of orange-red along the horizon. The forest grew darker and darker. The shadows of the trees stretched out long across the ground, resembling ghostly figures. A bird cried out in the distance. Its call was piercing and eerie. It sounded twice before falling silent. Lu Man quickened his pace, almost breaking into a run. Lu Yue bounced up and down on his back. The branch of fruit in her hand was nearly slipping away, so she quickly tightened her grip. “Dad, slow down! Slow down…” “I can't. It'll be hard to see the path once it gets dark.” Lu Man kept moving, his head lowered as he watched the ground. Tree roots and rocks covered the path. One careless step could send him tumbling. Suddenly, Lu Yue tapped him on the shoulder. “Dad, look over there.” “What is it now?” “That patch over there… Could those be yam vines?” Lu Man glanced in the direction she pointed. It was already so dark that he couldn't make anything out. “I can't see a thing!” “But…” “No buts. We're going home.” Lu Man quickened his pace even more, practically running all the way down the mountain. Lu Yue lay on his back with a fruit in her mouth and mumbled something indistinctly. The wind rushed into her mouth, and not a single word could be heard. At the edge of the forest, the light of torches flickered. Someone was shouting, “Manzi… Manzi… Have you found her yet?!” It was Lu Liang's voice. He was yelling at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing back and forth through the valley. Lu Man shouted back, “Found her! We're heading back!” The torchlight grew brighter. Several torches were waving outside the forest, with figures moving around beneath them. Lu Yue narrowed her eyes and looked over. She could make out several people standing at the edge of the woods. The tallest one at the front was Lu Liang, her eldest uncle! Beside him stood Lu Cang, her second uncle. He was holding a torch, its light illuminating his face, which was covered in anxious sweat. And then, beside them… A woman's sharp voice suddenly rang out. “Yue'er… “Have you found Yue'er yet?” It was Shen Qing, her mother!