Chapter 001: The Lu Family of the Pit Girl

In the northernmost part of the Yuan Dynasty, there is Anzhou. Outside the city of Anzhou, there are continuous mountain ranges, with tall mountains and deep forests, abundant wild animals, and naturally a gathering place for hunters. Almost half of the fur used by the Yuan Dynasty every year comes from here.

The prefectural city of Anzhou is not large, and it only gets lively for about three months in the autumn. Now, with just over a month left until the New Year, all the merchant caravans are heading south, leaving the city and its surroundings deserted.

Thirty miles north of the prefectural city is a village called Laohuangling. It is said that a long time ago, it was a favorite haunt of black bears, which often appeared. Later, some heroes and brave men took action and killed more than a dozen black bears in a few years, bringing peace to the ridge and attracting many hunters to settle there.

The years passed peacefully, flowing slowly like a small river, and the village gradually grew, with a total of eighteen households.

With more people, naturally there are more conflicts, but as the old saying goes, "The more righteous people there are, the more dog butchers there are," and it is often the unfaithful scholars who cause the most trouble.

The hunters had not read many books, and when they went hunting together, they took care of each other. Therefore, even though their surnames were different and their origins were from all over the place, they got along like one big family on ordinary days.

Most of the eighteen courtyards in Laohuangling are wooden houses, easy and cheap to build, giving them a simple and rugged appearance from a distance.

But the highest courtyard on the ridge is a brick and tile structure, with two entrances and solid courtyard walls, and the gray tiles look clean, giving it a somewhat proud and distinctive appearance.

Lu Xiaomi frowned as she broke off the dry branches in her hand and stuffed them into the stove, glancing for the hundredth time at the courtyard gate.

Today, Lu's eldest son went into the city for the second time to exchange the family's grain for money. He left before the sun rose, and now, with the sun already past noon and still not back, she was really worried.

In the main house, the old man of the Lu family, who was in his mid-fifties, was staring into the sky with an old book in one hand and his chin in the other, lost in thought, perhaps thinking of his late wife, Mrs. Bai, who was also Lu Xiaomi's birth mother.

Lu Xiaomi had originally wanted to ask her father to add some charcoal to the brazier, but seeing him like this, she swallowed her words and bent her head to break the tree branches as if they were some unknown enemy.

"I'm not depressed, I should be content, content!"

She had been staying with the Lu family for two months now, or more accurately, "lodging" with the Lu family for two months.

In her previous life, she was an abandoned baby left at the door of an orphanage. After growing up and finishing college, she had just received her first month's salary. She was excited to rush back to the orphanage to buy medicine for the old head of the orphanage and stationery, shoes, and socks for her younger siblings. But in a car accident, when she opened her eyes, she found herself in this remote place, becoming the youngest daughter of the Lu family.

Well, she had no relatives since she was a child, and now with more memories and a father and three brothers, it wasn't a bad thing to have someone to love her.

But, this father and three brothers had the ability to make her see red at any time and any place!

The old master of the Lu family, the hero who made the black bears tremble with fear, had almost built this large courtyard on the blood and tears of the black bears. He also cultivated thirty acres of fertile land at the foot of the mountain. As long as Lu's father wasn't a fool, he could guarantee a worry-free life.

However, the Lu family was barely getting by these days.

When Lu Xiaomi first woke up, she didn't even have time to sort out the memories of the original owner for a few days before taking over the daily life of the Lu family's large courtyard.

The reason was simple. Since she was lucky enough to have a second chance at life, she couldn't starve to death in a few days.

After hiring people to retrieve the pitifully small amount of sorghum sticks, two stacks of sorghum, and a dozen bags of wheat from the fields, winter had already arrived.

Lu's father bravely went to pay taxes and sell some money to support the family, but in the end, he only brought back an ancient book.

Lu Xiaomi hadn't spoken to her unreliable father for half a month, and today, she had divided a third of the family's grain and sent her eldest brother into the city.

Concerning the family's oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, cotton-padded clothes, and cotton shoes for the entire winter, how could she not worry?

Perhaps the heavens felt guilty for throwing Lu Xiaomi into the Lu family, and in great mercy, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the Lu family's gate.

Lu Xiaomi immediately threw the "enthusiastic" fire and ran to the courtyard gate.

"Big brother, you're back! How did it go? How much silver did you sell?"

Lu's eldest son had a naturally red face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a sturdy figure, a typical image of a good young man from a rural family that would make any rural woman want to bring him home as a son-in-law at first sight.

But at this moment, seeing his sister looking at him expectantly, he shrank back, looking like he wanted to find a hole to hide in.

"Um, Xiaomi, I, that..."

Lu Xiaomi tried hard to maintain a smile on her face and gritted her teeth, "Big brother, are you saying that you didn't sell a whole cart of grain and didn't even bring back a single copper coin?"

"No! No! I have eight hundred wen!"

Lu's eldest son quickly pulled out a string of copper coins from his pocket and stuffed it into his sister's hand to please her.

Unfortunately, Lu Xiaomi's face looked even worse.

"A whole cart of grain, half sorghum and half millet, at today's grain prices, should be worth at least two taels of silver. Big brother, how could it be only eight hundred wen?"

"Uh, Xiaomi..." Lu's eldest son's eyes were full of guilt, and he subconsciously rubbed his big hands, "When I went into the city, I saw those refugees were so pitiful, so I... um, I gave them half a cart."

"Pity?" Lu Xiaomi couldn't bear it anymore and shouted in anger, "Eldest Brother Lu, do you know this is our family's food supply? We will go hungry in the winter, and you still have the heart to pity others! Do you want to exchange the entire Lu family's food supply to help the refugees? On Mother's death anniversary, let the refugees prepare offerings? Let the refugees mend Third Brother's clothes? Let a family of five's cotton clothes be sewn by the refugees? Is that so?"

Lu Xiaomi was truly angry. Since becoming the youngest daughter of the Lu family, she had been meticulously calculating and planning for the days ahead. But the four and a half men in the Lu family were of no help and only knew how to drag their feet. Unable to scold or hit them, she was so angry that she felt like jumping off a building!

Eldest Brother Lu saw his little sister wiping her eyes with her old coat sleeve and immediately panicked. Originally, the family's life was still okay, but after their mother and sister fell ill, they spent all their savings. After their mother passed away, their father insisted on holding a grand funeral, making the situation even worse.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have to worry so much about his sister's daily life. He had wanted to help by selling some grain to buy his sister some good fabric for a new coat, but the refugees outside the city were just too pitiful, and he couldn't help but soften his heart...

"Xiaomi, don't cry. I was wrong, I won't dare to do it again next time..."

Eldest Brother Lu was so anxious that he wanted to give himself two slaps, as long as his sister could stop crying.

At this moment, the old father in the house finally regained his attention from wherever his mind had wandered off to, threw down his book, and ran out, only to hear footsteps outside the courtyard.

"Dad, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, come and help!"

Before the voice even landed, a young scholar in a blue cotton robe and a square scarf rushed into the courtyard. He had the same thick eyebrows and big eyes, but his figure was thin and weak, with a few more scholarly airs than Eldest Brother Lu, but it was clear that he was a member of the Lu family.

Eldest Brother Lu joyfully pulled the young scholar and exclaimed, "Third Brother, you're back. I was thinking of going to meet you on the road tomorrow."

Yes, the young scholar was none other than Lu Qian, the third son of the Lu family studying at a school in another city.

At this moment, Lu Qian didn't have time to catch up with his older brother and hurriedly asked for help, "Big Brother, I encountered bandits on the way back, thanks to Brother Feng for saving my life. But Brother Feng is injured, so I brought them back together."

"Oh, where are they? Quickly bring them in."

The Lu family all rushed to the courtyard and saw a small blue horse-drawn carriage parked at the gate. The horse was old, the carriage was worn out, and even the curtains had a few "big mouths" open, happily drinking in the northern wind.

But there was a red-clad young boy, about seven or eight years old, chubby and cute, with a topknot on his head. If you ignored the stubbornness on his face, he was a lovely child.

Inside the carriage, an old servant in a gray coat was helping the young master out of the carriage.

The young master was about twenty years old, wearing a dark blue silk robe, his hair tied up with a wooden hairpin, and a large dried bloodstain on his right leg was particularly eye-catching.

Perhaps the wound was aggravated when he got off the carriage, and he slightly furrowed his brows, a hint of pain flashing in his dark eyes. His lips were tightly pursed, but you could still see a trace of pain between his eyebrows.

The Lu family was surprised to find that the person Lu Qian brought back as his savior was such a remarkable figure, and they were all a little stunned.

However, Lu Xiaomi carefully looked at the hastily tied cloth strips on the young gentleman's leg and quickly pushed Eldest Brother Lu, "Big Brother, go and fetch Uncle Bi San. He's the best at setting bones. If he refuses to come because he's drinking, tell him I won't send him chicken feet to go with his wine anymore."

After that, she urged Lu Qian, "Third Brother, go and open the east wing where you stay, lay out the bedding, and prepare for this gentleman to rest. The kang was heated in the morning, so move the brazier from the main hall over. I'll go and boil water, we'll need it when Uncle Bi San arrives."

"Okay, I'll go now."

Eldest Brother Lu ran down the hill, and Lu Qian also hurried into the courtyard.

The way she assigned tasks was efficient and clean, almost as good as a capable housewife, which was completely unexpected coming from a young girl.

Not to mention the gray-coated old man, even the young gentleman who was frowning in pain was a little curious.

Unfortunately, Lu Xiaomi had already hurried off to the kitchen with her two braids swinging, leaving everyone with only a slender and agile figure.

The old father stepped forward to thank the young gentleman for saving his son and then helped the three of them into the east wing.

In a few days, Lu Xiaomi had already heated the kang in anticipation of Lu Qian's return for the winter break, and she had placed a few wooden blocks early in the morning, so the kang was now piping hot.

Lying on the warm bedding with the smell of soapberry, the pale face of Feng Jian quickly regained some color.

The old servant in the gray coat also sat down on the edge of the kang, and the red-clad young boy had already climbed onto the kang without any hesitation.

Lu Xiaomi brought in hot water and a roll of white cotton cloth. Just then, Eldest Brother Lu arrived with Uncle Bi San, who was half-drunk.

When they cut open the blood-stained cotton trousers and unwrapped the bandages, the exposed flesh, and the faintly visible bones were shocking.

The Lu family was all taken aback. Although people in the village often got injured while hunting, and the second son of the Lu family was also skilled in martial arts, they had never seen such a serious injury before.

This young gentleman, who seemed to come from a wealthy family, had endured such a long journey with such a strong will...