Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 64: The Eccentric Plea for Help

Translator: 549690339

Once Feng Jun lost his temper, Jia Xingwang was taken aback.

It was only then that he realized the man before him was a stranger with unknown origins. Moreover, he was a lone traveler.

In this realm, those who dare to travel alone are usually not to be trifled with. It might be nothing to wander alone near the village, but to have the guts to travel to foreign parts alone, without significant skill, simply wouldn’t do.

It was precisely for this reason that the people of Small Lake Village didn’t treat Feng Jun very well.

If he had been traveling with a group of a dozen or so people, including the elderly, women, and children, the villagers wouldn’t have been so indifferent.

The image Feng Jun presented did, admittedly, fit the profile of a bandit scout quite well.

At this moment, Jia Xingwang couldn’t help but think: Could this guy really make a living off the edge of a knife?

Hearing the other party threaten to “kill the entire family,” he really wanted to blow up – after all, as the son of the village chief, when had he ever suffered such an insult?

But he didn’t dare, because Lang Damei was clearly siding with the other guy.

Although there were many able-bodied men in Small Lake Village, apart from his cousin who could barely match Lang Damei, no one could defeat her, not to mention her father, Lang Zhen, who was the strongest in martial arts within the village.

Old Lang might have been advanced in years, but after all, he had worked at the Escort Agency in the county town and earned himself the nickname “Lone Wolf.” Even having lost a hand, none of the village’s young men dared to disrespect him.

If the Lang Family decided to take the stranger’s side, most of the other villagers would just watch indifferently.

So, Jia Xingwang stomped his foot in frustration, turned, and headed back to the village, calling out as he went, “You just wait, whippersnapper.”

After seeing him leave, Lang Damei returned and said, “Don’t mind him, you are a guest of our Lang Family.”

Feng Jun thought for a moment before asking, “According to what you’re saying, if someone else threatens revenge, we can kill them, so can I kill him?”

“Of course not,” Lang Damei said, startled by his words, “We’ve already made an enemy of that guy today; it’s kill or be killed. The two of you just had a verbal argument. It’s not that serious, and besides…”

She lowered her voice and glanced around before continuing, “Besides, we’re in the village. It’s not proper to kill someone here.”

Feng Jun looked at her smilingly, “The key issue is that it’s inconvenient to take his stuff after killing him, right?”

“Don’t joke about that,” Lang Damei retorted with a smile, “People in the village squabble all the time. How can anyone take it seriously?”

Feng Jun replied seriously, “The crux of the problem is that I’m not a villager. Why should he have the right to offend me repeatedly?”

Lang Damei certainly knew why. She was of age to be thinking about love and knew that Jia Xingwang considered her his betrothed, and that he was jealous. But as an unmarried young woman, she did not feel comfortable explaining this.

So she could only respond softly, “He’s not usually like this. Just do me the favor and pay him no mind.”

Feng Jun scoffed to himself, ‘Do you a favor? It seems like you owe me a favor, not the other way around.’

However, what was the point of taking it seriously? There were too many people with loose tongues; if he really took offense at every little thing, he’d never manage to deal with them all.

That night, the rain grew even heavier. The next morning, although it had temporarily stopped, the mountain trails were muddy and difficult to navigate. Lang Damei made a special trip to tell him not to descend the mountain, as flash floods and landslides could occur anywhere without warning.

Feng Jun understood this logic all too well. The small stream by the village had swollen, and the clear water had turned murky.

He had no choice but to continue his temporary stay on the edge of the village.

The rain drizzled on for five days, and Feng Jun gritted his teeth and stayed just as many days at the village’s edge.

During this time, only the Lang Family Siblings visited him. The snack-loving Lang Xiaodi got two more pieces of chocolate from him.

When Lang Damei came to see him, she always brought a jar of meat porridge with her. While the already scant strips of meat became fewer and fewer, it was clear that the Lang Family made an effort to maintain their relationship and did not ignore him.

As for Lang Zhen and his wife not visiting, Feng Jun understood. After all, everything about him, from his accent and hairstyle to his clothing style, was too suspicious.

Jia Xingwang also passed by from afar twice, his gaze filled with spite and hatred when he looked at Feng Jun.

That look made Feng Jun very uncomfortable, and he badly wanted to go up and give the guy a thrashing.

On the fifth day of rain, the temperature dropped significantly. Although it was summer, the rain-covered area was too extensive for the warm air to circulate, causing temperatures to drop by at least a dozen degrees compared to the previous days, and it got even colder at night.

Feng Jun had not anticipated that the weather would hold him up like this. He had plenty of warm clothing, but it was all stashed in his shelter up the mountain, leaving only a light jacket and a thin blanket in his backpack. Without a fire, it would be hard to withstand the chill of the night.

But where would he find dry firewood to make a fire?

In the evening, as he looked at the gloomy sky, Feng Jun firmly resolved that if the rain wasn’t too heavy that night, he would definitely leave as early as possible the next day.

Through his conversations with Lang Damei in the past few days, he had gained a lot of insight into this space.

Just then, two figures approached from the distance. The one in the lead was of a small stature — it was none other than Lang Xiaodi.

Seeing him, Feng Jun couldn’t help but smile. The little guy might be a bit simple-minded, but that was just childlike innocence; he very much liked his naivety and cheerfulness.

Moreover, it must be admitted that though the Lang Family practiced martial arts, they truly emphasized the cultivation of their descendants, who were especially well-mannered.

Behind Lang Little Brother stood a woman in her thirties, also from Small Lake Village.

Upon seeing him approach, Feng Jun greeted him with a smile, “Why didn’t you come over yesterday?”

“Xiao Douzi was sick,” Lang Little Brother answered with a mournful face, “He had a fever all over, and Chief Jia said it might be the epidemic, that he might not make it…”

Saying this, his mouth quivered and he suddenly burst into tears.

Xiao Douzi was his playmate, both born in the same year. Because of his small stature, he followed Lang Little Brother as an attendant.

“Epidemic?” Feng Jun looked at the woman impassively, “Who are you?”

The woman’s eyes were bloodshot, and upon his inquiry, she couldn’t help but shed tears again. She paid her respects, “I have seen you before, Feng Little Brother. I am Ding Erlang’s wife and Xiao Douzi’s mother.”

“Hmm,” Feng Jun nodded slightly, then asked solemnly, “What does Ding Ersao seek from me?”

“My Xiao Douzi is about… about not going to make it,” Ding Ersao choked up with tears as she spoke, “He has a wish that he wants to fulfill before he goes, before he goes he still wants to… to have some chocolate, hoping Little Brother can grant his wish.”

Chocolate? Feng Jun had a confused look on his face; he was all prepared to step in and save someone, and now suddenly he heard that they were seeking him out for a piece of chocolate, which left him utterly speechless.

Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with your communication skills?

Lang Little Brother quietly said from the side, “I shared some chocolate with Xiao Douzi.”

Feng Jun then realized, they really… really did come to ask for chocolate.

What was I thinking, how would you know my backpack had cold medicine, had antibiotics in it?

Seeing that he was not responding, Ding Ersao knelt down with a plop in the mud, “I was disrespectful to you a few days ago, it was my fault, please accept my apology.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a cloth pouch from her bosom, opening it with trembling hands to reveal a small silver hairpin.

She held up the hairpin in both hands, tears streaming down her face, “I know that chocolate is a rare thing, unable to afford it, this hairpin is my dowry from mynatai family; it’s a small token of my heart, please don’t think it’s too little, Feng Little Brother.”

Feng Jun was astonished, “You actually also know about the delights of chocolate?”

“My Xiao Douzi… has always been very filial,” Ding Ersao answered with sobs, “He got a piece of chocolate bigger than a bean and even brought it home to share with me and Erlang…”

Feng Jun was immediately moved; living on Earth he had seen plenty of parents with dutiful children, but he had never encountered a child who, on receiving just a little treat, would bring it home to share with their parents.

Just for that reason alone, he could not stand idly by. Filial piety ought to be encouraged.

However, before all that, he still had to ask, “But this chocolate, it will not cure the child’s illness, you taking out this hairpin…”

“This is my mistake,” Ding Ersao burst into loud sobbing upon hearing this.

“Xiao Douzi being born into my family never enjoyed any fortune but suffered quite a bit instead. He’s also very sensible and never asks for anything… now that he is about to leave, I must fulfill his last wish no matter what.”

Lang Little Brother wiped away tears and spoke with a choked voice, “They’re worried Xiao Douzi has caught the epidemic and want to carry him to a gully while he’s still alive, to let him fend for himself.”

“Outrageous,” Feng Jun exclaimed angrily upon hearing this, “Ding Ersao, tell me everything about how Xiao Douzi fell ill, and describe his symptoms to me in detail.”

Xiao Douzi fell ill playing in the lake on a rainy day, children of his age were really too mischievous.

He started feeling cold when he came back that day, and began sneezing the next, but the family didn’t pay much attention, just casually brewed him some herbal remedies, as poor families often do, relying on endurance when sick.

Because of the rain, it was quite cold in the house, but luxury as to light a fire for warmth in the summer was unheard of in any home.

The villagers of Small Lake Village, even in winter, would not light fires for warmth except for the coldest few days.

It wasn’t that they were too stingy toburn wood—with the mountains close by, how could they lack for firewood? The key was not to raise people to be too delicate.

From early yesterday morning, Xiao Douzi had a persistent high fever, and that’s when the Ding family became anxious, calling for Chief Jia to see him.

The Chief happened to be a half-doctor and prescribed a remedy, but Xiao Douzi’s fever wouldn’t subside. Today the Chief announced that the little fellow was beyond help, probably it was the epidemic.

In this heavy rain, it wasn’t possible to take the child out for treatment. Ding Ersao came seeking Feng Jun, to fulfill her child’s final wish.

Feng Jun contemplated for a moment, feeling the antibiotics he carried with him should be able to treat the illness.

So he spoke up, “As for chocolate, I can indeed give you a piece, but, are you really content to let the child go just like that?”

“What else can I do if I’m not willing?” Ding Ersao replied with tears, only to freeze the next moment.

Then, a spark of hope ignited in her eyes, and she excitedly asked, “Brother Feng from the Feng Family… do you have a way?”

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