Saving People Without Expecting Payback

At that moment, there was a rustling sound nearby. Thinking that an animal was approaching, Xiaoguo quickly hid herself. She was afraid that it could be a large animal. After a while, she could still hear the rustling sound, but there was no sign of anything approaching. Xiaoguo listened harder, and she could hear a faint cry for help among the rustling noises.

Xiaoguo couldn’t help but relate to a scene from Journey to the

West

. It was a scene in the forest where the character Red Boy transformed himself into a woman to deceive

Tripitaka

. Thinking of that as a parallel to her current circumstances, Xiaoguo gave a fearful shudder. She was beginning to feel that she could be overreacting. Her imagination was becoming a little too wild.

Xiaoguo made sure that there was no danger and she slowly approached the direction of the sound. It came from a hole in the ground. Xiaoguo guessed that it was an abandoned trap. She could tell by the rotting wooden picks around the hole. Usually, traps were set up with sharpened wood to injure their prey. Big wooden picks were usually used for big traps. By Xiaoguo’s estimation, these must have been here for at least five or six years. Once she stepped on the wood, it disintegrated into dust. It would usually take years for the wood to rot to this extent.

Xiaoguo asked in a low, rough voice, “Ahem, is there someone inside?”

The voice which sounded earlier on, was initially low and lifeless. But when the person heard Xiaoguo’s voice, he replied in a loud and energetic tone. “Yes, yes, I am here. Big Brother, help me.” The man had almost given up all hope, but he was still holding on to a glimmer of hope and didn’t stop throwing wooden picks out of the trap. To think that now there was really someone here.

After saying those words, he was afraid that the person would leave. He began to explain his situation. “Brother, my surname is Li and I’m from a small fishing village. Someone in my family was injured and I came here to hunt for wild chickens and rabbits. These can be made into tonics that help with recuperation. I didn’t expect to fall in here. Help me, brother.”

Xiaoguo didn’t answer him. She was too busy with the task at hand. The man was afraid that Xiaoguo would leave, so he kept calling out to her. After a while, a rope made of vines was thrown down. The man was overjoyed and quickly climbed up the rope. When he reached the ground, the man—who had just escaped from disaster—quickly thanked his benefactor. But when he looked up, there was no one. There was only a rope tied to a big tree. The man looked around for his benefactor, but he couldn’t find him. He could only shout, “Benefactor! I, Li Shouji, owe you a favor!”

The voice echoed through the jungle, replaying itself over and over again. Walking away, Xiaoguo heard it, and a smile appeared on her lips.

What favor? It was just a convenient thing to do.

When she got home, Zhuang Zhuang was sitting obediently at the door, waiting for her. When he saw her, he rushed over excitedly to give her a hug.

“Hungry, aren’t you?” Xiaoguo kissed his little face.

Zhuang Zhuang pressed himself against Xiaoguo and shook his head. The boy seemed unhappy. Xiaoguo guessed that he must have been worried about her, and kissed him again. She was right. Zhuang Zhuang had been sitting at the door waiting for Xiaoguo since he woke up. All this time, he was looking anxiously in the direction from which Xiaoguo had come, and only smiled when he saw her.

Xiaoguo hugged Zhuang Zhuang and told him about the wonderful things she had picked from the mountains. Zhuang Zhuang listened attentively, insisting that he would follow the next time.

Xiaoguo agreed and showed him what she got. He looked at them one by one. Zhuang Zhuang held a wild pine mushroom in his left hand and a termite mushroom in his right. He even looked at the pile of leaves in the basket and asked Xiaoguo, “Mother, what is this?”

Xiaoguo explained that those were spices for cooking. The food would taste really good when you use these spices. Zhuang Zhuang nodded knowingly. Then his stomach rumbled. Xiaoguo lifted the basket and told him, “Let’s go. Mother will cook for you.”

She went to the kitchen. Although it was a little late for breakfast, it still wasn’t time for lunch. Hence she decided they would have breakfast first.

Xiaoguo began washing the termite mushrooms. Then she took out a small piece of meat and cut everything into small cubes. She placed the diced meat in a heated pot and stir-fried them until the oil was released into the pot. The termite mushrooms were then added in. The moment the mushrooms slid into the pot, the combined fragrance of the ingredients rushed through her nose. After stir-frying for a bit, Xiaguo added some seasoning, rice and water. She let everything simmer for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, Xiaoguo made a plate of shredded potatoes. When the porridge was cooked and uncovered, the fragrance filled the whole kitchen. It was an enticing aroma that would whet anyone’s appetite.

Xiaoguo and Zhuang Zhuang finished everything in their bowl, embracing the spirit of never wasting food. The shredded potatoes were wiped clean from their plates too.

A Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty

One of the protagonists in the novel