Xiao Fei returned to the market in Qingyang Town, this time carrying a large earthenware pot filled with cut pieces of fern root.
He found a spot in the market and began to call out.
"Delicious fern root!"
"Only one copper coin a piece!"
"Eat one and you won't be hungry all day!"
"Come and see! Come and look!"
"Don't miss out if you pass by!"
"Once this village is gone, there won't be another shop!"
"One copper coin is not much, you won't be cheated, you won't be fooled, one copper coin is not expensive..."
Xiao Fei's loud calls immediately attracted a crowd, but no one made a purchase yet. After all, people were not wealthy, and money did not grow on trees.
"Come, come! Everyone, have a taste!"
Xiao Fei took out a piece of fern root, divided it into small pieces, and gave a small piece to everyone to sample.
"Hmm! It tastes quite good. I'll buy one!"
"I'll have one too."
"I want one too..."
"........."
Some people genuinely found it good, while others felt obliged after tasting. In a short while, six pieces were sold, earning six copper coins.
With income, Xiao Fei's calls became even more enthusiastic.
It took him half a day to sell all the fern root in the pot, earning a total of 28 copper coins.
This was the first money Xiao Fei had earned since transmigrating to this world.
With 28 copper coins clutched in his pocket, Xiao Fei walked through Qingyang Town, both excited and nervous, his hand constantly gripping the black knife, his eyes scanning any creature that came within ten feet.
At this moment, even a dog getting a little too close would be a suspect and in mortal danger.
Almost every so often, he couldn't help but enter his space to check on the copper coins.
When he passed by the Benevolent Hall, he turned and walked in.
"Greetings, Doctor Huang. Thank you for saving my life last time! I've brought some local specialties from the mountains, please accept them."
"You've recovered well, young man! Saving lives is a doctor's duty, no need to dwell on it."
Doctor Huang, smiling, accepted the bundle of fresh shepherd's purse Xiao Fei handed over, along with a piece of fern root wrapped in leaves.
"My hands are a bit tied at the moment, so I can only repay the 500 copper coins I owe you after some time. Please forgive me!"
"It's alright, you can repay me when you are more financially stable."
After thanking Doctor Huang a few times, Xiao Fei left the Benevolent Hall.
Qingyang Town had the Zhu family's grain store, which sold milled white rice, white flour, and millet, as well as acorns, grass seeds, and bran for the poor. Of course, they also dealt in grain seeds.
"Shopkeeper, what's the price for wheat and rice seeds?"
Xiao Fei walked into the grain store and asked directly.
"Twenty copper coins a jin," the shopkeeper replied without looking up.
"So expensive?"
Xiao Fei remembered that during the autumn harvest last year, white rice and white flour were only 10 copper coins a jin. Seeds, with their husks, requiring no processing, should have been cheaper.
"If you think it's expensive, don't buy it!"
The shopkeeper was blunt, showing no inclination of the "customer is king" service. He had seen too many paupers like this and saw no need to be pleasant.
If it weren't for the fact that this was the only grain store in Qingyang Town, Xiao Fei would have really wanted to storm out.
"I only have 28 copper coins. Can I choose a few types to weigh together?"
"You're so troublesome. Whatever you want!"
Actually, Xiao Fei wanted to plant rice and wheat, but there was no water in his space, and he didn't know if they could grow. So, he had to try first.
Xiao Fei chose rice, wheat, and millet seeds. He spent all the 28 copper coins he had just earned, buying a little over a jin of seeds in total.
Leaving the grain store, he found a secluded spot, placed the seeds into his space, and then left Qingyang Town.
After leaving Qingyang Town, he proceeded cautiously, the black knife held tightly in his hand the entire way.
Fortunately, he probably hadn't attracted much attention this time, and Xiao Fei returned safely to the refugee camp.
Near the entrance of the refugee camp, he saw Li Da'er and his gang holding someone down, pulling down their pants, and finding a piece of black salt from their crotch.
The group snatched the salt and swaggered away, not even glancing at Xiao Fei. They probably didn't know he had made money selling fern root, which eased Xiao Fei's mind considerably.
Back in his straw hut, Xiao Fei entered his space and used a machete to dig the soil and create furrows, planting all three types of grain.
His space had about three mu of land. The little over a jin of seeds he had wouldn't even be enough to plant half a mu.
The next morning, as soon as Xiao Fei woke up, he entered his space to check.
He found that all three types of grain planted the previous day had sprouted, including the rice, which he had worried might not grow in dry land, had already sprouted needle-like tender shoots.
Generally, the growth period for rice and wheat was over a hundred days.
Based on the time flow in his space, in about ten more days, he could harvest the first batch of grain and live a prosperous life from then on!
He still had twenty to thirty jin of fern root, and along with the wild vegetables he had planted in his space, he could eat until then.
It was a pity that the wolf meat was all gone, and it would be very difficult to get more meat.
The productivity level in this world was relatively backward, and meat was a luxury, not something everyone could afford.
Even a slightly well-off small landlord might only eat meat once or twice a year, just to taste it.
It seemed that after this harvest, he would need to get some bean seeds. Beans and similar crops were rich in plant protein.
For the next period, Xiao Fei no longer needed to venture out to find food. He could be self-sufficient in terms of food.
He ate and slept every day, and with sleep came growth. His injuries finally began to heal.
Furthermore, he discovered that all the food grown in his space was more robust and tasted much better than what he gathered outside.
The most important point, whether it was an illusion or because he was finally able to eat his fill after being hungry for so long.
In short, his body had also undergone subtle changes during this period. Besides growing taller and becoming physically stronger, his strength had increased significantly even without exercising, just lying in the straw pile.
Xiao Fei guessed it was likely related to his space.
In fact, another person had also benefited greatly from the excellent effects of the food from the space.
It was the old man who had traded with Xiao Fei that day, exchanging the black knife for six pieces of fern root.
The old man originally had many illnesses, and coupled with continuous hunger, his body had been severely depleted. Even if he received food temporarily, it would only slightly improve his condition.
However, after eating the traded fern root, his hunger was relieved, and his body received some energy supply, allowing him to finally stand up and walk a couple of steps.
By the time he finished all six pieces of fern root, he could now walk, jump, and even do step-ups.
His mental state was much better than before, and some of his physical ailments had also eased.
After finishing all six pieces of fern root, the old man constantly savored the magical effects.
As time passed, after eating wild vegetables and leaves for a period, the old man began to feel his body weakening and declining again.
The old man had been pondering how to get more fern root from Xiao Fei to eat.
Just today, he remembered Xiao Fei's fern root again. Inadvertently, his gaze fell upon a book, half-remaining, in the straw pile.
Two years ago, he had entered a cave and found a skeleton, from which he obtained a black knife and a book.
The black knife was very useful and sharp, handy for cutting vegetables and chopping firewood.
As for this old book, none of his ancestors for eighteen generations could read. He felt he was not suited for literary pursuits either.
He had also thought about finding a literate gentleman to look at it for him, but those gentlemen charged one copper coin to write letters for people.
Reading this book aloud would probably cost several copper coins.
After much hesitation, he ultimately couldn't bear to part with those few copper coins.
Perhaps he could use this old book to trick that young man.