Chapter 4

We strolled past a few households, and thankfully, our living area had only a small number of residents. This meant we didn't have to endure the curious stares of a crowded place.

“ Little Sister, it's so quiet here. It's incredibly peaceful,”  he remarked as we made our way up the mountain. The previous owner of the house was a hunter, so he had left behind quite a collection of tools. Eldest Brother carried a bow and arrow with him.

Suddenly, I stopped in my tracks and picked up some dried branches. I played with them for a moment and then came to a halt.

“ Big Brother, stop,”  I said.

“ Eh? Why?”  he asked, observing the thick pile of dried leaves.

“ This is a trap. See these dried leaves?”  I poked at them, causing a few leaves to fall and reveal a tiny hole.

“ It's a hunter's pitfall, so we need to be careful of our surroundings.”  He nodded in understanding and continued walking, now sidestepping the trap.

“ We could also set up a trap... OLDER BROTHER! OVER HERE!”  I immediately shouted, rushing towards a cluster of grass. Was this for real? Oh my gosh! I had no idea such herbs existed here. Maybe due to pollution in the modern world, these kinds of herbs couldn't grow there.

“ Eh? What's that?”  he asked.

“ Elder Brother, this herb is called 'Dayap.'“  I spun around it and shrieked with excitement.

 “ It's a wonderful and rare herb. It can cure high blood pressure and control cholesterol...”  I mumbled as I hugged my precious find.

“ Is it that amazing? HAHA you look like a cat,”  he chuckled, nuzzling my head. “ Should we gather some and sell them?”

His statement brought me back to reality. It felt as if my whole body had crumbled. In the modern world, it was a rare herb, but here in this era, perhaps no one would recognize it. Though I was an expert doctor in the modern world, there was still a knowledge gap when it came to this era. I needed to learn about the differences in pharmacological knowledge.

“ Forget about it. Let's gather a few and continue on our way,”  I said, trying to shake off my disappointment. We resumed walking and along the way, I collected a handful of wild mushrooms and plants.

“ Eldest Brother, we should dig here and set up a trap,”  I suggested.

“ Okay, Elder Brother will start based on your instructions,”  he agreed. As he dug the soil, I made some calculations and placed a bait inside. He didn't question me and simply began making another trap in the spot I had marked.

I continued exploring the area. It was amazing how abundant the natural resources were. As long as I was resourceful, we would never starve. It was a treasure that couldn't be found in the modern world.

“ Eldest Brother, come here!”  I called out, walking towards a group of cassava plants.

“ What's this? Can these leaves be eaten?”  he asked, following me.

“ Older brother, you should dig into the roots because it's a root crop. Only that part can be eaten.”

“ Ah, so something like this exists! But how come the villagers haven't touched it?”  It was evident that this part of the land hadn't been tampered with by human activities.

“ Maybe the villagers don't know about it,”  I shrugged. At least we had made a big harvest this time. I also took some of the stems and tied them with grass vines.

“ Eh? What do you need those for?”  he inquired.

“ Older brother, we can plant it in our yard and use it as a fence,”  I suggested. He began working and filled the basket with all the cassava. He stopped when he felt it was almost full. We had just started walking when I spotted two wild pigeons resting on a tree.

“ Brother look, there's a bird!”  I exclaimed. He nodded and set down his belongings. We lifted our arrows and briefly closed our eyes. After taking a deep breath, he released his arrow. The first pigeon on the right was struck, but due to the sudden movement, the second one was only injured and managed to fly away slowly. However, I couldn't let such a 'golden' opportunity slip away. HMP, you can only blame your bad luck for crossing paths with me. So, I gathered my strength and threw a rock at it.

“ Woah! You're really great, Younger sister,”  Older brother smiled at me approvingly. We found the two pigeons and brought them back.

“Brother, let's go. Your basket is already heavy, so just leave these two with me,”  I suggested.

“ Alright,”  he agreed. We continued walking at a leisurely pace, and before we reached the bottom of the mountain, I noticed another plant called ‘Cincau Hijau’.  I giggled, and Elder Brother questioned me with a curious look. Ignoring him, I plucked the entire plant.

“Hehe! Older brother, I have a surprise for you,”  I hummed a tune as we walked. Elder Brother shook his head and looked at me with a loving gaze.

“ Oh! Look at that toothy grin. You look like a rat that finally made its way into the cookie jar,”  he lightly scolded, though his tone betrayed his affection and adoration.

“Peh! If I'm a rat, then you're a mouse too,”  I snarled. “ HMP! Who made you my brother?”  I muttered.

“Ayo! Our little ancestor, the ancestor of the mouse clan, is angry!”  He laughingly teased. We continued to playfully taunt each other as we made our way back home. Ah, home. I finally had a place to call home.