Journey to the West: The Immortal Clan Begins by Feeding Monkeys at Five Elements Mountain

Chapter 18: Living off the Mountain
The more Jiang Yi thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Chasing chickens up the mountain requires no manual labor and does not interfere with the farming season.

The chickens eat happily, and the family can save a few scoops of refined grains—it's practically a sure-fire way to make money.

Without further ado, he lifted the curtain, went out of the house, and headed straight for the chicken coop.

After searching around for a while, I picked out a lively old hen.

Its feathers are glossy and its eyes are bright. It was only fed this morning, and its belly is still flat and it looks a little resentful.

Jiang Yi weighed it in his hand, nodded, and carried it to the back of the mountain.

Upon reaching the mountain pass, he didn't hesitate and tossed it away.

The chicken flapped its wings twice in mid-air, spread its wings, clucked, and disappeared into the grass.

At first, you could still hear a few "clucking" sounds, but in the blink of an eye, they disappeared without a trace, as if swallowed up by the mountains and forests, leaving no sound at all.

Jiang Yi remained calm, found a stone on the edge of his own field, dusted off his clothes, and sat down.

While circulating that ancient and timeless breathing technique, he silently stared at the mountain pass without blinking.

They stayed until it was half dark.

Jiang Mingxian then swayed down the mountain.

Seeing his father sitting across the mountain pass from afar, staring blankly at the pass, he felt a chill run down his spine and broke out in a cold sweat.

He assumed his father was still angry and was waiting here to settle scores later.

So he cautiously and tentatively made his way over.

I've already rehearsed in my mind how I should yell if I get a spanking so that I can get my mother to come over as quickly as possible.

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Yi simply waved his hand, his tone flat:
"Go back inside and eat."

Jiang Ming felt a sense of relief, as if he had been granted a pardon.

Although he couldn't figure out what his father was squatting there looking at, he could tell he wasn't angry, so he immediately ran into the house.

Inside the house, Liu Xiulian had already called out for the meal twice, but seeing that Jiang Yi was standing there motionless like a wooden statue, she had no choice but to have Jiang Liang bring a bowl of rice over.

Jiang Yi took the rice bowl, shoveling rice into his mouth while continuing to stare at the quiet mountain forest.

Finally, just as the food in the bowl was almost gone.

"Cluck cluck".

A rooster crowed, its faint sound drifting from the direction of the mountain pass, carrying a familiar tone.

Immediately afterwards, the old hen swayed and poked her head out of the grass.

Its steps were steady, its feathers were neat, and it was pecking at some grass roots and insects in its mouth as it ate and strolled around, as if it had just taken a walk in someone's vegetable garden.

His expression remained completely calm, showing no sign of the trouble he had just been to.

As soon as Jiang Yi saw the old hen stroll out, he immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks.

He took a few steps forward, reached out and picked up the chicken.

He weighed it in his hand and then pinched his belly.

It has plump, glossy fur and a calm gaze.

Jiang Yi was immediately overjoyed, and his eyes lit up.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the fog had not yet completely dissipated.

Under Liu Xiulian's suspicious gaze, he chased the half-nest of chickens out the door.

The old hen and the young rooster, clucking and stumbling, headed towards the back mountain.

Once they entered the mountain pass, they disappeared without a trace.

As evening approached, the chickens waddled out of the woods one by one.

Its belly was round like a small drum, its feathers were smooth and shiny, and it looked very energetic.

Jiang Yi stood on the edge of the field, watching and nodding as he counted the chickens.

In the following days, I tried it a few more times.

The weather remained calm and uneventful.

So they acted decisively and without holding back, driving all the chickens that could jump and fly out of the coop into the mountains.

They then cleared land behind the house, drove in piles, built a new chicken coop, and made room to incubate the eggs, planning to catch up quickly when the next brood came out.

Not only that, Jiang Yi felt a surge of excitement and went straight to the village to inquire about the situation.

Which family has a newborn calf? Who has a few lambs?

He'll take any animal that can be raised, and the price is negotiable!
Within a few days, they had managed to acquire two cows, two sheep, a batch of chicks, and even built a shed behind their house.

After a few days, the roosters crowed and the cows mooed, and the whole yard smelled of hay, making it look exactly like a "back mountain pasture".

The village is small, so news travels fast.

With more chickens, cows mooing, and sheep bleating, how could the neighbors not notice?

Some people became suspicious, some started plotting, and there was a lot of gossip going on behind their backs.

Is this young man Jiang crazy or has he suddenly become eccentric?

Jiang Yi never intended to hide anything, nor did he want to stop anyone. This back mountain wasn't his property; whoever in the village wanted to go could go.

He just got up early and got ahead of the game.

From that day on, every day before dawn, the rooster crows three times, two more times.

Jiang Yi rubbed his eyes, put on his clothes, got up, and drove the chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep to the back mountain.

The livestock were very well-behaved; without needing to be chased with sticks, they shook their heads and wandered into the woods along the paths on their own.

As the sun began to set in the afternoon, the mountain pass echoed with a series of "clucking" and "mooing" sounds.

The chickens have returned, the cows have returned, each one with its feathers gleaming and full of energy.

This cycle repeated itself endlessly, and before long, half a month had passed.

The Jiang family's courtyard was secluded, nestled against the back mountain.

But the village wasn't very big; a yawn from one neighbor could be heard from three houses, let alone something as lively as chickens flying and cows jumping around.

At first, some people said he was crazy.

Looking at the chicken's plumage, the cow's muscular build, and then at the newly built shed and chicken coop in the yard, he couldn't sit still any longer.

Groups of two or three people would occasionally sneak over to the Jiang family's land under the guise of "visiting."

Some people traded tea leaves for eggs, while others carried their own old hens that weren't laying eggs, claiming they were asking about illnesses, but their eyes were wandering around the Jiang family's courtyard.

Jiang Yi saw it clearly and didn't hide it.

When asked, he simply gave a casual answer.

Chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep go up the mountain to eat grass and insects, and come down the mountain on their own at night, without wasting food or time.

It's just that the words were spoken clearly and plainly:
"Anyone can walk on the path behind the mountain. But I can't guarantee whether there's any evil spirit in these mountains. Whether it's a blessing or a curse, you'll have to weigh it yourself."

In a bad year, rice is expensive and grass is hard to come by, so every family is calculating how to save a single grain of fine food.

As long as I don't go hungry, I'm willing to be shameless.

The news had barely spread for a few days when some daring individuals drove a flock of clucking ducks straight to the back of the mountain.

Ducks are naturally restless when they walk, and this group is even more energetic.

Jiang Yi saw this at the edge of the field, and instead of stopping them, he smiled and rolled up his sleeves, clapping his hands to shoo away a few stray birds.

He turned around and brought out bamboo strips and ropes, and hurriedly built a fence on both sides of his own field ridge.

It's not about guarding against thieves, it's about guarding against the ducks that have already started their feast in his field before even entering the mountains.

The ducks lived up to expectations; after a morning in the mountains, they emerged looking fresh and lively, waddling all the way home.

They all looked plump and strong, with round bellies.

Once someone had navigated the muddy waters, the whole village was filled with joy.

Chickens, ducks, geese, dogs, cattle, sheep, pigs, horses—anything that could move its legs was chased and squeezed into the woods.

Even the old black pig at Butcher Zhang's house was herded inside by his daughter, who used a washcloth stick to slap its rump.

Seeing that the mountain road was almost blocked like a market, Jiang Yi didn't hesitate and simply marked each of his livestock.

Some had their ears cut off, and some had red silk wrapped around their legs, so that they wouldn't be confused later.

No one knows for sure how deep the mountain behind is.

Jiang Yi only knew that every time he went into the mountains, the road in front of him was different, sometimes winding left and right, sometimes going straight up the slope.

But no matter which path you take, in the end, you always end up back at the foot of the mountain in a daze.

In a few days, probably half of the chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep in the village will be clucking and running towards the mountain pass.

But as time went on, when those livestock came out, their bellies were not as round as before.

Everyone understood.

No matter how deep this forest is, it will eventually come to an end.

No matter how much fodder there is, it can't withstand so many mouths chewing it all at once.

They were all from the same village, and none of them were new to this kind of life, so they tacitly reduced the number of livestock they owned and took turns going up the mountain.

If any family were to rush into this trend all at once, they would inevitably be gossiped about behind their backs and told that their behavior was unseemly.

Jiang Yi naturally followed suit, only taking half of the trip up the mountain each day, and feeding the rest of the animals with rice bran and vegetable leaves in the yard.

Although it was a bit crude, at least it filled my stomach.

A rough calculation shows that the number of livestock they raise has doubled compared to the previous year, but the expenses haven't increased much.

The blessings bestowed upon us by the mountains and forests are no less than a ladle of sweet dew sprinkled down by God.

The villagers were no longer so tense, there was more meat on the dinner table, and there was more laughter under the eaves of every house.

More importantly, with more livestock in the village, meat became less valuable.

When Jiang Yi went to buy meat again, the price had visibly dropped.

Those neighbors who remembered his kindness in leading the way slaughtered chickens and pigs, but when they saw him arrive, they refused to accept any money.

Finally, unable to refuse any longer, I accepted the money but also made sure to add an extra piece of meat to his basket.

(End of this chapter)