Mochou busily tried his best to make several dozen traps out of reeds he gathered from the river. The plan was simple. He would use them to catch as many rabbits and birds as possible over the next few days.
The reeds were long and versatile not to mention free. It took the full morning to make several baskets, nooses and other traps he could use to catch the prey alive. He also made a cage for them inside his yard so he could keep them alive.
"I don't know when I'll be able to sell them so keeping them alive is the safest bet." He told himself. Once done he decided to eat lunch. He made a nutritious salad with watercress, dandelions, and shuixiangcai. Along with it he made a soup with burdock roots and other vegetables. It didn't have any meat but Mochou had eaten fish for breakfast so he didn't mind.
"Let's go." He cheered as he left the hut. He felt much better than the previous day and although setting traps in the afternoon wasn't the best it was the all he could do.
Once outside the hut he took a deep breath in and...
Argh*
Mochou was hit by another mind numbingly painful headache. This was the third time it had happened so he wasn't afraid. In fact he looked forward to learning more about the boy's past. The only thing he wished was different was that he wasn't in pain each time.
Lights flashing before his eyes Mochou collapsed.
...
| "Where am I this time?" Mochou wondered. Unlike the previous dreams he found himself in a house. It wasn't luxurious but it looked clean and made of wood. Compared to his hut it felt almost surreal to be in such a nice place. Not only was the place different Mochou's body seemed much smaller, younger.
"Why were you born a GER! A man suddenly appeared from behind him yelling. The boy raised his arms out of fear and in a poor attempt to protect himself as the man began to hit him with a bamboo swatch.
Right away Mochou wanted to fight back. He was never a person who would allow himself to get beaten without fighting back.
Unfortunately this was the dreamworld and he could do nothing but endure. Much like the boy had done.
As the man hit him Mochou noticed a woman appear.
"Husband please stop. He may be a GER but look at his eyes. They are so bright he must be fertile. Many people will want him." She said.
Mochou was confused. "What do my eyes have to do with fertility?" And why are they calling me a GER again.
"If I wanted someone to marry off a girl would have been better. Not this GER." The man shouted back as he swung the swatch at the woman. The woman fell when she was hit. Tears flowing down her face.
Satisfied the man staggered away. Seeing his unsteady gate Mochou believed the man must have been drunk.
"So this is how you got all those scars. You were abused." Mochou said with disdain and pity.
When the man was gone Mochou expected the woman and boy to check on each others well being. But it was different than expected.
The boy's nightmare continued. This time it was the woman who decided to take her anger out on the boy.
"This is all your fault! Why couldn't you have been born a boy? All he asked for when we married was for me to bare him a son. Why were you born a GER!" The woman wailed as she smacked the boy.
Mochou became even angrier. The incident reminded him of when his parents disowned him for being gay. The words were different but the meaning was the same.
They were ashamed of what their child was. The unconditional love a parent should have for their child was actually full of conditions. For Mochou it was being gay. For the boy it was being born a GER. |
...
When Mochou awoke again he found himself still on the ground in the yard.
"Why didn't I go back inside like I did last time?" He wondered. But with no way to learn the answer he patted the dirt off himself and headed into the forest.
As he walked he thought about the dream. Like magic he now had a better understanding of the world. Almost like memories that were buried had resurfaced he now understood what a GER was.
"To think this world has three genders. It feels so much like ancient China that I thought I was transferred into a body from the past on Earth but this is a completely different world. So far everything seems the same, but there is one big difference the genders." Mochou mused as he walked through the forest in search of a good place to set his traps.
"I'm glad I was born as a GER. If I was a female I don't think I would feel comfortable with their anatomy, and if I was a man it would be no different from before. Although, being able to get pregnant is disconcerting."
Thinking of the possibility he could get pregnant a chill ran down his spine. He didn't know how these GERs gave birth but he had inspected his new body and he didn't remember finding any extra exits anywhere.
"Then their is the problem with how GERs are treated in this world. From what I now know, a GER is treated a lot like women with limited rights. They are slightly stronger than women so they can help with farming, but also less likely to get pregnant so not as popular with men."
Mochou stopped for a second and set a rabbit trap close to some bushes. He placed several oleaster berries. The sweet smell would be perfect for enticing birds or rabbits to wander into his trap.
"Given the situation and the fact my body is full of scars I doubt I will get married anyway. But if I don't find a husband I'll have a hard time making money and surviving in this world. This is a huge problem."
Mochou was at a loss on what to do. If things were the way he assumed, even if he caught several rabbits and birds it might be difficult to sell them in town without a man's help. Even if he did, there was a chance he would be paid very little for them compared to if a man sold them.
"How am I supposed to make money? I can't do embroidery or sewing clothes which is common for the women and GERs in this world. I also don't want to just pick any man off the street and beg them to marry me so I can live a better life. If I did there's a chance things will be like they were with Zi Ruo..." Mochou became depressed when he remembered Zi Ruo.
He tried his best not to think about what happened to him. It was too painful. Refusing to think about it Mochou shook his head until he felt dizzy and his mind was no longer reminiscing about the past.
"Enough, I can do this! I've survived in the past I can survive now." He shouted.
Rustle*
Hearing a sound Mochou whipped around. As usual he expected to find nothing. At this point he assumed he was just over anxious or paranoid because of fighting zombies.
?!
"There's someone here?!! It's a man!!" He said in a panic. He was so distraught he actually shouted aloud what he was thinking.
Yichen burst into laughter at the sight of Mochou panicking. Like a little hedgehog. He thought Mochou might curl up and try to hide away.
"Why are you laughing?" Mochou asked a little insulted that the first thing the man would do is laugh.
"Because you are very cute." Yichen answered without shame.
Mochou couldn't believe his ears. No one, not in his last life or this one had ever considered him cute. Even now he doubted it was possible considering the scars on his face.
Yichen smiled playfully at the sight of Mochou turning red.
"He really is cute. I'm glad I decided to show myself." Yichen thought as he moved closer.
The moment he stepped forward though Mochou flinched and took a quick step back.
Yichen was a little surprised but didn't let it bother him. He took another step forward and Mochou took another step back. After doing this three times Yichen couldn't help but frown.
"Are you afraid of me?" He pouted.
"No, maybe... I don't know. Who are you? Why are you here?" Mochou asked. He didn't recognize the man and he couldn't tell if he was acting skittish because of what happened to him or it was the body's natural instincts."
"Ah! My bad. I should introduce myself. My name is Yichen. I am the third son of the village leader."
"I'm..." Mochou hesitated to say his name in case it was different in this world.
"You're Mochou. Bo Chen's first born." Yichen answered for him.
"You know me?" Mochou asked wary of the possibility.
"Not personally. I did hear about you from my father."
"I see. Why are you here?" Mochou asked again.
"I was wandering through the forest when I saw you setting traps. It's unusual for a GER to be this deep in the forest. Even more unusual to find a GER setting traps." Yichen answered. He had decided to keep the previous day's observation a secret.
"I have no choice. I live alone. If I don't hunt I won't have food to eat." Mochou said.
"You'll be able to fill your stomach this way, but you won't be able to make money. GER's cannot sell to others directly. Not unless it is someone they know and even then they won't get the amount they deserve." Yichen explained.
Mochou's expression grew dark. It was as he suspected. Things wouldn't be so easy for him.
"What am I supposed to do for money?" He asked.
Pang*
Yichen's heart ached at the sight of Mochou's sorrowful expression and desperate question.
"I can help you." He said in hopes of cheering Mochou up again.
"Why?" Mochou asked his eyes now narrowing. After being betrayed by Zi Ruo he refused to allow himself to trust again so easily.
"I like you. I want to help you and I think it will be interesting. What do you say?" Yichen said unfazed by Mochou's glare.
"Help me how?" Mochou asked after contemplating his options. He would have rejected the help if he could but he couldn't think of any other way.
"It's up to you. But I could go into town for you every few days to sell your prey. When I come back I'll give you the money." Yichen offered.
"What do you want in return? Are you planning to take a percentage of the profits?" Mochou asked.
Yichen was surprised to hear the words "profits" and "percentage" come out of Mochou's mouth. He had attended school and even studied to become an official with his father and brothers. But Mochou wouldn't of had that chance. To speak using such vocabulary despite never attending school was strange.
"How interesting." Yichen thought as his interest in Mochou increased again. [+1♥️]
"Hey answer me." Mochou said when Yichen only stared at him in response. His opinion of Yichen and trust worsening by the second. [-1♥️]
"Sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you. In exchange for helping you I don't plan on taking any of your profits. But I would like to spend time together." Yichen said.
"How is spending time with me an equal exchange?" Mochou wondered. If he was young and still innocent he might have thought Yichen was hitting on him. But this was a world with clear distinctions between genders and his face was so scarred he was considered a monster.
"I can't stop you from being here." Mochou said. His answer neither agreed nor rejected Yichen's offer.
"Then, I look forward to spending more time together." Yichen said with a bright smile.
Mochou still felt it was dubious but what other choice did he have.
"I'll try it once. If he betrays me than shame on me for being a fool. Either way it's the only option I have right now." Mochou concluded.
"When you go to Town to sell my prey I'll need you to do some shopping for me as well. Is that okay?" Mochou asked.
"Of course. I'll pick up anything you need. If you need something right away I can get it for you now in the village." Yichen offered.
He remembered the sorry state of Mochou's hut when he went inside the other day. Plus looking at his clothes that were tattered and the wrong size, Yichen really wanted to buy him some new ones.
"I don't have any money right now." Mochou said.
"You can pay me back when you start selling things." Yichen suggested.
"Why is he so desperate to help me? This isn't a scam where he'll report me for stealing his things later, is it?" Mochou doubted. His expression growing darker.
Yichen noticed his apprehension.
"I'm sorry if I'm being too forward. I only want to help. You see I've been away from town for so long and their aren't many people I remember from when I was younger. It's lonely. But seeing you I think it would be fun to get to know you." Yichen explained.
"Mochou still didn't feel right about letting him get too close. But there wasn't much he could do to chase him away. Not with his current body and status within the village.
"It's fine. But I don't want your charity. I'll earn some money first before asking you to buy anything." Mochou said. Yichen's chest tightened at his words.
"How can he be so untrusting? It's unfair. He has such a beautiful smile." Yichen mused as he looked at Mochou with sincere concern.
Mochou decided he couldn't waste time standing around to chat. So he walked over to pick up his bamboo basket. When suddenly Yichen pulled it away.
"Hey! That's mine." Mochou said.
"I'll carry it for you. You focus on finding a good place for the next trap."
"I can carry it myself." Mochou said with a light pout and furrowed brow.
"So cute! He's like a little kid telling an adult he can do it." Yichen thought as he once again laughed.
"Don't laugh!" Mochou exclaimed.
"Sorry, I wasn't laughing at you. Just the situation. I'm a man and I have no luggage so I'll carry the basket. Otherwise I'll feel like scum for letting a GER do all the heavy lifting." Yichen clarified.
Mochou wanted to reject the offer and reached forward to grab the basket out of Yichen's hand. But before he could Yichen jumped out of the way.
"Come on, there isn't much time before nightfall." Yichen said.
With no other choice Mochou let him carry his bamboo basket and followed him further into the forest.
...
Author's note:
Sorry I couldn't resist adding the [+-♥️]
It doesn't have anything to do with the novel. Just me being playful