After a long time, the piercing pain from various parts of his body woke Luo Kai up. He knew he was alive because he could feel pain now.
The old fisherman went to the mountains every day to find herbs. He crushed them into mud and smeared them all over Luo Kai's body. He also wrapped him tightly with bandages. His kind eyes reminded him of his father.
In the following days, pain accompanied him all day. His injuries were too severe. There was not a single part of his body that was intact. There was even a hole in his butt from the shrapnel. His white bones were exposed to the air. All of his wounds were swollen from being soaked in seawater, becoming the home of some insects.
This was a poor fishing village with only a dozen or so families. They relied on farming for a living. Most of the land by the sea was saline-alkali soil, so one could imagine how poor the harvest was. It was not that they did not want to fish, but the number of fish in the coastal waters had been decreasing over the years. It was difficult to get a good harvest.
The old fisherman was not good with words. He did not even have a name. Everyone called him Cripple. His life was obviously very difficult. In order to fill Luo Kai's stomach, he had to borrow food from everywhere. This made Luo Kai feel guilty. He could only repay him when his injuries were healed.
Luo Kai finally had his first full meal after being in this world for more than a year. His stomach was like a bottomless pit. The rice in the vat could normally feed the old fisherman for a week, but he ate it all in one go. Moreover, he ate it raw. He did not expect himself to be able to eat so much. The raw rice was broken down not long after it entered his stomach. He did not even feel bloated.
With enough food, his body's recovery speed increased by several times. In about half a month, he could get out of bed and walk around.
On this day, Luo Kai clenched his fists. He felt that his strength had recovered a lot. He leaned on his walking stick and went to the fields to watch the old fisherman dig a ditch.
The old fisherman's house was on a small hill. It was a dilapidated yard built with broken stones. In front of it was a paddy field. The soil was too salty, and the rice was wilting. There were a few acres of coffee trees and tobacco in the backyard. It was not harvest season yet, so the coffee beans were still green.
Food was the most important thing to the people, and the old fisherman had obviously spent a lot of effort on this paddy field. This was a sandy land, and there were a lot of pebbles. The pebbles had to be picked up first, and then the fertile black soil could be used to plant food. Paddy liked water, and a ditch of about two to three li had to be dug to draw in the river for irrigation.
Seeing Luo Kai's arrival, the old fisherman grinned at him and patted the ridge in front of him, indicating for him to sit down. He smoked and told his story.
The old fisherman had no children, and he had very serious rheumatism. Because he did not receive effective treatment, he was crippled. He only had a younger brother. When they separated, the old fisherman gave his house and land to his younger brother because his younger brother had a wife and children. He found a barren mountain and built a house. The land in front and behind the yard was all cultivated by him. At this point, he stood up and pointed at the field under his feet. His wrinkled face was full of pride.
Just like that, Luo Kai temporarily stayed at the old fisherman's house. His body recovered very quickly, and it did not take long for him to help the old fisherman work in the fields. In the beginning, he did not know anything, but he learned very quickly. Soon, he became an experienced farmer.
As time passed, Luo Kai's injuries finally recovered completely. He had no place to vent his exuberant energy, so he decided to help the old fisherman cultivate the surrounding barren land. This work was not easy. First, he had to use a wicker basket to pick up all the large stones. Then, he had to carry the fertile black soil from the forest three kilometers away. Only then would the soil have nutrients.
Luo Kai only slept for two to three hours a day. During the day, he endured the scorching sun, and at night, he used the moonlight to travel between the forest and the small yard. Two months later, the barren land around the small yard was covered in black soil. The old fisherman had planted many fruit trees on it.
Most of the young people in the fishing village were working outside. Some were working in factories in the city, while others were working in large farms. Those who stayed behind were the old, the weak, the women, and the children. The fishermen all knew that the old cripple's house had taken in a strong laborer, so they often came to ask Luo Kai to help. The fishermen were very simple. After they finished their work, they would often give him some dried fish and bacon to eat.
Whenever the two of them were together, the old fisherman always liked to impart his knowledge, such as how to roast tobacco leaves, the medicinal properties of herbs, spear fishing techniques, how to hand-grind fragrant coffee, how to brew fruit wine, and so on.
The household registration system in this world was very complete. Someone like Luo Kai who did not even know where he came from naturally attracted attention. The village chief and the old fisherman discussed for a long time. After the old fisherman paid the price of five kilograms of tobacco, the village chief was finally willing to help Luo Kai register.
In fact, the fishermen had already guessed Luo Kai's origin. The scar with 9527 on Luo Kai's chest exposed his origin. In this world, only two kinds of people would have such a mark. One was a slave, and the other was a prisoner. The first kind was not so bad, because the law of Seongma Province had long prohibited the trade of slaves. However, it was very difficult to enforce the law.
Industry in this world was not very widespread, so the population was a very important resource. Generally, the people who kept slaves were some big farm owners. These people controlled the grain trade of the entire country. Therefore, although the trade of slaves was prohibited on the surface, it was still rampant in the dark.
The fishermen all thought that Luo Kai was a slave who escaped from a big farm. The status of slaves in this world was very low and very pitiful.
Soon, Luo Kai's identity was registered. The identification was an iron plate, which indicated Luo Kai's age and household registration. Luo Kai did not know how old he was, so he made it up as 18 years old. His household registration was with the old fisherman. In terms of kinship, he was the adopted son of the old fisherman.
With a super labor force like Luo Kai, the old fisherman was completely free. Every day, he would go to the beach to fish. His fishing skills were very good, and he would reap a harvest every time. Of course, most of the harvest went into Luo Kai's stomach. Since his injury recovered, his appetite had become bigger and bigger. If it were not for the fact that he could do as much work as several laborers, the old fisherman would not be able to feed him.
Gradually, Luo Kai's stick-like body became stronger. A year had passed, and his height had increased by a few centimeters. He was now about 1.9 meters tall. His young face had become firm, and his muscles were well-developed. Scars covered his entire body, giving him a valiant aura. From his appearance, he looked like a character from a manga.
This body's energy was too exuberant. Perhaps he had slept for too long in the past year. Now that he was free, he did not want to sleep anymore.
He only slept for two to three hours a day. After waking up, if he had nothing to do, he would become very anxious. Ordinary farm work was becoming harder and harder to satisfy his excess energy.
Later, he simply began to practice the most basic of physical skills, "Skin Refining". He only wore a pair of underpants, and was bare-chested regardless of whether it was cold or hot. His skin became dark and glossy after being exposed to the sun for a long time. It was obvious that he had explosive strength.