C12 Chapter 12

Chen Yongnian came back with an armful of branches slung over his shoulder. When he dropped them, a cloud of dust puffed up.

There was moss on the branches, and they looked damp. A big bundle of dry firewood was already heavy—wet wood was even worse!

Wan Qiqi had seen plenty of men who couldn’t lift a thing, so the way she looked at Chen Yongnian carried a little extra spark of admiration.

Sure enough, folks out in the country were strong.

Right then, Chen Yongliang came back too. His woven basket had a few wild greens in it, and he looked discouraged. “Too many people are out digging for greens, and there aren’t many left. In a few days, there might not be any at all!”

Wan Qiqi frowned slightly. “Later, I’m going up the mountain with you.”

The two brothers looked surprised. Wan Qiqi had never done chores before—now she was volunteering to hike up and dig for wild greens?

Seeing their odd expressions, Wan Qiqi explained calmly, “Didn’t I say it yesterday? I’ve thought it through. This is our home, so I should do my part.”

Chen Yongnian felt relieved—his wife was finally coming around.

Still, she was soft-skinned and delicate. If she got bumped or scraped on the trail, she’d come back complaining.

He glanced at Pingping and An’an and said, “Honey, you stay with the kids. Third Brother and I will go.”

Wan Qiqi had been counting on going up the mountain to gather more greens and keep the family fed. How could she let him stop her?

“It’s fine. Pingping and An’an can stay home with Mom. I’ll go with you—an extra pair of hands helps.” She looked up at the sky and added, “The sun’s already getting strong. Let Mom rest at home. I’ll go with you today and get familiar with the way. That way I can help out more later.”

The brothers listened and figured she had a point. Letting their mother stay home and take it easy was the right thing to do.

When they didn’t object, Wan Qiqi hurried to get breakfast on the table.

People in the village liked to start early—make the most of the morning.

The sun had quietly climbed to the treetops. The morning mist thinned, and a light breeze stirred. It roused the birds in their nests, and crisp chirps rang out from the branches.

Wan Qiqi hiked up the mountain with the two brothers, a bamboo basket strapped to her back.

The patch of woods behind the house looked split in two—one half soaked in sunlight, the other still waiting for it—like an invisible line had cut straight through. Beyond that, the hazy mountain range rolled on in the distance, wide open and picture-perfect.

As they climbed, they occasionally passed women with children, rummaging through fallen leaves, and men chopping firewood with machetes.

The wild greens at the base of the mountain had pretty much been picked clean, so everyone had started heading higher.

“Ding! Natural purslane discovered!”

Even though it was already September, the heat still clung to the air. Purslane was tough stuff, and it still grew everywhere along the path.

The three of them went a little farther up. The vegetation was thick, and even though the flooding had ended a month ago, the air still felt damp and sticky.

“Ding! Wild river crab discovered!”

“Ding! Wild stone crab discovered!”

The crabs the system flagged weren’t far from Wan Qiqi at all, and her eyes lit up.

Jackpot!

She didn’t know how much they’d sell for, but wild-caught crabs had to be worth more than a bunch of greens.

Chen Yongliang noticed Wan Qiqi slowing down and frowned.

Just like he thought—bringing his sister-in-law along meant they’d only make it to the mid-slope.

The higher they went, the more there would be to gather—but also more mosquitoes, snakes, and other pests. As her husband, he had to think about that.

He was also worried she wouldn’t be able to handle it. She’d only just woken up yesterday, and pushing too hard wouldn’t do her any favors.

Wan Qiqi nodded and glanced at the sun hanging above the treetops. “When the sun’s overhead, we’ll head down together.”

There were no clocks, so she couldn’t really tell the time—she could only estimate by watching the sun.

“Okay.” Chen Yongnian replied.

Chen Yongliang glanced over and gave a brief nod, not saying much.

He knew his sister-in-law would find a shady spot to sit and rest, waiting for them to come back from picking.

Even so, he couldn’t really say anything. She was his sister-in-law, after all—not just anyone.