When they reached the village, Yu Qiu told Xiaohua and Daniu to head home. She had nothing to give as a proper thank-you, so she bought a few pieces of malt sugar at the general store and gave them two each. She also asked them to come back tomorrow to help, promising they’d be fed.
Xiaohua and Daniu readily agreed.
Meng Ping, however, escorted her home. There were too many things for her to carry alone, and she didn’t refuse his help.
That was how the scene at her door came to be.
“Big Sister-in-law!” San Ya, seeing her return, couldn’t help but tear up again.
She was afraid—afraid that, like her big brother, once her sister-in-law left, she would never come back. Even though Mother told her that Big Sister-in-law had only gone to town and would be back later, she had still been worried.
Yu Qiu set down her basket, reached out to rub the little girl’s head, and teased, “What’s this? Did the wind blow sand into your eyes?”
Having seen her in person, the child felt reassured and finally smiled, helping her sister-in-law sort through the things.
Madam Li, too, had been worried, though she didn’t show it on her face. “Are you tired? Thirsty? There’s cold tea, I’ll bring you some.” The urgency in her voice revealed her emotions. Even knowing that the Meng and Yang boys had gone along, and that Yang’s daughter had accompanied her, she still couldn’t help but worry.
“Mother, no need to fuss, I can do it myself.” No sooner had Yu Qiu spoken than a bowl of cold tea was pushed into her hands.
Er He silently held it out without a word.
Yu Qiu froze for a moment, then realized—he felt neglected. She reached out, ruffled his hair, and smiled to comfort him. “Er He is the most thoughtful, loving Mother and Sister-in-law both.” Taking the coarse porcelain bowl, she lifted it and drained it in one go.
Only then did Er He blush shyly, softly call her “Big Sister-in-law,” and take the empty bowl to set aside.
Seeing Meng Ping sweating as he unloaded the basket and iron pot, Madam Li quickly called out, “A Ping, sit down and rest,” pointing to the wooden stool by the door.
Meng Ping didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the cold tea Er He had just handed over, drank it in one gulp, and passed the bowl back. “Another, please.” Only then did he sit down, running his hand over the stool. “This looks newly made. Did Guzi come by today? This handiwork is clearly Uncle Zhou’s.”
Madam Li actually smiled broadly for once. “Sharp eyes, boy. Yes, Guzi brought it over, said his father made it overnight when he heard we didn’t even have a place to sit.”
“Then Guzi must’ve told Uncle Zhou when he went home yesterday.” Meng Ping finished another bowl of tea before getting up to leave.
The sky was already darkening, and Madam Li dared not hold him back.
Yu Qiu pulled malt sugar from her basket and gave Meng Ping two pieces. Before he could refuse, she had Er He stuff them into his hands.
She had worked him like hired labor all day; giving actual money would seem too distant, but something of similar value served as a gesture of thanks without erasing the bond between them.
Meng Ping knew he couldn’t decline further and accepted. In his heart, though, he wondered how he could repay the kindness. Malt sugar wasn’t cheap—those two pebble-sized pieces cost ten copper coins. He had winced when he saw her buying them.
But he had no grounds to object. Nor was it necessary. After walking the town with her today, he had seen firsthand: no matter where they went, Big Sister-in-law never shrank back. She even dared bargain with the blacksmith who intimidated him just to look at. He’d been afraid of getting hit! He now understood—this sister-in-law was capable, no worse than Brother Shi!
After Meng Ping left, the family began to sort out Yu Qiu’s new purchases.
Er He and San Ya busied themselves with their hands while chattering away, telling her how, that afternoon, Brother Guzi had taken them to check the fish trap. They’d caught only a few small fish. Big ones never swam in, though all the bait had been eaten.
Unlike a basket, the fish trap’s opening was large. Even if big fish swam inside, they could swim right back out. The little ones probably got stuck by stones, otherwise not a single fish would have been caught.
It was really just play for the children—no one had expected to catch big fish with a simple trap.
Yu Qiu sat nearby, eating the dinner they had saved for her, listening to the children’s endless chatter, watching the warm, lively scene.
Meanwhile, far away, deep in the mountains…
Quite different from the cozy cottage at the foot of Green Mountain Village.
Three young men moved through the forest as night fell. Each carried a knife, bows and arrows slung across their backs. Their sharp eyes and weathered faces made them seem older than their youthful frames suggested.
Their feet moved swiftly, treading the rough mountain paths as though on level ground—clearly they knew the terrain well.
Soon they stopped, climbing up a thick tree to hide.
One whispered to the man beside him, “Brother, how long until we’re home?”
The youth addressed couldn’t be seen clearly in the dark. He only replied in a deep voice, “At the fastest, just over a month.”
For a moment, the three were silent.
The first speaker grew restless and asked again, “And if it’s slower?”
The young man sighed and shook his head. “Three to five months is possible.” He paused, then added, “Tonight we hide here. Night is unsafe. Tomorrow, as long as we make it out of these mountains, we won’t have to risk traveling through them again.”
The third had remained silent all along, lying across a branch, staring at the night sky through the leaves.
The night passed without words.
At dawn, the three slid down the tree trunk and continued hurrying toward the outer edge.
At the same time, at the foot of Green Mountain Village—
Yu Qiu was already awake, running a wooden comb through her hair.
She couldn’t style it, so she simply tied it into a ponytail and went out to wash up.
Yesterday, Madam Li hadn’t scolded her for spending all the silver, only teased, “I gave you money to buy things for yourself, but you spent it all on the household.”
Yu Qiu had only replied that these were things she needed. Madam Li had tapped her forehead with a smile.
Today, she had to go into the mountains early to look for medicinal herbs—particularly spiny amaranth and wild mint.
Most important was the red fruit. Her ability energy was already down to eighty percent, and she would need it in many situations later. If she couldn’t find any in the back mountain, she would have to return to the mountain where she had first arrived and transplant all the red fruit.
She told Madam Li not to worry if she returned late, slung her basket on her back, and carried insect-repelling powder with her into the back mountain.
By the time she reached the pond there, the sun had just peeked over the horizon, scattering the mountain mist.
Without stopping, Yu Qiu panted for breath and chose a different path, heading up toward the summit.
Her body was still weak. The mountain paths were rough, and she had to rest every few steps. She would need time to recover.
This time, luck was with her—she found plenty of spiny amaranth.
She used her ability to ripen every patch within sight, producing seeds.
Normally, spiny amaranth thrived between May and August, but only flowered and seeded in August and September. Relying on transplantation alone, she couldn’t achieve what she needed in a short time. She would have to plant seeds and then ripen them.
The ripened seeds she collected into her basket.