Chapter 25: Into the MountainsLin Qinghe no longer went to the county town to sell firewood, but she didn’t stay idle at home either. As the saying goes, "those who live by the mountain live off the mountain." The vast mountain behind her was rich in resources—it all depended on whether she could find something worthwhile.After settling her younger siblings, she slung a basket over her back and headed into the mountains.Before leaving, Lin Qingsong wanted to follow her, but she made him stay behind to look after their younger siblings. Both of them were still recovering from injuries, and it wouldn’t be good if anything else happened. Someone needed to keep an eye on them.The early spring weather was damp, and in the dense parts of the mountains, the trees were so thick they blocked out the sky. Walking beneath them, she couldn’t even see the sunlight when she looked up. Under the large trees, the ground was covered with withered branches and decaying leaves, emitting an unpleasant, musty smell.After passing through the dense forest, sunlight finally broke through, warming her body and broadening her view. As she walked, she picked any medicinal herbs she recognized along the way. Unfortunately, she didn’t know many of them.After gathering a few scattered plants, a fruit suddenly fell and hit her on the head. Looking up, she saw several birds perched in the tree, pecking at wild fruits. The bright red fruits emitted a sweet fragrance—no wonder they attracted the birds. Glancing at the ground, she noticed many fallen fruits, likely knocked down by the birds’ pecking.She had never seen this type of wild fruit before. Seeing the birds eating so eagerly, it was clearly not poisonous. An idea struck her. Clasping the tree trunk, she swiftly climbed up in just a few moves. The birds, busy eating the fruits, scattered in a flurry.Ignoring them, she reached out and plucked a ripe red fruit, taking a big bite. The sweet, juicy flesh filled her mouth with a delightful flavor—surprisingly delicious.The fruit was about the size of her fist. After finishing one in a few bites, she picked another and started eating. After devouring three or four, she felt quite full and thoroughly satisfied."In the past, when I came into the mountains, I only focused on hunting and never paid attention to these fruits. How many delicious things have I missed out on?" she reflected. She recalled Lin Dazhuang warning her not to pick and eat wild fruits randomly, as most were poisonous. But this one was clearly safe—if birds could eat it, so could she.Looking around, she noticed the birds she had scared away had now settled on another fruit tree, happily pecking at the fruits. They would knock a few fruits down with their pecks before moving on to another.Watching this, she felt a pang of frustration. These were edible things—couldn’t they be more careful? They really didn’t know how to live frugally. Sighing, she reminded herself not to expect too much intelligence from birds.She decided to ignore them—out of sight, out of mind. Instead, she placed her basket in front of her and began picking the fruits one by one, filling it up. The tree was laden with fruits, and in no time, her basket was full.Standing on the tree, she looked around and realized this entire area was filled with fruit trees, spanning several acres. It wasn’t surprising—with no one picking the fruits, they would ripen, fall to the ground, take root, and sprout. Over the years, they had naturally formed this vast orchard.With this bountiful harvest, she didn’t venture deeper into the mountains. Instead, she shouldered her basket and began heading back."Qinghe, Qinghe! You’re back! I was so worried about you!"Lin Qinghe looked up, somewhat surprised, and said, "Song Chaobei, what are you doing here?""I heard you broke off your engagement, so I went to your house to look for you. Qingsong said you went into the mountains alone. There are quite a few wild beasts in these mountains, and I was worried something might happen to you, so I waited here. If you hadn’t come out soon, I might have gone in to find you.""It’s a good thing you didn’t go in. You don’t know which direction I went, and besides, you’re not familiar with the mountains. You’d easily get lost if you went in. What if you didn’t find me and couldn’t find your way out? Would you have been able to make it back?"This kind of thing had happened before. When Lin Dazhuang first settled in the village, he would return from hunting in the mountains with a full haul every time. Many villagers grew envious and would go into the mountains in groups of three or five.But they didn’t come out for days, and their families grew frantic. Even the Village Chief had no solution. In the end, they had to ask Lin Dazhuang to go in and bring them out. It was said they had been chased by wild beasts and got lost, not only terrified but also starving and barely alive. They suffered quite a bit.With a serious expression, she said, "Don’t ever think about going into the mountains alone again."Hearing this, Song Chaobei retorted, "But you went into the mountains alone too. You’re just a young girl and you’re not afraid. I’m a few years older than you, so I’m even less afraid.""That’s not the same. I’ve been going into the mountains with my father since I was little, so I’m quite familiar with the terrain. You’ve never been in there before. If you rashly go in, you’ll definitely get lost. Even if you don’t think about anything else, you should think about how worried your mother would be."Song Chaobei’s mother was also a widow, but she was a woman who had married out of the village. After her husband died, she couldn’t survive in her husband’s family and returned to her parents’ home with her two sons. Using the little money she had left, she bought two acres of land, barely managing to get by.When she mentioned his mother, Song Chaobei fell silent. His mother had worked hard to raise him and his brother, and he was an extremely filial child."I understand. I won’t go into the mountains recklessly. But you…" Song Chaobei looked at her, frowning deeply."I’m fine. See, I came out just fine, didn’t I?" Lin Qinghe smiled, not particularly concerned. "I learned some skills from my father. The wild beasts in the mountains can’t hurt me."If she could defeat them, she’d bring them back for meat. If she couldn’t, wouldn’t she just run away? Sure, some beasts run fast, but there are plenty of trees in the mountains. She could just climb one, and what could those beasts do to her?So, to her, the mountains weren’t as dangerous as outsiders thought. Of course, that didn’t mean there was no danger at all. For example, if a beast hiding in the shadows suddenly pounced and she couldn’t dodge in time, then she’d just have to accept her fate."Regardless, the mountains are dangerous. It’s best not to go there often. After all, you’re still young and not as skilled as Uncle Dazhuang. What if something happens? What would happen to your younger siblings?"Well, that was a clever retort. She had said his mother would worry, and now he was saying her younger siblings would have no one to look after them."By the way, what did you say you wanted to see me about?" she changed the subject."It’s about hearing that you broke off your engagement." Song Chaobei cautiously observed her expression. "Don’t be sad. Aunt Qian has a very fiery temper. If you really married into their family, life probably wouldn’t be easy."So he came to comfort her?Lin Qinghe couldn't help but smile. "I'm not sad at all. It's actually better that the engagement was called off, so as not to burden their family. This way, it's convenient for both sides—we can each live our own lives."Seeing that she truly didn't seem upset, Song Chaobei breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried she might be heartbroken and distressed, so it was good that she could take it in stride."Your temperament is like Uncle Dazhuang's—you're an open-minded person," he said, smiling along."Life has to go on, after all. Dwelling on things that don't belong to you brings no benefit." One must always look ahead.

Eldest Sister of a Farming Family: Managing the Household, Farming and Opening Shops