Three days later, Tang Tang asked the village chief to help organize a lively housewarming feast, and afterward she happily moved into her new home.
How could these villagers be so lovable?
The house had been cleaned spotless. The furniture was complete, the firewood stacks were fully stocked and neatly arranged.
She could practically move in with just her luggage!
The courtyard sat at the foot of the mountain with no nearby neighbors. Even the closest household required at least a five-minute walk.
Originally, the location had been chosen for grain storage security, but now it perfectly benefited her instead.
Tang Tang was beyond satisfied.
This place felt as though it had been custom-made specifically for her.
Looking around the small house, although it was simple, it was bright and tidy.
Most importantly—
It belonged to her.
Her name was written clearly on the property deed.
She almost wanted to roll around on the heated brick bed in celebration.
Across two lifetimes, she finally had a home of her own.
After the autumn harvest, everyone spent several days collecting corn stalks, rice straw, and other materials from the fields.
These would become the main fuel sources for winter heating.
The Northeastern climate had four distinct seasons, so crops were only planted once each year.
Now that the fieldwork was complete, it was finally time to head into the mountains.
The mountains of Northeastern China were filled with treasures.
Hazelnuts, walnuts, pinecones, wild grapes, and all kinds of wild fruits.
During harvest season, people always returned home fully loaded.
And even if they found nothing else, they could still collect firewood.
Several years ago, the mountains still contained wildlife—yellow sheep, wild boars, deer, roe deer, pheasants, rabbits, hazel grouse, quail, and even the unique Northeastern forest frogs.
Villagers occasionally managed to hunt small prey when going up the mountains.
Sometimes wild boars even came down to destroy crops.
But in recent years, people at the foot of the mountains barely had enough to eat themselves, and the animals had gradually disappeared.
Some villagers guessed the animals had retreated deeper into the mountains in search of food.
Though this meant fewer chances to hunt for meat, it also made traveling into the mountains much safer.
Every family sent at least two people, and soon a large crowd headed into the mountains together.
The educated youths also followed along.
There was an unwritten village rule:
Anything gathered in the mountains after autumn belonged entirely to the person who found it and didn’t need to be handed over collectively.
Naturally, the villagers were extremely enthusiastic.
The more they gathered, the more food their elderly and children would have during winter.
Besides, the mountains were enormous and full of resources, so there was no need to worry about people fighting over things.
The educated youths also hoped to gather whatever they could.
Even collecting walnuts or hazelnuts would help.
They already earned fewer work points than villagers because they weren’t as skilled at farm labor, which meant they received less grain.
Many of their families back home were even relying on them to save grain from their own meals and send it back.
If they didn’t find additional food sources somehow, they truly might go hungry.
Hearing the noisy crowd drawing closer, Tang Tang finally stepped out, locked her door, and followed several educated youths.
After all, she was also an educated youth—and a newly arrived one at that.
Standing out too much wasn’t a good thing.
After about three hours of climbing, everyone reached the mountainside around noon.
With so many people chatting and joking together, the journey passed quickly.
Sunlight filtered through layers of leaves overhead, landing warmly across their bodies.
After the village chief gave everyone a quick lecture on safety, the crowd scattered freely.
This mountain forest contained countless good things, and Tang Tang also wanted to gather more supplies for her space.
After all, these were genuine natural foods from this era.
She followed several educated youths deeper into the forest for a while.
They found two walnut trees and planned to start gathering immediately.
Tang Tang thought for a moment before continuing several hundred meters farther inward by herself.
At the back of the villager group, Lin Guanghui had been quietly watching the little girl the entire time.
When he saw her enter the forest alone, his eyes flickered slightly.
Silently, he followed from a distance.
Tang Tang’s side didn’t have walnut trees, but she discovered several wild grape vines instead.
Yes—only a few vines, but the grapes were fully ripe.
Each cluster was plump and tightly packed, glowing with a purple sheen.
The little girl hesitated briefly before waving her hand.
The grapes and even the vines themselves disappeared into her space.
She planned to plant them back home in her courtyard.
Continuing deeper into the forest, she paused and listened carefully.
Was that the sound of chickens?
Or was she imagining it?
But the sound kept getting louder.
After squeezing through a tangled patch of bushes, she finally saw them beneath the trees.
Chickens?
They certainly looked like chickens.
But Tang Tang didn’t overthink it.
If they resembled chickens this much, they were probably wild pheasants.
Good stuff!
Collect!
Quietly sneaking closer, she waved her hand.
Gone.
Only then did she realize it wasn’t just one bird.
There was an entire nest—seven or eight of them!
The little girl immediately became excited.
Running beneath the tree, she discovered a pile of eggs as well.
Good stuff!
Collect!
She had practically wiped out the entire nest.
Just as she turned to leave, her gaze swept past the trees opposite her.
It seemed like there was a pair of eyes staring back.
What was that?
The phrase “a newborn calf fears no tiger” perfectly described her.
Excitedly, she walked over.
Ah!
A roe deer?
Right? Right?
It stood there stupidly without moving even when a person approached.
If it wasn’t a silly roe deer, then what was it?
The little girl became delighted.
Was today a treasure hunt or what?!
She pulled out a rope and looped it around the deer’s neck.
“I’ll lead you along with me.”
Haha!
Other people walked cows.
She was walking a roe deer.
Just imagining it made her laugh.
Tang Tang completely failed to realize that she had already wandered deep into the mountains.
Behind her, Lin Guanghui was nearly panicking.
Tracking people was literally his professional expertise.
Yet somehow…
Right under his nose…
He had lost her.
Wasn’t that embarrassing?
Wasn’t that unbelievably embarrassing?
He had played in these forests since childhood and climbed these mountains countless times.
How could he suddenly fail to find someone?
Unless…
Unless she had entered the deep mountains.
Meanwhile, Tang Tang happily continued her “treasure hunt” while leading the roe deer.
And it truly was treasure hunting.
Near the pheasant nest, she discovered one large ginseng root and three smaller ones.
The large ginseng was at least three hundred years old, while the smaller ones were around fifty or sixty years old.
Tang Tang didn’t think too deeply about it.
She left one small ginseng behind and stored the others away.
After all, she still needed room in the basket for more things later.
Then she uncovered a box made from huanghuali wood.
She didn’t recognize the material, but she knew anything hidden deep in the mountains had to be valuable.
The box had probably been buried underground for many years before wind and rain erosion gradually exposed it again.
The box had a lid but strangely no lock.
Who knew what the person who buried it had been thinking?
Inside was an oilcloth wrapping that remained perfectly intact.
Carefully opening it little by little, Tang Tang was nearly blinded by the golden light.
Inside were neatly stacked gold bars.
Tang Tang genuinely didn’t own anything like this in her space.
Poor people couldn’t afford gold.
She plopped onto the ground and rested her chin in her hands while thinking quietly.
One thing was certain:
This treasure clearly had no owner anymore.
For now, she would store it away and think about it later.
If nothing else, perhaps someday she could donate it.