Ye Xiaohua had fully thought things through: if Seventh Uncle Guan continued to press with questions, she would honestly come clean and just say that her mind had become clear after her head was knocked.
However, Guan Qiu’s attention did not remain fixed on Ye Xiaohua. He meticulously surveyed the messy, chaotic room, a bitter tightness rising in his throat. In the end, the choked-back words turning into a deep sigh.
Guan Qiu said nothing more. He pulled two cornmeal buns that still carried a hint of warmth from his sleeve and handed them to Ye Xiaohua, then patted her shoulder and left without a word.
Ye Xiaohua could tell that the man’s final glance was incredibly complex. He likely felt that the two siblings stood no chance of survival, yet he himself had a large family to support; his heart was willing, but his strength was insufficient.
Despite this, Ye Xiaohua was still filled with gratitude toward him.
With these two buns, they wouldn’t have to worry about starving today. She had already decided last night that those who live near the mountains must live off the mountains, so she needed to make a trip into the hills. Although bringing Xiaodou along was truly inconvenient, given the current situation, she couldn’t feel at ease unless he was right under her nose.
Old Madam Ye and the eldest branch were still plotting to exchange Xiaodou for money, after all.
Ye Xiaohua boiled some hot water, and the siblings shared one bun between them. The remaining one was carefully wrapped in a clean piece of cloth that Ye Xiaohua had spent a long time searching for in the house, then placed into a back basket along with the tools she thought would be useful for entering the mountain.
Long-term malnutrition left Ye Xiaohua’s body severely undernourished, making her stature somewhat smaller than others her age. Consequently, her family’s heavy and large back basket was a bit of a struggle for her to carry.
As Ye Xiaohua led her brother toward the back mountain, the villagers who spotted them inevitably gossiped. Yet, no one stopped them. The siblings were currently viewed like an inescapable liability; nobody dared to provoke them, deeply afraid that a single word would cause the children to stick to them, impossible to shake off.
The news of the siblings heading to the back mountain quickly reached Old Madam Ye’s ears.
Jackals, wolves, and fierce beasts frequently roamed that back mountain, and even young, strong men dared not venture there lightly. Two little children, one of whom was a fool, would likely go without ever returning.
While Old Madam Ye regretted that Xiaodou couldn’t be sold for money, she was simultaneously delighted that the house of the second branch would fall into her hands without the slightest effort. She only felt that nightfall was approaching a bit too slowly.
Ye Xiaohua held Xiaodou’s hand, stumbling her way up the mountain. The autumn harvest had already passed, and winter was drawing near, leaving the mountain devoid of even wild vegetables and completely lacking anything to appease their hunger.
With no other choice, Ye Xiaohua could only pick the smoother paths to lead Xiaodou further inside. From time to time, she checked on him; sweat was breaking out on the tip of his nose, yet he stubbornly shook his head, refusing to stop.
After crossing a small ridge, Ye Xiaohua herself was reaching her limit. She found a large boulder nearby that had been warmed slightly by the sun and had Xiaodou sit down, while she also took off the heavy tools on her back, preparing to rest for a moment before continuing her search.
She pulled out the water canteen for Xiaodou to drink first. With nothing else to do, she strolled around to look about. To her surprise, she discovered glittering specks of red amidst the alternating yellow and green thickets.
Taking a closer look, she realized it was a Siberian crabapple tree. In her past life, Ye Xiaohua had eaten them while executing a mission deep in the mountains. Although the color of the fruit was highly vibrant, she was certain it wasn’t poisonous. Eating it raw like this didn’t yield a very pleasant taste—it was sour and astringent—but with a little processing, it could make an excellent snack.
Furthermore, she remembered hearing from the elderly villagers in the mountains during her past life that this Siberian crabapple was entirely a treasure. The tree possessed an elegant and graceful form, with abundant blossoms and leaves where white flowers, green leaves, and red branches complemented one another, making it suitable as an ornamental tree. Its seedlings could also serve as grafting rootstock for apples and crabapples.
Because its timber possessed straight grains and a fine structure, it could also be carved into furniture. However, she didn’t know the current level of woodworking craftsmanship here yet; given the opportunity in the future, she could certainly give it a try.
The Siberian crabapple fruits here bore no signs of being harvested, leading Ye Xiaohua to guess that the locals probably believed they weren’t edible.
After gathering nearly half a basket of the fruit, Ye Xiaohua felt the harvest was already substantial. After all, when she came, she had prepared herself to return empty-handed. Who would have thought this was merely the beginning?
Bringing a small child along, Ye Xiaohua dared not venture too deep into the mountains, fearing it would be inconvenient to escape should any ferocious beasts appear.
Unfortunately, even though she had been very careful, Xiaodou was still tripped by a branch and stone on the ground due to his small size and short legs. Fortunately, the little fellow was wearing thick clothing; his knee was merely bruised, not cut or bleeding.
However, this stumble of Xiaodou’s actually managed to trip them right into some wealth.
After checking his injury, Ye Xiaohua turned back to retrieve the shoe he had kicked off. As she did, she discovered brownish-yellow objects stuck to the branches of the low shrubs nearby. Those were praying mantis egg cases—Chinese mantis oothecae—which were a medicinal herb.
Ye Xiaohua’s flushed little face instantly broke into a wide smile. Everyone else believed the siblings would never return, yet who would have thought she would discover so many treasures here?
Looking around, a vast expanse of the surrounding branches was covered in mantis egg cases. If these were sold to a medicine shop, they could at least solve the problem of putting food on the table.
“Sister, why are you picking these things?” Xiaodou asked, though his hands were already mimicking hers, plucking the mantis egg cases. His hands were very small, and holding two was already pushing his limit.
Ye Xiaohua tilted her head and smiled. “With these, we’ll have steamed buns, stuffed buns, and big pork knuckles.”
The sky was darkening, and the small amount of food they had eaten in the morning had long been depleted by their arduous trek. Xiaodou licked his lips, imagining the delicious foods his sister described. “Really?”
“Of course. This is a medicinal herb. In the future, if you wet the bed again, feeding you this will cure it.”
“Who… who wet the bed?” Xiaodou turned his face away, a faint flush rising on his dark, yellowish little face, resembling the evening clouds in the western sky.
First the Siberian crabapples, then the mantis egg cases; Xiaodou discovered that this sister of his, whom everyone labeled a fool, actually knew far more than those so-called clever people!
Night was falling, and there were still quite a few mantis egg cases left unpicked in the distance. Ye Xiaohua was truly reluctant to leave them behind—those were all money, after all; picking a few more meant they could afford one more steamed bun. However, she knew they had to head back; if they delayed any longer, descending the mountain would become hazardous.
Moreover, despite her being extremely careful this time, Xiaodou had still gotten hurt. She couldn’t bring him along next time.
Carrying an empty basket had already been a struggle for Ye Xiaohua, let alone now when she was returning fully laden. Although the path back was downhill, it took roughly the same amount of time as the journey up.
By the time they reached home, the sky was completely dark. However, Ye Xiaohua noticed from afar that her small, broken courtyard was brightly lit and bustling with people, as if some major event had occurred.