Yu Zhile stood still for a long time, but there was no sound. She approached the fire pit and poked it with her machete; inside were some chicken bones, charred black. The viewers were confused by her actions and began flooding the chat with questions.
“If you aren’t careful with fire on the mountain, it can easily start a forest fire, which wastes resources and hurts everyone,” Yu Zhile explained as she shoveled dirt over the pit to bury it completely.
Then, she opened the dual-perspective view and had Xiao Yun monitor the panoramic feed in real-time before picking out a bamboo tree to chop. Her hands went numb from the impact, but the bamboo finally creaked and leaned over. She first trimmed off the larger branches from the stalk, then cut them into smaller sections.
“Once bamboo shoots grow up, they become bamboo,” Yu Zhile said, repeating the trimming motion while introducing the plant to her audience. “Dried bamboo leaves can be steeped in water to clear heat and promote urination, but they are very ‘cold’ in nature, so you shouldn’t drink too much.”
xxxx tipped fifty Cloud Seas, followed by a burst of celebratory music.
[I want to buy garlic.]
Yu Zhile looked up to stretch her neck and shoulders, catching the comment. She replied, “Garlic is a seasoning and our yield is relatively small, so I’m not considering putting it in the Small Window for now. However, I can send you a portion for free as a thank you for your constant support.”
xxxx immediately dropped another hundred Cloud Seas.
An hour later, she finished collecting the bamboo branches. They were stored in the small warehouse; total count: 500.
“When fresh bamboo is heated, it leaches out a liquid called Fresh Bamboo Juice. It’s excellent for clearing heat and resolving phlegm,” Yu Zhile said. She didn’t intend to leave the bamboo stalks behind; she cut off the tops and ends, keeping the middle sections. “I’ll take these tubes home and make bamboo tube rice in a few days.”
Afterward, she wandered around the bamboo grove for a while longer and discovered a wild cherry tree. She snapped off twenty branches suitable for grafting. The tree was heavily laden with fruit, but they weren’t ripe yet. Yu Zhile noted the location and headed down the mountain.
“Friends, I’ll see you during the evening beachcombing broadcast.” She bid farewell to the viewers.
Back at the small courtyard, Yu Zhile handed a basket of bamboo tubes to Zhou Yuesheng and bent over to pick the “sticky grass” burrs off her pants. Zhou Yuesheng looked at her, puzzled.
“Saw the ends flat and knock out the nodes at one end. I’m making bamboo tube rice,” Yu Zhile gestured her requirements.
Zhou Yuesheng understood. He went to the village to borrow a saw and began processing the tubes. His gaze flickered to the dirt and wild grass leaves at the bottom of the basket.
“Speaking of which, I found a strange fire pit on the mountain today,” Yu Zhile remarked casually, noticing his lingering gaze.
Zhou Yuesheng chose his words carefully. “It was likely left by a villager.”
“Maybe.” Yu Zhile carried the bamboo tubes away to dry, leaving him with only the view of her back.
Using the excuse of returning the saw, Zhou Yuesheng slipped up the mountain and retraced Yu Zhile’s path. In the depths of the bamboo forest, he dug up the fire pit she had mentioned. In the crushed charcoal, he caught a familiar scent. Soon, he noticed something else.
In the grove, there were discarded bamboo tops and ends, but not a single bamboo leaf was to be found. Zhou Yuesheng suppressed the suspicion rising in his chest and headed straight home. Before turning onto the small path, he double-checked that no mountain debris remained on his clothes and crushed some plum blossoms he had picked up at the Old Secretary’s house to mask any scent.
Yu Zhile was teaching Yu Chi to recognize characters, her expression tender. The missing mugwort, the vanished bamboo leaves—Zhou Yuesheng could not fathom her methods at all.
Yu Zhile’s first glance at him fell on the outside of his pants, then his shoe soles. “Hard work,” she said with a smile.
Yu Chi came forward to hand him a glass of lemon water. He sniffed Zhou Yuesheng like a puppy before pouncing back into Yu Zhile’s arms. Lunch was simple: rice mixed with grains, seaweed and egg drop soup, and blanched lettuce. Afterward, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. Yu Zhile fell into a deep sleep.
She woke up at five in the afternoon, the sun already tilting westward. Her arms felt sore, so she massaged them while uploading product information.
Foxtail Grass: Suggested price 50 Cloud Coins.
Bamboo Leaves: Suggested price 10 Cloud Coins.
Cherry Branches: Suggested price 100 Cloud Coins.
The platform gave its pricing suggestions after the scans were successful. Yu Zhile, unsure of the pricing standards, simply changed all the prices to end in 9: 49, 9, and 99 respectively. She submitted the product pages and set the timer for the links to go live.
As she pushed open the door, the setting sun cast a golden glow over the west side of the yard and the new swing set.
“Come try it.” Zhou Yuesheng stood in the sunset, beckoning her.
Yu Zhile’s eyebrows lifted, her eyes shimmering with genuine surprise. As the swing swayed back and forth, the smile on her face widened like a blooming flower.
“I love it,” Yu Zhile said, turning to look at Zhou Yuesheng. He wore a faint smile.
Chen Zhao finished work early today. The moment he walked in, he let out a gasp of wonder. “Brother-in-law, did you build this swing? You’re amazing! Not like me—I only know how to eat, and I can’t even roll a dumpling wrapper properly.”
He circled the swing, touching it here and there. “I can’t build swings, and I’m no good in the kitchen. No wonder my dad always calls me stupid.”
Yu Zhile was amused by his exaggerated tone. “Knowing how to eat is a great skill. Besides, you aren’t stupid at all; you’re good at chemistry and a great storyteller.”
Chen Zhao blushed and smiled sheepishly. “Sister, I’m not as good as you say. Brother-in-law is the one who’s impressive.”
“Chen Zhao,” Yu Yue called out his full name. Chen Zhao swallowed the word “Brother-in-law” that was about to slip out again and gave Zhou Yuesheng a sheepish grin.
Yu Zhile estimated the tide had receded enough and prepared to go beachcombing; Chen Zhao insisted on following. After being in the countryside for six months, he hadn’t gone many times; his knowledge of seafood had only truly improved since he started eating at the Yu house.
Yu Zhile started the broadcast, renaming it to “A Partially Immersive Beachcombing Session.”
“Today is a medium-low tide. The tide stays out for a long time, but the variety of seafood will be smaller,” she explained to Chen Zhao. He listened intently.
Yu Zhile stopped and pointed to a mound in the sand. A flat stretch of sand suddenly had a fist-sized bulge with a crack the width of a chopstick on one side.
“A crab.” Yu Zhile inserted a bamboo sliver into the crack and pried upward.
A swimming crab flew out onto the ground. After a brief pause, it scrambled to crawl away. “This is a swimming crab. If you grab its back legs with one hand, it can’t pinch you.” She demonstrated it once, then let him try.
Chen Zhao took a deep breath, but his movements became frantic. He pinched the crab’s back leg and tossed it into the basket.
“That works too. Just don’t get hurt,” Yu Zhile said with a helpless smile.
“Okay, Sister! You go ahead, I’ll find you if I get stuck.” Chen Zhao excitedly began searching the beach for other mounds.
As Yu Zhile walked along the shoreline, she kept an eye out for beautiful, intact shells in addition to seafood. She planned to list them in the Small Window once she had collected enough.
“This is a Triton shell. The colors are even, the pattern is gorgeous, and it has high ornamental value,” she said, rotating it 360 degrees for the camera. “This shell is perfectly intact.”
[So beautiful! My fish tank needs it!]
[I want to buy!]
“I’ll list it in a while.” Yu Zhile moved to put it in her basket, but the shell suddenly vanished into thin air.
“Dear, you can use your mind to put items directly into the warehouse,” the Small Window Warehouse Manager whispered in her ear. “You can also set a specific gesture command.”
At that moment, Chen Zhao ran toward her excitedly. “Sister! Were you just performing a magic trick? How did that shell disappear?”
He stared at Yu Zhile’s hands.
“Yes, a magic trick,” Yu Zhile said, feeling a headache coming on. She used her mind to move the Triton shell into the basket.
Chen Zhao looked at her expectantly. “Can you do it again?”
Zhou Yuesheng was not far away. Hearing the commotion, he began walking toward them.