After gathering the mushrooms around her and filling half her basket, Xia Qingyue called out to Heihei, and the pair set off in the opposite direction.
According to Xia Qingyue’s memories of the original owner’s occasional hunting and foraging trips with her parents, there was a bamboo forest nearby. Spring bamboo shoots were plentiful and irresistible.
Heihei clearly knew the way, sprinting ahead to lead the way. With him as her guide, they walked for about twenty minutes before reaching the bamboo forest.
A misty white haze swirled through the air, framing the verdant forest like a vivid, ink-washed painting. The morning breeze rustled the bamboo leaves, sending dewdrops trembling and cascading from the branches.
The rising sun pierced through the foliage, casting dappled shadows across the ground strewn with fallen yellow leaves, creating a mesmerizing interplay of light and shadow.
The crisp, invigorating air filled Xia Qingyue with a sense of tranquility.
In the bamboo grove, slender stalks stood tall and straight, interspersed with countless delicate spring shoots.
Some had already emerged, their pointed tips visible, while others were still buried beneath the earth, marked only by slight bulges in the soil.
Overwhelmed by nature’s vitality, Xia Qingyue couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, it’s so beautiful, so wonderful!”
In her previous life, after graduating and entering the workforce, Xia Qingyue had never had the leisure to truly appreciate the beauty of nature as she did in this moment.
Back then, Xia Pingxin and his family had relentlessly hounded her for money, escalating to disruptive scenes at her rented apartment and workplace when she refused. When she reported them to the police, she was told it was a family matter and that they should resolve it themselves.
Emboldened by the police’s inaction, Xia Pingxin and his family grew even more brazen.
Fine, she thought, if they want to make a scene, I’ll make one too.
She confronted Mu Yuqin directly, feigning compliance with their demands for money. Claiming it was too risky to hand over such a large sum in public, she proposed meeting at their home instead.
Mu Yuqin, blinded by greed, agreed without hesitation.
Upon arriving at their home, Xia Qingyue wasted no time. She began smashing every valuable object in sight, leaving a trail of chaos and debris. Seizing a broom, she then unleashed a furious beating on Mu Yuqin.
Amidst the chaos, Xia Pingxin returned home. Enraged by Xia Qingyue’s actions, he rolled up his sleeves, ready to strike her.
Unbeknownst to him, a man Xia Qingyue had hired stood outside, recording the entire scene on video.
Though Xia Qingyue deftly evaded serious injury, the video’s angle made it appear as though she was being brutally beaten by Xia Pingxin and Mu Yuqin.
Later, the matter escalated to the police. Xia Pingxin accused Xia Qingyue of breaking into his home, damaging property, and assault. Xia Qingyue played the victim, and with no concrete evidence, the officers mediated the dispute as a family matter.
However, Xia Pingxin and his wife weren’t so fortunate. With video evidence against them, the couple was detained, fined, and publicly shamed when the footage went viral.
Their family was doxxed, subjected to cyberbullying, and ostracized in real life.
Afterward, Xia Qingyue obtained a new phone number and secretly moved to C City without telling anyone. The months she spent there were relatively peaceful, though her demanding new job left her little time to relax properly.
Then, she transmigrated to another world, finding renewed hope.
Snap, snap. Xia Qingyue effortlessly broke off two bamboo shoots.
Each shoot was nearly as long as half her arm.
She recognized them as Sweet Bamboo Shoots, which weren’t bitter but slightly sweet and crisp.
In just half an hour, Xia Qingyue had filled her woven basket and vegetable basket with shoots, leaving plenty more untouched in the bamboo grove.
She planned to return later and harvest more bamboo shoots. Those she couldn’t eat fresh could be dried for longer preservation, and dried shoots were actually crispier and more flavorful than fresh ones.
The basket was heavy with bamboo shoots, weighing at least forty catties.
After a moment’s thought, Xia Qingyue decided to leave the basket here for now; carrying it back and forth would be exhausting.
Concealing the basket with wild grass, she slung two vegetable baskets over her arms. “Heihei, let’s go to the reed beds!”
The reed beds stretched out in a vast expanse of towering reeds. Her predecessor’s father used to hunt wild chickens and ducks there, sometimes bringing back their eggs.
Xia Qingyue hoped to capture some wild chickens and ducks, let them breed, and hatch chicks and ducklings. If she could repeat this cycle, she would eventually achieve meat and egg self-sufficiency.
Of course, this was just wishful thinking. In reality, capturing live wild fowl was no easy feat.
Heihei, knowing they were headed to the reed beds, trotted along briskly, a wind at his heels.
Half an hour later, the sun had climbed high, bright yet mild.
When they reached the reed beds, Xia Qingyue was utterly exhausted and stopped to catch her breath.
“Woof, woof, woof!” Heihei circled her excitedly.
Noticing Heihei’s body was present but its mind had already raced off to the reed marshes, Xia Qingyue said, “Go on ahead, but don’t wander too far.”
“Woof!” Heihei darted off like a Black Whirlwind, vanishing into the reeds in an instant.
After sitting for five minutes, Xia Qingyue had recovered. She secretly resolved to intensify her physical training once her injuries healed.
She grabbed a sturdy wooden stick nearby, using it to probe the path ahead. The reed marshes were difficult to navigate; wild chickens and ducks laid eggs everywhere, and she didn’t want to accidentally crush any. What a waste that would be!
I’m craving fried eggs, she thought, fried until crispy and fragrant.
As she ventured deeper into the reed marshes, Xia Qingyue’s mouth watered. The breakfast she’d eaten earlier had already been digested.
She poked and prodded the path ahead with the stick. After walking for a short while, the stick met an unusual resistance.
Parting the overgrown weeds, she discovered three chicken eggs.
Overjoyed, Xia Qingyue cradled the eggs in her hands and carefully placed them in her vegetable basket.
She didn’t find any more eggs along the way, but she noticed tender reed shoots sprouting, resembling small bamboo shoots but much smaller. Spotting a few larger ones ahead, she went over and snapped them off, peeling away the outer layers.
Suddenly, two wild ducks flew into view, landing at a puddle to drink.
An opportunity!
Xia Qingyue crept stealthily behind the ducks. Fortunately, they weren’t far away and were taking their time drinking, allowing her to approach undetected.
She spread her hands, intending to seize a duck by the neck with each hand.
Imagination painted a beautiful picture, but reality proved harsh.
Just as her hands closed in on the ducks, they seemed to have eyes in the backs of their heads, darting off in opposite directions.
Xia Qingyue chased after them, but she couldn’t catch a single one. She stumbled several times, watching helplessly as the ducks took flight.
All that effort for nothing!
Exhausted, she plopped down onto the ground, her hand brushing against damp grass. Her fingers accidentally touched something round and smooth.
Looking down, Xia Qingyue grinned—four duck eggs, each larger than a chicken egg.
At least there’s something to show for it.
After carefully gathering the duck eggs, Xia Qingyue regained her confidence and continued onward. Before long, she spotted six young wild chickens foraging ahead.
The chicks, clearly only a month or so old, pecked at the ground, searching for insects in the grass.
Xia Qingyue knew her limits; capturing them all was unrealistic. Even securing one or two would be a victory.
After carefully surveying the surrounding terrain, Xia Qingyue devised a capture plan. Two young wild chickens had strayed slightly from the main group, making them prime targets for a simultaneous grab.
The remaining chicks were clustered too closely, making it too easy to startle the whole flock.
Xia Qingyue exerted considerable effort, slowly shifting from the eastern side to the western side where the two chicks were feeding, all without disturbing them.
The two young chickens continued to peck at the ground, heads bowed.
Holding her breath, she struck with lightning speed, her fingertips brushing the soft feathers of one chick. A triumphant smile bloomed on her face.
But in the next instant, the two chicks darted away with nimble agility, vanishing in a blur.
The smile froze on Xia Qingyue’s face.
Startled, the young chickens chirped frantically as they burrowed into the dense reeds together.
Right, I underestimated them. They’ve survived in the wild since birth—no wonder they’re so hard to catch.
Undeterred, Xia Qingyue resolved to try again tomorrow, armed with better equipment.
She searched for more eggs for a while, but finding none, her stomach growled fiercely, her energy drained. Her legs trembled with exhaustion.
Fearing she might collapse in the reed swamp and become prey for wild beasts, Xia Qingyue hastily leaned on her stick and retraced her steps.
When she finally reached the spot where she had parted ways with Heihei, she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide with astonishment at the scene before her.