“What? That’s such a rip-off!”
[Replying to Host: This isn’t a rip-off. It’s simply how the system was originally programmed.]
“Fine, then I’m not upgrading. As long as I can sell my goods, who cares who the buyer is?”
Just then, the system spoke again.
[Host, after upgrading, you will be able to chat and consult directly with buyers and sellers.]
Qin Ruan immediately became interested.
“Didn’t you say before that wasn’t possible?”
[Replying to Host: That is a new feature unlocked after the system is upgraded.]
“All right, all right. I’ll work hard and see if I can save up enough.”
Deep down, Qin Ruan really hoped she’d come across a system belonging to someone from the modern world—someone who could buy all kinds of things and sell them exclusively to her.
Then she thought about it again and decided that Moutai liquor would probably be even better. She could make a huge profit as soon as she got her hands on it.
Thinking all the way, she soon arrived at her family’s tea mountain.
This was the very tea grove where she had first met Huo Tingchen.
Hardly any outsiders ever came here. The entire mountain belonged to the Qin family.
Qin Ruan looked at the tea shoots she had picked before. Fresh tender buds had already sprouted again, but it wasn’t the right time to harvest them yet.
So she headed toward another section of the tea grove.
On the way there, however, she noticed numerous mushrooms growing beneath the tea bushes.
They were tiny gray button-shaped mushrooms. This variety was edible as well—fragrant mushrooms.
Qin Ruan glanced at the basket on her back and thought for a moment.
Forget the tea today. I’ll just pick mushrooms instead.
She crouched down and began gathering them.
More than ten minutes later, her basket was nearly full, yet there were still plenty left unpicked.
“System, can I sell these mushrooms now?”
[Replying to Host: Yes. Would you like to list them for sale now?]
“List them.”
The moment Qin Ruan gave the command, every mushroom in her basket vanished without a trace.
Carrying the empty basket again, she continued picking mushrooms.
When she reached another tea grove, she saw that the tea leaves there had grown beautifully. They were at the perfect stage for harvesting.
“Should I pick them today or tomorrow?” she muttered to herself.
In the end, the mushrooms won over her attention.
“Forget it. I’ll gather mushrooms today and come back for the tea tomorrow. I’ll bring Uncle, Aunt, and Grandma with me then.”
Just as Qin Ruan lowered her head to continue picking mushrooms, voices suddenly came from within the tea grove.
She was so startled that she froze, not daring to speak or make a sound.
“Hey, what do you think happened to that guy we drugged last time? Where did he run off to?”
“No idea. Should we go into the village and ask around?”
“Forget it. Don’t alert the enemy. Let’s just stay in the mountains.”
“All right. This tea grove is pretty nice. It’s been well taken care of. Wonder whose it is.”
“Who cares whose it is? We’re getting tea to drink, so shouldn’t we at least be grateful?”
“Grateful? My ass! If I pick it, I pick it!”
A man’s rude voice echoed through the grove.
“All right, all right, Dongzi. We were already in the wrong for picking someone else’s tea. There’s no need to talk like that.”
“So what if I do? I’ve got my fists.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’ve got your fists. But what if the owner of this tea grove shows up and catches us?”
“What else? We’ll chop them down.”
“This is Chinese territory. Stop talking about killing people so casually.”
“I don’t give a damn. I’m not Chinese. These Chinese deserve to die.”
“Dongzi, if you keep talking like that, don’t come with me on the next mission.”
“Hé Er, the only reason I agreed to come on this mission with you is because I think highly of you, and this is how you talk to me?”
“Dongzi, let’s head back first. If you keep this up, I’ll report it to Boss Lin.”
“Hmph…”
The arrogant man’s voice sounded again, followed by the sound of footsteps fading into the distance.
Then another man’s voice let out a long sigh.
“I don’t even want to come out on missions. What’s so great about them? You can’t see your family, your wife, or your kids, and you’re risking your life every single day.”
A younger man’s voice chimed in.
“Boss He, don’t stoop to Dongzi’s level. Just tell Boss Lin when we get back.”
“Dongzi is Boss Lin’s nephew. Who do you think Boss Lin is going to believe?”
The young man fell silent.
A few more minutes passed before Qin Ruan finally heard their footsteps disappear into the distance.
By then, Qin Ruan was terrified.
All she wanted was to get home as quickly as possible and tell her uncle what had happened.
Listening to their conversation, especially the part about someone being drugged before, reminded Qin Ruan of what had happened between herself and Huo Tingchen.
Back then, the two of them had slept together in the tea grove lower down the mountain, not up here.
Judging from the men’s conversation, they were probably hiding somewhere on the summit of her family’s tea mountain.
Qin Ruan waited a few more minutes. After making sure everything around her was quiet, she grabbed her little bamboo basket and sprinted down the mountain.
She didn’t stop once before reaching home.
When Hu Yufen saw Qin Ruan come back carrying her basket and gasping for breath, she couldn’t help teasing her.
“Ruanruan, what’s wrong? Was a ghost chasing you?”
Qin Ruan looked up, her face deathly pale.
The sight frightened the old woman.
She hurried over to support her.
“What happened? What’s wrong?”
Qin Ruan’s eyes darted anxiously around the courtyard, but she couldn’t find her uncle anywhere.
“Grandma, where’s Uncle?”
“Your uncle went to see one of his friends.”
“Which house?” Qin Ruan asked between breaths.
“He went to Aunt Pang’s house to see Zhuangzi.”
Hearing the answer, Qin Ruan handed her basket to Hu Yufen.
“Grandma, please wash these mushrooms for me later. I’ll cook them tonight. I need to find Uncle. There’s something important I have to tell him.”
After saying that, she turned around and rushed out the door toward Aunt Pang’s house.
Running all the way there, she began shouting as soon as she reached the entrance.
“Uncle! Uncle! Where are you?”
Inside the courtyard, Qin Ruofeng, Shen Jialin, and Zhuangzi were chatting together.
Hearing Qin Ruan’s voice, Qin Ruofeng immediately answered,
“I’m over here!”
Qin Ruan walked in and saw several young men around her uncle, all about the same age as he was.
“Uncle, could you come here for a moment? I need to tell you something.”
Qin Ruofeng smiled awkwardly at the others.
“Let’s call it a day. I’m heading home first. We’ll chat again tomorrow.”
“Sure, Ruofeng. You’re staying for quite a few days this time anyway. We’ll catch up later.”
Everyone was mature enough to understand—they were all in their twenties.
Qin Ruofeng then returned home with Shen Jialin and Qin Ruan.
As soon as they got home, Qin Ruan grabbed Qin Ruofeng’s arm and pulled him straight into her room, not even stopping to greet Shen Jianing.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing how nervous she was, Qin Ruofeng couldn’t help asking with concern.
“Uncle, I discovered something on the tea mountain just now.”
As she spoke, Qin Ruan frowned deeply, her face filled with fear.
“What happened on the tea mountain?”
Qin Ruofeng was shocked as well.
What could possibly happen on the tea mountain?
Usually, there was nothing there except small animals and the occasional wildlife.
Nearly every household in the area owned a tea mountain, so no one would normally steal anyone else’s tea leaves.