“Go wait over there. Eldest Brother will cut it for you.”
Zhuo Chang’an rubbed her little head, then called out, “Second Brother, come help me cut the grass.”
“Huh? Eldest Brother, have you gone crazy too? We can’t even eat this stuff. Why are we cutting it?”
Zhuo Changfu stared at the two of them in disbelief, rolling his eyes in frustration.
“Chang’an! Changfu! Why haven’t you two caught up yet?”
Just as they had cut a small bundle, Sister-in-law Zhang from the neighboring courtyard turned around and called to them from the distance.
Sister-in-law Zhang had always been warmhearted by nature.
Her husband and eldest son both worked as laborers in town, earning enough to put food on the table.
She also had a teenage daughter who was already engaged and would be married off after turning fifteen.
Knowing that Fenniang’s family had so many boys to feed and often struggled to make ends meet, Sister-in-law Zhang frequently complained that Fenniang shouldn’t have taken in a foolish little girl who would only become another burden.
Yet despite her complaints, she would still bring over half a bowl of mixed-grain flour every now and then to help them out.
She herself was clumsy with needlework, while Fenniang was skilled with her hands. Whenever she had time, Fenniang would help mend clothes, sew bedding, and make her daughter’s wedding garments.
The two women got along like real sisters.
“Auntie, we’re not going any farther. We’ll stay here for a while.”
Straightening up, Zhuo Chang’an called back.
“Absolutely not! Your mother asked me to keep an eye on you two. If you get lost, how am I supposed to explain it to her?”
The moment she heard that, Sister-in-law Zhang hurried back toward them.
“Come on, follow Auntie! The forest is huge. Blink once, and people disappear.”
When she spotted Zhuo Ling standing nearby with her trademark silly grin, she couldn’t help complaining again.
“Your mother, honestly… This old forest is so deep and dangerous. Why would she let you two half-grown boys bring a foolish little girl here? What if you run into a wild beast?”
Zhuo Ling was busy calculating how much this enormous patch of stinkweed would sell for.
If there were eight or ten jin here, she’d earn one million five hundred thousand Underground Credits.
That would convert into one hundred and fifty copper coins.
I wonder what prices are like in this world. How much rice and flour could one hundred and fifty copper coins buy? Maybe I could even eat meat!
According to legend, wealthy people in the underground cities could eat a dish called braised pork.
Just looking at pictures of it made people’s mouths water.
She had been craving it for ages.
The more she imagined it, the happier she became. She was sucking on her finger and giggling foolishly when Sister-in-law Zhang’s scolding snapped her back to reality.
“It’s fine, Auntie. We’ll head home after we finish cutting this. We won’t go any farther.”
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Zhuo Chang’an stopped working and said, “You should catch up with everyone else.”
“Cutting what? Stinkweed?”
Sister-in-law Zhang thought she’d misheard.
Covering her nose in disgust, she said, “Why would you cut stinkweed? You can’t eat it! Chang’an… don’t tell me you’ve gotten so hungry you’ve lost your senses? Honestly, you…”
As she spoke, she seemed to remember something.
She reached into her clothes, took out a small cloth bundle, and pulled out half of a coarse grain flatbread before handing it to Zhuo Chang’an.
“Didn’t have breakfast this morning? This half-piece is all I’ve got left. You two brothers eat a few bites to fill your stomachs.
“Didn’t your mother say she was taking eggs to town to sell? Once she buys some grain, you boys can finally have a proper meal.”
“No, thank you, Auntie.”
Zhuo Chang’an smiled faintly and gently pushed the flatbread back.
“Stinkweed isn’t edible, but it has other uses.”
Sister-in-law Zhang snorted.
“What uses? What use could stinkweed possibly have? Even cattle won’t eat this stuff!”
“Mother said…”
Zhuo Chang’an glanced at Zhuo Ling as if unintentionally.
“Mother said that once it’s dried, stinkweed can be used as medicine. I thought I’d cut some and see whether the pharmacy in town buys it.”
“Medicine! Medicine!”
Zhuo Ling’s eyes lit up as she clapped excitedly.
As expected, Eldest Brother was smart!
“Medicine?”
Although Sister-in-law Zhang looked doubtful, she knew nothing about such things. All she could do was sigh.
“Well… your mother does know a few characters. Maybe she really knows about this.”
Covering his nose, Zhuo Changfu asked innocently,
“Eldest Brother, when did Mother tell you th—”
“This morning.”
Zhuo Chang’an shot him a glance before bending back down to continue cutting the stinkweed.
Meanwhile, Zhuo Ling busily paddled around on her little hands and feet, gathering the scattered stalks into one pile.
To everyone else, it was worthless stinkweed.
But in the Marketplace System…
It was worth 150,000 Underground Credits per jin!
Every single stalk was money!
“So that’s why they say children from poor families grow up early. Even this silly little girl knows to help with the work.”
Sister-in-law Zhang sighed.
Looking toward the gathering party, which had already disappeared into the distance, she set down her basket.
“Oh well. We gathered enough wild vegetables for one meal today anyway. I’ll help you rake these together.”
Nearly half an hour later, the large group that had gone deeper into the forest to search for wild vegetables returned.
When they saw the three of them sweating profusely while cutting a huge patch of stinkweed, everyone pinched their noses and began teasing them.
“Chang’an, what nonsense are you and your brother up to? Can that stuff be eaten? Why bother cutting it?”
“Didn’t your family just get a hen that lays eggs? Wasting your energy on this useless junk—you won’t even recover it by eating an egg!”
“Sister-in-law Zhang, why are you joining in this foolishness too?”
…
Sister-in-law Zhang’s old face flushed red.
“Go on, get lost! Mind your own business!”
After finally cutting down the entire patch of stinkweed, she frowned again as she looked at the huge pile.
“It’s such a massive heap. How are the three of us supposed to carry all this home? We’ll probably have to make two trips.”
Zhuo Ling smiled mysteriously.
Carry it home?
It would still end up being sold either way.
But with Sister-in-law Zhang still here, she had no way to sell it.
“N-No… carry.”
Opening her mouth, Zhuo Ling plopped down in front of the pile of stinkweed and kicked her little legs in protest.
“Tired! Ling’er… tired!”
“Ling’er, be good.”
Zhuo Chang’an crouched down and gently picked bits of grass from her hair.
“Auntie, my little sister can’t walk anymore. Why don’t you head back first?
“Second Brother, take the basket and go back with Auntie. I’ll rest here for a bit before carrying her home.”
“That works. It’s not too far from home anyway. You two should come back soon.”
Thinking about the mountain of chores still waiting at home, Sister-in-law Zhang gave them a few reminders before leaving with Zhuo Changfu.
After they were gone, Zhuo Chang’an found a clean rock to sit on and pulled Zhuo Ling onto his lap.
The brother and sister sat there quietly together, each lost in their own thoughts.
His expression remained calm.
A shaft of sunlight pierced through the forest canopy, its visible rays enveloping his refined features in a soft glow.
Peaceful.
Serene.
The scene was indescribably beautiful.
For some reason, Zhuo Ling had begun to feel that Eldest Brother could somehow see straight through her.
Every time it mattered most, he always seemed to know exactly what to say to help her.
Has he noticed something?
He was the one person she trusted most.
Should I tell him now… about transmigrating here… and about the Marketplace System?
He was so intelligent.
He would probably understand.
“Eldest Brother, I…”
After thinking it over for a long moment, Zhuo Ling finally decided to speak.
“Well, if it isn’t Dawu’s eldest boy. Why’d you bring the silly little girl into the forest?”
Before she could continue, a hunter emerged from the trees, interrupting her.
“Uncle Feng, out hunting?”
Zhuo Chang’an stood up with Zhuo Ling and smiled faintly.
“My little sister got tired from walking, so we’re resting here for a while.”
Uncle Feng was Zhuo Dawu’s distant younger cousin.
Before Zhuo Dawu’s injury, the two of them often partnered together to hunt in the mountains.
“The famine’s driven off even the wild game. After all this time, I only managed to catch one rabbit. Skinny little thing—not much meat on it.”
Uncle Feng patted the wild rabbit hanging from his waist.
“Now that everyone else has left the forest, you two shouldn’t stay here either. Come back with me.”
Ding! Wild Chinese Hare detected. Value: 1,000,000 Underground Credits per jin. Sell?
A red targeting marker locked onto the rabbit as the system notification rang out inside Zhuo Ling’s mind.