Shen Qiyue had only been here for a few days, but she could see that Bai Qi genuinely loved every child from the bottom of her heart, and Huzi and Taotao were so sensible it was heartbreaking.
All of this made Shen Qiyue, who had grown up in an orphanage, feel the warmth of home and family.
It was this warmth that quickly dispelled her loneliness and fear of being transported to another world, and she truly came to see them as her own family.
Huzi and Taotao listened to their second sister’s words and nodded vigorously.
“Second sister, can we eat potatoes every day from now on?” Taotao’s childish face was full of longing as she held up a potato to Shen Qiyue.
Shen Qiyue’s nose stung. Perhaps this roasted potato was the best thing this little girl had ever had in her memory.
“Taotao, potatoes are nothing. In the future, your second sister will make sure you eat meat until you’re sick of it.”
At the mention of meat, Huzi’s eyes lit up, his right hand raised high, his mouth stuffed with potatoes, speaking indistinctly.
“Second sister, second sister, I, I want to eat until I’m sick of it too.”
Shen Qiyue couldn’t help but laugh at his garbled speech, letting out a “pfft.”
“Alright. Your second sister promises you that too.”
After Shen Qiyue and Huzi finished their potatoes and settled Taotao down, they headed out together.
The sky was already bright, but because of the freezing cold, not many villagers were out this early.
Occasionally, they passed a few villagers who, seeing the sallow-faced, thin-clothed siblings, shook their heads in pity.
They must be going out to beg for food again. Heaven have mercy, the Shen family really was a tragedy!
Hewan Village sat right next to Gouya Mountain, and at the north end of the village there was a small path that led straight up the mountain.
“Huzi, are you cold?”
Shen Qiyue pulled his collar up higher to keep the wind from getting in.
But the thin, worn cotton coat was no match for the bitter cold, and the siblings’ teeth chattered uncontrollably.
“Second sister, I’m not cold. It was cold when we first came out, but strangely, the longer I’m out here, the less cold I feel.”
Shen Qiyue sighed inwardly. Poor kid, you’re probably numb from the cold—your blood isn’t circulating, and you’ve temporarily lost feeling in parts of your body.
“Second sister, what are we looking for on the mountain?”
Shen Qiyue had seen those potatoes and thought about making them into processed potato products to sell at the town market.
But fries and chips required a lot of oil, and the Shen household was bare—not even a single vegetable leaf, let alone oil. She had to give up on that idea.
The cheapest thing to make, requiring no extra cost, was mashed potatoes.
But for mashed potatoes to taste good, seasonings were crucial.
A couple of days ago, when they were up on the mountain gathering firewood, she’d been so hungry she could barely stand it, and Huzi had handed her a few small fruits, frozen hard, about the size of a fist.
She didn’t know what those green fruits were called. They tasted a bit sour and salty at first, with a numbing, bitter, astringent, and spicy aftertaste—somehow reminiscent of a combination of salt and pepper and chili powder.
She’d frowned at the first bite, but to fill her stomach, she’d forced herself to eat three of them.
Thinking about it now, maybe that thing could serve as a substitute seasoning for the mashed potatoes. It cost nothing anyway, so she might as well bring some home and give it a try.
“Huzi, when we were gathering firewood a couple of days ago, you gave me those small green fruits—remember? Where did you find them?”
“On the back mountain.”
“The back mountain?” Shen Qiyue couldn’t help but raise her voice. “Didn’t they say there are wild beasts on the back mountain? You dare go there?”
Huzi grinned sheepishly. “Second sister, actually, I used to go to the back mountain a lot in the summer. I even went hunting with Brother Dayun. The scenery on the back mountain is really nice.”
Shen Qiyue couldn’t hold back and gave the back of his head a smack. “Shen Xiaohu, you’re only eight! Are you even as tall as a bow, and you talk about hunting? If you dare go to the back mountain again, I’ll beat you.”
Huzi’s big round eyes immediately filled with a hint of fear and pleading.
Seeing that he was scared, she figured he wouldn’t dare do it again, so she shot him a glare and said no more.
The siblings followed the small path into the mountain.
Last time they’d gathered firewood, they hadn’t gone deep. This time they went further in, and only then did they discover that the mountain really did hold treasures.
That weed growing casually by the roadside, trampled beyond recognition—wasn’t that Three-leaf Fragrant Grass? Perfect for promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, and treating bruises, swelling, and pain.
And that large patch growing in dense clusters—wasn’t that Xiancao, the Detoxifying Immortal Herb? It could dispel wind and dampness, clear heat, and detoxify.
Why wasn’t anyone picking these good things? Why were they being trampled like this?
In her previous life, Shen Qiyue had worked as a village official for several years, running around the mountains and fields all day and getting injured often. She was no stranger to these herbs.
These herbs were easy to grow and thrive. Dried and ground into powder, they made excellent traditional medicine—good for both internal use and external application.
Huzi watched his second sister staring thoughtfully at a patch of wild greens and felt a pang of sympathy.
His second sister must be starving, thinking about digging up wild vegetables to eat.
“Second sister, these aren’t good to eat. The villagers don’t want them. Only animals eat them.”
What do they know! Shen Qiyue cursed inwardly, then quickly crouched down and started pulling them up.
“These aren’t wild vegetables. These are medicine—they can cure illnesses and save lives.”
Hearing this, Huzi hurried over to help, pulling them up and tossing them into the bamboo basket as he went.
“Enough, Huzi. Since nobody wants these anyway, let’s solve our food problem first. We’ll come back in a few days to pick more and see if we can sell them to the apothecary in town. Let’s keep moving and see if there’s anything else valuable.”
Huzi quickly stopped and led her deeper into the mountain.
The further they went into the mountain, the denser the dead trees became, and the mud underfoot grew increasingly damp.
Just as Shen Qiyue’s legs were aching with fatigue, Huzi suddenly pointed ahead: “Second Sister, that’s where I found the fruit.”
Shen Qiyue bit her lip and walked over, and sure enough, she saw a bare tree there, with many green fruits scattered beneath it.
She quickly shrugged off the bamboo basket on her back and hurriedly picked up the fruits from the ground, tossing them inside.
Hmm? Her gaze was suddenly drawn to a fallen tree—no, more precisely, to what was growing on the trunk.
Good heavens, aren’t these mushrooms? So many?! Truly, heaven never seals off all paths—today’s meal is taken care of!
Shen Qiyue grew excited, telling Huzi to keep picking the fruits while she started gathering the mushrooms.
“Sis, Second Sis.” Huzi rushed over and grabbed her hand. “Sis, these are poisonous and can’t be eaten. Someone in our village ate them once, and before the doctor could even arrive, the person was already gone.”
Shen Qiyue quickly latched onto the key point of his words: “You mean, nobody wants these?”
Huzi nodded. Who would dare want something poisonous?
Shen Qiyue grew even more excited. No one was competing with her—they were all hers!
She pointed at the mushrooms she had picked, then at the brightly colored ones nearby.
“Huzi, mushrooms come in many varieties. Most of the colorful ones like these are poisonous, and ordinary people can hardly tell them apart, so it’s best not to eat any of the colorful ones. But ones like these are edible, and they make a wonderfully savory soup.”
Huzi remained skeptical, but Shen Qiyue just smiled and ignored him. Once he tasted the fresh mushroom soup, she was sure he’d come picking on his own initiative.
The bamboo basket was too small—it was already full with just that little bit. Shen Qiyue looked at the mushrooms on the ground and let out a sigh.
Forget it, I’ll come back next time. Since no one here dares to eat them, they’re all mine, hehe.