Old Man Zhao had no idea that someone was eyeing his family’s ancestral grave. If he ever found out, he’d probably show up at their door with a carrying pole to argue it out.
Was ancestral fortune something you could just “borrow”? What nonsense!
After going home to grab a shoulder pole and some rope, Old Man Zhao put Zhao Xiaobao into a basket, and Zhao Xiao Wu immediately stepped forward and carried it on his back.
“Dad, I can walk by myself,” Zhao Xiaobao protested, standing inside the basket, not even as tall as it, yelling anxiously.
“The mountain path is hard to walk. Be good, Xiaobao—let your nephew carry you,” Old Man Zhao said, casually shutting the courtyard gate. Turning his head, he saw the boys had already rushed into the forest, so he shouted loudly, “Don’t go too deep! There are wolves inside—they’ll eat people!”
“Got it!”
By the time they answered, they had already disappeared. Old Man Zhao shook his head—each of them was like a young tiger returning to the mountains.
In spring, many people went into the mountains. Along the way, they met several women carrying baskets filled with wild vegetables.
“Uncle Dagen, going into the mountains to gather firewood?” Old Lady Li and her daughter-in-law Xiangju were coming down the mountain and happened to run into Old Man Zhao.
“Yes, the weather is good, so I’m gathering some firewood,” Old Man Zhao said, stepping aside on the narrow path to let them pass. “What did you pick? Those baskets are full—you’ve got quite a harvest.”
“Oh, my son’s been craving eggs. Since the weather’s nice today, his mother and I picked some toon shoots to fry with eggs for lunch,” Old Lady Li said, hurrying past with her daughter-in-law while thanking him.
“Where did you pick them? Are there more?” Old Man Zhao asked casually, thinking Xiaobao also liked fried eggs, so he might gather some too.
Nowadays, the eggs at home weren’t sold anymore. Earlier, his wife had checked the “immortal land” and then made that decision.
Several months had passed. The fields outside were already planted with seedlings, but the three acres of fertile land in the “immortal land” hadn’t changed at all. She suspected time worked differently there. A few days ago, she gave Xiaobao two eggs to put inside as a test—if they didn’t spoil after a long time, they could store food there in the future.
It was because of what happened during the New Year. At that time, they were too busy saving people. The eggs they had been saving daily, the lard they had carefully hoarded, half a jar of coarse salt, and the expensive brown sugar bought for the holiday—all had been smashed or ruined. It was painful just to think about.
Since then, Wang Shi had told Zhao Xiaobao to store all the family’s valuables in the “immortal land.”
Now, several wooden houses had been built inside, though not fully finished. The second and third sons often went into the mountains to cut wood. Meanwhile, cured meat, winter bedding, and grain were all safely stored in those wooden houses, ready to be used anytime.
Even if another earthquake came, as long as no one died, their family wouldn’t lose anything!
This was another reason Old Man Zhao didn’t want to be village chief. If villagers visited his home often, they’d notice something was off.
It wasn’t really a home—it was practically an empty shell.
“Down by the ravine and stream—there’s plenty, more than you can pick!” Old Lady Li’s voice came from below.
“Alright, I’ll go pick some too,” Old Man Zhao said with a grin, continuing up the mountain.
As soon as Zhao Xiaobao heard they were going to pick toon shoots, she wiped her mouth instinctively, stood up in the basket, and peeked out through the gaps.
“Dad, I want to eat toon with scrambled eggs!” she shouted.
“Of course!” Old Man Zhao waved his hand grandly. “We’ll even raise more chicks later—when they grow up, we’ll have eggs every day!”
Zhao Xiaobao’s eyes rolled. The two hens at home weren’t laying many eggs anymore. Just yesterday, her mother said they’d wait a few more days—if they still didn’t lay eggs, they’d slaughter them to nourish the family.
She thought the hens had been frightened and that’s why they stopped laying eggs.
“Dad, I want to raise chicks too,” Zhao Xiaobao said, squeezing her little hands, almost drooling at the thought of chicken. “We can raise them in the immortal land. There are no earthquakes there, so they won’t be scared. When they grow up, they’ll lay lots of eggs.”
“Auntie!” Zhao Xiao Wu jumped in fright.
Old Man Zhao also jolted and quickly raised his voice, saying, “Xiaobao, let’s go to where your Aunt Li said—there are toon shoots by the stream. Let’s pick some!”
Silly girl! He had reminded her again and again not to mention that place outside. What if others heard?
Just then, two young women came down the mountain, carrying baskets and holding flower crowns, chatting and laughing softly.
When they saw them, the women paused, then greeted respectfully, “Grandpa Dagen, heading into the mountains?”
“Yes, yes,” Old Man Zhao replied awkwardly, stepping aside. “Picked quite a lot… oh, even raspberries. Not bad.”
“Wild vegetables are in season. After finishing housework, we came to gather some food. Once cleaned, it makes a good dish,” one of them said shyly. “We picked the raspberries in Shimao Grove. We don’t have children, so we only took a little. There’s still plenty left—your family has many kids, so you can go pick some.”
Wild fruits in the mountains weren’t usually shared easily, but the Zhao family was an exception—everyone remembered their kindness.
Standing in the basket, Zhao Xiaobao stared longingly at the flower crowns. They were so pretty.
“Alright, I’ll go pick some later,” Old Man Zhao said, relieved—they probably hadn’t heard what Xiaobao said.
As soon as they left, Zhao Xiaobao said, “Xiao Wu, I want a flower crown too.”
“Auntie, don’t move! If you stomp around, I can’t carry you properly,” Zhao Xiao Wu said nervously. “Alright, alright—when we get there, I’ll pick flowers for you.”
Satisfied, Zhao Xiaobao finally calmed down.
When they reached the ravine to pick toon shoots, Zhao Xiao Wu quickly set the basket down and lifted Zhao Xiaobao out. He wanted to go find the others, but under his grandfather’s watchful eye, he had no choice but to pick toon shoots first.
Spitting into his palms and rubbing them together, he climbed the tree like a monkey.
He picked from above while Zhao Xiaobao gathered them below. Soon, they had a large pile.
Since they hadn’t brought a basket, Old Man Zhao cut some palm leaves and quickly wove a small basket. Though he thought it was nothing special, Zhao Xiaobao loved it and eagerly filled it with toon shoots.
Other girls in the village didn’t have fathers who made them baskets. She grinned happily, her heart full of joy.
“Xiao Wu, the basket is full!” Zhao Xiaobao called up.
Hearing this, Zhao Xiao Wu slid down from the tree.
“Grandpa, I’ll take Auntie to find Xi’er and the others,” he said eagerly.
“You’re not allowed to go too deep. Stay nearby. If anything happens, call me,” Old Man Zhao said, chopping wood with his worn blade.
“Got it!”
Zhao Xiao Wu crouched down, and Zhao Xiaobao climbed onto his back, wrapping her chubby arms around his neck as he carried her off.
There were several traps in the mountains, and Zhao Xiao Wu skillfully avoided them as he ran through the forest toward their “secret base.”
It wasn’t really that hidden—just a shady area few people visited. There was a deep pool of water there, with clear water and fish swimming inside.
With dense vegetation and a cliff further ahead, it was a place adults strictly forbade them from going.
Because few people came, there were more wild vegetables and animals there. In summer, they loved staying there to cool off.
Now in spring, the air was still cool, so Zhao Xiao Wu kept asking if Xiaobao was cold.
“I’m not,” she replied, so he dared to bring her.
“You finally came! We’ve been waiting forever!” Zhao Xi complained.
“Auntie, I was picking toon shoots,” Zhao Xiaobao said quickly. “Dad promised I can eat toon with eggs today.”
“What are you doing? Where are the others?” Zhao Xiao Wu asked.
“Hehe…” Zhao Xi leaned in and whispered something, making Zhao Xiao Wu’s eyes light up.
“Really?”
“Really! This big!” Zhao Xi gestured excitedly.
“You watch Auntie. I’ll go find the others,” Zhao Xiao Wu said before sneaking away.
When Zhao Xiaobao turned around and saw him gone, she tried to chase after him.
“Xiao Wu, where are you going?”
“Hey! Auntie, don’t go—they’ll be back soon!” Zhao Xi quickly stopped her.
Watching him disappear, Zhao Xiaobao huffed angrily and turned away, pulling at the grass.
Zhao Xi had no choice but to keep digging a rabbit hole while keeping an eye on her.
This was their family rule—wherever she was, someone had to watch her at all times.
That was why the elders allowed them to bring her into the mountains.
Even if wolves came, four of them would stay behind to distract them, and one would escort her home.
She was the most precious one in the family.