Yun Yixuan and Li Meiling walked side by side along the mountain path in the bitter winter cold, slowly making their way toward the barren mountain ahead.
The freezing wind cut across their faces like sharp knives, stinging their skin so badly that they had to raise their hands from time to time to shield themselves.
Everywhere they looked, the landscape was desolate and lifeless.
The ground beneath their feet was cracked like a tortoise shell, with deep fissures spreading in every direction, as though silently revealing just how dry and barren the land had become.
The trees along the roadside, which should have been lush and flourishing, were now completely withered. Their dry branches drooped helplessly, as though every trace of life had been drained from them. Not a single green leaf could be seen.
They stood like lonely sentinels, silently enduring the bleakness of winter.
The entire forest was eerily quiet. Only the faint sound of their footsteps mingled with the occasional howl of the wind, making the mountain seem even more desolate and unsettling.
As they struggled forward, the two carefully searched through patches of dried grass and cracks between rocks for medicinal herbs.
Yun Yixuan was like an experienced herbalist. Whenever she dug up a new herb, she patiently explained its uses to Li Meiling.
Besides achyranthes root, they also found angelica root.
Angelica was one of the medicinal herbs commonly found in the northern mountains during winter. At this time of year, its underground roots had grown thick and mature, making it the perfect season for harvesting.
Holding up a freshly dug angelica root, Yun Yixuan patiently explained, “Angelica is mainly used to nourish the blood and replenish vital energy. It also helps regulate menstruation, improve blood circulation, and relieve menstrual cramps. It’s especially beneficial for women.”
Li Meiling listened with great interest, occasionally letting out sounds of amazement. Her admiration for Yun Yixuan’s knowledge grew even stronger.
As they continued walking, Yun Yixuan suddenly stopped.
She crouched down and carefully examined the ground, her gaze sharp and focused as though she had discovered traces of hidden treasure.
Li Meiling curiously leaned closer.
“What’s wrong?”
Yun Yixuan looked up, excitement gleaming in her eyes.
“This mountain might look barren, but there are actually signs of quite a few valuable medicinal herbs. Look here. Beneath this patch of dried grass, there are traces suggesting that ginseng roots once grew nearby. If we keep searching farther ahead, we might be able to find some mature wild ginseng.”
Li Meiling’s eyes immediately lit up like stars in the night sky.
She quickly followed Yun Yixuan’s instructions and began searching the surrounding area.
Before long, Yun Yixuan began carefully digging into the soil with both hands.
Her movements were gentle and cautious, afraid that even the slightest mistake might damage the precious treasure hidden underground.
About fifteen minutes later, a wild ginseng root covered in fresh soil finally emerged.
“That’s wonderful!”
The two women jumped up excitedly and hugged each other tightly. Their joyful laughter echoed through the empty mountain forest.
“This one should be less than fifty years old, so it probably won’t fetch an extremely high price.”
Yun Yixuan calmly packed the wild ginseng away before continuing, “Tomorrow, let’s go sell it together.”
Li Meiling’s face flushed with excitement, her eyes filled with anticipation.
“We can actually make money from this too?”
“Of course. Wild ginseng is valuable. It’s worth much more than ordinary medicinal herbs. We really got lucky today.”
As Yun Yixuan spoke, she raised the bag in her hand.
“We can sell these herbs too, although they won’t be worth much as they are. If we had somewhere safe and secluded where we could process them first, we could sell them for a better price.”
Li Meiling nodded vigorously, believing every word Yun Yixuan said.
“Yixuan, you’re amazing. You know so much. Thanks to you, I’ll finally be able to earn a little money and improve my meals.”
Li Meiling looked at her gratefully, her eyes filled with sincerity.
“There’s no need to thank me. We’re practically sisters! Just stick with me from now on, and I’ll make sure you eat well and live well.”
Yun Yixuan even patted her chest confidently as she spoke.
Hearing those words, Li Meiling’s eyes reddened slightly, and tears glistened at their corners as she silently nodded.
In this era, people could barely get enough food to fill their stomachs, let alone find opportunities to earn extra money.
To Li Meiling, Yun Yixuan’s words were like a ray of warm sunlight shining into her cold and difficult life.
From that day onward, their friendship became even stronger. They grew as close as real sisters and were almost always together.
By then, the sun was slowly setting.
Without the warmth of sunlight, the mountain looked even more barren, and the temperature dropped considerably. The cold wind grew stronger, making both women shiver uncontrollably.
Their worn-out cotton-padded jackets had already been used for several years and could barely keep them warm.
“Let’s head back. It’s getting too cold,” Yun Yixuan suggested.
Li Meiling glanced reluctantly at the bags that were almost completely full before finally nodding.
Unable to endure the freezing weather any longer, the two hurried back toward the educated youth compound without stopping along the way.
Each of them carried a nearly full sack on her shoulder.
As soon as they entered the compound, they ran into Li Qing and another male educated youth named Zhao Qianjin.
Li Qing glanced at the two enormous sacks they were carrying and casually asked, “That’s a lot of medicinal herbs, isn’t it?”
“No. We went up the mountain and gathered some dried mountain produce. We’re planning to send some home tomorrow,” Yun Yixuan quickly replied, smoothly covering up the truth.
Li Meiling naturally followed along.
“Our families have never had the chance to try these things before, so we gathered extra. That way, our relatives and friends can have some too.”
“That makes sense. You can only find things like these in places close to the mountains,” Zhao Qianjin agreed without the slightest suspicion.
Everyone at the educated youth compound ate from the same communal pot.
Dinner consisted of coarse-grain flatbread and a large pot of wild vegetable porridge without even a trace of oil.
Looking at the food in front of her, Yun Yixuan frowned slightly.
She reluctantly managed to eat half a bowl of vegetable porridge and one coarse-grain flatbread. The rough, bland food was so difficult for her to swallow that it felt like she was chewing wax.
The others, however, ate with great enthusiasm.
Before long, the entire pot was scraped clean.
There was practically no nightlife in this era.
After dinner, the educated youths retreated to their rooms, wrapped themselves in blankets, and chatted with one another.
Yun Yixuan lay on her bed listening to everyone’s cheerful conversations, but she had no desire to join them.
She had originally planned to bring a few eggs to her parents that evening, but with so many people living together, she couldn’t think of a reasonable excuse to leave.
She could only wait for another opportunity.
There was another problem as well.
With everyone living under the same roof, she had almost no privacy. Even digging medicinal herbs had to be done secretly, let alone taking food out of her spatial storage.
What frustrated Yun Yixuan even more was that when she had been stockpiling supplies, she had completely forgotten to buy several sets of thick quilts and bedding.
What a terrible oversight!
The original owner’s worn-out quilt barely provided any warmth and even carried a strange, unpleasant smell.
Yun Yixuan silently blamed herself.
She could still endure the cold since she was young and healthy.
But what about her parents?
Their bedding might be even thinner than hers.
How were they supposed to survive this freezing winter?
Yun Yixuan simply couldn’t fall asleep.
She turned over, trying to find a more comfortable position, but the thin quilt offered almost no protection against the bitter cold.
She curled herself into a tight ball, her hands and feet icy as thoughts continued racing through her mind.
To make matters worse, someone in the room would occasionally start snoring loudly, making it even harder for her to sleep.
She had no idea how much time had passed.
Perhaps everything she had done that day had finally taken its toll on this body, leaving her utterly exhausted.
Eventually, without even realizing it, Yun Yixuan drifted into a deep sleep.