After sitting for a while, He Wanqing decided to bring the children back down. It still wasn’t bedtime yet.
By now, the rain had become much heavier. Bean-sized raindrops pelted the oilcloth and streamed down its surface.
He Wanqing quickly climbed down the tree and hid beneath the treehouse, where the structure conveniently formed a sheltered area from the rain.
Not only could they comfortably avoid getting wet, they could even enjoy watching the rainfall.
The other villagers weren’t nearly so fortunate. Entire families could only huddle together inside their cramped bamboo shelters.
With nowhere to go in the rain, the family of five each found their own ways to pass the time.
He Wanqing leaned lazily against a bundle, leisurely enjoying the rain. But the sound of the rainfall was too soothing, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
Seeing this, Ye Jianshan quietly found an outer robe and draped it over his mother’s shoulders, then sat beside her swatting away mosquitoes.
Ye Jianwen took out a book from their bundle and read quietly.
Ye Jianwu pulled out his small carving knife, picked up a piece of wood from the ground, and began carefully carving it.
A-Ming, having nothing to do, wandered over to watch his third brother carve for a while. After getting bored, he moved over to his second brother to watch him read.
Just as he was about to move away again, Ye Jianwen grabbed him.
A-Ming lowered his voice innocently.
“Second Brother, what is it?”
“If you’ve got nothing to do, then study with me.”
Ye Jianwen deliberately pulled out a beginner’s reading book to teach him.
“Come, repeat after me: ‘At the beginning of man, human nature is inherently good.’”
…
When He Wanqing woke up, the rain had already weakened.
The first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was the two boys diagonally across from her drawing and writing on the ground.
At that moment, A-Ming looked up and immediately noticed she was awake. He instantly ran over with hurried little steps.
“Mother, you’re awake! Second Brother taught me to read just now. I’ll recite it for you!”
“‘At the beginning of man, human nature is inherently good; human natures are similar, but habits make them different.’”
His young, clear voice instantly lifted He Wanqing’s mood.
“Wonderful. Does A-Ming know what those words mean?”
The little dark-skinned boy scratched his head shyly.
“Second Brother explained it once, but I still don’t really understand. But I already learned how to write the first three characters. Mother, I’ll show you!”
He immediately grabbed a thin stick and began writing on the ground.
Watching him write, He Wanqing realized the characters were not exactly the “人之初” she recognized. The strokes were much more complex.
No way.
Even little A-Ming had started learning to read.
She had to start learning too!
“Jianwen, from now on Mother will study characters with you as well.”
All four boys looked shocked, their eyes full of confusion.
He Wanqing coughed lightly.
“With me learning alongside him, A-Ming will definitely study harder. Oh? The rain stopped.”
“It really stopped! Mother, we’re going to cut trees now!”
Very quickly, only A-Ming and He Wanqing remained beneath the treehouse.
The other villagers gradually emerged from their bamboo shelters as well.
“Heavens, what is that?”
“There’s a shelter in the tree!”
“Husband, come out and look!”
The treehouse immediately drew everyone’s amazement and curiosity. Many people gathered around, where they finally saw He Wanqing and A-Ming beneath it.
The village chief stared in astonishment.
“Jianshan’s mother… you built this shelter in the tree?”
He had known they’d come over here, but he’d never imagined they’d actually build a shelter up in the trees.
“Yes, Village Chief. It took quite a bit of effort.”
Walking beneath the structure, the village chief reached up and pushed against the wooden planks.
Surprisingly sturdy.
“Very nice. All five of you already climbed up there?”
“Mhm. It can support us.”
Among the crowd, Old Master Ye’s eyes sparkled.
So this was why A-Ming had borrowed the saw.
Building a shelter in a tree… what a bold idea.
But it really was impressive.
Old Master Ye was deeply tempted and immediately began scheming inwardly.
Though he liked the treehouse very much, the final decision wasn’t his to make. So he quietly dragged his wife aside.
“Old woman, what do you think of this tree shelter?”
The moment he opened his mouth, Old Madam Ye already knew what he was about to say. She shot him a sidelong glance.
“Nothing special.”
Old Master Ye tried persuading her.
“Hehe, I actually think it’s pretty good. Look at how damp the ground is now. Even with oilcloth underneath, sleeping would still be uncomfortable. But if we built something like this in a tree, we wouldn’t feel any moisture at all.”
Old Madam Ye still refused to budge.
“It’s only for one night. Just endure it. There’s no point wasting effort like this. Enough already—go gather firewood.”
Though many people admired the treehouse, plenty shared Old Madam Ye’s opinion as well.
They thought He Wanqing was simply wasting energy making unnecessary trouble. Spending so much effort on something they’d only use for one night seemed ridiculous.
Of course, nobody said these things to her face.
They only whispered privately among themselves.
Still, He Wanqing accidentally overheard some of it.
She merely curled her lips dismissively and forgot about it entirely.
Not caring in the slightest, she brought A-Ming along to gather firewood.
The mountains after rain were damp everywhere, making dry firewood extremely difficult to find.
But that only applied to ordinary people.
“Little Six, hurry up! Use your twenty-meter scanning function and find some dry firewood already!”
616 obediently began working.
Naturally, it also scanned for medicinal herbs along the way.
Very quickly, under the system’s guidance, He Wanqing continuously discovered hidden patches of relatively dry wood nearby.
And just like now, she found another pile and immediately ordered A-Ming—the designated laborer—to collect it.
A-Ming was already completely used to this.
Mhm. His mother was just that amazing!
“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s head back.”
The sky was growing dark—perfect timing to return and cook dinner.
The bamboo basket stuffed with dozens of firewood sticks was carried home jointly by He Wanqing and A-Ming, each lifting one end.
Ye Jianshan came forward to greet them. After glancing at the basket, he looked shocked.
“These sticks are still this dry? Mother, where did you find them?”
A-Ming immediately burst into enthusiastic chatter, his words filled entirely with admiration for He Wanqing.
“Enough already. Start the fire and cook. Tonight we’re stir-frying radishes.”
The radishes were wild ones the system had discovered while scanning during firewood collection. He Wanqing had simply pulled them out of the ground.
A change of flavor once in a while wasn’t bad.
While He Wanqing’s family successfully lit their dry firewood, the other villagers all struggled miserably with damp wood that refused to burn.
Rainy weather made warm food even more necessary. Otherwise people could easily get sick.
As a result, many people stared eagerly at He Wanqing’s dry firewood.
Before anyone acted, however, the village chief arrived beneath the treehouse.
“Jianshan’s mother, where did you gather this dry wood? Is there more nearby?”
The village chief didn’t directly ask her to share, because he knew this tiny amount of firewood couldn’t possibly help over twenty households anyway.
But He Wanqing didn’t offer much hope.
“Village Chief, I only found these hidden in thick grass. I picked them one by one. I haven’t seen any large piles of dry firewood.”
The village chief sighed.
“Then everyone can only figure something out with wet wood.”
Seeing the worry on his face, He Wanqing softened slightly.
“Village Chief, how about this? Have each family bring a few pieces of damp wood and place them beside my stove to dry. At least the surface moisture can be baked off.”
The village chief looked genuinely surprised.
“Jianshan’s mother, thank you! I’ll tell everyone right away!”
Very soon, people began carrying over piles of firewood.
One woman arrived carrying an especially large bundle.
He Wanqing frowned.
“That’s too much. Each family can only place five pieces here, otherwise there won’t be room for everyone.”
The woman immediately became upset and blurted out angrily,
“There’s so much space here! How could there not be room? Jianshan’s mother, you can’t target me just because I gossiped about you before!”
“…”
Speechless for a moment, He Wanqing said firmly,
“If you want to dry wood here, then follow the rules. Otherwise, take it back.”
The woman was furious, but she had no choice. In the end, she reluctantly selected the five thickest logs and placed them closest to the stove.
But even after setting them down, she refused to leave, standing nearby with burning eyes.
She intended to see whether everyone truly followed the same rules.
If anyone didn’t, she was prepared to make a huge scene.
He Wanqing couldn’t even be bothered dealing with such a person.
Ignoring her completely, she announced the rules to everyone.
“If the wood is placed too far from the stove, drying it won’t work well. So each family may only place five pieces beside the stove. Once they dry, take them away immediately. But don’t touch anyone else’s wood. If you’re caught, you won’t get another chance later.”
The other twenty-some villagers carrying firewood had no objections and obediently placed their wood near the stove.
From the main Ye family branch, Ye Jian’an carried over damp wood.
After placing his five pieces beside the stove, he didn’t leave immediately.
“Second Aunt, you’re amazing. You actually found so much dry wood. Do you have any tricks? Teach your nephew a little?”
He grinned shamelessly.
He Wanqing actually had a fairly good impression of this nephew, especially knowing he was close with her eldest son. So she offered him a small hint.
“Look more in places with thick grass and dense thorn bushes. But I already searched all the nearby areas. This is all I found. If you want more, you’ll have to go farther away.”
“That’s fine, Second Aunt. I can go farther!”
Ye Jian’an excitedly prepared to leave, but He Wanqing stopped him.
“You absolutely can’t go today. It’s already this late. Going too far is dangerous. Here—take these to burn.”
She rummaged through the basket and handed him several pieces of dry wood.
No matter what, those people were still her children’s relatives.
A few pieces of dry firewood meant nothing to her.
“Thank you, Second Aunt!”
Ye Jian’an accepted them without hesitation and quickly ran back toward his family.
The woman who’d been standing nearby curled her lips disdainfully.
She’d stood there for so long, yet He Wanqing hadn’t given her even one stick.
What a heartless person!
If He Wanqing knew what she was thinking, she’d probably spit directly in the woman’s face.
What nonsense.
Give you some too?
Who do you think you are?!
“Second Aunt, this is for you!”
Very soon, after placing his wood properly, Ye Jian’an returned again—this time carrying a pouch full of bright red wild fruit.
A smile immediately appeared in He Wanqing’s eyes.
“Thank you, Jian’an. Perfect timing—we can eat them after dinner.”
Second Aunt actually smiled at him.
Ye Jian’an was both surprised and delighted.
Did this mean he wouldn’t have to secretly play with Jianshan anymore in the future?
Thinking this, his eyes rolled mischievously.
“I found lots more of these fruits. If Second Aunt likes them, I’ll pick more tomorrow.”
After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, everyone’s firewood had been placed properly.
All that remained now was waiting.
At that moment, A-Ming finished preparing dinner.
Under everyone’s watchful gazes, He Wanqing’s family began eating their evening meal.
Meanwhile, several bored women gathered together and once again started gossiping about He Wanqing.
“This time we really owe Jianshan’s mother. Otherwise my grandson wouldn’t even have had hot water to drink.”
“Exactly. We should thank her. She’s changed quite a bit recently. Hopefully she doesn’t become like her old self again.”
“That’s true. Her current personality is pretty good. At least she doesn’t pick fights with people anymore.”
“Smells amazing. I wonder what they’re eating.”
Gradually, the conversation shifted toward food.
“With oil and all those seasonings, how could stir-fried dishes not smell good? Once we settle down somewhere, I’ll have my husband buy an iron wok too.”
“True. Though they must be expensive. If it’s under one tael, maybe it’d be worth considering.”
After continuously smelling the delicious aromas from He Wanqing’s cooking these past days, many villagers had begun considering buying iron woks themselves.
But none of this concerned He Wanqing in the slightest.
After dinner, the water in the iron pot finished boiling. He Wanqing directly instructed her third son to carry a bucket of warm water up into the treehouse.
Since they lacked extra oilcloth and couldn’t build a separate washing shelter, she could only wipe herself clean inside the treehouse.
After cooking and boiling water, the nearby firewood had also dried sufficiently, and people gradually came to retrieve their wood.
A quarter of an hour later, smoke finally rose from the other households as well.
Though the smoke was thick and irritating enough to make people tear up, everyone felt delighted.
Even though they’d only received five dry sticks, once a strong fire was established, the damp wood could eventually catch too.
So in the end, everyone still managed to cook dinner.
Night gradually deepened.
The family of five lay comfortably inside the treehouse, slowly falling asleep to the sounds of insects outside.
“Awoooo—”
Suddenly, a wolf’s howl echoed from the distance, instantly jolting He Wanqing awake.
Opening her eyes, she realized all four boys were awake as well.
“Was that a wolf just now?”
Worry appeared on Ye Jianwu’s face.
“That was definitely a wolf. Judging from the sound, it’s still some distance away. Mother, I’ll go down and see whether the village chief has made arrangements.”
“Go carefully. Don’t wander off alone.”
Ye Jianwu climbed down, while He Wanqing remained unable to sleep, quietly listening to the movements outside.
Below, many members of the hunting team had already gathered.
Seeing Ye Jianwu, Ye Jian’an immediately waved him over.
“Jianwu, over here!”
“Cousin, what did the village chief say?”
“Nothing yet. He’s probably waiting for everyone to gather first. By the way, did you hear clearly earlier? Was it a male wolf or a female wolf?”
Ye Jianwu looked confused.
“Does that matter?”
“Of course! If it was a male wolf, it might only be alone. But if it was a female wolf, there’s definitely more than one—maybe even an entire pack. That would be terrible.”
Just imagining the second possibility made Ye Jian’an shiver.
Not long afterward, the village chief arrived before the group.
“Everyone heard the wolf howl just now, right?”
“We heard it!”
“I know everyone is worried, but don’t panic. As long as we don’t provoke them, they usually won’t come near us. But we still need proper precautions.”
“Now listen carefully. The hunting team will split into two groups and take turns standing guard tonight. The older men will take the second half of the night shift.
Not only must you stay alert at all times, but you must also keep bonfires burning. Wolves naturally avoid light. As long as the fires stay lit, they generally won’t dare approach.”
After the village chief finished giving instructions, everyone dispersed to prepare firewood.
Because dry wood was scarce, Ye Jianwu voluntarily contributed some as kindling. At the same time, he went nearby to collect wet wood, planning to dry more beside the fire during his watch.
Many others had the same idea.
The village chief’s arrangements gave everyone reassurance.
And slowly, He Wanqing’s family drifted back to sleep once more.