Little Shen Hao grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing as he exclaimed, “So fragrant! Grandpa Shen gave us the rice—it smells amazing!”
Lin Shuyuan immediately covered his mouth: “Don’t blab. No one can know about this.”
Shen Yong’an quickly added, “Yes, yes. This is our secret. If anyone finds out, it could put our daughter in danger.”
Little Shen Hao, hearing that it might harm his sister, nodded eagerly: “Father, mother, I won’t tell anyone. I promise!”
Shen Yu looked at her family carefully and nodded in satisfaction. “Master said that in times of difficulty, help can come, but life is mainly about relying on yourself. I’ll figure out a way to earn money. Who knows? Maybe our family will become wealthy one day.”
The whole family cheered, feeling that life finally had hope.
That night, they still slept on piles of straw, as the earthen kang (heated bed) hadn’t dried yet and would take a couple of days before being usable.
The next morning, Lin Shuyuan cooked a thick rice porridge and heated up the leftover meat and vegetables from last night. Now that conditions allowed, they weren’t going to settle for a meager meal.
After breakfast, Shen Yong’an went into the mountains to cut bamboo, planning to make some stools and tables for the family. Bamboo furniture would be light yet durable.
Lin Shuyuan stayed behind with little Shen Hao to tidy the house and yard. The previous day’s repairs had left grass and mud everywhere, so there was plenty to do.
Shen Yu slung the basket over her back and waved to her mother: “Mother, I’m going into the mountains to gather some wild vegetables. I’ll see if I can find other things to eat as well.”
Lin Shuyuan reminded her repeatedly, “Don’t go too deep. Gather some vegetables and come back quickly. Don’t make me worry.”
Shen Yu nodded and took a sickle with her. She intended to explore the deeper mountains for medicinal herbs.
..
This time, Shen Yu ventured farther.
The forest was dense, with ancient trees towering overhead and thick foliage intertwining, shading the ground.
She sprinkled snake-repellent powder on her clothes and tapped the undergrowth with a stick as she walked, marking trees with the sickle to avoid getting lost in the vast forest.
Rounding a pile of rocks ahead, Shen Yu spotted a pond.
Two wild boars with piglets were drinking there.
The larger boar must have weighed at least 100 jin (~50 kg), the smaller around 60–70 kg, and the piglets were only a few dozen jin.
Seeing the two adult boars, Shen Yu frowned. A single adult wild boar’s attack power was comparable to a tiger’s. She had to figure out a way to separate them.
Silently, she approached the boars. The male boar glanced warily in her direction. Shen Yu held her breath, pulled a few apples from her space, and placed one at intervals. She also made a live looped snare from rope and put an apple inside it. Hiding behind a large rock, she held the other end of the rope with both hands.
The scent of apples attracted the boar family. The male boar cautiously looked around but focused entirely on the third apple after eating the first. The second apple seemed meant for his mate—even boars know to care for their partners.
As the male boar reached for the third apple, Shen Yu pulled the rope sharply. One of his front hooves got caught in the snare. She quickly secured the rope to a tree and, wielding her sickle, leapt toward the struggling boar. But her first strike only left a shallow scratch on its neck. The boar’s skin was thick and caked with tree sap and mud, acting like armor.
When she tried a second strike, the boar lunged at her in fury, but the rope tripped it. At the same time, the female boar attacked. Shen Yu rolled agilely and struck the male with her sickle, immediately sending it into her space.
The female boar, stunned by the disappearance of her mate, froze. Shen Yu seized the chance to punch her with full force, killing her instantly.
The piglets, frightened, were quickly dispatched by Shen Yu and sent into her space. The male boar still scrambled on the ground, charging at her. Shen Yu leapt and buried her sickle into its head. With a few final struggles, it died.
Afterward, she retrieved the female and baby boars from her space, tidied her clothes, and began searching for herbs.
The deep mountains, rarely visited by people, were rich in herbs. She quickly found many, including Eucommia, Pinellia, Cynanchum, and Sanqi. Excited, she dug up each herb with roots intact, then went to her space, planting them in carefully prepared plots.
Amid the weeds, she found two ten-year-old ginseng plants growing side by side. She carefully dug them up and transplanted them into her space as well.
While watering the herbs, Shen Yu remembered the ancient well in the yard.
In her previous life, the well in the space only showed a white mist, but she decided to check it. To her surprise, the mist had vanished, revealing her reflection. The water was perfectly still, silently staring back at her as if saying: See me or not, I’m here.
Another pleasant surprise. She quickly fetched a bucket and ladle from the supermarket and easily filled a bucket with the well water. She watered all the herbs, especially the ginseng, murmuring: “Drink your fill. May you grow strong and healthy. Look at this black soil—it’s all your kingdom, my treasures.”
Speaking to herself, Shen Yu suddenly realized: could this ancient well be the legendary Spirit Spring? A must-have for any transmigrator.
She tasted the water cautiously. Fresh and sweet, she could even feel a subtle spiritual energy seeping through her body. It was indeed Spirit Spring water.
She drank half the bucket, feeling a growing sense of vitality. Impurities and toxins began to exit her body, releasing a foul smell.
Quickly, she slipped into her space to avoid dirtying it.
Returning to the pond where the boars had drunk, she sprinkled repellent powder to drive away snakes, insects, and ants. Once her body no longer expelled toxins, she stripped off her clothes and, enduring the foul smell, scrubbed off the thick layer of dirt. After several washes, she finally cleaned herself thoroughly.