Chapter 69: Mine! Mine! All of it is mine!

While Mingdai watched the commotion, she never forgot to think about food. Once all the grains had been sorted, Mingdai sprouted mung beans and soybeans. The method was simple—just maintain the right moisture and temperature. She built a makeshift heated bed in the shelter and set two large baskets of beans on top.

In a week, the sprouts were ready to eat.

Stir-fried bean sprouts and bean sprout soup were both met with universal enthusiasm.

Feeling inspired, Mingdai sprouted some peanuts as well, occasionally stir-frying a batch to change things up.

Everyone was delighted. Compared to previous years’ stone-filled gruel, this year’s meals were a world apart. What’s more, everyone could now eat two hearty meals a day. If not for the exhausting work, they’d all have gained a good deal of weight—something utterly unimaginable during winters past!

Everyone adapted well—everyone except the new educated youths.

Day and night, the sound of Liu Yan’s weeping was a constant presence, and she soon earned the nickname “the Mourning Lady.” Still, she only dared to cry softly, and only when Song Lanlan wasn’t around; otherwise, Song Lanlan would always provoke her into weeping even louder.

Qi Zhijun grew ever more withdrawn. The once-pampered young master who had never labored a day in his life found even shelling corn and chopping cabbage at Liujiawan grueling. Compared to building the reservoir, that had been nothing but a drizzle.

Though Liu Yan occasionally helped him, he still struggled; his shoulders were swollen and tender to the touch.

He spent money to have letters delivered to the commune, hoping Fang Rou would come see him—just a word of comfort, he thought, would help him endure.

But Fang Rou never came, nor did she send a single reply. All his hopes vanished like stones sinking into deep water.

Zhang Xiaojun and Liu Daye continued to idle as always, frequently penalized and docked of pay, until finally they gave up all pretense of effort.

Only Cai Mingcheng and the simple-hearted Qin Fangfang worked diligently, winning the acceptance of both villagers and veteran educated youths.

As for Fang Rou, so often on Qi Zhijun’s mind, she was now standing in the office of the commune’s primary school.

She gazed at the letter from the capital. No longer did it urge her again and again to return; instead, it instructed her and Qi Zhijun to remain in the countryside and commit themselves to the rural assignment.

She had never expected the decline of the Fang and Qi families to come so soon.

In her previous life, since she and Qi Zhijun had still been in the capital, their elders must have kept such news from them.

But now, everything was different. She would not rush to the countryside, nor become—like in her past life—the abandoned wife left behind. She would become the wife of the future richest man and stand at the summit of life with her beloved!

As for the letters Qi Zhijun sent, she had received them all. From longing, to earnest pleas, to frustrated rage—Fang Rou read them all with a smile.

Brother Zhijun, all the pain I suffered in my last life, I will return to you a hundredfold!

Apart from her daily cooking, Mingdai began wandering the nearby mountains with Zhou Sinian.

They usually set out at night, returning home by noon to cook. If they ventured farther, she’d prepare the dishes in advance so Sister-in-law Huang could simply reheat them the next day.

This time, their destination was a distant, deep mountain.

They set out at midnight. Zhou Sinian’s long strides covered two meters at a time. Mingdai, tucked under his arm and swinging her short legs, felt a twinge of envy.

By dawn, they reached their destination.

This was the tallest peak nearby—Great Green Mountain. There ought to be a spring here, as part of the reservoir’s water came from the mountain.

Rubbing her face numb from the cold wind, the two started up the mountain.

Mingdai had discovered a new way to use her treasure-seeking ability: she could set the type of treasure she sought. For instance, if she set her target as food and medicine, every edible plant, animal, or medicinal herb in the mountains would appear before her eyes.

Especially the medicinal herbs—Great Green Mountain was a veritable treasure trove!

All the precious herbs Mingdai had desperately tried and failed to acquire in her previous life were abundant here!

Today, their target was wild ginseng.

Once she set her target, the whole mountain unfolded before her, and soon dots of light began to glimmer through the forest.

After determining the brightest, densest cluster, they headed in that direction.

Mingdai led the way, while Zhou Sinian cleared the path and kept watch for safety.

Not only were there wolves in these mountains, but Mingdai had also spotted two Siberian tigers—likely a mating pair.

The morning mist was thick, making everything damp. After a while, Mingdai was spent—not for lack of stamina, but because she was small, and the thick mat of decaying plants made it easy to misstep. In the end, Zhou Sinian simply carried her on his back.

Riding on his back, Mingdai felt awkward and shy; no one had ever carried her like this before. She had certainly never breathed air from so high up.

But after a moment of discomfort, she began to complain that Zhou Sinian was too thin—his bones poked her and hurt. She wondered where all the food he ate went.

Freed of his small burden, Zhou Sinian moved much faster, and soon they reached the area near the glowing dots.

Pulling back layers of humus, a whole patch of wild ginseng revealed itself.

Mingdai’s eyes sparkled with delight. “We’ve struck it rich!”

She examined one—two hundred years old! Another—five hundred years!

She thought of those days at the medicinal herb conference, begging and offering huge sums for wild ginseng like this, and still coming away empty-handed.

Yet here, there was an entire patch!

All hers—every last root!

She couldn’t bear to leave any behind. In the end, she simply scooped up the whole hillside, storing it in her space.

Luckily, her space held plenty of land, so the patch of wild ginseng now lay in front of her little villa, where Mingdai admired it to her heart’s content.

After storing the ginseng, Mingdai’s spirits soared. She directed Zhou Sinian to the next location.

There was another patch of wild ginseng here, no smaller than the last.

Mingdai was merciful this time: she only dug up the oldest roots, leaving the younger ones to grow.

Zhou Sinian watched as Mingdai lay on the ground, gently brushing the soil from the roots with a small brush, utterly absorbed in her task. He could not understand it, so he pulled out the pine nut candy Mingdai had made him, eating while keeping watch.

When Mingdai unearthed a five-hundred-year-old ginseng root, her whole body trembled with excitement.

Such treasures were simply unseen in the modern world. Any century-old wild ginseng on the market was either a family heirloom or a farmed imitation.

The root she held was already vaguely shaped like a tiny person. Mingdai’s grin nearly reached her ears.

As Zhou Sinian chewed his candy, his eyes flicked to Mingdai’s lovestruck expression. With a sudden, lightning-fast motion, he snatched the ginseng from her hand.

Mingdai saw a flash, and the ginseng doll vanished from her grasp!

She looked up just in time to see Zhou Sinian raising the ginseng to his mouth!

No!

A scream caught in her throat as she leaped onto Zhou Sinian, thrusting her hand into his mouth just as he was about to eat the ginseng, blocking him firmly.

Zhou Sinian!