Chapter 18 - 18

Chapter 18 Going Up the MountainDuring this period, we mainly focused on weeding and tilling the soil for corn, soybeans, and sorghum.Yun Ting went from experiencing back pain at the beginning to adapting well now and doing a good job, leaving a very good impression on the aunties.She always held back a bit when she worked, not pushing herself too hard, as it wasn't worth exhausting herself. She just needed to find the right balance, not to be disliked, and not to appear too capable. She only earned 6 work points a day, which wasn't much, but it wasn't little either. Some people even earned less, only 4 work points."Little Educated Youth Yun, let me tell you, in two months, during the autumn harvest, that's when things will really get tiring!""Haha... Auntie, you told me this so early, I was really scared!""Haha, Auntie is just giving you a heads-up. You need to take good care of yourself before the autumn harvest."" Auntie, I understand.""Oh right, we can start gathering some firewood now, otherwise we'll run out of firewood to heat the kang (heated brick bed) when it gets cold!""Yeah, I went to the back mountain to pick them up early after work today.""We can't go into the deep mountains, it's dangerous."Aunt Meihua gave him some more instructions out of concern, and only felt at ease after Yun Ting repeatedly assured her that he would not go deep into the mountains.Now that it gets dark late in the summer, Yun Ting goes to the back mountain after work. This is her first time going up the mountain since she came here. She lives off the mountain and is quite curious about what good things are on it.She's been using Wood Element Ability a lot lately, and it's much stronger than before. She looked around; no one was there. Under her sleeve, she secretly used Wood Element Abilityto sense her surroundings. Suddenly, a fine, tingling sensation spread through her palm—Wood Element Ability, like vines activated by a heatwave, was growing wildly along her fingertips.Twenty paces away, in the bushes, wild strawberry vines secretly twined around withered branches, and the dark red berries were swelling at a visible speed.Yun Ting quickly walked over, picked one, and tasted it. It tasted good and was sweet.She covered the wild strawberry vines with her hands and gathered the wild strawberries and vines together into her space.She walked further in and, following the directions she sensed, discovered wild indigo berries. She tasted one as well and then stored it all in her spatial storage.Behind three birch trees, a gray rabbit was scratching at last year's hazelnut shells with its hind legs; deep in the decaying wood, mycelium lay dormant, its network stretching into the valley like an underground river; further away,wild chickens were frolicking in the grass, and a mountain spring was tinkling in the cracks of the rocks."Hehe... Spicy rabbit meat, chicken stew with mushrooms, sister is here..." Yun Ting happily headed in that direction, completely forgetting whether this place was deep in the mountains.She used Wood Element Ability to control the vines, entangled the gray rabbit, and threw it into the space. Similarly, the three Wild Chickens, who were still playing happily, were taken into the space without knowing what had happened."With so many wild chickens around, there should be wild chicken eggs, right?"Sure enough, parting the grass, a nest of Wild Chicken eggs came into view.Wow~She went back to where she found the hazel mushrooms. The hazel mushrooms were still small, so she used Wood Element Ability to help them grow. She picked some and put them in her basket, and stored the rest in her storage space.Looking at the darkening sky, she decided to call it a day. Although she had sensed Ginseng's presence, she wasn't in a hurry; she could deal with it another day. Safety was the most important thing.I picked up a bundle of firewood on my way down the mountain. It was my first time climbing the mountain, and I was so focused on finding food that I only picked up this one bundle of firewood.Yun Ting encountered Aunt Fu Zhen on the outskirts. She was also gathering firewood. When she saw Yun Ting, she smiled and gestured to greet her." Aunt Fu Zhen, are you here to gather firewood too? I've picked some wild berries; take some back for Xiaoling to eat." Yun Ting took some wild strawberries and blueberries from her basket and gave them to her.Aunt Fu Zhen hurriedly waved her hand to refuse, but Yun Ting wouldn't give her a chance. Once it's taken out, why would she take it back?" Aunt Fu Zhen, this isn't something that cost money, so please don't be shy. It's getting late, so you should hurry back!" Yun Ting said as she quickly ran away." A little girl picking mushrooms... carrying a big bamboo basket..." Yun Ting hummed as she walked. She didn't encounter many people on the road; everyone was probably at home having dinner or resting.The villagers who usually gather firewood are not like her; they dare not go inside.She was craving meat, so she decided to haveWild Chicken stewed with hazel mushrooms for dinner. Without further ado, she took out a Wild Chicken and started preparing it in the yard.When Yang Qingqing came out after hearing the noise, she was surprised for a moment. "You can hunt?""What hunting skills do I have? I just got lucky and stumbled upon a clueless Wild Chicken, hehe...""Are you going up the mountain again tomorrow? I'd like to go see it too," Yang Qingqing asked softly."Sure! I'll wait for you after work."" Educated Youth Yang, if you want to go up the mountain, I'll go with you. It's dangerous in the mountains, and it might not be safe for two young women like you," Lu Jiayan said hurriedly after overhearing their conversation as she stepped out of the courtyard.Yun Ting cleaned the Wild Chicken and hazel mushrooms, then secretly slowed down, thinking, "How about I watch a show first?"Tsk tsk… Lu Jiayan is seizing every opportunity to show off, but unfortunately, after so much time, he still hasn't won the beauty's heart! She's also curious, has Yang Qingqing fallen for him yet?"Lu Educated Youth, we have companions, no need to trouble you."Yang Qingqing's tone remained indifferent, showing no enthusiasm whatsoever for him." Brother Jiayan … if she won't let you come with her, then come with me! I want to go up the mountain too! They all say they need to gather firewood!" Yin Jiao rushed out and approached Lu Jiayan." Yun Ting, it's settled then. I'm going back to my room now." Yang Qingqing said to Yun Ting and turned to walk inside." Educated Youth Yang …" Lu Jiayan called out to her hurriedly, but she didn't turn around.Yun Ting saw this clearly; Yang Qingqing wasn't unmoved, so it seemed the problem lay with Yin Jiao.That's true. If it were her, she wouldn't want to deal with it either. This man has so many annoying suitors around him. Whoever wants him can have him. Besides, Yang Qingqingcomes from the future and is from a wealthy family. Unless she's love-struck, she wouldn't accept Lu Jiayan at this time." Educated Youth Yun, I've moved here too. Please take care of me in the future!"What?! Someone tell her, she just went up the mountain, what happened? How come Yan Zheng, the second male lead from the original book, also moved into the courtyard? And why is he greeting her so warmly?"Ah...hehe, Yan, an educated youth, welcome...""You haven't had dinner yet, have you? Do you need my help?"Yun Ting's eyes widened. What kind of crazy move was this? Alarm bells immediately went off in her mind."No need, I've already taken care of it. I'm heading back now. Goodbye." Yun Ting grabbed the prepared hazel mushrooms and Wild Chicken and dashed off.Yan Zheng watched her departing figure, a smile playing on his lips. Heh…she was quite cute.If Yun Ting knew, she would definitely say, "Cute my foot! You're the second male lead, shouldn't you be staring at the female lead? Why are you staring at me?"Unfortunately, Yun Ting didn't know that because of her arrival, the original plot had already fallen apart, and many things had changed their course.