The moon had just risen above the tung tree at the east end of the village when Shen Zhihuan, listening intently to the sounds from the neighboring room, confirmed that Li Qiuhua and Xiao weidong were fast asleep. She tiptoed out of the house.

Under the faint moonlight, Shen Zhihuan stumbled along the uneven path, making her way to the agreed meeting point.

As her eyes swept over the small mounds marking old graves, a sense of unease crept into her heart.

Unbidden, images from horror stories and movies she’d seen in her past life flashed in her mind.

Back then, she’d laugh them off as superstitious nonsense meant to scare gullible people.

But now…

Wasn’t she herself a product of superstition?

With this realization, she slapped her forehead and felt a surge of confidence.

What could old ghosts do to her? They couldn’t scare her with outdated tricks.

After cautiously scanning her surroundings and ensuring no prying eyes were watching, Shen Zhihuan swiftly took out the ten baskets of fruit she had prepared for Qin Bin.

Once everything was ready, she found a large rock to sit on and patiently waited for Qin Bin to arrive with her payment.

Just as she was about to doze off, she heard the creaking sound of wheels in the distance. The noise grew louder, and soon two tall figures pedaling tricycles emerged from the shadows of the forest.

Although the moonlight was dim, it was enough for Shen Zhihuan’s sharp eyes to make out who they were.

“What took you so long?” she said, stifling a yawn.

“Miss, do you know how far Chuancheng is from Shuangsha Town? We’re pedaling tricycles, not driving four-wheelers,” Qin Bin’s sidekick, Huang Xiao’er, muttered under his breath.

“Did you bring everything?” Qin Bin asked, scanning their surroundings warily. When his gaze passed over the grave mounds, his lips twitched.

This little girl sure had guts!

“Everything’s here!” Shen Zhihuan pointed to the baskets under a tree.

Qin Bin strode over, took out a flashlight, and inspected the baskets one by one.

Shen Zhihuan followed him and added, “Seventy jin of lychees, fifty jin each of grapes, Hami melons, and cherries, and two hundred jin each of plums and peaches, just like you ordered.”

“Not bad, not bad!” Qin Bin nodded in satisfaction as he examined the fresh fruit, which still glistened as though touched by morning dew.

After checking each basket, he gave Huang Xiao’er a glance. Understanding immediately, Huang Xiao’er began loading the tricycles. Qin Bin, meanwhile, took out a stack of large bills and started counting.

A total of forty-six bills.

A thick wad of cash.

“Aren’t you going to count it?” Qin Bin asked, surprised when Shen Zhihuan casually stuffed the stack into her pocket without even looking at it.

Forty-six bills could buy a decent house in Chuancheng. Yet this skinny girl treated it as though it were nothing more than scrap paper.

“I trust you,” Shen Zhihuan said with a grin, her teeth flashing white.

“Trust me?” Qin Bin chuckled. “Little girl, you’d better be more careful when doing things in the future. The world’s not full of good people.”

Out here in the wilderness, she was lucky to have met someone like him. If she’d run into someone less scrupulous, losing her goods would’ve been the least of her worries. She might have lost her life.

“Would you believe me if I told you I can read fortunes?” Shen Zhihuan asked, raising an eyebrow playfully.

“Fortunes?” Qin Bin scoffed. “I don’t know if you can read them, but I do know you’re lucky.”

“I think so too,” Shen Zhihuan replied with a nod. After all, she’d narrowly escaped death once already.

“Go on home. Be careful on the way,” Qin Bin said, knowing she likely had someone nearby for backup. Still, he couldn’t help but remind her.

“Got it!” Shen Zhihuan waved at them before disappearing into the forest.

“Fifth Master, where do you think that girl gets her fruit? It’s so fresh,” Huang Xiao’er asked after loading the last basket.

“Making money isn’t about asking questions,” Qin Bin said, smacking the back of Huang Xiao’er’s head.

In these times, whether black cat or white cat, the one that catches mice is the good cat.

“You’re right, Fifth Master. I won’t ask again,” Huang Xiao’er said, rubbing his head.

“Let’s move! You want to wait until daylight?” Qin Bin kicked Huang Xiao’er’s backside, sending him scrambling onto the tricycle.

Meanwhile, Shen Zhihuan, bolstered by her “fearless” attitude, avoided the main road and cut through the overgrown paths between graves to return home.

Exhausted, she quickly washed up in the duty room of her resort and collapsed onto a bunk bed.

Early the next morning, Shen Zhihuan was awakened by the village loudspeaker, which had been silent for nearly a month.

In the yard, Li Qiuhua and Xiao Weidong hurriedly finished their wild vegetable soup, wiped their mouths, grabbed their tools, and left.

Still groggy, Shen Zhihuan glanced at the dim sky outside, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

When Li Qiuhua and Xiao Weidong reached the assembly point, it was already crowded.

“Li Qiuhua, today you’re hauling pig manure,” said Xu Youcai, lazily lifting his eyelids.

“Hauling manure?” Li Qiuhua frowned.

Wasn’t that heavy work usually assigned to men?

“What? You don’t want to?” Xu Youcai raised his voice, his eyes narrowing.

“Li Qiuhua, your attitude is problematic! We’re poor farmers, not capitalist slackers. We must embody the spirit of hard work and resilience. There’s no room for selfish laziness here,” Xu Youcai declared righteously, silencing the noisy crowd.

Everyone turned to watch, eager for entertainment.

This era lacked modern conveniences and distractions. Gossip and drama were the highlights of the era.

“Yes, it’s tough work, but it earns double work points. And your family already owes the collective dozens of jin of grain. What now? Want to keep piling up debts?” Xu Youcai’s tone softened slightly but remained condescending.

“If you keep slacking, don’t expect to get grain at year’s end.”

“I’ll do it,” Li Qiuhua said, her face pale as she thought about the nearly empty grain sack at home.

“Finish hauling today’s manure, and I’ll give you twenty points,” Xu Youcai said, smirking triumphantly.

In Panshi Village, no one dared offend his precious daughter without facing consequences.