After returning home, Shen Zhihuan originally planned to catch up on some more sleep. However, no matter how much she tossed and turned in bed, sleep just wouldn’t come. Instead, she ended up drenched in sweat.

Covered in sweat, Shen Zhihuan gave up on her nap. Recalling the original owner’s memories, she found the mung beans Li Qiuhua had stored in the large cupboard.

After picking out the shriveled and damaged ones, Shen Zhihuan soaked the beans in warm water from the basin under the grape trellis, preparing to cook them after they had softened.

Since she had time to spare, she dragged out the household’s stiff cotton quilts and hung them on the ropes in the yard to air out.

These quilts, having been around for years, had already turned yellow, devoid of the pristine whiteness cotton is supposed to have.

Looking at the utterly stiff and unyielding quilts, Shen Zhihuan decided to discuss this matter with her mother that evening.

With such hard-as-rock quilts, could anyone possibly keep warm in winter?

Autumn had already set in for quite some days. It was time to start preparing autumn clothes—and even cotton-padded jackets would need to be made soon.

“Dear heavens,” Shen Zhihuan muttered, clutching her increasingly aching forehead. “With so much to sew, how many years would it take mother to finish all of this on her own?”

It seemed necessary to find an opportunity to go to town again—to visit a tailor shop and get things done all at once. That would save Li Qiuhua from working tirelessly late into the night after already exhausting herself during the day.

After putting the green bean soup on the stove, Shen Zhihuan cleaned and sun-dried the glass jars Li Qiuhua kept in the corner of the room.

While the soup was cooking, she steamed two eggs for herself to eat as lunch.

After lunch, she poured the mung bean soup, chilled with well water, into the glass jars, sealed them tightly, and placed them in the basket used by Xiao Weidong for gathering wild vegetables. Then she set off.

The autumn harvest was nearing its end. The Tenth Production Team only had one plot of land near Dongshan remaining, and it was estimated that the harvest would be completed in a day or two.

After that, it would be time to plant rapeseed seedlings and sow wheat.

When Shen Zhihuan reached the edge of the mountain, the group had just finished their work for the day and was resting near the grove at the foot of the hill.

“Third Sister!” Xiao Weidong, who was picking up fallen ears of grain nearby, saw Shen Zhihuan and ran over excitedly, leaving his basket behind.

“Third Sister! Have you eaten lunch?” Xiao Weidong asked, his little face flushed red from the sun.

“I have. Have you forgotten what your sister told you earlier?” Shen Zhihuan took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

“I didn’t forget. In the afternoon, I stayed in the shade near the mountain and didn’t go out under the sun,” Xiao Weidong said softly, glancing at the people resting under the trees.

“Good,” Shen Zhihuan said, lightly tapping the tip of his nose.

In this thirty-six to thirty-seven-degree heat, even staying indoors was sweaty, let alone working under the blazing sun.

“Zhihuan, why are you out in such hot weather?” Li Qiuhua, who had been resting in the grove, hurried over after hearing Xiao Weidong call his sister. Seeing that Shen Zhihuan looked fine, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“I couldn’t sleep after waking up this morning, so I made some mung bean soup,” Shen Zhihuan said, taking out two jars from the basket and handing them to Li Qiuhua and Xiao Weidong.

“It’s delicious!” Xiao Weidong took a big gulp after opening his jar, and green bean soup spilled from the corners of his mouth.

“If you like it, drink more. There’s still a big pot at home,” Shen Zhihuan said, wiping the spilled soup from Xiao Weidong’s face with her handkerchief.

“I bet you’re planning to go up the mountain!” Li Qiuhua teased, spotting the sickle in the basket as she took a sip of the soup.

Before Shen Zhihuan could reply, a middle-aged woman in her forties approached with a curious look.

“Zhihuan, are you heading up the mountain to gather wild vegetables?”

The woman scrutinized Shen Zhihuan from head to toe, exclaiming, “My, how you’ve grown! It’s been a while since I last saw you, and you’re looking more and more radiant.”

The original owner of this body had been frail and sickly, with a sallow complexion from years of illness. She drank more medicine than porridge, leaving her looking perpetually waxen and gaunt.

With her reserved and introverted personality, she kept all her troubles to herself, worsening her condition over time.

After Shen Zhihuan’s careful care over the past few weeks, her complexion had improved, and her face and body had filled out slightly. Her cheeks no longer appeared sunken, and her overall appearance was much healthier.

Her small, oval face was now soft and fair, as smooth as a peeled egg.

“Yes, since the weather is good, I thought I’d gather some wild vegetables to dry,” Shen Zhihuan replied with a smile.

“Don’t go too deep into the mountain,” Li Qiuhua warned. “Just gather some near the edge. Once we finish planting the rapeseed seedlings and end the busy farming season, I’ll take Weidong and gather more to dry.”

“I understand, Mom,” Shen Zhihuan said, nodding before heading up the trail into the mountain.

As she walked away, murmurs arose among the resting villagers.

“It’s only been a few days, but the third girl from the Shen family looks completely different—like a fairy.”

“That’s right! We’ve hardly seen her during the busy farming season, and now she’s almost unrecognizable.”

“Exactly. If this weren’t in the production team, we might not have recognized her at all.”

“No wonder Boss Zhu from Xilin Village was so generous, giving eggs, rice, and meat.”

Widow Chen sneered. “What’s the use of being pretty? In the end, she’s still just—”

“Back to work!” Wang Tiezhu’s booming voice interrupted, cutting Widow Chen off mid-sentence. “What are you all sitting around for? Waiting for nightfall? If today’s work isn’t finished, I’ll cut everyone’s work points in half!”

The mention of work points jolted everyone back to work. No one dared to laze any longer.

Meanwhile, Shen Zhihuan, who had only ventured to the nearest Xihou Mountain before, observed her surroundings carefully to avoid getting lost.

Perhaps because this mountain was frequently visited, Shen Zhihuan found no valuable items even after walking for half an hour. However, she did gather a variety of wild vegetables.

Not intending to search for treasures, she quickly filled her basket and started heading back down the mountain.

After walking for a few minutes, she saw a long-tailed pheasant dart out from a mountain hollow.

Salivating at the sight, Shen Zhihuan immediately set down her basket, ready for a showdown.

Before she could act, she heard distant animal roars.

The birds in the forest seemed startled and scattered in all directions.

Although Shen Zhihuan couldn’t identify the source of the roar, her instincts told her that she wouldn’t stand a chance against it.

If she couldn’t win, running was the only option.

Grabbing her basket, she bolted down the mountain trail.

The roars behind her grew louder and closer. Shen Zhihuan glanced back instinctively—and the sight nearly scared her out of her wits.