Chapter 42

Hmm, this seller of chicken heart persimmons actually listed four bottles of Moutai?

And it’s from 1975? Is that true?

No matter what, I’ll place the order first. Didn’t they say if it’s fake, they’ll compensate ten times the price? I won’t lose out.

Quick hands get it, slow hands lose it.

It was almost instantaneous—within moments, the four bottles were gone from the stock.

Many people had just opened the page when it showed that the product was sold out.

The frenzy was comparable to the rush for tickets to a top-tier singer’s concert.

Many people began to follow Gu Qinghuan’s shop, and some even started to dig into her personal details, trying to find any clues about the seller, but all their efforts ended in failure.

Mainly because the items she sold were not fixed. It was like whatever she got, she sold, and all of it was pure, wild, natural stuff, all genuine, giving off a mysterious vibe that also made people inexplicably trust her.

Some people speculated that the seller must be a farmer living deep in the mountains, while others said it was all just a gimmick to raise awareness and prepare for future sales.

No matter what, Gu Qinghuan knew nothing about any of this at the moment.

She was currently in a hazelnut forest, struggling with hazel mushrooms.

How should one put it?

She couldn’t finish picking them, there was no way to finish.

She didn’t even have time to put them into the bag, just tossing them directly into the space, planning to tidy them up later.

Almost every time she encountered a hazel mushroom, it would disappear from the spot, leaving only a small hole to show it had once been there.

It was at this speed that Gu Qinghuan had been picking for half an hour and only then did she finish picking the mushrooms in this area, the space now piled up with a small mound.

There were just too many.

It was like hitting the ladle to scoop fish, or wild chickens flying into the cooking pot.

This was no exaggeration—the Northeast was vast and rich in resources.

Any family in the mountains who worked diligently would not go hungry during the winter. Although they couldn’t eat big fish or meat, these mountain goods could easily fill their stomachs.

Once the hazel mushrooms were cleaned up, it was time to harvest the hazelnuts.

The hazelnuts on the trees were as ripe as could be, and many that had fallen to the ground were already fully ripe.

Gu Qinghuan still used her old method—she directly uprooted the plants and transplanted them into the space, leaving behind a spark of life. She watered them with spirit spring water before leaving.

Another type of plant had been added to the planting area in the space.

Gu Qinghuan continued deeper into the mountains and soon encountered a large patch of ferns. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the time to pick them one by one, so she would have to wait until the next time.

Continuing on, she quickly came across four wild hickory trees.

Wild hickory nuts could nourish kidney yin, relieve coughing, and lower blood lipids. They were even more effective than regular walnuts and were the ideal natural food for nourishing, health-preserving, and well-being purposes.

Good stuff—this must be packed and taken with her.

On her way back, she came across a nest of rabbits, which boldly ran right past her.

Gu Qinghuan followed and found that they had burrowed into a hole.

As the saying went: “A cunning rabbit has three burrows.” so there were definitely other exits. Gu Qinghuan searched around and, sure enough, found several similar small holes.

Not one to waste time, she blocked all the holes she found, leaving only one open.

Then she lit some pine branches and tossed them into the hole, securing the sack at the entrance.

The smoke from inside forced the rabbits to flee in all directions. Within no time, all of them had scrambled into the sack.

Gu Qinghuan counted—there were six rabbits in total.

She didn’t plan to eat them for now but intended to keep them as breeding rabbits in the space.

Rabbits reproduced quickly, and with no predators in the space, they would soon become a group. At that point, she could eat them whenever she wanted.

After settling the rabbits, it was getting late.

Gu Qinghuan leisurely descended the mountain, preparing to head home.

When she neared her home, she took out the things she had prepared earlier and placed them on the cart.

There were two pounds of fatty pork, three pounds of ribs, two blocks of pork lard, a can of re-packaged milk powder, two pounds of peach crisps, and a pound of White Rabbit Creamy Candy.

There was no meat left at home, and both the children and the sick needed nutrition. Drinking a cup of milk powder in the morning and evening would help with calcium intake and growth.

Zhong Zijun didn’t expect her daughter to bring back so many things again and immediately felt a headache.

It wasn’t that Zhong Zijun didn’t know how to live well—on the contrary, she had everything she needed in the past, and these items were just ordinary supplies, things she had long been used to.

She was worried her son-in-law might think her daughter was incapable of managing the household.

In the mountain areas, what family buys two pounds of meat, three pounds of ribs, and even two pounds of pork lard all at once?

At most, she would just cut a few pieces of meat to taste some meat for a change.

So, during dinner, she deliberately lectured her daughter at the table, also doing it for her son-in-law’s benefit.

“Huan Huan, from now on, don’t be so extravagant with your spending. This time, I’ll let it go.” she said. She believed it was her responsibility to educate her daughter.

Xu Huai’an looked at Gu Qinghuan with a puzzled expression. “What did you buy?”

Ever since the awkward incident the night before when Gu Qinghuan had knocked him down, he had been thinking about it non-stop. Miraculously, he hadn’t let his emotions take control again.

Gu Qinghuan pouted. “I bought the meat to supplement you all. Look at Xu Huai’an, you’re so skinny now.”

“Also the milk powder. The kids are in the growing stage. Drinking more milk powder will help them grow taller, and you need to replenish calcium for your arms to heal.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Huai’an immediately chimed in: “Mom, don’t be upset. Huan Huan’s right. We all need to replenish our nutrients. I gave her the money so she could spend it however she wants. She can buy whatever she needs.”

Even the two children were secretly observing Zhong Zijun’s expression, afraid that she would lecture Gu Qinghuan again.

Zhong Zijun was immediately amused by their reaction.

So, in the whole house, she was the only bad one? They were all united against her.

But this made her feel relieved. Her son-in-law unconditionally supported her daughter, which was better than anything.

“Mom? Aren’t you going to say anything to me?” Gu Qinghuan waited for a while, seeing no response, and asked tentatively.

Zhong Zijun rolled her eyes at her. “What else should I say? The whole family thinks you did the right thing. If I said anything more, would I be the villain for generations?”

But deep down, she was happy.

A rare treasure is hard to come by, but a man who cares for you is even rarer.

Her daughter had married the right man.

Upon hearing this, Xu Huai’an felt a twinge of embarrassment on his face. He didn’t know why he had been so anxious to defend Gu Qinghuan just now. Those words had slipped out without him thinking.

Gu Qinghuan also felt a little awkward. She quickly lowered her head and began to pick up food.

The family continued to eat.

Today’s lunch was the same as usual—three-combination noodles and steamed buns paired with cold potato shreds.

The family simply didn’t have any other vegetables to eat.

Once she finished her meal, Gu Qinghuan pushed the small cart out the door. She needed to go to the youth commune to pick up her share of the vegetables.

When she arrived at the commune, it happened to be mealtime, and everyone was there.

“Gu Qinghuan? What are you doing here? We don’t have food for you!” Jiang Xue immediately perked up upon seeing her, her energy rising like a rooster ready to fight.

Everyone else looked at her with curious expressions.

However, to be fair, ever since Gu Qinghuan got married, it seemed like she had become even more beautiful.

She wore a dark purple floral thin coat, which made her complexion look good. Her long hair was pinned up with a wooden hairpin, simple yet elegant.

Her face, free of makeup, was as fair and smooth as a peeled egg.

She radiated an aura of nobility and elegance, and in fact, she looked even more breathtakingly beautiful than when she had been at the commune.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, all the glamour was shattered.

“Mind your own business!” This was directed at Jiang Xue.

“I’m here to take what’s mine. Comrade Qiu Shuxia, when you distributed the grain last time, you forgot to include what was from my private plot, didn’t you?”