Zhao Dashan led Cheng Wanwan to the back of the house.

The area was overgrown with weeds, but after long exposure to the scorching sun, most of the resilient plants had dried up.

The wild mugwort was no exception—its leaves were withered, and its stems had turned a dull yellow.

Cheng Wanwan bent down and sniffed. The strong aroma confirmed her suspicion: this was indeed mugwort, the very herb she had been looking for.

She instructed, “Cut down all the mugwort here and throw it into the courtyard.”

Zhao Dashan scratched the back of his head. “Mother, mugwort doesn’t burn well. It produces a lot of smoke. I’ll go gather some other dry grass instead.”

“Who said I was going to use it for firewood?” Cheng Wanwan chuckled. “I want the smoke. If it doesn’t produce enough, it’s useless to me. Hurry up and cut it. I need it for something important.”

Zhao Dashan quickly went to work. He slashed down a large patch of mugwort, but once gathered, it wasn’t actually that much. The cut herbs were piled in the courtyard.

Cheng Wanwan took out a basket and packed the mugwort tightly until the basket was full.

Zhao Ergou woke up and asked curiously, “Mother, what’s this for?”

“After lunch, come with me up the mountain,” Cheng Wanwan said as she placed the basket near the doorway. “You’ll see when we get there.”

Lunch was simple but filling: steaming white rice, stir-fried jade bamboo shoots, and a mix of wild vegetables and mushrooms. The six of them ate heartily.

Afterward, Cheng Wanwan and her four sons set off for the mountain.

The villagers had spent the entire previous day and night working in the forest, so today, only a few people were around.

As they ventured deeper, the forest became eerily quiet. When they reached the dried-up pond, Zhao Sidaan suddenly whispered, “Mother, I think I hear voices near the bamboo shoot patch!”

Cheng Wanwan’s eyes narrowed.

The people of Daqiao Village had worked tirelessly yesterday. It was unlikely any of them had returned today. That could only mean one thing—these were outsiders.

She gestured for her sons to stay put. Then, carefully parting the thickets, she crept closer.

A group of thirty burly men stood in the dried-up pond, their faces dark with frustration.

One man cursed, “Damn those Daqiao bastards! They left us with nothing!”

Another spat, “This mountain is between our villages! Half of whatever’s here should belong to Guanghua Village!”

A third man growled, “That Daqiao village chief is too clever. He won’t split anything with us. If we can’t take it openly, we’ll take it in secret.”

“Lately, there have been a lot of grain thieves. We could disguise ourselves as bandits and steal all of Daqiao Village’s food!”

“…”

Cheng Wanwan’s expression turned ice-cold.

She silently retreated and ordered in a low voice, “We’re heading back. Now.”

This wasn’t the right time to look for a water source—not when Guanghua Village was planning something sinister.

As they hurried down the mountain, Zhao Sidaan suddenly gasped. “Mother, look! A bird’s nest!”

The moment he spoke, Zhao Sanniu tossed aside his things, spat on both palms, and scrambled up the tree. Within moments, he had snatched the nest—inside were seven fresh eggs.

Zhao Sidaan licked his lips. “We’re having bird eggs today!”

Cheng Wanwan carefully placed the eggs in her basket.

In truth, she had plenty of eggs in the marketplace system—one copper coin could buy two eggs—but she needed a reasonable excuse to bring them out.

Maybe… she could pretend to have caught a wild hen, and that hen could start laying eggs?

Her eyes scanned the roadside vegetation. The thick undergrowth made it the perfect place to pull this off. Catching one chicken might seem suspicious… but two? That would be more believable.

Without hesitation, she spent one hundred copper coins in the system to purchase two live chickens and discreetly placed them in the bushes.

“Cluck, cluck!”

A burst of panicked clucking echoed through the forest.

Zhao Ergou’s eyes gleamed. “Chickens! There are chickens nearby!”

The four boys immediately fell silent, their sharp eyes scanning the bushes.

Zhao Sidaan pointed, signaling silently. The four boys pounced together.

The chickens squawked loudly.

“There are two!” Zhao Sidaan’s little face flushed with excitement. “We caught two chickens!”

Zhao Dashan frowned. “These wild chickens… they look just like the ones raised at home. How did they end up in the deep forest?”

Zhao Ergou swallowed. “Doesn’t matter. We’re eating chicken tonight!”

Zhao Sanniu eagerly suggested, “These chickens are fat! I’ll break their necks now so they don’t escape.”

Cheng Wanwan: “…”

She didn’t buy these chickens for dinner—she bought them for eggs!

She quickly stopped them. “These are hens. Hens lay eggs. If we keep them, we’ll have fresh eggs every day.”

The boys’ eyes lit up.

Fresh eggs. Every day.

That was something they never dared to dream of before.

Zhao Sidaan hesitated. “Mother… do these chickens really lay eggs?”

Cheng Wanwan considered sneaking an egg under them to prove her point—

But before she could act, the two hens squatted down on their own.

The boys crouched beside them, watching intently.

Zhao Sidaan frowned. “What are they doing?”

Zhao Dashan shushed him. “They look like they’re laying eggs.”

Zhao Sanniu’s eyes widened. “They did it! They really laid eggs!”

Zhao Ergou was just as shocked. “Two eggs! They laid two eggs!”

Cheng Wanwan sweatdropped.

The way these kids reacted, anyone overhearing would think they had just witnessed a miracle birth.

The two hens tried to run away after laying their eggs, but Zhao Sanniu quickly grabbed them, tied their feet with straw ropes, and stuffed them into the basket.

Feeling triumphant, the mother and sons returned to Daqiao Village.

When they arrived, Cheng Wanwan sent the boys home with the basket. She, however, walked straight to the village chief’s house.

As she reached the village square, she saw the chief standing on a cracked field embankment, surrounded by anxious villagers.

“Chief, what did the county magistrate say?”

“The crops are failing. Will the government provide emergency rations for us?”

“I heard millet prices in town have risen to twelve copper coins per pound. Is that true?”

“…”

The village chief looked exhausted. He didn’t know how to answer. Lying wasn’t his way, but telling the truth might cause panic.

Just then, Cheng Wanwan stepped forward, her expression serious. “Chief, I just came down from the mountain. I saw more than thirty men from Guanghua Village snooping around our land.”

The chief frowned. “That many? What were they doing?”

“Their leader—a fat man—was talking about raiding our village to steal grain.

“They know they can’t win in a fair fight, so they plan to do it in secret.”

The moment she finished speaking, the crowd erupted.

“Those Guanghua scoundrels have no shame!”

“We fought them twenty years ago and won! They still dare to come back?”

“They’re trying to steal from us because they know they can’t beat us!”

“We should strike first and teach them a lesson!”

“…”