Chapter 17 – Finally Got to Reincarnate Once

Years of martial arts training had not gone to waste. Even though her appearance had changed in this world—her face now sallow and thin—Shen Mo’er’s body was still her own, and her strength hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

With one swift kick, she sent the person sprawling to the ground.

In the silence of the night, the man let out a pained yelp, but he reacted quickly, scrambling up and taking off running without hesitation.

Shen Mo’er gave chase for a while, but the man was clearly familiar with the terrain. He darted through the fields, zigzagging this way and that, and soon slipped onto a narrow path leading into the back hills. Realizing she couldn’t catch up, Shen Mo’er had no choice but to turn back.

She hadn’t gotten a clear look at the man’s face—only a vague glimpse of his back. He was tall and thin.

But in this era, there weren’t any fat people in the village. Everyone was thin; the only difference was in height. That one trait wasn’t nearly enough to identify him.

When she got back to the doorway, Shen Shaoyuan, who had heard the commotion, was already outside. He hadn’t dared go far and had been waiting at the door. Upon seeing Shen Mo’er return, he gave her a once-over from head to toe. Only after confirming that his precious daughter was unharmed did he breathe a sigh of relief.

“Don’t chase desperate criminals. It’s late, and who knows if his accomplices were lying in wait ahead?”

His daughter was all he had. He might not have managed her strictly in other matters, but he was deeply concerned for her safety. Shen Mo’er felt warm inside. She was truly lucky that the two of them had transmigrated into this world together. If it had been only her or only her father, they might have cried themselves to death.

In fact, Shen Mo’er had also realized that moments earlier, but she quickly admitted her mistake. “I didn’t think it through just now. I’ll be more careful next time. But I think at night from now on…”

She was about to say they probably couldn’t sleep in the treasure vault anymore when her gaze caught movement in a nearby clump of grass. She lifted her foot and kicked a stone toward it. “Come out!”

The grass rustled, and after a moment, a scrawny teenager emerged. The boy stood there awkwardly, stammering, “I—I just heard a noise, s-so I came to check it out.”

Shen Mo’er recognized him. He was Lin Kaicheng, who lived behind the brigade office. Because his father had been a landlord, the village kids often chased after him, taunting him with cries of “Little Landlord.” Some even threw clumps of dirt at him.

Aside from going to work, he and his mother rarely went out. Although the two families lived close to each other, in all the days since Shen Mo’er had transmigrated here, she had only seen the boy once—from a distance—fetching water at the well early one morning.

She nodded. “Someone tried to pry open our door. But he ran off. You should be careful too—lock your doors and windows.”

Lin Kaicheng gave her a surprised look. He had been there long enough to know there was a thief—he had even seen Shen Mo’er kick the man flying. But just as he was about to leave, Shen Shaoyuan had come outside. Afraid of being mistaken for an accomplice, he had hidden in the grass and hadn’t dared move.

He hadn’t expected Shen Mo’er not to misunderstand him. She even reminded him to secure his home.

He gave a muffled “mm” and turned to run off.

Shen Mo’er didn’t dare say more outside. She went inside immediately, locked all the doors and windows, moved a chair to block the main door, and finally returned to the vault with Shen Shaoyuan.

Neither of them could fall back asleep right away, so they started talking through the screen for a while.

Shen Mo’er brought up the issue again—how they couldn’t continue sleeping in the treasure vault.

If she hadn’t happened to get up that night, and a thief had made it inside, found the house empty, or worse, discovered the treasure vault’s existence, they would have faced endless trouble.

To be safe, from now on, they should avoid opening the treasure vault unless absolutely necessary.

Shen Shaoyuan, having been busy lately, had felt the matter of getting a bamboo mat wasn’t so urgent and hadn’t looked for the bearded man. But after tonight, he decided to go find the man tomorrow and buy another mat. By tomorrow night, they’d move their bedding out of the vault and sleep outside.

Also, they had originally planned to build a fence around the new house when the time came. Now it seemed the wall needed to be built even higher than expected.

Father and daughter chatted idly like this until Shen Shaoyuan eventually went silent.

Shen Mo’er listened carefully and, sure enough, heard his breathing grow slow and deep—he’d fallen asleep.

Of course, her father had lived a life of luxury since birth, never having had to wake at dawn to trek miles for labor like he did now.

Shen Mo’er smiled faintly, thinking she should find something nutritious to help her father recuperate. Lost in thought, she soon drifted off as well.

The next morning, they found that it had rained in the latter half of the night. The ground was damp, and the sky was still a bit overcast.

After Shen Shaoyuan left for the commune, Shen Mo’er went to the Zhou family’s house to tell Zhou Mancang what had happened the previous night.

Zhou Mancang was both shocked and furious. Not long ago, the educated youth point had a soap theft incident, and now someone had tried to pry open the door of Shen Lao Qi’s home in the dead of night. Clearly, word had spread about their 300-yuan windfall, and someone had set their sights on it… If this continued, what would become of the moral fabric of their Yangliu Brigade?

Since he was busy heading to work, Zhou Mancang told Shen Mo’er to go home for now. He said the brigade would soon hold a meeting to address the issue, gathering everyone to reinforce discipline. They would also organize militia teams to strengthen nighttime patrols, ensuring thieves and slackers had no opportunity to strike.

Hearing this, Shen Mo’er felt reassured. Even though her martial arts were decent, she didn’t want to be on edge every night.

After leaving the Zhou household, Shen Mo’er swung by their private plot. Thanks to Auntie Chen and the others, the vegetables were thriving—lush and green. But it was hot, and bugs were starting to appear. The leaves were already peppered with small holes.

Auntie Chen and the others said they could use “liuliu powder” (a pesticide) to handle the pests. But Shen Mo’er had heard it was toxic and didn’t dare use it, so she politely declined.

Still, she couldn’t just leave the crops like that. If the bugs ate everything, she’d have to find a way to trade for vegetables.

As she walked home, frowning, she looked up and saw someone standing outside her door—tall, long-legged, straight-backed, with features as striking as if they’d been painted. Who else could it be but Fu Mingze?

Seeing him, Shen Mo’er couldn’t help but smile. “Comrade Fu.”

Fu Mingze gave a faint smile. “Comrade Shen Mo’er.”

He handed her the paper in his hand. “The blueprints are done. Take a look and see if they’ll work.”

A promise made should be a promise kept—and he’d even received two eggs in return. Over the past few days, Fu Mingze had gone out of his way to visit the commune and asked Qiao-jie and the others for help. He carefully refined the vague details to ensure that every part of the plan was flawless.

“Thanks for the trouble, Comrade Fu,” Shen Mo’er said as she accepted the drawings. She was surprised to see that although the space was small, there were several sheets—and very detailed ones at that. “There are three different plans?”

Fu Mingze nodded and explained, “There’s no running water in the village, so drainage is a problem. Since your home is near the well, one option is to install a water pump and connect pipes to simulate running water. But that one’s expensive, so it might be more practical to carry water manually—less convenient, but cheaper.”

“As for drainage, most urban setups use gray cast-iron pipes, which are costly. Another option is to build with bricks and seal with cement.”

After a moment’s pause, Fu Mingze added, “No matter which plan you choose, the costs might be higher than you expect.”

Shen Mo’er understood immediately. Even if the prices were manageable, items like water pumps, cast-iron pipes, and cement weren’t exactly easy to find, even with money.

The plan couldn’t be finalized right away. She’d have to study and refine it further. Still, it was clear Fu Mingze had put a lot of effort into this. Shen Mo’er thanked him repeatedly and was just thinking about how to repay him when a voice suddenly called out:

“Mo’er, hurry up, we’re heading up the mountain to gather mushrooms!”

It was Auntie Chen and the other elderly women, followed by several kids of various ages. Everyone had baskets on their backs or in their hands, clearly ready for a big foraging expedition.

Before Shen Mo’er could respond, Auntie Chen spotted Fu Mingze and greeted him cheerfully, “Ah, Comrade Fu’s here too! Great! Borrow a basket from Mo’er and come along!”

“…?”

Fu Mingze’s handsome face showed a hint of confusion, but before he could decline, the other aunties were already chiming in:

“Yes, yes, come with us! It just rained—the mushrooms and wild shoots will be fresh and tender!”

“That’s right! You city folks aren’t great in the fields, but mountain foraging is easy! Maybe you’ll even catch a rabbit if you’re lucky!”

“Some of the other educated youths already went up the mountain, but none of them know the land like us old birds! We know exactly where the mushrooms grow and where the good wild vegetables are. Come with us, and I bet you’ll find more than the others!”

…

The aunties were relentless, pulling out all the stops to recruit Fu Mingze. Shen Mo’er finally saw for herself just how popular he was. Stifling a laugh, she grabbed a bamboo basket and handed it to Fu Mingze. “Since we’ve met by chance, better not refuse. Let’s go, Comrade Fu.”

“….”

Fu Mingze couldn’t help laughing, but he took the basket.

The aunties weren’t wrong. He’d planned to go up the mountain for a walk anyway. And if he was going, better to follow the locals—he might really find more that way.

So the group headed off in high spirits toward the back hills.

Along the way, the aunties—having heard Shen Mo’er mention that Fu Mingze had helped design her new home—started asking questions. Shen Mo’er explained his plans, including the pump and the cast-iron pipes. The women were baffled, their faces full of awe.

They didn’t really understand the technical stuff, but that didn’t stop them from praising him endlessly. Even someone as self-composed as Fu Mingze couldn’t help blushing under the torrent of compliments.

Thankfully, they soon reached the mountain, and the women’s attention shifted.

“Let’s head to Pine Tree Bay—plenty of mushrooms over there.”

“Sure, we’ll go there first, then swing by the bamboo grove. We’ll get mushrooms, wild veggies, and bamboo shoots too.”

The old foraging pros quickly agreed to head toward Pine Tree Bay, a spot near the Songshu Brigade.

Though it was technically closer to Songshu Brigade, the path from their side was rough and less traveled. Plus, their side had more abundant forests, so they rarely ventured over. This meant Yangliu Brigade villagers actually frequented the area more.

Of course, the winding mountain trails weren’t for the inexperienced. If not for the seasoned locals, no one would dare venture that deep.

But it was indeed a lush, damp area—perfect for mushrooms.

Once there, the group dispersed quickly.

Since the others were mostly elderly or young children, Shen Mo’er and Fu Mingze instinctively gave them the easier, flatter areas and chose to climb the steeper paths themselves. Before long, they had drifted far from the main group.

“…What the hell? I finally got reincarnated, and I can’t even find a wild ginseng? Didn’t that lame Zhu guy find one around here in the last life? Why isn’t it here now?”

A sudden voice rang out.

Reincarnated.

Last life.

Shen Mo’er’s senses sharpened at once. She instinctively quieted her movements and ducked behind a large rock.

Then she looked up—straight into Fu Mingze’s dark, clear eyes.

“Shh!”