The sun dipped low behind the jagged peaks, casting long shadows over Banyuepo Village. The air was rich with the scent of pine and the earthy aroma of damp soil. Ye Sangwan stood still, eyes fixed on the mountains rising behind Yun Heng, their mist-shrouded tops brushing the sky. She fell into thoughtful silence.

The village was cradled by these ancient sentinels — stone mountains with sharp, dangerous peaks, cliffs piled high with weathered rocks, and gentle earthen slopes covered in dense foliage. As the old saying went: “Rely on the mountain to eat the mountain, rely on the water to eat the water.” But Banyuepo Village had never quite embraced that wisdom.

Beyond the occasional hunting party and the elderly Grandpa Song’s gathering of herbs, few ventured deep into the wilderness. The village women preferred the safer task of picking wild vegetables closer to home, while the men gathered firewood. The mountains were a place of mystery and danger — and that made them perfect.

Perfect cover for her secret.

“If it’s convenient, I want to go,” Ye Sangwan said suddenly, her eyes bright with excitement.

Yun Heng watched her, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Her eagerness was infectious. “Naturally,” he said, his voice warm and steady.

They parted briefly, agreeing to meet at the foot of the mountain in a quarter of an hour. When Ye Sangwan arrived, she was not alone — three little shadows trailed behind her.

Yun Heng stood waiting under the trees, the soft breeze tugging at his high-tied hair. He cut a striking figure in the dappled light — slim and poised, his dark eyes fixed on the birds flitting through the branches. A bow and quiver of arrows rested on his back, a dagger gleamed at his waist, and ropes were coiled around his wrists and ankles, ready for climbing.

The sight of him — silent, strong, and entirely at ease in this rugged world — made Ye Sangwan’s heart skip a beat. When he turned to look at her, his brows knit together in sudden exasperation.

“Brother!” Yunxiang called out, waving eagerly. “A Yan and I are just gathering wild vegetables at the foot of the mountain. We won’t bother you…” Her voice trailed off with a teasing lilt.

Ye Chu’an raised his wooden knife like a flag of surrender. “I’m just here for firewood…”

Ye Sangwan blinked, confused by their eagerness to avoid the climb. This wasn’t quite what they’d said earlier.

“Let’s go,” Yun Heng said, his voice low and calm — but with a gravity that made her shiver.

They hadn’t gone far when the whisper of an arrow cut through the air. A gray rabbit cried out, its trembling form half-hidden in the grass. Ye Sangwan approached, wide-eyed, and found the arrow buried cleanly through the animal’s hind leg. The precision was chilling.

She swallowed hard, sneaking a glance at Yun Heng. He stood motionless, his face unreadable. The image of his effortless skill and quiet focus stayed with her, stirring both admiration and… something close to fear.

“I— I think I saw some mushrooms over there!” she blurted, before turning on her heel and fleeing toward the trees.

Yun Heng stared after her, the rabbit dangling from his hand.

“Didn’t my mother say that showing your skill impresses women?” he muttered under his breath, frustration flickering in his eyes as he remembered that His mother said that when she saw his father hit a pheasant with an arrow, she had a deep affection for his father?

He showed it, and then what? Is there a problem with game hit by him? He was so angry that he strangled the ignorant gray rabbit…

The next half-hour saw his frustration transformed into action. By the time Ye Sangwan cautiously peeked back toward him, his basket was heavy with a string of colorful pheasants. Their cries still echoed through the trees, a sound that crawled up her spine like the hiss of a snake.

Her imagination ran wild. She’d watched too many horror movies in her past life — and now, every movement of Yun Heng’s felt sharper, more dangerous. Yunheng is handsome, but if she ever made him angry… The vividness of her visions made her shudder. She was so scared that she couldn’t control her strength, and she actually crushed a cluster of tender tea trees…

In an effort to shake off the the messy pictures and the chill creeping up her back, she disappeared into her secret space and arrived at the vegetable field downstairs of the staff dormitory . 

Originally, the land was paved with a lawn, but somehow it was turned into a vegetable field. After all, it was approved by the superiors. This land is about five mu wide, which can meet the basic needs of planting enthusiasts for the time being. 

Walking to the place where sweet potatoes are grown, Ye Sangwan raised her hoe and dug up two vines of sweet potatoes. Looking at more than a dozen large and small sweet potatoes hanging on the thick stems and vines, Ye Sangwan folded his hands: “Thank you for the high-quality labor provided by the elder sister/aunt/uncle whoever grew these . I will make these sweet potatoes shine in Banyuepo Village!” 

After digging sweet potatoes, Ye Sangwan took out two more potatoes. This time, she just dug up the potatoes. The potato seedlings were useless, and there was no need to add more effort for her. After finishing these, Ye Sangwan’s small bamboo bask was already full.

In addition to sweet potatoes and potatoes, she also picked up some flat mushrooms, tea tree mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms and so on, and also dug some wild Sanqi. Sanqi has the effect of stopping bleeding. Wild Sanqi is relatively precious in modern times, and the front line is fighting, so there should be a shortage of such medicinal materials.

The familiar fields and tidy rows of vegetables soothed her nerves. A sense of calm returned as she worked — until Ye Chu’an’s voice broke through her thoughts.“Eldest sister! Eldest sister, where are you?”Ye Sangwan stood up, waving frantically. “Over here!”

When the others arrived, grass seeds and dead leaves clung to their hair and clothes, but their eyes sparkled with triumph. Ye Chu’an brandished two pheasants like trophies, while Yunxiang and A Yan proudly displayed baskets brimming with wild onions and mushrooms.

The excitement only grew when they spotted Ye Sangwan’s haul.

“Sister Wanya, what’s this long red-skinned thing? And this one — it looks like a pebble!” Yunxiang’s eyes widened with curiosity.

Ye Sangwan rolled her eyes fondly. “This is a sweet potato. And this one’s a potato. I found them near an ant hole — the ants were enjoying them so much, I had to take a bite myself. It’s sweet and crisp. I think it’ll taste even better cooked!”

The others looked doubtful as they had been to the back mountain but haven’t seen such things ever, but Ye Sangwan’senthusiasm was contagious and she found an excuse for herself by saying that it’s also the first time she had seen these things after all these two things grow underground so it’s mot easy for others to notice . 

Soon, they were gathering firewood and building a makeshift kiln. As the sweet potatoes roasted, their earthy fragrance filled the air, drawing curious glances — and then eager anticipation.

When the kiln was finally opened, the scent alone was enough to make them all exclaim. The golden-brown sweet potatoes cracked open to reveal soft, steaming flesh, their sweetness wafting through the clearing.

Ye Chu’an took one bite and moaned with delight. “Eldest sister, this is amazing!”Ye Chu’an, being a little gluttonous cat, couldn’t wait. It was so hot that he grimaced and kept gasping. He praised while eating, “Sister, this thing is really delicious! It’s sweet and glutinous. No wonder ants also like to eat it… Eldst sister, I love it too! If I can eat this three times a day, I will definitely not be picky about food!”

“Yes ! Sister Sangwan! It smells so fragrant you also should eat it.”, said Ye Sangwan show a rare innocent smile as she ate the sweet potato with relish, her eyebrows curled like crescent moon.

Ye Sangwan held up a vine heavy with sweet potatoes and divided more for everyone to eat. “Eat it! Have a taste. If it’s delicious we can dig more tomorrow. If this can grow so well in the wild, imagine what it could do in a proper field.”

Even Yun Heng looked impressed. “Can this be cultivated?” he asked quietly And nodded thoughtfully, his tone casual but his words serious. “Alright then. I’ll keep an eye out over the next few days. If I find more of these, I’ll dig some up and we can try planting them.”

Despite his words, his heart wasn’t entirely convinced. After all, if something like this could become a staple food, surely someone would have discovered it long ago.

Ye Sangwan watched as the others ate with obvious delight, their faces glowing with satisfaction. But their lack of interest in the potential of these sweet potatoes left her a little disheartened.

It’s like a chicken talking to a duck, she thought with a sigh. If only Zhu Chaozhang were here — he’d definitely be excited about this discovery. But then again, remembering his trembling legs the last time they ventured near the mountains, she quickly dismissed the idea.

“Eat up!” Yun Heng’s voice broke into her thoughts. He handed her a peeled sweet potato, its warm, golden flesh glistening in the firelight. “We should head down soon — there are wolves in the dark.”

Ye Sangwan blinked in surprise and then glanced at the others. Their wide eyes and gleeful expressions were impossible to miss. They were watching the two of them like they were the most interesting show in the village.

She cleared her throat awkwardly, trying to ignore their knowing stares. Taking the sweet potato from Yun Heng, she bit into it. The warmth and sweetness melted on her tongue — it was soft, fragrant, and utterly delicious.

But when she looked up again, she realized Yun Heng was still watching her. His dark eyes stayed fixed on her face, and there was something in his gaze that made her cheeks heat up. The fire’s glow only made it worse, painting her skin in warm hues.

Flustered, she quickly picked up another sweet potato and tossed it toward him. “You should eat too,” she said, her voice coming out more rushed than she’d intended.

Beside them, Ye Chu’an took a bite of a roasted potato and immediately wrinkled his nose in disappointment. “Eldest sister, this yellow-skinned one isn’t nearly as good as the sweet potato…”

“It’s not bad, though,” Ye Sangwan said, seizing the opportunity to recover her composure. “If you dip it in some sauce, the flavor would really stand out.”

Ye Sangyan tilted his head, his eyes narrowing with curiosity. “Eldest sister, how do you know that? Isn’t this the first time you’ve ever dug these up?”

For a moment, Ye Sangwan froze. Then she let out an awkward laugh. “Oh… well, I once learned a universal dipping sauce recipe by chance. It works with almost anything! We’ll try it next time.”

The others exchanged looks but seemed satisfied with the answer. As the night deepened and the fire crackled low, their conversation slowly faded into comfortable quiet.

But later that night, long after the fire had died and the village had fallen into stillness, Yun Heng dreamed.

In his dream, the sweet potatoes that Ye Sangwan had spoken so excitedly about grew in abundance. Before the first frost fell, the transplanted vines spread across the fields, and the harvest was extraordinary — over a hundred stones of sweet potatoes from just half a mu of land.

It was a vision so vivid that it felt real. But it wasn’t the first time he’d had such a dream.

The last time, he had dreamed of Ye Sangwan too — as a child, her laughter ringing through the air. And it was that dream, as strange and clear as this one, that had guided him back to the village after his retreat from the army.

Now, with the scent of roasted sweet potatoes still lingering in his memory, he wondered if the dreams were trying to tell him something.

And if they were… what did it mean?