Chapter 12: A Smile Breaks Free

Aunt Zhao hesitated and said, “I’ve been thinking… it’s probably best to eat less and save them for seeds instead. I’ve been farming for over twenty or thirty years, and I’ve never seen crops this good.

“Just those potatoes alone—each plant had over a dozen underneath, and the smallest one was already the size of my fist!

“If we use them as seed potatoes for next year… wow, I can’t even imagine the yield!”

“That’ll be up to Master Jiu and the villagers,” Qin Ying replied with a smile. “If we can see the value, others can too. But how they decide… well, that’s their own business. Don’t you agree?”

Aunt Zhao nodded slowly. Anyway, her family could get through this winter by tightening their belts. The grain and potatoes they received must be saved for seed!

An’an blinked her round eyes and let out a giggle. Wasn’t this exactly what she had hoped for?

If things went on like this, she could collect another wave of energy! She liked to call it “Virtue Energy Value.”

Hearing the laughter, Qin Ying turned and looked at her. After teasing her a bit, she said to Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hu, “There’s one more thing I’ve been thinking about for a while.

“That day, when Huzi and I led the officials back, An’an seemed to speak. But afterward, no matter how I tried to coax her, she wouldn’t say anything again. I thought maybe I’d misheard.”

Both Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hu immediately turned to look at An’an.

An’an lay on the heated brick bed and gave them an adorably sweet smile. She thought to herself, speaking at this age might be a bit early, but saying a single word or two didn’t seem impossible.

So, she squinted her eyes, revealing two newly sprouted baby teeth, and in a soft, milky voice, called out, “Mama!”

The moment she spoke, the three adults froze as if hit by a spell. It took them a while before they could move again, each one shocked and delighted.

Qin Ying simply picked up the baby and kissed her soft, tender little face. Her voice was so gentle it almost melted, coaxing her, “Good baby, say it again~”

Energy Value +0.01.

With energy to gain, anything was negotiable.

An’an tilted her head and clearly said again, “Mama.”

Qin Ying’s eyes immediately turned red, and she choked out a tearful response.

Zhao Hu quickly leaned in, grabbing An’an’s tiny hand and gently shaking it, coaxing in a hushed tone, “Anbao’er, I’m Uncle—say Uncle~”

An’an looked at him cheerfully and was just about to speak when Aunt Zhao gently turned her little head away.

Aunt Zhao was beaming so hard her eyes became slits. She muttered, “Uncle, what uncle! Anbao’er, sweet baby, don’t mind that silly boy!

“Come, learn with Grandma. Graaand—maaa—”

An’an happily cooperated and gave a muffled “Na!” If every word was too clear, she’d be a little monster! She knew to pace herself!

Aunt Zhao responded repeatedly, laughing so hard that tears rolled down her face. She wiped her face haphazardly and took the baby from Qin Ying’s arms. She wanted to touch her little face but was afraid her rough hands might hurt her, so she puckered up and gently pressed her lips to An’an’s cheek.

Oh my, oh my! Energy Value +0.01 again!

An’an turned to look at Zhao Hu—Hey, silly boy, your turn!

Zhao Hu’s eyes instantly lit up. He moved closer again, took An’an’s little hand, and gently shook it, “Baby, Anbao’er, say Uncle!”

An’an grinned at him and let out a loud giggle. This silly look—adorable! She wanted to see it again and again!

Zhao Hu scratched his head and coaxed again, “Anbao’er, be good now, say Uncle, Uncle!”

“Punch!” An’an said mischievously. Even though she still earned 0.01 energy, this was much more fun~

“Hey!” Zhao Hu responded in an overly loud voice, then asked Aunt Zhao, “Mom, can I hold her for a while?”

A warm and joyful atmosphere filled the room like a happy family of four.

For the next few nights, the three adults took An’an up the mountain, carrying some of the food back under the cover of darkness. The rest was sorted and stacked neatly, and they erased all traces they had left behind.

Afterward, they camouflaged the area around the cellar again.

Though they weren’t professionals, and the disguise wasn’t perfect, An’an had secretly improved the finer details while they weren’t looking. She even made it look aged—like this cellar had been sealed up for years.

After listening to the adults discuss their follow-up plans, and finding no major flaws, she went to sleep peacefully.

The village’s crops weren’t ready for harvest yet, but the villagers had already started preparing the threshing ground.

There were already few people going up the mountain, and now even fewer. This made it more convenient for the Zhao family to act.

That day, Zhao Hu came rushing down from the mountain, carrying a large basket on his back. He was running so fast he was drenched in sweat, and his clothes were torn in several places. He headed straight for the threshing ground.

As he ran, he shouted, “Master Jiu! Help!”

He lost his footing and fell face-first, scattering the wild fruits in his basket all over the ground.

A villager quickly helped him up, checking him for injuries while asking, “What happened? Speak slowly, no rush!”

Someone else handed him a ladle of water.

Uncle Chen Jiu and the other villagers quickly gathered around, all talking at once and urging him to catch his breath and drink some water first.

Zhao Hu couldn’t be bothered to drink. With red eyes, he grabbed Uncle Chen Jiu’s hand and cried, “Master Jiu, uncles, aunties—my mom got hurt! We went up the mountain to find food, and she accidentally stepped wrong and fell. My sister and I can’t carry her down…”

Tears streamed down as he spoke.

The villagers quickly said, “It’s okay, child, don’t cry. With all of us here, we’ll go carry your mother down right away.”

Uncle Chen Jiu, worried, called Wang Daniu, who knew how to treat sprains and injuries, to come along.

Zhou Yu and his group’s identities had been verified, but they were still only allowed to be active in the village during the daytime.

They also came over to ask what had happened and offered help.

But Uncle Chen Jiu firmly refused, “We can handle it ourselves. No need to trouble the lords.”

Aunt Zhao looked seriously injured, but in reality, it was just a sprain. With An’an around, she would never actually let anyone get truly hurt—just good enough to make it look real!

After she was brought down and settled, Qin Ying held An’an and went to the Chen family home to thank Uncle Chen Jiu. While there, she also told him about the grain cellar they discovered in the mountain. “There were too many people around, so we didn’t dare say anything.”

Uncle Chen Jiu was so excited he paced in circles in the room. “Good girl! Take your old Uncle Jiu up to take a look!”

“It’s already so late…” Qin Ying looked at the sky, a little hesitant.

An’an made some timely cooing sounds.

“It was careless of me not to think of that!” Uncle Chen Jiu patted An’an’s fluffy little head, looking a bit embarrassed. “But this can’t wait. How about letting Huzi lead me there instead, would that be alright?”

“Of course it’s alright,” Qin Ying replied with a smile. “But there’s quite a bit of grain in there—we already went in and saw it.

“I don’t know where it came from, but the millet, soybeans, and corn kernels are all huge—at least twice as big as the ones we distributed before.

“And the potatoes are this big! Maybe I’m still young and inexperienced, but I’ve never seen potatoes this size.”

Uncle Chen Jiu’s eyes lit up, his cheeks flushed, and his voice trembled with excitement, “Let’s go, let’s go—I’ll go to your place and call Huzi right now!”