Chapter 21: Clearing Obstacles

Zhou Yu held back for a moment, but in the end, he couldn’t resist and said, “Miss Qin, I brought you all out here under the guarantee I gave to Lord Chen Jiu and Aunt Zhao. I must ensure the safety of the three of you.

“In the past, I had no control over whether you went up the mountain alone or how long you stayed. But now that you’re with me, you must follow my arrangements and not act on your own.”

After speaking, he noticed the soft, gentle smile on An’an’s face and felt that his tone might have been too harsh, so he quickly added, “I’m not saying you can’t go up the mountain again, but at the very least, you need to tell me in advance so I can arrange for someone to go with you.

“While cannibalism has been eradicated in Tongshu Village and nearby areas, that doesn’t mean it’s disappeared elsewhere. We can’t afford to be careless.”

Qin Ying lowered her head to listen to the reprimand, then gave a respectful bow, her face flushed. “I understand my mistake. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Aunt Zhong took the basket from Zhao Hu, both surprised and delighted. “Are these mushrooms? Oh my, you actually found mushrooms?

“How many are there? Why is it so heavy?”

“Not too many,” Qin Ying sneaked a glance at Zhou Yu and whispered, “I dug up some soil where the mushrooms were growing. That’s what made it heavy.”

She bowed again to Zhou Yu, and only after receiving his permission did she leave.

This time, An’an didn’t throw a tantrum about going to Zhou Yu. From his tone and expression earlier, she could tell that the handsome uncle was scolding her soft and lovely mother!

Hmph! Even if you’re handsome, even if you help me gain energy, you still can’t scold my soft and fragrant mama like that!

Ding! Energy level +0.5.

An’an blinked in confusion, then suddenly grinned. Mama said she was her lucky star—but wasn’t Mama her lucky star too?

Aunt Zhong didn’t rummage through the basket of mushrooms, only carried it aside.

Qin Ying picked out a large bunch of black fungus and mushrooms and handed them to Aunt Zhong. “Please soak these. They’re not poisonous and taste really good.”

Aunt Zhong tried to decline but ultimately accepted with a smile.

Zhao Hu came over to help sort the mushrooms. When he saw the soil and wood, he quickly asked, “Sis, what are you doing with this stuff? It’s really heavy.”

“I want to go back and try to grow mushrooms and black fungus,” Qin Ying smiled faintly. “If it works, we’ll have more to eat in the winter and can save more grain.

“Otherwise, during the season when food is scarce, we’ll go hungry.

“And if you’re hungry, how do you expect to have the strength to work?”

Zhao Hu nodded repeatedly. “No wonder you’re my sister—you really think ahead!”

“Quit with the flattery!” Qin Ying scolded playfully. “If someone hears you, they’ll laugh at us!”

“I’m telling the truth!” Zhao Hu grinned. “If they don’t want to hear it, they can cover their ears! I’m not forcing them to listen!”

Qin Ying shook her head with a smile. After a while, she said, “I found a patch of hickory nuts over there—looked like quite a few at a glance.

“I marked the spot,” she drew a circle on the ground. “In a bit, get a few people and follow the marker to pick up the nuts. If they’re not spoiled, they’ll make good extra rations.”

Zhao Hu agreed and went off to find help.

Soon, he led two people and returned with two baskets full of hickory nuts.

Zhou Yu was delighted and immediately ordered the nuts to be shelled. He also went to thank Qin Ying personally.

Qin Ying helped Aunt Zhong kill and pluck the wild chicken. Since wild chickens couldn’t be raised and would get skinny over time, it was better to eat them fresh. As for the wild chicken eggs, they were all saved for An’an.

Aunt Zhong purposely boiled a large pot of water to make chicken soup. After the soup was ready, the meat was picked out and stewed again with various vegetables, soaked mushrooms, and black fungus.

A portion of the chicken soup without salt was set aside to soak mantou for An’an, while the adults had saltier versions to use with rice.

It had been a long time since Zhou Yu and the others had eaten such rich meat. Even though each person only got a small piece of chicken, they were still very satisfied.

Aunt Zhong reserved a piece of chicken breast for Qin Ying. “Chop this up and cook it as porridge for An’an. The weather isn’t too cold, so this food won’t keep for long. The child is still small and can’t eat salty food, so this is the only way to give her a little treat.”

Qin Ying quickly thanked her.

Although the chicken soup-soaked mantou An’an had wasn’t salty, the taste was still unlike anything she’d ever had before, and it made her extremely happy.

Seeing this, everyone offered to give her their portions of chicken.

Aunt Zhong quickly stopped them and explained the reason, and only then did everyone drop the idea.

Full and content, An’an let out a satisfied burp and fell asleep happily in Qin Ying’s arms.

The others weren’t so free. Leaving Aunt Zhong and Qin Ying to guard the place, they went off to try digging a channel.

The process didn’t go smoothly.

The section Zhao Hu and Zhou Yu were in charge of was fine, but the others kept hitting rocks. Changing the path would cause a lot of extra trouble, and many were starting to suggest giving up on the project.

When An’an woke up, she opened the surveillance system and took a look. She pouted slightly—ugh, these people were so unlucky. Even with a koi’s blessing, they were still struggling!

If the ditch couldn’t be dug, she wouldn’t be able to harvest the merit energy value. That wouldn’t do!

So she threw a fuss and insisted Qin Ying go over to take a look.

Coincidentally, Aunt Zhong was going to deliver drinking water, and Qin Ying took the job instead.

Seeing her carry a water container on her shoulder and An’an on her back, walking briskly, Aunt Zhong smiled and nodded. What a capable girl.

An’an opened her Heavenly Eye system and examined things carefully. No wonder it was so difficult—the soil layer on this side of the mountain was very shallow, and the bottom was full of rocks.

After calculating, removing the underground stones would cost 0.5 energy. Though it pained her, An’an still spent the energy.

Suddenly, the workers digging the trench felt as though they were blessed by the gods—no more rocks blocked their way, and their progress improved dramatically.

Their enthusiasm soared, and they dug straight into the night before stopping.

Zhao Hu quietly asked Qin Ying, “Sis, why do you think Lord Zhou didn’t just go down to the villages and call people to dig the trench? Why make us do it ourselves?”

“Silly boy,” Qin Ying reheated some chicken soup she had saved for him and explained gently, “You think something so obvious didn’t cross Lord Zhou’s mind?

“My guess is, he wanted to first confirm whether digging a trench was feasible. If it is, he’d need to finalize the route. And when it reaches the right place, just like us, they’ll probably dig a reservoir.

“We’re already near the water source and have food in our stomachs—might as well do what we can.

“Just wait and see. Tomorrow, Lord Zhou will definitely bring people over.

“Once they see with their own eyes that we’ve really gotten water and done the hardest part of the work, then they’ll be motivated.”

Zhao Hu refused the soup at first, but Qin Ying told him An’an’s portion was already set aside, and if this wasn’t finished, it would spoil. Only then did he accept.

Zhou Yu had good hearing and overheard the siblings’ conversation clearly. He couldn’t help but nod quietly to himself. No wonder Zhao Hu kept calling Qin Ying clever—she really wasn’t bad.

The next morning, when An’an woke up, she found that her energy level had increased by 0.2. After thinking it over, she realized it must have come from the successful well digging and the ditch being completed—contributions from Zhou Yu and the others.

Sigh, still hasn’t made up for the loss!

Her breakfast was cornmeal porridge with chopped chicken, finely minced vegetables, and rehydrated mushrooms—absolutely delicious.