Chapter 20: Building the Valley Entrance

When they returned to the valley, the children who had been helping pick up stones saw them coming back. Spotting rabbits and goats on their backs, the kids gathered around, clapping their hands and cheering as if they were seeing superheroes.

“Meat! Meat! Meat!”

Even Tian Mi was infected by their excitement. She laughed and said, “Alright! Tonight, we’ll eat meat!”

At the same time, she patted her belly. Would her future baby be like this too? Overjoyed and dancing with excitement whenever she brought food back? Being a child’s superhero felt like such a blessing.

She suddenly found herself looking forward to this child. Even with a child, she believed she could live a life full of brilliance and joy.

As soon as they put their things down, Tian Mi called out to Tian Dabiao, “Dad, come deal with the meat! We’re having it for dinner tonight!”

Tian Dabiao, who was currently mixing mud, yelled back, “Coming, dear girl!”

Meanwhile, her eldest aunt and others poured out the chestnuts they had gathered and, leading the ox, went out to collect more. Tian Mi took out some fruits to share with the children, making them so happy that they repeatedly said, “Thank you, Aunt Tian.”

Tian Mi glanced at the chestnuts scattered on the ground. Their thick, hard, and spiky shells needed a proper tool to crack. For now, the tools available were just some basic farm equipment from Fengqiu Village—hoes, axes, machetes, and sickles. The tools from the Fengwei Escort Agency were weapons: long sabers and bows.

Luckily, Tian Mi had some farming tools stored in her space. After all, when bandits robbed refugees, she had robbed the bandits. She decided she needed to find an opportunity to bring out more tools.

She went outside, cut down a tree, and chopped it into segments about ten centimeters long. She then carved wooden mallets for the kids, letting them smash the chestnuts to peel off the shells.

The children played joyfully and energetically!

Tian Dabiao skinned the animals they had hunted, removed the internal organs, and left the rest for later. Tian Mi suggested saving it for Aunt Feng to handle when she returned. Aunt Feng had a knack for this sort of thing—it was her family’s expertise to raise pigs for generations. Compared to pigs, handling these animals would be a breeze.

By noon, everyone had trickled back to the valley, each family bringing in their own harvest. Compared to yesterday’s panic, today was much calmer and more productive. People chatted and laughed together.

The women from Fengqiu Village were all smiles, having collected quite a few chestnuts.

When they saw the game that had been brought back, their smiles grew even brighter.

“Oh my goodness! Who hunted this? Amazing!”

“Mi’er, you’re truly our little lucky star!”

Tian Mi and her group hadn’t separated yet, so they were still eating together.

Aunt Yu came over to Tian Mi and said, “Yesterday, we encountered some villagers from a settlement outside the mountain. They warned us that there are wolves in the mountains and told us to be careful.”

In such deep mountains, wolves were unsurprising. However, at this time of autumn, wolves usually had plenty of prey and wouldn’t target humans unless necessary. Still, it was better to start preparing for potential dangers.

Tian Mi went to the valley entrance to take a look. With so many people’s safety at stake, she couldn’t afford to be careless.

Aunt Feng called together the other women, and they all busily got to work preparing lunch. Since the day before had been tense, a good meal at midday was meant to boost everyone’s morale.

The son of the Zhou Village head came over with a basket full of chestnuts on his back. He said their villagers had collected quite a few the day before. However, Tian Mi’s grandmother quickly told him they had also gathered a lot and there was no need to bring more. Still, he insisted on leaving them, saying it was just a small token of goodwill.

Grandmother had no choice but to accept them.

Aunt Feng had cleaned all the offal, even scrubbing the intestines with ash as Tian Mi instructed. A big pot of chestnuts and wild vegetables was stewing together with the offal. Such a hearty dish felt almost too luxurious!

Tian Mi added some spiritual spring water to the pot and took out some cinnamon, star anise, and other spices from her satchel, tossing them in. Soon, the delicious aroma spread throughout the air.

The staple dish was still porridge. With so many mouths to feed, they couldn’t bear to use up their rice supply on regular meals.

Tian Dabiao carried a jar of the stew over to the Zhou family’s side, letting them have a taste too.

The villagers from Fengqiu Village were also eating together. Considering their numbers, it was impressive how harmonious everyone was.

During lunch, both adults and children ate until their mouths were greasy and their stomachs round!

“Aunt Tian, the meat you hunted is so delicious!” one child exclaimed, which sent everyone into hearty laughter.

Aunt Feng then remarked, “We should smoke the rest of the meat for winter. We can’t finish it all now.”

After lunch, Tian Mi called over her father, Uncle Xu Shan, and Uncle Liu. She led them to the entrance of the valley and said, “Dad, Uncle Shan, Uncle Liu, yesterday Aunt Liu mentioned meeting some villagers who said there are wolves in the mountains. Besides that, with so many people coming up here, there’s a chance that soldiers might come into the mountains to catch people. We need to prepare.”

Xu Shan and Tian Dabiao were straightforward men who didn’t like to overthink, but when it came to taking action, they were skilled and efficient.

Hearing Tian Mi’s concerns, all three agreed that preparations were necessary. Uncle Xu Shan asked, “Mi’er, you always have plans. What do you suggest?”

Tian Mi picked up a rock and started drawing on the ground. “The terrain here looks like this. The entrance to the valley is narrow. For now, we’ll build two walls—an inner wall and an outer wall. Three meters high will be enough and won’t take much labor, but they need to be thick enough to support two rows of people standing on top. If soldiers come, we can attack them from above. If they’re too many and manage to breach the outer wall, they still won’t get past the inner wall. At that point, we can set fire to the area between the walls and deal with them. Wolves will be even less of an issue.”

The three men stared at her in shock, their mouths agape. Was she planning to establish her own kingdom? Her preparation was astonishing.

Tian Mi continued, “Once the outer wall is complete, we’ll use mud and stones to connect the hillside to the walls. Unless we’re up against an army, we’ll be safe here.”

Indeed, who would imagine that while chaos reigned and soldiers looted recklessly, this valley could remain untouched?

Tian Dabiao and Uncle Xu Shan were so fired up by her plan that they immediately began organizing the work.

Uncle Liu remarked, “Mi’er, everyone here is clearing the land, and we won’t lack food or water, but we don’t have enough weapons or tools.”

That wasn’t an issue. Tian Mi had plenty stored in her space, along with many herbs she had taken from the bandits. These weren’t just for healing—some had other uses. Once she had a private room, she planned to process the herbs properly for easier access when needed.

Tian Mi reassured him, “Uncle Liu, I’ll head to the county in a few days to buy some supplies, but with the imperial court still unstable, we won’t go far.”

Uncle Liu looked at her, recalling the silly girl she once was. He never expected her to grow up to be so capable.

In the afternoon, everyone continued gathering food. Tian Mi sketched a design for an oven and handed it to Uncle Liu, asking him to find two people to help build a few.

“Uncle Liu, we’ve fetched too much water, and it won’t keep for long. Let’s build several ovens so we can dry food. That way, we’ll have something to eat during the winter.”

Uncle Liu studied her drawing closely. Where did this paper come from? And this pen? Why is the writing so fine?

After examining the design carefully, he realized it was a great idea. Dried food would be invaluable.

“Alright, leave it to me!” he agreed enthusiastically.

The paper was sourced from the bandits’ hideout, and the pencil was a common one. She wasn’t used to using a calligraphy brush, so she had to make do.

Her eldest maternal aunt and the others had already set out. Tian Mi borrowed a hoe from Village Chief Zhou, grabbed her bow, arrows, and a large sack, and set off herself.

She headed towards the spot where she had spotted konjac earlier in the morning. She was already imagining how delicious it would taste—hehehe!

Not long into her walk, a woman’s piercing scream echoed through the air.

It wasn’t someone she knew well, but it might be from Fengqiu Village. Without a second thought, Tian Mi dashed towards the source of the sound.

The commotion came from a spot at the base of the mountain, while Tian Mi had been on higher ground earlier. She covered the distance in a few quick strides. When she arrived, she saw a group of women in disarray—some clinging to a higher slope, others perched in trees, all crying hysterically in terror.

On the ground, two large wild boars and three piglets were creating havoc. One of the boars was ramming a tree where a woman was clinging to its branches.

Tian Mi instantly notched an arrow and aimed at the head of the boar attacking the tree. Drawing the bowstring back fully, she released the arrow, which shot through the air and struck the boar squarely in the head.

The boar’s skull was thick, but Tian Mi’s strength was greater. Although it didn’t die immediately, it collapsed to the ground, letting out pitiful groans.

The other large boar, instead of retreating, charged directly at Tian Mi. This stubborn beast was fiercer than she expected. Without hesitation, Tian Mi raised the hoe, leaped forward, and smashed it down onto the boar’s head. Its skull split open, and it dropped dead on the spot.

The women, who had been crying in terror moments earlier, were now utterly dumbfounded. This world actually had such a powerful woman? No wonder the people in her group respected her so much.

With the threat gone, the women scrambled down to catch the three piglets. After a bit of a struggle, they managed to pin one down. The piglet squealed and thrashed, but a stout woman in her thirties picked up a rock and smashed it against its head, silencing it instantly.

The women stared at Tian Mi with admiration. She was incredibly strong, towering over them all, with the strength to match.

The stout woman walked over and said gratefully, “Big girl, thank you for saving us. Take this piglet as a token of our gratitude.”

Tian Mi chuckled. “The big ones will take us ages to deal with. You can take the little one back and add it to your meal.”

The woman protested, “How can that be? It’s yours!”

Tian Mi insisted, “You keep it. If you run into danger again, just call out. If I hear you, I’ll come. But don’t stray too far.”

Each of the large wild boars weighed at least 400 catties. The women watched in awe as Tian Mi casually grabbed one in each hand and dragged them away as if they weighed nothing. They couldn’t help but wonder if the wild boars were just empty shells of skin and bones.