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“Oh, my goodness~”
“Mop, I just realized that besides chasing after little female dogs, you actually have such a great skill.”
“From now on, I won’t call you a scumbag dog anymore.”
“With your talent, you should be surrounded by a harem of three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines.”
“…”
San Ya sat cross-legged in front of Mop, looking at him with great interest. They shared the egg pancakes and dried meat they brought, like two close friends.
She even showered Mop with compliments.
Mop was now in a state where as long as someone praised him, he would sway his head smugly, looking incredibly pleased.
His long fur also swayed along with him.
Jiang Tiantian sat nearby, biting into a piece of dried meat while looking at the foolish big dog with disdain.
She thought, no wonder this dog was raised by Zuo Mingyan. He was probably brought up with a lot of positive reinforcement.
Her second aunt-in-law curiously asked,
“Tiantian, how did you train Mop?”
“Maybe I should bring my dog over for some training too.”
Sister Guifang nodded vigorously.
“Yes, yes! Let’s have Xiaohua trained as well.”
Fifth Aunt-in-law also eagerly asked,
“We don’t have a dog at home, but if I go find one now and raise it, will it be too late?”
Jiang Tiantian instantly felt overwhelmed.
She couldn’t open this door!
Not to mention whether the system’s supply of potions could keep up, if she agreed, she would probably spend all her time training dogs for the villagers.
Moreover, Xiao Qi had already said that the effectiveness of the potion varied from case to case.
Mop was naturally a very intelligent dog—how else could he have the ability to seduce all the female dogs in the village?
That’s why he learned so fast.
But if the same method were used on a less intelligent dog and the results weren’t as good, how was she supposed to explain that?
So, she absolutely couldn’t open this door.
Instead, she decided that Mop could work a little harder and take turns accompanying the villagers into the mountains to find matsutake mushrooms.
After all, he wandered around the village all day without doing anything serious.
This way, the villagers could earn some extra income while also allowing the matsutake mushrooms in the mountains some time to regrow.
Otherwise, if she kept harvesting them like a carpet sweep, the supply wouldn’t last long.
“Hehe,”
Jiang Tiantian gave an apologetic smile.
“My sense of smell is slightly stronger than average, and since matsutake mushrooms have a unique scent, I realized yesterday that I could locate them quickly.”
“I figured that dogs also have a keen sense of smell, so I thought, why not let them try too?”
“That’s why I brought Mop here today for an experiment.”
“The method is simple—I first let Mop sniff a matsutake mushroom so he could remember the scent, then I had him search for similar ones.”
“As it turns out, Mop is a very smart dog. He succeeded.”
“But I can’t guarantee it would work with other dogs.”
“Second Aunt-in-law, why don’t you bring your dog tomorrow and give it a try? Maybe it will work too.”
Oh man, I hope they believe this explanation.
The women thought about it and found her reasoning very logical.
This also explained why she had been able to find matsutake mushrooms so quickly the previous day.
It was all thanks to her sharp sense of smell!
“Hmm, I think your method makes sense. I’ll bring Xiaohua with me tomorrow,” her second aunt-in-law said.
Then she smiled flatteringly at Mop.
“Mop, I’ll bring your little wife Xiaohua tomorrow. Help Granny teach her well, okay?”
“If she learns, I’ll cook you something delicious.”
Jiang Tiantian was speechless.
So, the entire village had already acknowledged that Mop was Cha Jiuzhang’s dog son?
Wuhu~
She had unintentionally become a mother without any effort.
—-
After a short picnic, Jiang Tiantian arranged to meet with her fifth aunt-in-law and the others at the mountain path’s entrance later.
Then, she sent Mop off to help them find matsutake mushrooms.
As for herself, she walked toward the wild grape grove she had noticed on the way down the mountain yesterday.
She had tasted one of the grapes—it was very sour and astringent, but wild grapes were great for winemaking.
She planned to pick some and try making wine. Filming a winemaking video would be a good idea too.
As she walked, she collected some common vines from the forest.
She stripped off the leaves and kept only the vines.
With nimble fingers, she wove them as she walked. By the time she reached the wild grape grove, she had already made a small, finely woven basket.
The wild grape clusters were sparse, with only a few grapes per bunch. However, the grapevines stretched across a large area.
Jiang Tiantian carefully selected only the best-looking bunches.
As she moved around picking grapes, she unexpectedly discovered a hot spring in a valley beyond a mountain ridge.
Excited, she rushed over.
Steam rose from a spring the size of a bowl’s opening, forming a misty cloud before gently dispersing into the air.
Below the spring source, three natural terraced pools had formed, with water constantly overflowing from the top and cascading into the larger pools below.
The lowest pool was an irregular oval about five meters across, filled with crystal-clear water.
The stones lining the pool’s walls showed signs of artificial stacking, though they were covered in thick mineral deposits, indicating their age.
Overflowing water from this pool trickled down the valley, forming a winding hot spring stream that eventually merged with a larger river in the distance.
Jiang Tiantian crouched down and tested the water temperature.
It was around 40°C (104°F).
“Xiao Qi, is there anyone around?”
“There are no human figures detected within a 500-meter radius.”
Yes!
Jiang Tiantian gleefully put down her basket and pack.
She undressed and immersed herself in the warm water.
Ahh, so relaxing…
Soaking in a hot spring surrounded by mountains and rivers—this was the ultimate wellness experience!
Too bad she didn’t have any eggs on hand. Otherwise, she could have tossed some into the spring to make onsen tamago (hot spring eggs).
“Xiao Qi, how’s the quality of this hot spring water?”
“The system has analyzed the mineral ion content, total dissolved solids, and pH value. Conclusion: The water quality is excellent, meeting the standards for both therapeutic mineral water and drinkable hot spring water. Long-term use can be beneficial for health.”
Jiang Tiantian marveled, “This mountain is so beautiful, and even the water is top-notch. What a paradise!”
As she examined the terrain, her business instincts began to stir.
If properly developed, this place could be transformed into a large-scale hot spring resort.
The scenery was breathtaking, the air was fresh, and the negative ion content was high—perfect for city dwellers seeking a retreat.
But unfortunately, in this era, the conditions for such development didn’t exist yet.
Instead of major construction near the spring, perhaps she could simply channel the hot spring water to the village.
Building a few communal hot spring baths in the village could benefit the locals and even generate some income.
Jiang Tiantian looked down at the village nestled in the valley, estimating the straight-line distance.
Around three kilometers.
If she built a pipeline to transport the hot spring water to the village…
Maybe… just maybe…
“Xiao Qi, do you think my idea is feasible right now?”