Chapter 34: Planning the Next Step

While Mu Zhuo was busy boasting about his little sister, Mu Mian herself was quite occupied.

Her picture book was in its final stages, with only some minor details left to refine before she could send it off.

It had taken quite a bit of time, but she was satisfied with her work. If it got accepted, she would be even happier.

If it doesn’t work out this time, she’ll just try again next time. After all, she has plenty of time.

Meanwhile, the crops in the fields had entered their final stage of growth. In about half a month, the autumn harvest would begin.

That day, the sun didn’t come out, and there was a slight breeze.

The weather was quite pleasant, unlike the scorching summer days when even the wind felt hot.

In the afternoon, Mu Mian and Xu Lele went up the mountain for a run. On the way, Mu Mian casually dug up some astragalus. Both the roots and stems of this plant could be used in medicine, and the purchasing station accepted them. It was also the right season for harvesting.

She had already sold the honeysuckle and other herbs she had gathered earlier, earning just over two yuan.

It wasn’t much, but even small earnings added up. Two yuan was still money.

On their way back, they ran into Shi Xiaolian and her mother at the foot of the mountain. The mother and daughter were gathering firewood.

Xu Lele, like an excited little puppy, ran up to Shi Xiaolian and said, “Shi Xiaolian, I can’t believe you’re here! I just went to look for you, but Teacher Shi said you weren’t home.”

Shi Xiaolian looked at her and asked, “Why were you looking for me? Do you need something?”

As she spoke, she instinctively glanced at Mu Mian, thinking it was Mu Mian who needed her.

Mu Mian shrugged. It had nothing to do with her. If Lele wanted to look for her, then so be it. Kids didn’t always need a reason to do things.

Xu Lele really had no particular reason. “I just wanted to play with you. Do you want to play beanbag toss? We can call Sister Xiao Wan and the others too.”

Before Shi Xiaolian could respond, Tian Hongjuan chuckled and said, “Go ahead, go ahead. You girls should run around more.”

Shi Xiaolian hesitated. “Can you carry all this back by yourself?”

Tian Hongjuan laughed. “If I can’t, do you think your little strength can help?”

Shi Xiaolian, who indeed wasn’t very strong: “…”

Since the adults had agreed, Xu Lele eagerly pulled Shi Xiaolian along. “Come on, come on, it’s more fun with more people!”

Shi Xiaolian was dragged forward a couple of steps. It was clear that even a little kid like Xu Lele had more strength than some reborn individuals.

Mu Mian still had her small backpack, so she needed to drop it off at home first. The three of them decided to head toward her house together.

On the way, they passed a cornfield at the foot of the mountain. Xu Lele swung a grass vine in her hand and chatted away, her eyes gleaming with desire. “I really want to eat fresh corn. My dad said we have to wait another two weeks for harvest, but they all look ready to me.”

She stood on the ridge of the field, tiptoeing to get closer and sniff a corn cob.

Mu Mian said, “If they grow for another two weeks, they’ll be fuller.”

Corn was harvested twice a year. This crop had been planted in the summer.

The soil here was quite fertile, and the crops were growing well. The corn looked promising.

Mu Mian was starting to crave fresh corn too.

Xu Lele laughed, “Haha, Sister Mianmian, you sound just like my dad.”

Children’s thoughts were always wild and unrestrained. Before Mu Mian could reply, Xu Lele continued chattering, “I really want the harvest to come sooner. My mom said that if I can pick up enough wheat stalks to earn three work points in a day, she’ll give me ten cents! I can buy ten candies with that. When I get them, I’ll share them with you two!”

Sister Mianmian always shared her candy with her. Shi Xiaolian had given her some before too.

Mu Mian didn’t really like the hard candy from this era, but she still smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll be waiting. You have to keep your word, though. Don’t end up wanting to keep it all for yourself.”

Xu Lele waved her little hand. “Of course not! I’ll buy ten candies—three for you, three for Shi Xiaolian, and four for me.”

When it came to food, her math skills improved significantly.

After she finished talking, she suddenly turned around and called out, “Shi Xiaolian, what are you looking at? You’re walking so slowly.”

Shi Xiaolian withdrew her gaze from the cornfield and glanced at Mu Mian before saying, “Nothing. You can keep the candy for yourself.”

Xu Lele huffed, “You two are so weird! You don’t like candy, and you don’t even want the candy wrappers. They’re so pretty!”

She had already noticed that Sister Mianmian sometimes kept candies in her pocket for days without eating them. She would occasionally give them to her, Xiao Chengzi, or Gutou.

It was like how her parents carried candies in their pockets during the New Year, handing them out to little relatives whenever they met.

So strange.

She didn’t understand. But whenever she got candy, she ate it right away. She even had a whole box of candy wrappers collected.

Mu Mian said, “If you like the candy wrappers, I’ll give them to you later.”

She had long outgrown the habit of collecting things like that.

Now, she preferred filling her little box with bowls, gold, and money instead.

Those were much prettier, all shining with a golden glow.

Xu Lele had no idea her friend was such a little money-grubber. She just grinned and said, “It’s a deal! Don’t throw them away anymore. That’s such a waste.”

She had seen Sister Mianmian toss them before.

Mu Mian nodded. Then, she suddenly recalled how Xu Lele had just called out to Shi Xiaolian and glanced at her thoughtfully.

She didn’t believe that Shi Xiaolian hadn’t been looking at something just now. There was something going on here.

Her curiosity was piqued. She also remembered the last time she exchanged books with Shi Xiaolian, and Shi Xiaolian had said, “It’s not time yet.”

She hadn’t given it much thought back then, but now it suddenly resurfaced in her mind.

The curiosity was itching at her now, making her restless.

Xu Lele also needed to drop off her backpack, so when they reached the small path where they would part ways, Mu Mian grabbed Shi Xiaolian’s wrist.

Then she turned to Xu Lele and said, “Let’s just play in my yard. Lele, you can call Sister Xiao Wan on your way so we don’t have to make another trip.”

Xu Lele, always eager to run around, agreed readily. “Alright! I’ll also call Sister Fang Fang. I wonder if she’s free?”

Mu Mian said, “We can go to her house and check. If she’s not home, it’s fine. The rest of us can still play.”

Xu Lele nodded, then bounced away happily.

The two families lived close to each other. Taking a small path and turning a corner would lead straight to Mu Mian’s house.

The courtyard gate was locked, and no one was home. The old lady had gone somewhere.

Mu Mian took out the key hanging around her neck, led Shi Xiaolian inside, and then looked around cautiously.

Even though this was her own home, she acted as if she were sneaking in like a thief. Lowering her voice, she asked Shi Xiaolian, “Why are you looking at the cornfield? Is something wrong?”

As she spoke, her little head turned as she thought about it. Then she guessed, “Could it be that someone is coming to steal the crops?”

Although stealing grain was a serious crime in these times and anyone caught would face severe punishment, there were always a few bold ones. Some did it simply to have something to eat, while others planned to sell it for money.

A similar incident had happened in the neighboring brigade before. Overnight, a part of their cornfield had been stripped bare. No one knew whether it was done by someone from their own brigade or an outsider. In the end, the culprit was never found.

Shi Xiaolian shook her head. “No.”

Mu Mian’s curiosity was piqued. “Then what is it?”

Shi Xiaolian hesitated for a few seconds before saying, “I heard… in a few days, a wild boar might come down from the mountain.”

Mu Mian was stunned. So it wasn’t a thief, but a pig.

She recalled that a similar incident had happened in the brigade a few years ago.

During the winter, the commune sometimes organized militia teams to go into the mountains to hunt.

One reason was to provide the villagers with some meat. In these times, whether in the countryside or the city, getting a bit of meat was never easy. The winter hunt was one of the rare opportunities for everyone to have a taste of meat.

The other reason was to control the population of wild boars. If they multiplied too much, they could come down the mountain and harm people or destroy crops.

Either way, no one wanted to see that happen. Both food and human lives were equally important.

Mu Mian glanced at Shi Xiaolian and remembered what she had said earlier about “waiting for the right time.” She suddenly realized, “Is this the thing you were talking about last time? You want that wild boar?”

Shi Xiaolian nodded. “Don’t you?”

Mu Mian tilted her head. “I do, but is it easy to catch?”

Shi Xiaolian said, “I heard… that wild boar will come down from the southeast and pass through the gap between those two crooked trees.”

Hearing her usual “I heard” again made Mu Mian laugh. She couldn’t help teasing, “Who told you that? It couldn’t be the wild boar itself, right?”

Shi Xiaolian: “………………”

She gave Mu Mian a long, quiet look.

Mu Mian nudged Shi Xiaolian’s arm playfully. “Just joking~”

Perhaps because she had been caught off guard by Mu Mian’s words too many times, Shi Xiaolian stayed serious and continued without missing a beat, “Last night, the wild boar told me in a dream.”

Mu Mian gave her a thumbs-up and, with an even more serious tone, said, “That’s impressive!”

Shi Xiaolian’s eye twitched slightly, but she didn’t argue.

She remembered it clearly. In her past life, on the following Saturday, when everyone was returning from work at noon, a wild boar had charged down and destroyed half of the cornfield before anyone noticed. The brigade leader later led a group of people to take it down.

Worried that more wild boars might come, the brigade leader reported it to the commune. The next day, a militia team arrived with hunting rifles. They tracked the footprints into the deep mountains and brought back three more wild boars.

She had received a share of the meat back then and had even heard some of the older women talking about it. The militia team had traced the wild boar’s path and found that it had indeed come from the southeast, passing through the two crooked trees.

Everyone in the brigade knew about those two trees near the deep mountains.

Many years ago, both trees had been struck by lightning at the same time. Instead of dying, they fused together, forming a shape like a door.

It was a very recognizable landmark.

Shi Xiaolian was quite familiar with that area. Since it was close to the deep mountains and rarely visited, wild chickens and rabbits were more common there, and there were plenty of wild fruits as well.

These were things her past self had relied on.

Mu Mian thought for a moment. She had never been to the area near the crooked trees. Neither her older brother nor her father would have taken her so close to the deep mountains.

Mu Mian asked, “Are you planning to set a trap there?”

With their small size, they had no chance of taking on a wild boar directly. She wasn’t willing to risk her life just for some meat and money.

If it came down to a direct fight, she’d rather give up and just find a way to warn the brigade leader so they could protect the cornfield.

But if they weren’t planning to face the boar head-on, setting a trap was the only viable option. It would stop the boar in advance without anyone noticing, and most importantly, it would be safe.

Shi Xiaolian nodded.

Mu Mian thought for a moment and then asked, “Have you been there many times? Have you ever run into danger?”

Shi Xiaolian shook her head. “Never.”

It was only near the deep mountains, not inside them. The chances of encountering a bear or something like that were extremely low. In her past life, she had spent over a decade roaming that area and had never encountered such a thing.

If it had been dangerous, she wouldn’t have made it out alive back then, let alone be here now.

Mu Mian casually grabbed a long wooden bench, pulled Shi Xiaolian down to sit with her, and said, “Alright, let’s figure this out properly. After we set the trap, then what?”

Shi Xiaolian replied, “We can drag it to that small cave you saw before and keep it there for now. I know a small path that no adults use during work hours.”

Mu Mian’s eyes lit up. “You’re like a walking map!”

She was amazed at how well Shi Xiaolian knew the terrain. It must have taken her countless trips to the mountains to gain such knowledge.

Shi Xiaolian accepted the compliment calmly and continued, “As for what comes next…”

Before finishing her sentence, she glanced at Mu Mian. The two exchanged a look.

Mu Mian immediately understood—it was now time for Comrade Mu Fugui to take over. When it came to handling pigs, no one in the brigade was more professional than him.

As for how to hand things over, she would just have to make something up.

Thinking about what was coming next, Mu Mian’s eyes darted around before she spoke, “We can’t split it fifty-fifty!”

With that, she sat cross-legged on the bench, looking like she was ready for a serious discussion.

“Think about it. The traps for catching wild boars have to be set deep in the ground, so you definitely can’t handle that part. Most of the time, that will depend on me.”

“Then, there’s dragging the wild boar to the small cave. You don’t even have as much strength as Lele. I bet you’d struggle just carrying one of its legs. So, your role is basically just leading the way.”

“On top of that, we have to take the small paths. I’ve never taken them before, but I know they won’t be easy to walk. Meanwhile, I’ll be dragging a whole pig. That’s a lot of effort!”

“Also, whether we eat the meat ourselves or exchange it for something else, we’ll have to rely on my dad.”

“But my dad can’t do it alone. He’ll need someone to cover for him, and he’ll probably ask my fourth uncle and little uncle for help. By then, won’t we have to share a portion with them too?”

After listing everything, Mu Mian clapped her hands and concluded, “So, there’s no way we can split it fifty-fifty. It should be ninety-ten!”

Shi Xiaolian’s eyes widened in shock.

She wasn’t sure if she had been overwhelmed by Mu Mian’s rapid-fire reasoning or if she was just stunned by the ridiculous ninety-ten split.

Almost instinctively, Shi Xiaolian blurted out, “Eighty-twenty!”

Mu Mian immediately slapped her thigh, “Deal, we’ll do it your way.”

Shi Xiaolian: “?????”

Wait…

What just happened?

Did she just get tricked?

Mu Mian flashed a sly smile. “That’s how you bargain. Learn from this so you won’t get scammed in the future.”

Expressionless, Shi Xiaolian replied, “Lesson learned.”

The very first person to scam her was standing right in front of her.

Mu Mian patted her on the shoulder with a serious look. “This isn’t a scam. Didn’t every single point I made have logic and reason?”

She nudged Shi Xiaolian with her elbow and promised, “Next time, if there’s an easy job like gathering ginseng, we’ll split it fifty-fifty. I swear! If I break my word, I’m a little puppy.”

Shi Xiaolian remained emotionless and repeated the same line as before, “Do I look like ginseng to you?”

Mu Mian clicked her tongue. “I’ve told you so many times, stop talking like those aunties. It makes you sound old.”

Shi Xiaolian glanced down at her legs, which were dangling in midair because the bench was too high.

She never expected to hear the word “old” associated with herself at this age.