Chapter 20

“I’ll go with you, and I can help gather firewood. Bei Bei can stay at home to take care of Dad.” Da Bao insisted.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t agree to that either.

“You stay at home and guard the food. If your grandmother and the others come over again, Bei Bei can’t be left alone at home.”

Da Bao thought about it and realized it made sense, so he gave up on the idea of going up the mountain with her.

Gu Qinghuan carried the axe up the mountain alone.

Living on the mountainside had its advantages; stepping outside was like walking onto a hillside.

The mountainside didn’t have much firewood left. Anything that could be gathered had already been picked clean, so Gu Qinghuan followed the small path everyone else took, heading further up.

On the way, she met several people gathering firewood, but Gu Qinghuan kept her usual silent demeanor and said nothing.

The forest was collective property. People from the village weren’t allowed to chop trees without permission; they could only gather dry branches and fallen leaves from the ground. This was allowed, and no one could accuse them of taking what belonged to others.

Usually, people relied on these dry branches for cooking fires. As for firewood for the winter, the village would organize a collective chopping event at the end of the year. Then, everyone would gather firewood according to their abilities, preparing for the cold months ahead.

Gu Qinghuan wanted to find a place where no one else was around, so she could take advantage of the space without being seen. She continued to walk up the mountain, traveling through the forest for about half an hour before finally reaching a place rarely visited by others.

It was far enough that no one bothered to come here for firewood. It was too distant, and it would be troublesome to haul it back. 

As a result, there was clearly more dry wood and small shrubs around here, scattered everywhere, with even a whole dead tree in sight.

Gu Qinghuan had thought about buying an electric chainsaw, like the one used by a character named Guangtou Qiang, to clear the whole forest in one go. But she was worried the noise would attract attention, so she decided against it.

Instead, she put on her work gloves, raised the axe, and began chopping.

To be honest, the axe worked quite well. When used with the right force, it almost cut through the wood effortlessly. However, the recoil was pretty strong, and it made her hands numb, but it wasn’t a big problem. It wouldn’t stop her.

Gu Qinghuan quickly chopped a large pile of branches, most of them about the thickness of a baby’s arm, already dry and perfect for burning.

Once she had gathered enough, she stopped to tie the firewood. She used the hemp rope she had bought, as the villagers usually used bamboo strips, but she didn’t have the time to deal with that.

After carefully selecting and bundling six large piles of firewood, she glanced at the time. She had come at around nine, and it was already close to noon.

Time passed too quickly. She needed to hurry back and cook for the children. She had also forgotten to leave some fruit for them when she left.

At this moment, the advantage of the space became evident.

Gu Qinghuan directly threw all six bundles of firewood into the space. She didn’t even bother taking the axe with her; she tossed that in too, and set off down the mountain with a lighter load, moving quickly.

The journey down was noticeably faster than the uphill trek. On the way up, she had been so focused on finding firewood that she hadn’t paid attention to the beautiful scenery around her.

The autumn vibes in the mountain air were thick. The needle forests, red pines, spruces, firs, maples, and maples were all gradually turning red, their leaves falling to the ground, forming a beautiful red carpet, breathtaking to behold.

She also casually picked a few clusters of hazel mushrooms. Hazelnut mushrooms were an important ingredient in a well-known northeastern dish: “Little Chicken Stew with Mushrooms.” This should be enough for a meal, and she could dry them later.

The mountain’s wild honeysuckle was everywhere. When fresh, it had to be stewed and mixed with sugar to be eaten, or it would be too sour and astringent. Once fully ripe, it became sweet with a slightly sandy texture.

Gu Qinghuan thought Bei Bei might like it, so she picked a good amount and tossed it into the space.

On the way down, she hardly saw anyone else. Unlike Gu Qinghuan, who could use the space to cheat, the others had to carry the firewood bundle by bundle, which made their progress much slower.

She arrived home soon, and after observing the surroundings to make sure no one was around, she hurriedly placed the six bundles of firewood near the house.

“Da Bao, Bei Bei, open the door, I’m back!”

All of a sudden, Bei Bei’s joyful laughter could be heard from inside, and soon the door opened.

Gu Qinghuan carried the bundles of firewood, one by one, into the firewood shed behind the kitchen.

The two children simply thought she was amazing and didn’t question how she managed to gather so much firewood in the morning. After all, the strength of adults and children was completely different.

Gu Qinghuan proudly handed the wild honeysuckle to Bei Bei, who gave her a big hug in return.

The two children ate the wild honeysuckle, and Gu Qinghuan washed up before starting to cook.

There was plenty of meat in the fridge, but she couldn’t conjure up something out of nothing. So, she reluctantly chose eggs, as they were easier to explain.

For lunch, she quickly made some rice, stir-fried eggs with wild mustard greens, and a cold dish of the same greens. These were the wild vegetables the kids had picked from the mountain the day before, and she didn’t want them to go to waste.

It was all quick and simple cooking. In no time, the two little ones were enjoying their rice with stir-fried eggs and wild mustard greens.

“Mom, is it really okay for us to eat like this?” Bei Bei asked. The meals lately seemed so special, like the last supper.

Rice with eggs—was that something she could actually eat?

Da Bao looked at his bowl of white rice and thought to himself that this rice could have been used to make two meals of porridge. And hadn’t they just had eggs in the morning? Eating like this, he was really afraid that come winter, they’d be left chewing on tree bark. But there was nothing they could do. He was scared of being hungry.

“We don’t really have to eat this well. We could have wild vegetable dumplings, corn porridge, or black cornmeal bread… as long as it fills us up.” he murmured quietly.

This was the first time Gu Qinghuan had been actively asked to lower the food standards.

The key was that the two dishes on the table were already her minimum standard.

“Ahem.” Gu Qinghuan cleared her throat lightly.

“Whatever we eat at home, I get to decide. Don’t worry, we have enough food, and the money your Dad gave us is more than enough for us to eat well.”

Once she said that, the two little ones stopped hesitating and quickly picked up their bowls to dig in.

So this is what white rice tastes like—it was fragrant, soft, and had a nice chew. The wild mustard greens didn’t even have much bitterness, and they were actually pretty tasty.

This meal completely changed the two children’s perception of food.

What they once thought was inedible, barely enough to fill their stomachs, became delicious in Gu Qinghuan’s capable hands.

Gu Qinghuan quickly finished her own meal, then carried the dishes to the east room to feed Xu Huai’an.

After a brief moment of clarity, he slipped back into another round of delirium, lying there in a somewhat dejected state, staring at the ceiling.

However, he didn’t show his teeth or snarl at Gu Qinghuan this time. It seemed he recognized her, and when it was time to eat, he cooperated by opening his mouth, though he remained silent.

After finishing his meal, she gave him another cup of spiritual spring water.

Gu Qinghuan told the two children to keep talking to him, chatting with him as much as possible.

Even though he didn’t respond, he could still sense them.

He was simply lost in his own emotions and didn’t want to interact with them.

After lunch, she planned to rest for a bit before starting the afternoon’s work.

She needed to store up enough firewood for this period.

In about a month, the village would probably organize the chopping of firewood for the winter. By then, she would figure out a way to gather even more firewood to get through the cold months.