Chapter 20: Love to Take Advantage

When they reached the foot of the mountain, everyone stopped.

They were waiting for Ye Xin Ran to lead the way.

“This mountain has wolves, it’s really dangerous!” someone said.

“We’re all here together, what’s there to fear?” another replied.

“Exactly, with so many strong men around, even if there are wolves, we can take them down. Besides, Xiao Huai’an’s wife isn’t afraid to go alone, are you saying you’re not even as brave as a woman?”

The villagers joked and teased, but no one actually made Ye Xin Ran walk ahead. Instead, Er Dan’s father and Zhang Da Li led the way, following Ye Xin Ran’s instructions, and soon they reached the area where the kudzu roots were located.

A vast expanse of kudzu vines lay before them.

Li Zheng looked at the entwined kudzu vines, and his heart raced. The scene before him was even more shocking than he had imagined.

He immediately gave orders: “Everyone, split into groups. The women will cut the vines, the children will drag the vines away, and the men will dig up the roots. Move quickly, because people from Dong Gou Village have already discovered this place.”

When the villagers heard that others from nearby villages had also found the spot, their desire to protect their food resources kicked in.

This was their village’s discovery, and they couldn’t let others steal it away.

The kudzu vines were very tough.

Especially the older vines, which, when cut, would snap back immediately, making it necessary to repeatedly hack at the same spot to sever them.

Some of the stronger men began by pulling out the smaller vines by hand, allowing the children to fill baskets with the kudzu roots they unearthed.

When it was discovered that the root could be eaten raw, someone immediately tried a piece.

“Pah pah!”

Aside from the sand on the skin being a bit gritty, it was surprisingly sweet.

Soon, the harvesting became a lively and bustling scene.

Ye Xin Ran instructed Chang Ping to cut some vines, and she quietly walked off to check on the scholar she had left by the trap.

If he hadn’t woken up yet, she planned to do something kind and have Li Zheng arrange for him to be moved back.

However, when she arrived, she found that the scholar was already gone.

There were no signs of dragging, but there were foot prints leading down the mountain, indicating that the scholar had woken up and walked down on his own.

Ye Xin Ran sighed in relief.

She returned to the kudzu harvesting area and was about to ask Chang Ping for help when she saw him working alone, chopping and digging, and he had already unearthed a large chunk of kudzu root.

“Chang Ping! You’re too fast!” Ye Xin Ran exclaimed.

She crouched down to help him pull out the large root.

Chang Ping wiped his nose with his small, muddy hand and immediately became a “little painted face.” “Aunt, this small task is fine for me to handle on my own, no need for you to help. You just watch.”

“That won’t do. You’re still a child. Go take a rest for a bit.” Ye Xin Ran said.

“I’m not resting.” Chang Ping replied. “Let’s hurry and fill the basket, then send it down the mountain. After that, we can come back to dig some more.”

“Alright!” Seeing Chang Ping so eager, Ye Xin Ran felt energized too.

Nearby, Zhang Da Li’s three children were also working hard. Their family only had two machetes, so Chen Shi and her son were doing the cutting, while the two daughters dragged the vines aside.

Zhang Da Li swung his hoe, and a large chunk of kudzu root was unearthed. Tao Hua and Xiao Hua immediately went to gather the root and put it into the bamboo baskets.

“Mother, look at how big this kudzu root is!” Xiao Hua laughed brightly, holding it up for Chen Shi to see.

Chen Shi looked at her daughter and gently nodded, “Yes, it’s big. Quickly put it in the basket, your father’s already digging up more.”

“Eh!” Xiao Hua put that root into the basket and went to pick up another. “Mother, let’s dig more. Can we cook a big chunk tonight?”

“Of course we can! Li Zheng said everything we dig is ours. If we gather more, it will last us for a long time.”

Upon hearing this, the three children felt full of energy. Even their hands, which stung from the vine whips, no longer hurt.

Since the start of spring, they hadn’t dared to eat too many sweet potatoes at once. Now, with all this kudzu root to bring home, they could finally have a hearty meal.

Not just Zhang Da Li’s family, but everyone who came up the mountain to dig kudzu roots was filled with vigor.

The kudzu plants had extensive root systems. Each root dug up weighed about ten to twenty pounds. At this rate, each household could take home hundreds of pounds of kudzu root.

In these famine years, their village could survive thanks to this find.

As everyone worked hard, two women in a corner began arguing.

“I’m telling you, Zhang Po Zi, you have hands and feet, why don’t you dig the kudzu roots yourself? Why are you taking what my family has dug?”

“Li Da Zhao, I didn’t mean to! I thought this pile was the one I dug.” Zhang Po Zi explained, but she refused to let go of the large kudzu root in her arms.

“You dug this? How many vines have you cut since you’ve been up here? You don’t even know what you’ve done and you’re pretending it was an accident?” Li Da Zhao retorted.

“Oh, what’s the big deal with a few kudzu roots? Look at how vast the mountains are. Why are you arguing with me over this?” Zhang Po Zi tried to take the initiative, but Li Da Zhao wasn’t one to back down easily.

She stepped forward, grabbed the kudzu root from Zhang Po Zi’s hands, and continued scolding, “With your thick face, even boiling water won’t make you ashamed! There’s a whole mountain of kudzu right in front of you, yet you don’t dig, but you have the nerve to take other people’s! Aren’t you afraid of getting a stomach ache?”

“Zhang Er Jia, don’t go too far!” Zhang Po Zi’s face turned red with shame. She tried to move toward Li Da Zhao to start a fight, but Zhang Er Jia stood in front of her, saying, “Zhang Aunty, move aside. Don’t delay our work.”

Zhang Po Zi was good at dealing with women, but against a strong man like Zhang Er Jia, she immediately caved in.

The families of the village had all come together to dig up the kudzu roots. She was alone, and if things came to blows, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

“You all better not take advantage of your numbers and bully me. I’ll tell Li Zheng and have him sort this out.”

“You could even report to the emperor, but today, you stole from me. I advise you not to waste your time. Use that energy to dig a few more roots, and at least your son will have more to eat at home.”

When these words were spoken, everyone around them burst out laughing.

Everyone knew that Zhang Po Zi’s son was useless. Zhang Da Shan had been lazy and gluttonous since he was a child. When his family was mentioned in the village, everyone would shake their heads.

Chang Ping watched this scene with a furrowed brow. He turned to Ye Xin Ran and said, “Aunt, I’ve never stolen anything. She’s the thief.”

Ye Xin Ran understood that Chang Ping was still bothered by the situation, so she said, “Yes, she’s the one who’s a thief, always looking to take advantage, stealing from others. Sooner or later, someone will deal with her.”

“Mm!” Chang Ping nodded in agreement.

Zhang Po Zi, her face red with embarrassment, grabbed a few pieces of kudzu root she had dug up and moved to another spot to continue digging.