“The design draft is currently on sale for only 258 points!”

“What?”

“Master, this is still the discounted price! Normally, it costs 318 points. But don’t worry, if you upgrade the system, I can give you free access to some basic knowledge.”

“There’s such a good deal? How do I upgrade?”

“As long as you accumulate enough points, the system will automatically upgrade. You might even get extra storage space. You won’t believe it—there’s someone whose system upgraded several times, and after the upgrades, they even got a storage space as a bonus. Unlike us, we still haven’t upgraded, and we don’t even have any extra points. Master, you need to work harder.”

Hearing this, and thinking of her meager 2.5 points, Jian Xiu was even more determined to head into the deep mountains.

She initially thought accumulating points would be easy, but she never imagined it would be this difficult.

Of course, these things weren’t the worst. The 880,000 points Zhang Zixuan needed were what nearly drove her crazy.

After lunch, Jian Xiu carried the bamboo shoots she’d picked from the six and seven-year-old shoots back.

“Mom, the bamboo shoots closer to us have been nearly picked clean. Tomorrow we should go to a farther spot.”

“Are you tired? If you are, rest for a day before going!” Jian Xiu said, feeling heartbroken.

The two children were only six or seven years old but were already taking on adult-level worries.

“We’re not tired, it’s you, Mom, who has to carry all these heavy bamboo shoots back home every day.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zixuan fell silent.

He looked at the wheelchair he was sitting in and asked, “Is the place you’re going to tomorrow the bamboo forest on the right side of the backyard?”

“Yes, it’s closer.”

“It’s flat there. I can go and carry it back tomorrow,” Zhang Zixuan said.

“No need, you stay here and peel the bamboo shoots. Besides, someone needs to wash the plantain leaves as well. We need someone to take care of that job too.”

“But I don’t want you to work so hard.”

“I don’t find it hard. But tomorrow I might come back a little later, I’ll carry them when I get back.”

“Where are you going tomorrow?” Zhang Zixuan asked with concern.

For some reason, he had a bad feeling, as if she were going to do something dangerous.

Hearing this, Jian Xiu fell silent.

She knew she couldn’t tell him the truth, or it would only make him worry more.

To him, she was just an ordinary woman.

For him, going deep into the mountains to hunt was practically a death sentence.

Seeing Jian Xiu’s silence, Zhang Zixuan grew anxious again: “Don’t even think about doing anything dangerous.”

“What are you thinking? I’m just going to the next village, Li Jia Village, to ask how they sell their blue bricks.”

Hearing this, Zhang Zixuan finally relaxed.

Then he seemed to remember something and continued, “You don’t need to spend the whole day for that. Don’t save that one or two coins. You could just take a bullock cart. It’ll save you a lot of time and won’t be as tiring.”

“Okay, I’ll wait for the bullock cart at the village entrance tomorrow,” Jian Xiu replied without thinking.

---

The next day.

Prompted by her biological clock, Jian Xiu woke up early.

She didn’t forget that today she planned to go deep into the mountains.

But when she turned to grab her clothes, she realized Zhang Zixuan had already gotten up early.

Now that he had the wheelchair, Zhang Zixuan had gradually become used to it, often doing things independently without needing help.

Of course, it could also be because he had more strength after eating.

“You’re awake? I’ve already made breakfast, it’s in that pot. Hurry up and eat!” Zhang Zixuan said with a smile, pointing to the pot on the ground.

“You woke up so early?”

“Once I’m awake, I can’t fall back asleep, so I just got up,” Zhang Zixuan said gently.

He was content with his current life.

Most importantly, he couldn’t bear to watch his family suffer while he remained powerless to help.

Now, they not only had several dozen liang of silver, but they also didn’t have to deal with the bullying from the old house.

Even if he spent the rest of his life sitting in the wheelchair, he was willing to do so, as long as his family was safe.

“Okay, once I finish eating, I’m going out. You’ll be fine here, right?” Jian Xiu casually asked.

She knew it wouldn’t be a problem.

Besides, Zhang Zixuan knew a little self-defense, and with Zhang Zhiyong and Zhang Haifei helping out with the plantain leaves, there shouldn’t be any issues.

“Why would there be a problem? You don’t need to worry.”

After a couple of sips of porridge, Jian Xiu pointed to the bucket where she had soaked yellow beans the night before and said, “I’ve soaked these yellow beans. If you have time later, you can help steam them.”

“I was just about to ask you—why did you soak so many yellow beans? We won’t finish them in one or two meals.”

“These aren’t for eating. I’m using them to make something fresh,” Jian Xiu replied mysteriously.

“Fresh stuff? What kind of fresh stuff?”

“You’ll find out when I make it.”

Seeing Jian Xiu didn’t want to elaborate, Zhang Zixuan didn’t press her further.

Over the past few days, Jian Xiu had surprised him many times, and he had begun to get used to it.

“Remember, steam them until they’re soft, then they’re done.”

“Got it.”

After hastily finishing the porridge, Jian Xiu packed two steamed buns into her basket.

Before leaving, she turned to Zhang Zixuan and said, “I’m not sure if Manager Wu will come today. He probably won’t—if he’s in a hurry, he might come in two days. Keep an eye out.”

Going into the deep mountains, many people stayed overnight.

Jian Xiu also thought about staying, but she knew that if she told Zhang Zixuan the full truth, he would definitely stop her from going.

The deep mountains were full of wild beasts, and every year, many hunters lost their lives there.

She wasn’t sure when she’d be back, so it was best to tell Zhang Zixuan now.

“Okay, if he comes, I’ll tidy up the yard first before letting him in.”