Although they had grown up in Zhangjia Village, they had never ventured deep into the mountains.

It wasn’t just them—most of the villagers had never gone in either.

Except for the professional hunters.

Even those professional hunters didn’t go in alone; they usually brought a few people with them.

Because the deep mountains had too many unknown dangers—wild beasts were just one threat, but there were also venomous snakes and cliffs to worry about.

Whether it was creatures flying in the sky or running on the ground, any of them could take their lives at any time.

“Hey, what are you guys thinking? We haven’t even reached the deep mountains yet. Yesterday, I dug a big pit there. I suspect we could catch some wild boars, so I thought I’d ask you two to help me carry them back,” Jian Xiu said.

“Sister-in-law, you’re overestimating it. Catching wild boars isn’t that easy!” Zhang Zhiyong immediately shook his head, showing no belief in Jian Xiu’s plan.

“Yeah, don’t hunters usually dig big pits to trap wild boars? And after a whole year, being able to catch one is already very lucky. This is your first time, so it probably won’t work,” Zhang Haifei added.

“How do you know it won’t work unless you go check?” Jian Xiu insisted.

If it weren’t for the fact that she couldn’t carry the boars alone, she wouldn’t have asked them for help—she could have just carried them back herself and enjoyed the fruits of her labor.

Seeing how determined Jian Xiu was, the two of them realized that she wouldn’t be satisfied unless they went with her.

Recently, the families had been working together, so they had gotten to know Jian Xiu a little.

“Okay, Sister-in-law, let’s go and come back quickly!” Zhang Haifei said first.

“Alright, wait a moment. I’ll get ready!” Jian Xiu smiled and responded.

Yesterday, when she looked at the size of the tracks, she could tell that it wasn’t just one wild boar—it was a group.

Wild boars were usually heavier than domestic pigs, so she definitely couldn’t carry them alone.

Zhang Zhiyong and Zhang Haifei both shook their heads helplessly when they saw Jian Xiu moving around, getting everything ready.

In their eyes, everything Jian Xiu was doing seemed like a wasted effort.

How could wild boars be so easy to catch?

Even Zhang Zixuan, who was inside, was curious about what Jian Xiu was planning to do.

But he knew that Jian Xiu always had her own methods, so he didn’t pay much attention.

If she didn’t want to talk about it, even if he asked or tried to stop her, she wouldn’t listen.

Actually, Jian Xiu didn’t bring much with her—just her dagger and some bamboo poles.

If they actually caught a wild boar, she wouldn’t be able to carry it back, so the only option would be to put it on a bamboo raft and pull it back.

This time, because there were two outsiders, Jian Xiu didn’t look around aimlessly like she usually did.

However, if there was anything valuable that could be collected for points, Jian Xiu would still quietly gather it while Zhang Zhiyong and Zhang Haifei weren’t looking.

“Keke, has the score for the muntjac deer from yesterday come through yet?”

“Not yet. But the muntjac is injured, so it should be worth more if it were in better condition.”

“Aren’t there medicines in the supermarket? You can treat it, and it wouldn’t affect your research.”

“That’s true, but it will affect the score.”

“Alright! What about the design drafts? Have you made any arrangements for me?”

“You want to see them now?”

“Of course, now’s the best time! I’m not working, just walking. What’s the difference when I look at them? I’ve got a bunch of things to do when I get back.”

“Alright, wait a moment. I’ll pick a few for you to look at!”

“Great, make sure to pick the ones with bathrooms included. And make sure to note down how the bathrooms should be built—of course, keep in mind the current environment, or else if you give me something too fancy, I won’t be able to build it.”

“Got it, don’t worry, I won’t disappoint you.”

As soon as Keke finished speaking, several images popped up for Jian Xiu to look at.

“How about these? Are you satisfied?”

Upon hearing this, Jian Xiu became immediately focused.

“The second one looks good, but it seems pretty big?”

“Isn’t the land at the end of the village all yours? Don’t you have enough space?”

“It’s not that there’s not enough space, it’s that there’s not enough money.” Jian Xiu said with a headache.

“I’m building a house with green bricks and tiles. I’m not sure if it’ll be enough. Besides, I’m planning to send six or seven pigs to the academy.”

Most importantly, Jian Xiu also wanted to buy some land here.

After all, she was still considered an outsider in Zhangjia Village.

She had left her old family with nothing, and if she hadn’t been lucky, she might have already starved to death.

Having some land would be a guarantee for the children, wouldn’t it?

“Sister-in-law, how much further is the pit? If we go any further, we’ll be deep in the mountains,” Zhang Zhiyong asked, unable to hide his surprise.

He hadn’t expected Jian Xiu to go this far into the mountains alone to dig the pit for the wild boars.

He thought she had gone to Li Family Village to inquire about the green bricks.

Hearing Zhang Zhiyong’s words, Jian Xiu snapped back to her senses. She looked around at the environment and quickly said:

“It’s just ahead. I dug a really big pit yesterday. When I saw the tracks, I noticed several different-sized boar tracks, so I made the pit bigger.”

As she said this, Jian Xiu had already walked ahead to lead the way.

“Xiu Xiu, Xiu Xiu, there’s something different up ahead. Can you dig it up and show me?”

Hearing that it was something to dig up, Jian Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. She asked, “Is it a plant?”

“Yes, it’s a plant. With outsiders around, I can’t let you collect living things.”

“Wait for me!”

With that, Jian Xiu quickly headed to the location Keke had mentioned, and while Zhang Zhiyong and Zhang Haifei weren’t paying attention, she pulled out what Keke needed and quickly collected it.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

After seeing a star anise tree nearby, she also plucked one and placed it in her basket, planning to plant it in her own backyard later.

This was a valuable plant, though the villagers didn’t know it.

She even planned to make some seasonings from it and take it to Yuexiang Tower to see if Manager Wu would buy it.

“Did you see it? It’s right up ahead!” Jian Xiu said excitedly, pointing ahead.

She was excited because, with her excellent hearing, she could already faintly hear the sounds of wild boars.

And from the sound, there were more than one.

As soon as Zhang Zhiyong and Zhang Haifei heard Jian Xiu, they quickly ran toward the pit.

From a distance, they could already see a large pile of dirt.

It was clearly the earth Jian Xiu had dug when making the pit.

But when the two of them saw the wild boar inside the pit, their eyes widened in shock.