Sun Xiaoxiao hurried over to Jiang Rou's side at that moment, her face beaming with anticipation as she softly asked, "Jiang Rou, can Sister Wang take me along tomorrow?"
Jiang Rou turned her head, the corners of her mouth curling up into a gentle smile, and nodded lightly. "Of course you can, Xiaoxiao. Many hands make light work. Come with us tomorrow—there's plenty to be found in the Back Mountain. We can search together, and who knows, we might harvest even more. But even though the Back Mountain has abundant resources, it does carry certain risks, so you'll have to follow our lead."
Sun Xiaoxiao nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling with determination. "I'll definitely listen. Sister Jiang Rou, Sister Li, I'll listen to whatever you both say."
Wang Li smiled and teased, "Xiaoxiao, with all this enthusiasm of yours, are you thinking about trading for some good stuff at the market?"
Sun Xiaoxiao scratched her head with a trace of embarrassment, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I just want to send some local specialties back home to let them know I'm doing well here."
After agreeing on the plan, the three of them turned in early to rest up and build their strength for the upcoming exploration of the Back Mountain the next day.
Feng Yu overheard their conversation from nearby, and a trace of jealousy welled up in her heart.
She let out a cold snort and muttered under her breath, "It's just going to the Back Mountain, what's so special about that? I'm sure I can find good stuff on my own, maybe even more than they will."
She looked at Jiang Rou and the other two, a flash of stubborn unwillingness in her eyes, and secretly made up her mind to set out early the next day to explore the Back Mountain herself, determined to prove she was no less capable than them.
Feng Yu sought out Wei Manni. Lately, she had grown very close to her, believing Wei Manni could help her.
Leaning close to Wei Manni's ear, Feng Yu whispered in a low voice, "Manni, look at Jiang Rou and the others. They're planning to go treasure hunting in the Back Mountain tomorrow so they can trade for good things at the market and show off."
Wei Manni curled her lip in disdain. "What could those ones possibly find?"
She didn't think much of such paltry gains. Her father was a cadre, and she had only been sent down to the countryside to actively respond to the nation's policy call. Even so, the various items sent to her every month by her parents meant she didn't need to put in any extra effort to live quite comfortably.
A ruthless glint flashed in Feng Yu's eyes. "Hmph, we can't let them have their way. We'll go tomorrow too, and get our hands on all the good stuff before they can. And if we really can't beat them to it... we'll find a way to trip them up and see if they can still look so smug."
Wei Manni's eyes rolled as a sly, cunning smile spread across her face. "Alright, I'll do as you say. We can't let them overshadow us."
The two exchanged a glance, as if already picturing the look of dejection on Jiang Rou and the others' faces, and the corners of their mouths lifted into triumphant smirks.
As the sky grew pale with dawn, Wang Li, Jiang Rou, and Sun Xiaoxiao got up early, filled with anticipation, and set off toward the Back Mountain with light yet resolute steps.
The morning mountain forest was quiet and damp, resembling a freshly painted ink wash painting as a breath of crisp, fresh air rushed over them. Crystal-clear dewdrops hung from the leaves, sparkling with tiny fragments of light in the dim morning glow like scattered stars.
With every step down, the grass made a rustling sound, as if the mountain forest were playing a unique melody to welcome their arrival.
Jiang Rou walked in front like an experienced treasure hunter, her eyes carefully scanning the grass and trees. From time to time, she crouched down to part the dense grass and check for treasures hidden within; occasionally, she looked up into the branches, leaving no potential corner unexamined. Wang Li and Sun Xiaoxiao followed closely behind with clear division of labor: Sun Xiaoxiao kept an eye on the ground, while Wang Li watched the trees all around.
"Jiang Rou, do you think we can find any good stuff today?" Wang Li asked in a low voice as she walked.
Jiang Rou smiled faintly, her eyes still focused on the search. "There are plenty of treasures in the Back Mountain. As long as we look carefully, we're bound to get a good harvest. Just like the wild mushrooms we found yesterday—we might find even more today."
Sun Xiaoxiao chimed in excitedly from the side, "I dreamed last night that I found so many treasures my back couldn't even carry them all."
Wang Li teased, "You little head of yours, only thinking about treasures. But seriously, if we can find some valuable things, we can definitely trade for a lot of good stuff at the market."
With tacit cooperation among the three of them, it wasn't long before they had harvested quite a few ordinary mountain goods.
Jiang Rou suddenly crouched down, carefully cupping a few wild mushrooms from the grass, and smiled as she said, "Look at these, how well these wild mushrooms have grown. The caps are thick and the gills are completely intact."
Sun Xiaoxiao hurried over and looked at them curiously. "Sister Jiang Rou, these mushrooms smell so good. Can all nice-looking mushrooms be eaten?"
Jiang Rou shook her head earnestly. "Definitely not. Some poisonous mushrooms grow very pretty too, and you can't just eat anything. To tell whether a mushroom is edible, you have to look at many different traits. You'll have to learn a lot more in the future."
Wang Li also walked over and placed the wild mushrooms into the bamboo basket. "Taking these wild mushrooms to the market should have no problem trading for some rice and flour."
The bamboo basket was filled with tender wild mushrooms, looking like tiny floral umbrellas and emitting a unique fragrance, along with plump chestnuts whose outer shells bore sharp prickles that couldn't conceal the sweetness within.
Wang Li pointed at a chestnut tree and said excitedly, "Look, there are so many chestnuts on that tree. Let's hurry over and pick them."
The three of them walked quickly under the tree and began searching the grass for fallen chestnuts. As she picked them up, Sun Xiaoxiao muttered, "These chestnut burrs are so prickly, but when I think about being able to send some back home to my family, it doesn't feel troublesome at all."
Jiang Rou smiled. "Xiaoxiao, you're so thoughtful. Your family will be especially happy when they receive the chestnuts you send."
In addition, there were some edible wild vegetables, tender and green, that warmed the heart just to look at.
With her sharp eyes, Sun Xiaoxiao spotted a patch of wild greens. "Sister Jiang Rou, Sister Li, look, is this shepherd's purse?"
Jiang Rou took a look and nodded. "That's right, it's shepherd's purse. This is good stuff, it makes such fragrant dumplings."
Wang Li hurried over as well. "Then let's dig up some more and take them back to improve our meals."
As time passed, the sun gradually climbed higher, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting streams of golden light. Feeling they had a bountiful harvest, the three of them planned to head down the mountain and get ready for the market.
"Today's harvest is really good. These mountain goods should trade for quite a few things at the market," Wang Li said, looking at the bamboo basket with satisfaction.
Jiang Rou nodded. "Yes, I just wonder what will be at the market. Maybe we can trade for some practical items for our families."
Sun Xiaoxiao said happily, "If only we could trade for some fabric to make a new outfit for my mom."
However, just as they were walking back along the mountain path and about to reach the foot of the mountain, Sun Xiaoxiao, who was walking at the very back, suddenly slipped. Losing her balance, she stepped into empty air and tumbled down the slope.
"Xiaoxiao!" Jiang Rou and Wang Li cried out in alarm, their hearts instantly leaping into their throats. Without a second thought, they anxiously hurried down the slope after her with utmost care.
"Xiaoxiao, are you alright?" Jiang Rou called out anxiously.
"I... I'm fine, Sister Jiang Rou, Sister Li. Don't come down, it's a bit steep here," Sun Xiaoxiao's voice carried a hint of fright, but she still forced herself through the pain to comfort the two of them.
When Jiang Rou and Wang Li finally reached Sun Xiaoxiao's side, they found that though she had a few scrapes and scratches, she was otherwise unhurt.
At that moment, Sun Xiaoxiao's eyes suddenly lit up as she pointed not far away and said, "Sister Jiang Rou, Sister Li, look at what that is!"