Yi Roujing extended her hand cheerfully, and the two exchanged, feeling grateful for Ding Anmin's little gesture of thoughtfulness, "How much longer until we get there? If we keep walking, we'll reach the mountain."
Looking at the continuous mountains in the distance, Yi Roujing felt a bit of joy. Embracing nature felt wonderful, as long as she didn't have to work.
Since it was early spring and everything was reviving, the mountains were dotted with conspicuous azaleas. Their light red color was quite delightful, and if she picked some to put in the room, it would definitely look nice. Yi Roujing thought that she would take the opportunity to pick some later.
"You don't have to climb too high; pig grass generally grows on the mountain's edge. Later, just cut pig grass and don't do anything else," Ding Anmin instructed.
"But I want to pick some azaleas later," Yi Roujing said honestly. "Bring them back to the room; it feels like the air is better."
"Always fussing with useless things," Ding Anmin muttered to herself, then added, "If you want to pick, we'll do it together later. After all, there are plenty on the mountain. If you go alone, I'm afraid you won't come back."
"Won't come back?" Yi Roujing was a bit surprised. "Are there wild beasts on the mountain?"
"I'm afraid you'll get lost," Ding Anmin retorted with a glare.
"Oh wow, I find you really thoughtful," Yi Roujing blinked her left eye at Ding Anmin, her face breaking into a bright smile.
"Wrong, who cares about you? Mainly, we also need to pick wild vegetables. Pigs need to eat, and so do people. The benefit of cutting pig grass is that it allows us to get more fresh wild vegetables for ourselves, saving some grains," Ding Anmin said loudly and stomped off.
"She's a bit of a contrary person," Yi Roujing explained earnestly upon seeing Xia Xingchen chuckling on the side.
"Yes, Anmin is a good girl," Xia Xingchen said with a smile.
Upon reaching the mountain, Yi Roujing found a lot of herbs: honeysuckle, herba artemisiae scopariae, Spanish needle...
"Cut the pig grass first, then the wild vegetables. Besides, there are only a few plants here," Ding Anmin reminded as she saw Yi Roujing squat down to cut white artemisia.
"Oh." Yi Roujing heard this and stopped. She just felt a bit eager at the sight of herbs.
"You even know wild vegetables?" In truth, Ding Anmin was a bit surprised by Yi Roujing's actions today, originally thinking she didn't know anything.
"I know a bit," Yi Roujing said modestly.
When they found a small patch of pig grass, the three moved forward to harvest. After standing up, Yi Roujing started to feel a bit tired. Squatting for so long was exhausting, and now the basket on her back was getting heavier. Manual labor was indeed tiring, but she had no choice but to keep squatting.
Once the three baskets were full, Ding Anmin stopped and wiped off a thin layer of sweat. "Alright, let's pick some wild vegetables, then find a place to hide them for later."
"And what about this?" Yi Roujing pointed to the baskets on the ground.
"Just leave them be, no one will take them. There's no one around at this time. We'll rest for an hour, then deliver the pig grass to the team. Once the baskets are emptied, we'll come back to harvest more," Ding Anmin explained.
During their free time, Yi Roujing stood up, stretched, and went to pick some azaleas.
"Don't go too far," Ding Anmin didn't stop her this time but couldn't help but add a word of caution.
Yi Roujing weaved through the bushes, spotting many herbs along the way. However, most weren't ready for picking. Seeing a small cluster of azaleas in the distance, she quickened her pace.
The light red petals stood out against the green leaves, looking particularly charming. Yi Roujing mercilessly picked several stems, gathered them into a bunch, and then walked back, satisfied.
Living off the mountain meant utilizing its resources. In this era, there were not many rare animals. Who knows if she might encounter some wild game? She hadn't seen any meat these past few days, and she felt like her mouth was going bland.
"Are there any wild chickens on this mountain?"
Yi Roujing walked over from a distance holding the azaleas, with a delicate pace, her fair oval face, smiling phoenix eyes, elegantly shaped nose, and lips like freshly painted red. The bunch of azaleas in her arms seemed to lose some of their color by comparison.
"Anmin, your sister-in-law is truly beautiful," Xia Xingchen said sincerely.
"Got it by trading her brain," Ding Anmin murmured quietly.
"I think sister-in-law is fine, not stupid," Xia Xingchen said objectively. It was her first time interacting closely with Yi Roujing today, and honestly, her impression was quite good.
"Are there wild chickens on the mountain?" Seeing the two whispering, Yi Roujing asked again.
"Yes, but generally people can't catch them. Even if you do, you have to hand over half to the team. These mountains belong to the public," Ding Anmin replied.
Yi Roujing acknowledged with an "Oh," contemplating how to capture one if she encountered it. Although she knew some self-defense, she had no hunting experience.
"Alright, let's pick some wild vegetables and head back," said Ding Anmin, getting up with her sickle to continue working.
Yi Roujing put down the azaleas and also began. Seeing this, Ding Anmin felt a bit satisfied. Her sister-in-law did quite well for her first day on the job. Well, it was about time, after freeloading for three months, she should contribute.
However, thinking about her brother Ding Ancheng, who hadn't been home for three months, all of Ding Anmin's goodwill towards Yi Roujing vanished. No matter how much work she did, it couldn't make up for it.
"Let's head down the mountain."
With the basket on her back, Yi Roujing bent slightly. Even this light work was draining; alas...
Yi Roujing looked at her slightly reddened palms, sighing internally. She used to be a doctor with a bright future, and her hands were her tools for making a living, precious indeed. Now... they were smeared with green juice, dirt under her nails, and at some point had been cut by sticks or grass, leaving faint red marks on the back of her hands.
Since coming here, the only benefit was being far from the scheming home.
A family of wealthy and influential traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, where marriages were strategic alliances, she too was a product of an unhappy marriage. A group of cousins fought for inheritance, betraying each other. That's why she chose to study Western medicine, only dabbling in Chinese medicine alongside.
Even if she disappeared or died, she's just one of their children. Her parents might shed a symbolic tear, but then life would go on as usual.
"Sigh——"
"Don't tell me you're not coming to work tomorrow," Yi Roujing's sigh sounded meaningful to Ding Anmin's ears.
"I am," Yi Roujing snapped back to reality and said decisively. "If a person doesn't work hard, what's the meaning of life?"
Ding Anmin curled her lips but said nothing.
"Anmin, sickle, sickle——"
Xia Xingchen suddenly shouted urgently. Yi Roujing immediately looked at the sickle in Ding Anmin's hand, its blade precariously loose. It seemed poised to fall and land on Ding Anmin's foot.
As the blade detached, Yi Roujing instinctively stepped aside and kicked it away with the sole of her shoe.
"Cluck cluck——"
The blade flew with enough force to travel a distance, startling something in the bushes. A pheasant fluttered into the air, only to be struck in the belly by the blade, and fell directly to the ground.
Yi Roujing, Ding Anmin, and Xia Xingchen all stood with identical expressions of shock and disbelief.