Chapter 89: Any More Nonsense and I'll Dock Your Pay

The second batch of little mushrooms had yet to mature, and the fields had already been tilled once. For once, life had grown leisurely and calm.

However, on the morning after the family feast, just as dawn broke, Jiang Chengyan heard someone knocking at the door outside. The little girl nestled in his arms was awakened by the commotion. Despite that, she showed no signs of grumpiness, merely rubbing her eyes quietly as she nestled closer to him.

“Chengyan, your grandparents are planning to clear the wasteland on the western hill. Hurry up and come help,” came the voices of Qian and Jiang You from outside.

“Got it,” Jiang Chengyan replied, then returned to the room without any hint of urgency.

When he entered, Bai Yan had already dressed herself. Upon seeing Jiang Chengyan, she stretched out her arms toward him.

He reached out to lift her down. “We’ll be going out soon. The straw hat is in the east room. Go fetch it yourself.”

Whenever the house was empty, Bai Yan would start hopping about, bouncing with lively energy.

“If you keep jumping, I’ll deduct ten copper coins each time,” the man warned, his tone severe—ten copper coins, a stern penalty!

Sure enough, the slender figure immediately froze in place at his words.

The western hill had once attracted many prospectors in search of gold, rumored to harbor a hidden mine. Yet no one ever struck gold, and instead, the mountain became riddled with dark pits—dangerous holes where people occasionally fell, sometimes even to their deaths.

Because of this, no one wanted to buy land there. Jiang Grandfather and Grandmother, having lived elsewhere for years, planned to return and settle, and so claimed a patch of this wasteland.

When Jiang Chengyan arrived with Bai Yan, the family was already at work.

Though it was said to be a family effort, it was Jiang Father who labored most diligently, even insisting that Grandfather rest under a tree while he tilled the earth alone.

As soon as Bai Yan spotted her father, she released Jiang Chengyan’s hand and ran over, offering him the fruit she held.

“Father won’t eat; you should have it, little one,” Jiang Father replied with a broad, simple smile before continuing his work. “Go rest under the tree so you don’t soil your clothes.”

Jiang You sat beneath the tree as well, and Qian seemed disinclined to move.

“Why is my father the only one working?” Bai Yan turned, dissatisfied, toward Grandfather.

Jiang You glanced at Bai Yan, then prepared to rise.

“You’ve never done much work since childhood; I’ll go,” Grandfather said, pressing Jiang You’s hand down and standing to take the hoe from Jiang Father.

Jiang Father wished to keep working, but Bai Yan’s insistence drew him away. Once seated beneath the tree, Bai Yan took down her little pouch and offered all her treats to her father.

Qian peered curiously from the side, noting that the snacks were all quite good.

“Father’s not hungry; you should eat, little one,” Jiang Father said, shaking his head.

Just then, Zhao came by with water and called out, “I recall there’s plenty of shepherd’s purse nearby. Go pick some so we can make dumplings tonight.”

At the mention of shepherd’s purse, Bai Yan’s eyes sparkled.

Jiang Father nodded and went off to gather the greens.

The western hill was riddled with hidden pits, and Jiang Father was careful to avoid them, lest he fall.

But if those pits could be avoided so easily, they wouldn’t have claimed lives over the years.

As Jiang Father moved cautiously forward, he unexpectedly stumbled into one of the holes. He fell forward, scraping his arm against a stone until it bled.

Looking down, his gaze fixed on the stone. It seemed to shimmer with a golden hue.

He glanced around to ensure no one was watching, then carefully hid the stone at the bottom of his basket, covering it with wild greens.

Just then, his attention was drawn to a cluster of small mushrooms growing inside the pit. They weren’t brightly colored, so they likely weren’t poisonous. Remembering his daughter’s fondness for mushrooms, Jiang Father happily began to gather them.

As he bent over collecting mushrooms, a silent figure approached his basket, swapped the golden stone for a dull, gray one, and slipped away unnoticed.

Jiang Father remained oblivious, his focus entirely on the mushrooms.