Volume One, Chapter 15: Uncle Lizheng Left Behind a Great Deal of Silver.

The next day, Shen Yuan set out into the mountains with her usual medicine basket on her back.

She wandered through the hills for half a day, gathering nearly half a basket of herbs. It was early autumn now, and the herbs available in the mountains were scarce—mostly common ones like forsythia and cassia seeds.

Yet Shen Yuan always had better luck than others in foraging; she could find herbs that others overlooked. While picking wild mushrooms, she even stumbled upon a few angelica roots.

As she bent down to brush the dirt off the angelica roots, Shen Yuan suddenly heard the rustling of leaves behind her.

Having spent years gathering herbs in the mountains, she knew well that the forest was full of birds and beasts. Her alertness was always high when foraging, so she immediately turned around at the sound.

Zhao Dayong froze on the spot when he saw Shen Yuan turn back, nervously scratching his head. “Miss Yuan, are you out gathering herbs in the mountain?”

Shen Yuan gave a faint hum of acknowledgment. The person she had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Zhao Dayong glanced at the bamboo basket on her back, piled high with wild mushrooms, and asked, “Did you find any valuable herbs? What about that ginseng I mentioned last time? Did you manage to dig it up?”

“No,” Shen Yuan shook her head. “Maybe someone else already took it.”

Zhao Dayong licked his lips awkwardly. Of course, he knew she hadn’t found it—because he had dug up the ginseng himself before telling her about it.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t skilled at digging; after hours of digging, he only unearthed a thumb-sized piece of root, which he accidentally broke into four or five pieces. The shopkeeper bought it cheaply, citing its short age and the broken pieces, paying just a little over a silver tael.

Clearing his throat, Zhao Dayong asked again, “Miss Yuan, you said there were signs of wild boars in the mountain, but I’ve been wandering here for two days and haven’t found any. How come?”

“It’s been several days already—they might have moved to another mountain,” Shen Yuan replied.

Then, recalling the events of that night, she lowered her head, a trace of regret in her voice. “Brother Zhao, do you think I was too reckless that night? If I hadn’t found the wild boar tracks, I wouldn’t have gone to the village head’s house, and I wouldn’t have... run into Aunt Zhao and the village head like that.”

“Ah, you’re right,” Zhao Dayong picked up the thread. “If you hadn’t shouted recklessly that day, my cousin wouldn’t have died! Though I don’t like her—she was too stingy! But now she’s gone, and Chunhua and Qiuyue have lost their mother. Those two kids are so pitiful!”

Shen Yuan tugged at the corner of her mouth. “I heard from the villagers that Aunt Zhao took Chunhua and Qiuyue to live with the wealthy Wang family in the city. They’re now the Wang family’s stepdaughters. Their lives will surely be better than before.”

Zhao Dayong found some truth in Shen Yuan’s words but wasn’t willing to let her feel at ease. “But because of you, the village head was burned so badly he’s half dead. Now he’s bedridden every day and can’t serve as the village head anymore! Their family’s future will be so difficult!”

Shen Yuan chuckled inwardly. She didn’t believe Zhao Dayong truly cared about Aunt Tian and little Huzai’s fate; he was only resentful because he couldn’t get the land from their family.

She continued along his line of thought, “Uncle Li Zheng suffered injuries and illness, but thankfully, he saved quite a bit of silver over the years. Even if he can’t farm or work anymore, the money he left behind will be enough for Aunt Tian to raise little Huzai into adulthood.”

“What?” Zhao Dayong’s almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief. “How do you know that? How do you know how much money the Li family has?”

“I visited Aunt Tian yesterday. When she handed me some candy, I saw a wooden box in the cabinet. She accidentally knocked the lid off, and I caught a glimpse inside—it was full of silver fragments, probably half a pound! Enough to last them for decades!”

Fearing Zhao Dayong might doubt her, Shen Yuan even mentioned where the box was kept to prove her point.

After speaking, she realized she probably shouldn’t have revealed that and quickly warned, “I’ve only told you this—don’t let it slip to anyone else! Too much wealth invites trouble. If the schemers in the village find out, it won’t be good.”

Zhao Dayong murmured a vague acknowledgment.

“It’s getting dark. I should head down the mountain. Goodbye, Brother Zhao!” Shen Yuan waved as she turned away, but the smile on her lips vanished the moment she turned.

She let out a soft hum and descended the mountain with her half-full basket of herbs and mushrooms.

Back home, Shen Yuan emptied the fresh mushrooms from the basket.

Nanny Liu smiled at the tender mushrooms. “It’s a shame not to make soup with such fine mushrooms. I’ll go kill a chicken now and stew a big pot of wild mushroom old hen soup!”

With that, Nanny Liu grabbed her cleaver and headed toward the chicken coop.

Shen Yuan silently mourned the little chicken’s impending fate for three seconds.

As the sun dipped behind the western hills and twilight deepened, the fragrant aroma wafting from the simmering clay pot grew stronger. Seeing the chicken soup nearly done, Shen Yuan left her home and walked to the village head’s house.

“Aunt Tian, we’ve made some mushroom chicken soup. Grandma invites you and little Huzai to come over and have some!”

Shen Yuan called out at the door of the village head’s house, and soon the gate creaked open. Little Huzai poked his round little head out first.

“Sister Yuan, it’s Sister Yuan!” Huzai’s big, bright eyes curved into crescent moons as he tugged on Aunt Tian’s sleeve. “Mama, I love chicken soup! I want to go to Sister Yuan’s house for chicken soup!”

Shen Yuan glanced at Aunt Tian meaningfully. “Auntie, the soup’s just about ready. It’s time to come have some.”

“All right,” Aunt Tian replied softly, taking Huzai’s hand and stepping outside. As she reached the doorway, she glanced back at the house, as if trying to look through the closed door and windows at the man lying in bed.

After a moment, she averted her gaze and said to Shen Yuan, “Let’s go.”

Huzai adored Shen Yuan, holding her hand tightly as they walked. He excitedly told everyone they met that he was going to Sister Yuan’s house for chicken soup, unable to contain his excitement.

Once the three of them had gone some distance, a figure emerged from behind an old locust tree not far from the village head’s house. It was Zhao Dayong, who had been watching silently for some time.

Even from afar, he had heard Aunt Tian say she was taking her son to Shen Yuan’s for dinner.

Seeing that only the village head remained at home, Zhao Dayong stepped out from behind the tree. Thinking of the silver Shen Yuan mentioned earlier, he rubbed his hands together, barely able to contain his eagerness.

That wretched Chu Xiaoshan had secretly hoarded so much silver—it must have been extorted from the villagers!

Tonight, he would seek justice for the villagers and take back the money that never belonged to them! The village head had repeatedly denied him land, and even promised Shen Yuan’s family’s fields to him but never delivered!

Zhao Dayong had been reckless and indebted in his youth, forced to sell all his family’s fields. With no land to farm or grain to eat, he had to hunt in the mountains, living hand to mouth.

He yearned to reclaim his land, but without money, the village head refused to give it back. As a result, he had no land and couldn’t even marry.

Now, not only could he regain his fields, but he would also have silver enough to last him half a lifetime. Trembling with excitement, Zhao Dayong took several deep breaths before circling around to the back yard of the village head’s house and climbing over the wall.