Chapter 217: Meeting An Acquaintance

Chapter 217: Meeting An Acquaintance
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Zhou Lan and Jiang Xia had ventured to the foot of the mountain on numerous occasions and knew the route well.
Using a flashlight, they moved quickly towards the mountainside. They wanted to get back before dawn so no one would notice they had secretly gone into the mountain.
Zhou Lan skillfully avoided stones under her feet, looking out for her daughter following behind. She warned her about all the uneven spots on the ground. They reached the foot of the mountain in about an hour, much faster than before.
Without stopping, they went straight to the previously chosen vegetable field. It was barren now, with even fewer green leaves than the last time they visited. Almost nothing was left.
It seemed someone had been continuously picking wild vegetables, not giving them any chance to regrow.
Jiang Xia had a good idea of who was behind this, Jiang Gui from the old Jiang family, who was known for being lazy and only wanting easy pickings.
Though villagers had been given seeds, Jiang Gui didn’t bother planting them. He only wanted to collect wild vegetables.
“If we find more vegetable fields, we won’t tell the Jiang family!”
Zhou Lan felt the same. She wished those malicious people who always played tricks behind her back would leave the village.
But they needed to focus on the task. “Don’t be upset,” Zhou Lan said. “Finding a good vegetable field is our main priority. Xiao Xia, which way should we go?” Based on her memory, Jiang Xia pointed up the mountain, “Let’s go up a bit, but not too far in.”
They walked a little further. The unpolluted sky was clearer than in later times. The bright moon and countless stars illuminated the path so well they didn’t need their flashlight.
Zhou Lan sighed, “I haven’t seen so many stars in such a long time. Once we settle down here, our family should spend a few nights on the mountain and enjoy this beautiful view.”
They didn’t go very deep but stopped near a mountain path. Jiang Xia discovered another path covered in wild grass beside it, hard to notice unless one looked closely.
Jiang Xia followed this path for a few meters and found another spot perfect for planting – an area surrounded by small stones with many dried-up trees around.
Since the water from her interspace couldn’t directly revive plants, Jiang Xia had to transplant plants into the soil of her interspace. But she couldn’t move the large trees, so she gave up on them. She started planting shepherd’s purse, sprinkling some interspace water around to protect the plants from animals. Looking at a dried tree, Jiang Xia had an idea. She took a handful of soil from her interspace and placed it on the tree, wondering if this soil had any revitalizing properties outside her interspace. She decided to use this tree as a test.
After finishing their tasks, Jiang Xia and Zhou Lan started to head back.
On their way down, they suddenly heard a voice behind them, “Who’s there?”
The moon was very bright that night. Both of them were in a good mood after finishing their tasks, so they decided to walk home by moonlight instead of using the flashlight. When they heard the voice, Zhou Lan got startled and wanted to turn on the flashlight.
Luckily, Jiang Xia recognized the voice and stopped her mother just in time, preventing their futuristic flashlight from being seen.
In a low voice, Jiang Xia whispered to Zhou Lan, “1 think it’s Old Sun and his wife.”
Zhou Lan frowned. Sun Li’s wife was close with Jiang Gui’s wife, and she always caused trouble for Zhou Lan. Seeing them on the mountain so late surely meant they were up to no good.
As they got closer, the moonlight revealed Zhou Lan and Jiang Xia.
Sun Li’s wife said in a sharp tone that was hard to ignore, “Oh, look who’s here in the middle of the night. It’s the third wife of the Jiang family who loves to show off.”
Jiang Xia replied with a smile, pretending to be innocent, “Aren’t you also here in the middle of the night? Did you find something valuable and sneak out to get it?”
Jiang Xia cleverly turned the tables on them, suggesting they were up to something sneaky while also questioning their purpose on the mountain..