Autumn nights come early; just past 7 PM, the Hongqi Production Brigade was shrouded in an impenetrable darkness. The kerosene lamps in every household had long since gone out, and only a few sporadic barks of dogs drifted across the field ridges. The wind swirled withered grass and leaves against the mud-brick walls, rustling like someone grinding their teeth in the shadows. Lin Wanqiu tucked Shen Nian'an's small quilt in again and again, and seeing the child's face flushed with sleep, she quietly reached under the kang mat for the jade pendant—since activating her spatial ability, this thing always gleamed with a warm glow, like carrying a piece of warm jade.

"My darling, Mommy will go to the back mountain to find you something good to eat, and I'll make you sweet potato porridge when I get back." She planted a light kiss on Nian'an's forehead, her fingertips tracing the child's sunken cheeks, which were etched with signs of long-term malnutrition. A chill crept into her eyes. Since her rebirth, the mother and daughter had barely had a proper meal. Old Mrs. Shen was extremely stingy with the rations distributed by the brigade, only giving them sifted bran each time. If it weren't for the emergency rice and flour in her spatial storage, Nian'an probably wouldn't have survived. But relying solely on food from her spatial storage wasn't a long-term solution; if someone saw them, it would be difficult to explain. She considered clearing a patch of wasteland on the back mountain and scattering the vegetable seeds from her spatial storage there. This would both conceal their activities and provide Nian'an with necessary nutrition.

After putting on her patched old cotton-padded coat, Lin Wanqiu tucked a gleaming wood-chopping knife—an old item left by the original owner's father—into her pocket, and then took a flashlight from her spatial storage and put it in her bosom before quietly pushing open the wooden door. A thin layer of frost covered the dirt road outside the courtyard gate, making a crunching sound underfoot. She deliberately avoided the windows of Old Lady Shen's house, walking along the wall towards the barren mountain behind the village.

This back mountain was collective property of the brigade, and apart from the woodcutters, few people came here, especially at night. It was said that wolves had haunted the area in the past, so no one dared to venture deeper. Lin Wanqiu, however, was not afraid—not only did she have food in her spatial storage, but she had also unlocked basic combat skills. If she really encountered wolves, she might not necessarily come out worse off. She shone her flashlight, the beam sweeping across the dark forest. The fallen branches and leaves on the ground rustled under her feet, and occasionally, night birds were startled and fluttered their wings, disappearing into the deeper darkness.

"This is it." After walking for about half an hour, Lin Wanqiu stopped in front of a sheltered slope. The soil here looked fertile, with no loose rocks, and there was a small stream nearby, making watering convenient. She took out a small hoe from her spatial storage—a folding model she had specially chosen from a modern warehouse, lightweight and easy to use—and began to dig the ground by the moonlight.

The autumn soil was frozen solid; each hoe stroke only produced a small hole, leaving her hands numb from the impact. Lin Wanqiu gritted her teeth, silently chanting "For Nian'an," but her grip didn't loosen. After digging for about an hour, she finally cleared a patch of land about two zhang square. She straightened up and rubbed her aching back, just about to take some vegetable seeds from her spatial storage, when the beam of her flashlight suddenly shone behind a tree not far away—a dark shadow flashed by!

Lin Wanqiu's heart leaped into her throat, and she instinctively gripped the hoe tightly. No one comes to the back mountain at night; could it be someone stealing? Or…? She remembered Old Lady Shen cursing and swearing in the yard during the day, saying she'd find an “outsider” to deal with her. Could it be someone Old Lady Shen had hired?

She held her breath, turned off her flashlight, and stealthily crept behind the tree by the moonlight. The wind picked up, rustling the leaves as if trying to cover up some noise. Lin Wanqiu moved with utmost care, her ears perked up, able to clearly hear her own heartbeat, and... the heavy breathing coming from not far away.

"Who's there?" she suddenly shouted, pulling a rolling pin from her spatial storage—this thing was more agile than a hoe and easier to use. The shadowy figure behind the tree was clearly startled for a moment, then a tall figure stepped out, moonlight falling on his face, and Lin Wanqiu's breath caught in her throat.

It was a man in a dark blue, worn-out military uniform, tall and straight, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His face was smeared with dirt and blood, and a tattered cloth was wrapped around his forehead, obscuring most of his face, revealing only his sharply defined jawline and tightly pursed thin lips. Even so, Lin Wanqiu recognized him at a glance—that build, that aura, it was clearly her husband, Shen Tingzhou, who had been "dead" for almost a year!

Her mind went blank, and she nearly dropped the rolling pin. How could this be? Shen Tingzhou hadn't died in battle? The army had even sent a martyr's certificate, and Old Lady Shen had cried and wailed, saying that without her son, no one would care for her in her old age. Was she seeing things? Or… was she seeing a ghost?

"Who are you?" The man's voice was terribly hoarse, tinged with wariness, his hand stealthily reaching for his waist—where something seemed to be hidden. Lin Wanqiu snapped out of her daze, forcing herself to calm down. Regardless of whether the man before her was Shen Tingzhou, appearing in the back mountain late at night, and bearing injuries, was definitely not simple. She gripped the rolling pin tightly, took a step back, and spoke with a hint of probing in her voice: "This is the back mountain of the Hongqi Production Brigade. I'm a villager here. Who are you? Why are you here?"

The man stared at her for a moment, seemingly assessing whether she was hostile, before finally speaking: "Just passing by, seeking shelter from the rain." His voice was still hoarse, and carried a deliberately lowered tone, as if he didn't want anyone to recognize his voice.

Seeking shelter from the rain? Lin Wanqiu looked up at the sky. The stars were shining brightly tonight; there was no sign of rain at all. This man was clearly lying. Her doubts deepened, and her gaze fell on the man's uniform and wounds—judging from the style of the uniform, it seemed to be from the military, but he had no insignia, and the wounds looked freshly applied. Was he a deserter? Or… did he have another identity?

"Just passing by?" Lin Wanqiu sneered. "There's no village or shop in sight here, not even a soul in sight at night. You're just passing by? And you're injured? I bet you're up to no good!" She deliberately raised her voice to see the man's reaction.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!