Zhang Xiao placed the cooked vegetarian slices aside, thinking he would pack them up later for Yunling and the others to take back, but he didn't expect to hear such a request.

"There are fierce tigers on the mountain that can swallow a person whole. How dare you, little thing, go there?"

"That's because my older cousin is there. If he punches me, even a tiger will be stunned for three seconds."

Zhang Xiao was amused by Yun Ling's words, but still didn't nod.

Yunling grabbed his arm and shook it gently, saying, "I often went into the mountains with Aunt in Dongtou Village. We even encountered wild boars, and I'm still fine, aren't I? It seems Aunt is really capable; she can protect me."

Comparing Yun Ruochun to him?

How could he possibly accept this?

Although Yun Ruochun possessed superhuman strength, he, a dignified man, was no less powerful!

Yunling got her wish and went into the mountains.

The path up the mountain was still not difficult, but the energy contained in this mountain was much stronger. Yunling felt her whole body was surrounded by energy, and her superpowers also reached a new level.

But this mountain, in a way, is like Zhang's kitchen—clean, spacious, and very comfortable. The trees are well protected; the bark is still there, and there are no cut marks on the trunks. There aren't many wild vegetables, but there are some. In some corners, there are even a few wooden benches for people to rest.

Strangely, the herbs here have been so heavily harvested that only the tips are left, not to mention mushrooms and fungi, which are nowhere to be found.

"Big cousin, your trees still have bark, while ours are all bare."

"The village chief forbids us from cutting down trees indiscriminately, saying that if we take good care of the trees, more treasures will emerge from the mountains."

Yunling was surprised by the village chief's thinking and continued to ask, "Doesn't anyone in your village go hungry? This year's grain harvest is abundant."

"Of course there are people who don't have enough to eat, but the village chief has connections, so every household can get some money, more or less."

"What approach?"

When this was mentioned, Zhang Xiao's face was filled with pride. "The village chief found a doctor who knew about herbs and took us to pick all the herbs on the mountain to sell. We also picked mushrooms from the mountain, dried them, and sold them as dried goods. We also hunted wild animals, which were all divided equally among the villagers."

“Look at those taro leaves. The village chief taught us to make sweet potato starch and noodles. But Grandma likes to dry them thoroughly, and that’s what you call vegetarian slices.”

Yunling couldn't help but give a thumbs up, "Your village chief seems a bit different."

"Of course, he was originally an official of the previous dynasty. When the new emperor ascended the throne, he was framed by his rivals and almost lost his life. He fled here and people saw that he was learned, so they made him the village chief."

Yunling felt a pang of emotion. She too had suffered a terrible fate and only ended up in this place by chance. Sometimes, living in a different place isn't necessarily so bad.

Yunling continued deeper into the mountains. The mountains here were not much different from the outside, so walking was not too difficult. However, finding good things was quite a challenge. In desperation, she had to use her special ability and found a small patch of black fungus with the hem of a skirt sticking up in an inconspicuous place.

This black fungus can be eaten as a vegetable and used in medicine. It is extremely nutritious. However, it is not easy to cultivate. Fortunately, her wood-type ability can solve this problem well.

Yunling continued searching in the surrounding area until she found another patch in another place, at which point she felt relieved enough to dig up the small patch of black fungus.

"Lingniang, are you stir-frying this to eat?"

"Let's raise it." Yunling knew Zhang Xiao wouldn't take her words seriously, so she spoke the truth.

Zhang Xiao naturally regarded Yun Ling as a child, and simply smiled without delving into it.

After the two descended the mountain, it was time for Yunling to return home. When they came, the car was full, and when they returned, it was almost the same: blanched vegetarian slices, dried persimmon cakes, cured pork cakes, wild poria cocos, wild yam, and so on. Yunling wished she could join their mountain-going team.

**

Dongtou Village

After Yunling set her sights on black fungus, she began to work on it. She and Yun Ruochun went into the mountains to cut down a few birch trees, cut the trunks into birch sections about one meter long, and laid them out in the yard to dry. Since they would take a month to dry, she had to carry the black fungus with her and use her supernatural abilities to cultivate it.

Although she possesses the ability to make plants mature instantly, she still decides to respect their growth patterns. She can reduce the time by five or six days to make the plants even better, but she cannot do more than that.

Wood-based superpowers are great, but everything has two sides. They can protect her, but they can also harm her. If others find out, she will be doomed. She can't afford to gamble with that.

Furthermore, people always move forward; one can't keep raising mushrooms and wood ear fungus forever. She only needs to hold onto the spawn; the rest will eventually have to be handed over to someone else.

Yunling thought a lot, and the festive atmosphere of the New Year gradually dissipated with the cold wind carrying the scent of birch. This year, the family still had the nightmare of losing Yunling last year, so they did not plan to go to the city to see the lanterns for the Lantern Festival.

After the New Year, everything seemed to be going back to normal, except for an uninvited guest who came to the house: Chen Erniang, the famous matchmaker who lived at the entrance of the village.

To be honest, Yun Ruochun was already fifteen years old after the festival. In the village, people usually start talking about marriages when they are twelve or thirteen, and they are expected to marry someone else by the age of fourteen.

Yun Ruochun was born with superhuman strength, but she was not gentle and did not do needlework. She even learned to talk like her mother, Yun Ruochun. Her family was small and she had no one to help her. The villagers were very calculating and thought their own sons were better than the earth and the sky, so they naturally looked down on Yun Ruochun.

This was one of the reasons why Old Man Yun wanted to move to the county town. He thought that having a status in the county town would make it easier to find a spouse.

But unexpectedly, after the land tax was collected, they became highly sought-after items in the village.

With full ears of wheat and high yield, the fields became fertile. Yun Shenghua worked in the county town for many years and was well-liked by his employer. He even donated a donkey cart to help the villagers, so he became a helpful maternal uncle. Although Yun Ruochun had brute strength, she could go up the mountain to hunt wild boars, so the tough, unruly woman became a kind and lovable wife.

So right after the New Year, the threshold of Chen Erniang's house was almost worn down by the crowds. Everyone was talking about how amazing their sons were, and they were all praising their sons to the skies, so as not to be outdone by others.

Sure enough, Chen Erniang came over as soon as she saw the auspicious day. As soon as she entered, she exclaimed with a smile, "Old sister, what a joyous occasion!"