The two people who were picking mulberries from the tree have come down. They really picked every single one, except the green ones. They practically plucked them all!

After climbing down from the tree, they found everyone had vanished. Not even a trace remained.

The place was remote, but resources were relatively abundant. The two didn't just wait around; they wandered around, looking for wild vegetables and the like.

They were lucky; they not only picked lamb's quarters and dandelion, but also found an elm tree and harvested half a bag of elm seeds and leaves.

"There are a few locust trees around here. In another half month or so, we'll be able to eat locust blossoms," the two said happily.

Ding Rongquan smiled and nodded: "There are many good things in the mountains, but it's a bit far. Here, these are some wild roses we picked in March, have a taste."

The two of them each picked up two, wiped them on their clothes, and put them in their mouths. Due to limited resources, everyone gradually abandoned certain hygiene habits.

"Oh, it's delicious, but it's a little sour."

"Heh, you should be grateful. If it weren't for Brother Shen leading the way, we wouldn't have been able to find any wild raspberries, let alone pick any mulberries today."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yanming quickly waved his hand: "No, no, no, don't say that. The thing is right there in the mountains, you can find it if you look carefully."

The group chuckled, not taking it seriously. It wasn't like they hadn't searched before; they'd either failed to find it or were too afraid to search in the deep mountains and forests.

"Well, there might be wild animals in the deep mountains. If you're going, be sure to bring weapons and call for backup. Otherwise, you'll be in big trouble if you encounter danger," Shen Yanming warned.

Ding Rongquan nodded his thanks: "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Shen. Um, if we need to go deeper into the mountains later, can we look for you?"

Shen Yanming shook his head and declined, saying, "I'm quite busy with work, so I'm afraid I won't have the opportunity to come out often."

Ding Rongquan looked regretful: "That's a real pity."

The group arrived at the foot of the mountain carrying large and small bags. Many people were there picking wild vegetables and mushrooms, and they immediately gathered around the group upon seeing their bags.

"My goodness, what is this? Where did you pick these wild fruits?"

Ding Rongquan felt a little embarrassed, unsure whether he should say anything. The raspberry bush had already been picked clean; telling others its location would be pointless.

Shen Yanming didn't have so many reservations. He pointed in a direction: "There's a small path there. Follow it for two or three hours, and you'll see it."

The onlookers had different thoughts. Those who thought less seriously believed it and ran away with their small baskets. But those who were more thoughtful thought that Shen Yanming was lying, because they had clearly come from the other direction.

However, he didn't say it outright, just gave a forced smile and walked away. When his back was to Shen Yanming, he pursed his lips and cursed inwardly.

When evening came, they were dumbfounded to see a group of people returning happily with small baskets on their shoulders.

So Shen Yanming wasn't lying to them after all. There really were wild fruits there. It was too late for regrets.

After everyone had left, Ding Rongquan asked Shen Yanming in a low voice, "Are you serious?"

Shen Yanming smiled slightly and looked at him, asking, "What do you think?"

Ding Rongquan thought about it and figured he must be lying; otherwise, why wouldn't he pick them himself? Those two little rascals, An'an and Nuannuan, clearly really liked raspberries. Their love for raspberries was completely different from their love for mulberries.

But he didn't know that the two children were only thinking of Li Sikai, the uncle who always picked mulberries and wild raspberries for them.

Shen Yanming ignored them, said goodbye, and left with the mother and her two children.

They chatted and laughed all the way. When they passed through Area C, they shared half of the fruit with Niu Niu before heading home.

"See, I told you so, Wen Nuan can't get a divorce."

Shen Yanming nodded: "Yes. But Wei Jiahe has been behaving well lately, he hasn't been causing trouble anymore. It's like he's suddenly grown up."

“If he doesn’t grow up soon, he won’t deserve to be a human being. He’ll break his father’s heart, and who will care about him? At most, they’ll provide him with two meals a day so he’s full, but that’s it.”

"Returning to the right path after going astray is a good thing, isn't it?"

"I just hope he can keep it up."

When the family of four returned home, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan carefully picked through the wild vegetables and mushrooms, cleaning them thoroughly before spreading them out to dry on the balcony. They also dried the mulberries and raspberries.

An'an and Nuannuan were used to eating what grew in their space, so they didn't fuss about wanting to eat. Instead, they helped out with their little legs.

After finishing our work, we went to wash up. Then the four of us collapsed on the sofa, feeling quite tired.

Half an hour later, Shen Yanming ruffled Bi Qiaoan's hair: "What do you want to eat tonight?"

Bi Qiaoan glanced at the sky; it was still quite bright. She shook her head and said, "Let's talk about it later. Shall we get everyone a piece of cake to try first?"

An'an and Nuannuan, the two little foodies, immediately lit up and hugged Shen Yanming's arm, saying, "Daddy, Daddy, we want chocolate flavor."

Shen Yanming nodded and turned to look at Bi Qiaoan: "Wife, what flavor do you want to eat?"

"Durian." Bi Qiaoan chuckled. "I thought you'd just take the chocolate one."

Shen Yanming pinched her cheek: "You're my wife, so you'll definitely come first."

Bi Qiaoan was pleased with Shen Yanming's words, and she immediately hugged her husband and kissed him on the lips.

Upon seeing this, An'an and Nuannuan giggled and said, "Mommy kissed Daddy, how embarrassing!"

Bi Qiaoan rolled her eyes, poked Shen Yanming's chest with her finger, and pretended to be aggrieved: "When did our darling learn to say these things?"

Shen Yanming pinched her fingers, kissed them, smiled, and looked at the mother and her two children with utter doting affection.

For the next few days, the family of four, like everyone else at the base, would go out every day. Sometimes they would just wander around the vicinity of the base, and sometimes, if they went somewhere far away, they would simply spend the night outside.

Anyway, there are plenty of people with the same plans as them, so these few aren't really anything special. It's just that they gained a lot, which attracted a little attention from others.

However, neither of them were particularly selfish; they would either lead others to find supplies or give directions, so they did not arouse public outrage.

On the contrary, quite a few people happily followed behind them, picking up the scraps.

Ding Rongquan and his wife encountered this twice, and together they harvested a lot of broomcorn and lichen, returning home with a full load.

In late May, Ding Rongquan and his group discovered a beehive while collecting bird eggs. It was located inside a tree hole, quite large, but rather difficult to access.

He and his family tried to smoke out the bees, which were about the size of a fingernail, with torches, but before they could even get close, they were stung several times.

Left with no other choice, I had to give up, but I was still somewhat unwilling to accept it.

Sure enough, he ran into Shen Yanming's family, pulled them aside, and whispered about the situation there.

"That honeycomb is huge, and there's plenty of honey. I counted at least seven or eight layers. Each layer is completely full of honey; it makes my mouth water. If there wasn't so much honey, I definitely would have given up. How about it, do you want to give it a try?"