The next morning, Fu Lin drove Jiang Qiao to the mountains. They parked the car at the foot of the mountain and set off lightly.

Springtime brings vibrant life everywhere, and many people come out to gather wild vegetables. It's a time when food is scarce, and these vegetables are a welcome supplement, at least enough to fill their stomachs. Besides, everyone is truly afraid of going hungry.

So, taking advantage of the day off, everyone who could come out to dig for wild vegetables did.

Fu Lin hadn't expected there to be so many people on the mountain. As he walked, he exclaimed, "I didn't expect there to be people here even earlier than us. I guess even if there's prey, it's likely that these people scared it away."

Jiang Qiao sighed, "It's all because of the lack of food. Who wants to eat this every day? We're short of food at home. It's not easy for anyone. Let's not compete with others. Let's go deeper into the mountains."

Looking at the group of people wearing patched clothes, their butts sticking out as they dug for wild vegetables, Jiang Qiao felt only heartache. There were quite a few four or five-year-old children among them, so young yet already knowing how to help their parents dig for wild vegetables to supplement the family income.

What could she say? She couldn't say anything. The only thing she could do was not compete with everyone for the wild vegetables on the edge of the woods.

Of course, there were people in the woods, but there were far fewer of them. Further in, you could hardly see any people at all.

Jiang Qiao still remembered the valley she had visited before, and this time, she planned to go there to take a look. However, Fu Lin's stamina was starting to give out.

"My goodness, how far is that? We're not there yet!"

Jiang Qiao glanced at him and said, "With your stamina, even if there's prey, you wouldn't be able to carry it. Why don't you wait here and I'll go over there while you dig for wild vegetables?"

Fu Lin was both amused and exasperated. He was just about to say that he didn't recognize many kinds of wild vegetables when he suddenly saw several people walking out of the woods, each carrying a basket. It seemed they had finished picking wild vegetables.

Jiang Qiao and Fu Lin were stunned when they saw the appearance of the people who came over.

"uncle?"

Fu Lin called out first. Jiang Qiao glanced at Fu Lin and clearly recognized the people in the room, but she didn't know whose uncle this man was.

However, she did recognize two of the people here: Dong Chunxiao and her daughter.

She cursed inwardly, "Why is this old woman so persistent? She runs into this mother and daughter even when she's out picking wild vegetables. What kind of fate is this?"

Then another question popped into her head: how did this mother and daughter end up here? And who were those people?

When Cao Jingxuan saw Fu Lin, he was surprised, but he was also a little puzzled.

"Xiao Fu? What are you doing here?"

Cao Jingxuan didn't have a deep impression of Fu Lin. After all, he only had a few people who had dealings with his son-in-law. So when he called out "Little Fu," he clearly lacked confidence.

"Uncle, isn't it Sunday? I took my sister out to pick some wild vegetables to take home and eat. Where's Miao Xin? Why didn't he come?"

Fu Lin spoke up, and Cao Jingxuan, knowing he hadn't mistaken Fu Lin for Cao Jingxuan, smiled and said, "Oh dear, it's such a relief to finally have a day off. Young people don't want to get up so early, unlike us old folks who don't get much sleep. That's why we came early to get some fresh wild vegetables. You guys get busy, we'll be going now."

That's what he said, but Dong Chunxiao and her daughter beside him didn't move.

"Hey, Jiang Qiao, when did you suddenly have another brother? A young lady like you shouldn't be like those unreliable, shameless men. The Gu family really can't afford to lose face like that—"

Jiang Qiao glared at Dong Chunxiao, but spoke calmly, "Oh, Aunt, it's not even dark yet! Why are you blurting out your true feelings? That's not good. You already have a man; be careful your uncle doesn't overhear—"

Dong Chunxiao was about to retort when a wolf howl came from behind her, startling her. Cao Jingxuan, who was beside her, looked apologetically at Fu Lin and Jiang Qiao.

"Look, it's not safe in the mountains. You'd better not go. Just pick the herbs outside. We're leaving now. Be careful."

Watching the group leave in a hurry, Jiang Qiao stared at their retreating figures, remaining motionless for a long time.

Not to mention Jiang Qiao, even Fu Lin found it strange. "You mean, Miao Xin's father-in-law is the kind of person who can go into the mountains to pick wild vegetables? Even someone like me rarely comes here, let alone someone of his status. He's not the kind of person who can go into these deep mountains and forests to pick wild vegetables."

"Did you hear that? The wolves are howling. Aren't they worried about their safety running in here? Or are they just braver than us? I think these people are acting strangely."

Fu Lin could see it, and Jiang Qiao was certainly aware of this as well, but she couldn't understand why these people came in.

"Brother Fu, do you know all the people around Cao Jingxuan? What are their relationships?"

Fu Lin shook his head. "I really haven't seen this before. I'll ask Miao Xin later; he should know."

By the way, what did you mean by calling that woman "cousin"? Do you have relatives in your family?

Jiang Qiao sighed, "What relatives? They're not even remotely related. It's just that my great-grandfather was raising a child for an old friend, but he ended up raising a thankless wretch."

"You need to investigate this matter thoroughly for me. Last time, this person even caused trouble in the countryside."

Jiang Qiao's background has been revealed. Even if he didn't tell Lin the details, he still knew a bit about the rumors.

"Sigh, what a bunch of idiots. Don't pay any attention to them. They've got a big mouth. If they dare to cause trouble again, we brothers will go over and teach them a lesson. Don't they know where they are? Do they really think this is their own home? They're all no good.

"But Qiao'er, there are wolves in there. Is it alright to go in like this? We don't want anything to happen; I haven't even married my future wife yet."

Jiang Qiao rolled her eyes at Fu Lin. "Is that all the courage you have? I'm not scared, so what are you afraid of? Besides, even though there are wolf howls, they're far away. Let's go."

Fu Lin was unsure of himself. He was a man, no doubt, but he couldn't compare to this young girl. Jiang Qiao might look frail, but that was a lie. How capable was this girl? He knew a thing or two about her after all these years of friendship.

You tell me, how can a child who can go into the mountains to hunt alone compare to others? He can't match them in either courage or skill.

"Little sister, are you sure? I'm a coward—"

Jiang Qiao ignored Fu Lin's nagging. "If you want meat, then come in with me. I'm counting on you to help me find out things. And those other people shouldn't be Cao Jingxuan's family, right?"

Fu Lin shook his head. "It shouldn't be. I haven't heard of any other family members in their household. If they didn't come here to hunt, why would they travel so far? There are plenty of wild vegetables outside."

Jiang Qiao sighed, "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? If you care about this, I'll wait for your news."