Knowing that the two of them had no relevant experience, Tian Haiying insisted on having them accompany her, teaching them step by step how to pick chestnuts and peel them without getting hurt.

After they mastered the skills, I took them to learn about pine cones and hazelnuts, and along the way, we also learned about some common mushrooms found on the mountain.

After confirming that they had all grasped the concept, Tian Haiying allowed them to move around freely, and then went to pick chestnuts with her daughter-in-law.

"You two can just pick them up here. We can't possibly pick them all up anyway. You've never been to the mountains before, so you probably don't know the way. Don't wander around or you won't be able to find your way back."

Zhu Qinghao and Si Tian originally thought of finding another place to pick it up, but after thinking about it, they realized that what Aunt Haiying said made sense.

Since we've just arrived, let's not rush things. Let's wait until we're more familiar with the terrain before making any moves. Besides, there are quite a few chestnuts here, enough for several families to pick.

So the two of them didn't refuse anymore and found a place that was relatively far from their family but still within sight, and busily started picking chestnuts.

At the same time, Zhu Qinghao also "smuggled in her own stuff." Seeing that some chestnut seedlings had sprouted from chestnuts that had fallen to the ground in previous years, she secretly moved them into the space.

Chestnuts could have been placed in the same way, but she felt embarrassed to put too much in the space since it was a place someone else had found, so she put about the same amount in the basket.

Because shelling chestnuts is quite troublesome, people just pick up the chestnut clumps directly when they're picking them up.

After taking them back to dry in the sun, removing the shells, and then sorting them out, the good ones will be sold, while the slightly inferior ones will be kept at home to be cooked and eaten as a snack during the Chinese New Year.

Si Tian herself likes to eat roasted chestnuts, but she seemed a little embarrassed to move them to her space here. On their way back, she asked Zhu Qing to find another place to eat together in the afternoon.

Zhu Qinghao also had her own ideas and didn't want to delay others from making money, so naturally she agreed.

So in the afternoon, the two of them still followed Tian Haiying's family into the mountains, but after arriving at their destination, they secretly made an appointment to go to another place.

However, they were discovered when they left.

"You two can't go too far! There are wild animals in the deep mountains, wild boars, tigers, and I've even heard of bears!"

Tian Haiying originally intended to scare the two girls and make them stay put while they picked up the items, but the two girls simply ran away instead.

"Okay, Auntie! We'll be back before you're done with your work!"

The two people's laughter gradually faded away, and Tian Haiying stood there watching, sighing helplessly.

"These two kids, really, they don't know what's with all the politeness. How much can they possibly pick up with their tiny bodies?"

Besides, if it weren't for Xiao Zhu, not many people would bother to pick up the chestnuts rotting on the ground deep inside. She was too embarrassed to go up there..."

Tian Haiying was right. Everyone had always been wary of wild animals in the depths of the mountains, so they never ventured that far.

This time, since the dried fruit business was about to begin and it was an activity organized by the team, the captain had already sent hunters and strong men from the team to survey the outer half of the forest.

They won't leave any marks if they're sure it's a place where large wild animals are rare or even completely absent.

Conversely, if they tie red ribbons to a place and leave a mark, it means there are large wild animals inside and it's best not to go there.

This was a training session given by the team leader before the first day they entered the mountains, so even though Zhu Qinghao and the others ran away, Tian Haiying wasn't too worried, thinking about those markings.