After tying the two rabbits together with rope and putting them in the basket, Jiang Wanwan covered the basket with a layer of dry grass and branches, picked some mushrooms and wild vegetables and put them on top before heading down the mountain.

Just as we reached the foot of the mountain, a sharp sound came from behind us.

"Hey, isn't this our Wanwan? How many eggs did you collect today? How many rabbits did you catch?"

Jiang Wanwan looked up and saw that the person speaking was Liu San Niang.

She and several other women, including Aunt Feng, were squatting on the ground when they saw Jiang Wanwan coming down the mountain, and they immediately stood up.

Judging from their posture, they're all waiting for her here.

Jiang Wanwan pretended not to hear Aunt Liu's sarcasm, and put on a mournful face, "Auntie, don't mention it, there are no eggs at all, and we didn't find many wild vegetables or mushrooms either."

As she spoke, she deliberately tilted her basket to show the others.

Aunt Liu and the others quickly peered over and found that her basket was full of withered branches, with only a pitiful handful of wild vegetables and a dozen or so mushrooms on it.

Those dry branches are quite thick; if there are eggs underneath, they're sure to be crushed.

Seeing this, Aunt Liu and the others instantly felt better.

As for whether there were wild rabbits or pheasants under the branches, they never even considered that possibility. Wild rabbits and pheasants must have been caught in large rivers and lakes; what skills could a delicate little girl possibly possess?

Aunt Liu and the others laughed heartily, offering a few perfunctory words of comfort to Jiang Wanwan before leaving together, chatting and laughing.

Jiang Wanwan was not surprised by their actions.

That's human nature; people can't stand seeing others doing better than them.

Once they are doing better than him, these people are very likely to harbor evil intentions and think about sabotaging him behind his back.

Unless the Jiang family can leave them far behind with an absolute advantage, making them unable to catch up, they will not put aside their jealousy and try to curry favor with the Jiang family.

Otherwise, they'll always be envious!

Jiang Wanwan chuckled and started walking towards the village.

Soon, she returned to Old Jiang's house.

Surprisingly, the entire Jiang family returned from the fields, their faces beaming with joy. Even Uncle Jiang the Second, who had gone to town that morning, had come back.

"Oh my, Wan'er, you're finally back!" Grandma Jiang was unusually warm towards her.

Jiang Wanwan felt uneasy; such unsolicited kindness was suspicious.

She looked at Grandma Jiang warily. "Grandma, what makes you so happy?"

Grandma Jiang glanced at Jiang Wanwan and grinned from ear to ear, "Hehehe, it's all about Liu'er. Your maternal grandfather recommended him to study at the famous Yuanshan Academy in the county town, and there's news."

"Tomorrow, Liu'er can go to school in the county town. By the end of this year, he'll definitely become a scholar. Before long, I'll be a high-ranking official's grandmother!"

"Hahaha, our Jiang family has finally made it through!" Old Man Jiang was so excited that his hands were trembling. He took a couple of puffs on his pipe to calm himself down.

Uncle Jiang, Aunt Jiang, and Jiang Liu held their chins high and their chests out straight, as if they had already become officials and were extremely proud of themselves.

A joyous atmosphere permeated the entire Jiang family.

"Oh, I see. Congratulations, Fifth Brother," Jiang Wanwan said with a light laugh.

Well, we should keep the ginseng in the basket covered first, so that the old lady doesn't just stuff it directly into Jiang Liu's hands.

Jiang Wanwan carried the basket back to the house, took the ginseng out of the basket and hid it before leaving the yard.

She started taking things out in front of everyone.

Two live rabbits.

A dead chicken.

The Jiang family's emotions were pushed to the limit.