The woman, forced to watch the show, gave a dry laugh. Seemingly afraid of being accidentally injured and having her stall smashed again, she chimed in, "I hear you two are siblings. When outsiders bully their own sister, the older brother has to protect her. Young man, you shouldn't lay a hand on your own sister. You might end up relying on her for help in the future."

"A girl like her is destined to marry some village man. Who would want her help? She might even come to my house to freeload in the future."

Lin Momo was too lazy to argue with him, so she handed the remaining three chestnuts in the small bowl to her cousin.

If you eat her food and then smash her pot, then you might as well not eat it at all.

She carried a small basket on her back, which was placed at her feet, and a bamboo cage in her hand, saying, "Uncle and elder brother, I'll wait for you up ahead."

After saying that, he turned and headed towards the mountain path leading into the mountains.

She came to the mountains today on important business, and she couldn't let some incompetent Lin Zhiqiang ruin her money-making plans.

That day in the county, Fan Chongyang reminded her that this winter would be very cold, and she kept those words in mind.

Although the ancients did not have weather forecasts, they summarized many proverbs in their long agricultural life and could predict the climate for a period of time in advance.

For example: "If the moon is obscured by clouds on the fifteenth of August, snow will fall on the lanterns on the fifteenth of January," "The winter solstice falls at the beginning of the month, and the Great Cold coincides with the New Year's Eve," "The rainforest brings spring and the ox's head, forty-nine days of sorrow"...

Whether this dynasty existed in history or what it was like, Lin Momo was not sure, but the terrain and climate of the Linjiazhuang area where she was located at the moment gave her a sense of familiarity, very much like her hometown - the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains.

Winters in the north are very cold.

Lin Momo still remembers that when she was a child, one year it snowed early, even though it was only the tenth month of the lunar calendar.

Back then, there was no greenhouse effect or air pollution, and the climate was normal—hot when it was supposed to be hot, and cold when it was supposed to be cold.

After winter sets in, it can be said that "heavy snow comes every year, either in the third or fourth nine-day period of winter," and it is very common for water to freeze instantly.

In this relatively backward and primitive era, winters were likely to be even colder, so winter gear and supplies should be prepared as early as possible.

Her first winter here might be a disastrous one, so Lin Momo needs to be even more vigilant.

Before winter arrives, Lin Momo must prepare three things: cotton-padded clothes, food rations, and firewood, so that she has the confidence to get through the cold winter. Now that the Double Ninth Festival has passed, and the Frost's Descent solar term is just a few days away, she doesn't have much time left to prepare.

Her goal for this trip into the mountains was very clear: she would not let go of anything that could be exchanged for copper coins.

These past few days, her uncle and cousin have been driving a mule cart to Nanshan to chop firewood for the family. She takes advantage of the opportunity to hitch a ride on the mule cart and go into the mountains to collect some mountain produce. Once her uncle stops going into the mountains, she will lose this good opportunity.

As for her walking into the mountains alone, forget it. She would have to turn back as soon as she reached the foot of the mountain, or she would have to spend the night on the mountain.

It's not impossible to spend the night in the mountains; she could just make do in the small courtyard of her space for one night. But she wouldn't do that unless absolutely necessary.

Firstly, she definitely wouldn't get past Grandpa Xu's approval; she only managed to come along after much pleading.

Secondly, Lin Musheng, being ill, needs someone to take care of him.

His wife, Xu, showed him concern only in words, superficially. When it came to serious matters, she would disappear faster than anyone else. Lin Zhiqiang, on the other hand, was often out of sight. The only capable child in the family, Lin Sanya, was only eight years old. It was impossible to put all the household chores on a young child's shoulders, and besides, there were some things she couldn't handle.

After entering the mountain, the group walked for more than fifteen minutes.

Uncle Lin stopped, took the axe from his waist and said, "Let's chop here."

Then, turning to Lin Momo who had come just to buy soy sauce, she said, "If you want to collect mountain produce, collect it nearby. Don't go too far, or your uncle and older brother won't have time to look for you."

"I won't go far," Lin replied absentmindedly, and then began searching around.

The trees nearby are mostly as thick as bowls; they're not good for making furniture, but they're perfect for firewood, and they're not too hard to cut down.

Before long, Uncle Lin chose a tree, took off his coat, spat into each of his palms, gripped the axe tightly, and began chopping away with a "thump, thump, thump" sound.

Even though this uncle's character was questionable, he was a very capable worker.

My cousin, Lin Zhiyong, climbed up a big tree that was as thick as a person's embrace. He was sitting on the canopy, cutting off some of the thicker branches, when a large bunch of branches fell off the tree.

Lin Zhiqiang followed his cousin's example and searched for a long time before finding a tree he thought was suitable. However, he ran out of strength halfway up the tree and his body began to slide down. Terrified, he clung tightly to the tree trunk, squeezed his legs together, and shouted with his head tilted to the side, "Uncle, Uncle, catch me!"

Lin Momo simply couldn't bear to watch this scene.

So he turned his back and focused all his attention on finding mountain products.

She hadn't walked far when she found two old walnut trees standing side by side. But when she looked up, she was greatly disappointed. The branches were covered with leaves, and there was no sign of the abundant fruit.

A few small round balls were hanging sparsely on the highest treetops, but even she couldn't reach these survivors.

It seems that the mountain produce outside the mountain has long been harvested by the endless stream of people coming into the mountain.

Lin Momo continued searching the ground, hoping there would be some fish that had fallen from the trees and hadn't been picked up.

She picked up a dry branch and rummaged through the fallen leaves. Her efforts paid off, and she eventually found dozens of walnuts with cracked green husks.

The juice from the green husk of the walnut can be used for dyeing, and it's very difficult to wash off no matter where it gets on you. So Lin Momo simply stored it in her spatial storage and laid it out on the cement ground in the courtyard to dry.

Yes, Lin Momo's space allows her to collect items remotely.

However, it's not without limitations; you can only collect items within approximately eight meters of her body.

In other words, if the walnuts on the tree hadn't all been picked, Lin Momo could stand under the tree and, with a thought, collect all the walnuts within eight meters of her head.

Unfortunately, all the fruit on the tree had already been picked.

Looking at the low-lying plants under the tree, Lin Momo suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Yes!

This season is not only the time when mountain fruits ripen, but it is also the best time to harvest root and rhizome medicinal materials.

How could she have forgotten this?

Many people know about wild fruits, but few know about medicinal herbs. If she searches diligently, she will surely find something.

Lin Momo has a strong affinity for traditional Chinese medicine and has watched many short videos introducing herbs. She has memorized a few herbs that are easy to identify by their appearance or have a special growing environment, such as Gastrodia elata, Poria cocos, Polygonatum sibiricum, Spatholobus suberectus, and ginseng.

These medicinal herbs also fetch a higher price than ordinary herbs such as dandelion.