Chapter 15: What’s Wrong With the He Siblings?

Chapter 15: What’s Wrong With the He Siblings?

It was a thin booklet, only two or three pages long, yet its contents were things that should have been destroyed long ago.

The moment Fang Mingxi saw it, her scalp tingled. She didn’t even dare imagine, if she hadn’t learned to walk, or if she hadn’t seen that man in time, then with just one report from him, both Tang Yao and Grandma Wu would have been doomed.

She hurriedly tucked the booklet into her backpack, wiped all traces off the bed, and slipped back into her own house. She had just pulled the quilt over herself when the front door was pushed open.

A dejected Tang Yao walked in, carrying an empty wooden bucket and a bundle of firewood strapped to her back, and approached the bed quietly.

Fang Mingxi pretended to kick off the blanket. Tang Yao immediately lit up, her earlier gloom swept away in an instant.

“Xixi, you’re awake! I thought you were still sleeping!” She set down the bucket and firewood, scooped up a ladle of water to wash her hands, and then lifted Fang Mingxi into her arms.

“I should’ve waited for you to go up the mountain with me. I didn’t find anything at all today.”

She wasn’t sure if it was bad luck or something else, but she had found absolutely nothing on the mountain, not even the spot where they had discovered porcini mushrooms yesterday. It was completely empty.

Thinking back to how she had only ever found things when she went with Fang Mingxi, Tang Yao couldn’t help wondering if their luck only worked when the two of them were together. That was why she had rushed down the mountain to see whether Fang Mingxi had woken up yet.

By chance, Fang Mingxi had indeed woken up. So Tang Yao decided she would head back to the mountain again in the afternoon to test whether it was really just bad luck today.

Fang Mingxi wrapped her arms around Tang Yao’s neck and sweetly called, “Older… sister.”

My older sister… We’re not lucky little destiny babies. Of course we won’t just stumble upon treasures for no reason.

Tang Yao helped Fang Mingxi get dressed and brought her outside to prepare lunch.

Lunch was simple. Tang Yao used a small portion of yesterday’s porcini to make soup and steamed half a potato for Fang Mingxi.

Fang Mingxi broke into a cold sweat watching Tang Yao pull food out from under the bed. If that man had stayed even a moment longer that morning, all of these things would have been gone, and they’d even have another reason to be reported.

The people in the cowshed sneaking up the mountain to find good things, there wasn’t an explicit rule forbidding it, but their status was special. If someone accused them of privately hoarding collective property, every word of that accusation could cost them their lives.

Her eyes flickered. She dropped to the ground, shakily crawling under the bed, then immediately scrambled back out.

The potato was done. Tang Yao blew on it, peeled back the skin, scooped a bit of mashed potato with a wooden spoon, and fed it to Fang Mingxi.

It didn’t have much salt, but Fang Mingxi happily ate it. Compared to rice soup or malted milk, potatoes were filling and kept hunger away far longer.

The two sisters didn’t bother going back inside. They simply sat outdoors, side by side at the edge of a field, eating in the open air. A soft breeze blew past as they watched the wheat stalks sway, passing time in quiet peace.

But Fang Mingxi felt something was off. For some reason, Tang Yao didn’t look very happy eating her potato.

She followed Tang Yao’s movements and saw her staring blankly at the half potato in her hand. There was even a glimmer of tears at the corner of her eyes.

Fang Mingxi tugged her sleeve and softly called, “O-older… sister?” What’s wrong?

Tang Yao wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “What’s wrong, Xixi? Did you pee?”

Fang Mingxi crawled onto her lap, burying her head against her chest and rubbing her softly.

Don’t cry. Things will get better. You just have to endure for a few more years. Everything will get better.

The child’s soft little body rubbed against her, easing Tang Yao’s sadness little by little. She hugged Fang Mingxi tightly, rested her chin on the fluffy little head, and let out a small laugh.

“Xixi, thank goodness I still have you.”

…

After delivering lunch to the adults, Tang Yao carried Fang Mingxi on her back and headed toward the mountain again.

With experience comes courage. Though she still felt nervous whenever she saw outsiders, as long as no one approached her, she wasn’t as afraid anymore.

The adults at home had been busy recently, so the brigade’s children quickly grew bored of the fields. One after another, small groups formed, each child carrying a tiny bamboo basket as they marched toward the mountain.

In just a few steps, the two of them encountered at least three groups of children heading up.

Everyone avoided them as if they were the plague. That made Tang Yao anxious, more people meant a smaller chance of finding porcini.

So when they met the fourth group, Tang Yao immediately made a decision. She turned around and went back down the mountain, planning to head north to Maple Leaf Mountain to collect firewood instead.

That was the mountain they usually visited. Few people explored the area, but who knew, maybe they would run into a surprise.

Fang Mingxi agreed. Fewer people meant an easier time activating her golden finger. She could activate it now, yes, but the moment she entered the forest, every child on the mountain would be trapped in a maze.

If the time wasn’t up, they wouldn’t be able to get out.

The decision proved correct. As soon as they descended, they ran into several members of the He family siblings walking up the path.

Both sides met face-to-face.

He Lei snorted unhappily, rolled his eyes at them, and pulled He Xi along as he headed up the mountain.

He Xi glanced at the pair before turning her head and following.

He Tian deliberately lagged behind, giving Tang Yao a quick up-and-down look. Seeing that the wooden bucket she carried was empty, he silently breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to catch up to his older brother.

Tang Yao kept her head lowered and didn’t notice their scrutiny, but Fang Mingxi saw everything clearly. Her expression immediately turned into that classic “subway grandpa staring at phone” look. Watching the children walk away, her mouth twitched.

What was that? Why do they all look at us like we’re thieves? What’s wrong with these kids?

Fang Mingxi almost laughed out of anger. Not only did she get an inexplicable eye-roll, she even had to endure being despised by a bunch of brats.

She rolled her eyes right back.

Nothing good ever comes from crossing paths with destiny-favored brats. Her good mood for the day was completely ruined.

…

Though people rarely visited the northern side of Maple Leaf Mountain, the rugged path still had a faint trail.

Tang Yao, panting heavily, carried Fang Mingxi up the slope. The path was far worse than the southern mountain, full of thorny shrubs and tall weeds reaching up to their waists.

Fang Mingxi’s heart ached at the sight. Tang Yao’s calves were covered in tiny cuts from the thorns.

And inside the grass were some unknown type of mosquitoes. In just a few minutes, the two of them had already been bitten several times, each bite swelling into huge welts.

Fang Mingxi activated the exploration function. In the blink of an eye, they slipped into the forest.

She then used the panel’s search function to check if anyone else was nearby. Seeing no red dots, she opened the underground scan to look for hidden items.

This was a bonus feature she had discovered recently. With it, she no longer had to search manually for food with large yields.

The panel showed two plants nearby, white sweet potatoes that could be eaten as both fruit and vegetable, and an orange tree.

The orange tree was closest. It was full of fruit. Fang Mingxi quickly tapped “delete,” causing the orange tree to disappear from sight.

Fruit trees were too conspicuous and couldn’t be picked clean quickly. And the yield was huge.

If Tang Yao told the adults tonight and they all came together to pick oranges but found nothing but bare branches… that would be a joke she couldn’t explain away.

But food buried underground was different. No one could tell how much there was. Later tonight she could blend in and quietly collect it.

They reached the area marked for white sweet potatoes. Fang Mingxi wriggled, wanting to get down.

Tang Yao was exhausted, so she crouched down and carefully set her on the ground before sitting behind a large tree to fan herself.

“Xixi, be careful. Don’t run around. There are lots of thorns. You might get scratched.”

Fang Mingxi crawled away, giving a half-hearted nod.

I know. But I’m still not listening.

She crawled ten steps behind the big tree and reached the patch of white sweet potatoes. Their vines were lush and green, covering the ground in thick, tangled layers stretching far beyond what her eyes could see.

Fang Mingxi stared at the endless field of sweet potatoes, drool almost dripping.

Dear heavens… so many!!!