Chapter 45: The Chinese Toon Tree

Chapter 45: The Chinese Toon Tree

After the meal, Li Daniu returned to the Liu family to inform them that Qin Xiaoyao would help with selling vegetables the following day. Then, she brought her tools back to the Song family and accompanied Qin Xiaoyao into the mountains.

"We've probably exhausted all the good resources in these outer mountains. We'll have to venture deeper to find anything valuable," Qin Xiaoyao led Li Daniu further into the depths of the forest.

"True, but the deeper we go, the more dangerous it gets. Us women... what if something happens?" Li Daniu was rather apprehensive.

Qin Xiaoyao glanced back at Li Daniu.

Forgive her for being unobservant, but it was truly difficult to perceive any particularly "feminine" traits in Li Daniu.

Of course, Qin Xiaoyao herself was likely more masculine than Li Daniu at this point.

Cough, forget it. No need to dwell on this matter.

"We're not going too deep into the mountains, just exploring the nearby peaks."

"I've been here before and didn't encounter any wild beasts."

It would be great if she could encounter a beast. Slaying one for its meat and hide could earn her a small fortune.

"Well... Alright then." Li Daniu had no choice but to agree.

Indeed, if we're only talking about these mountains on the outskirts of the deep mountainous region, there should be no real danger, right?

With these thoughts in mind, the two quickly ascended the mountain where they had previously dug for yams.

Before long, the two of them stumbled upon an unexpected delight.

"Th-Third Sister San Ya! T-Turns out this is yam, right?!" Li Daniu was so surprised she nearly lost her voice.

She recalled it vividly and was absolutely certain she wasn't mistaken!

Qin Xiaoyao, who was walking not too far away, promptly halted in her tracks.

She hurried to Li Daniu's side and, upon closer inspection, confirmed that it was indeed a yam vine.

"Well, it truly is a yam vine! Looks like we're in for another fortunate find!" With that, Qin Xiaoyao set down the basket on her back.

Li Daniu followed suit, putting down her own basket and retrieving her tools, ready to work.

The two of them quickly got to work and, before long, they had dug up nearly forty pounds of yams.

Li Daniu gazed at their harvest with evident delight.

"Big Sister San Ya, can you still split these yams with me, giving me twenty percent?" With an expectant look, she turned to Qin Xiaoyao.

Although she had been the one to spot the yams, it was San Ya who had done most of the laborious digging. Moreover, without San Ya, these yams might not even make it to the Laifu Building for sale.

Qin Xiaoyao wiped her sweat with a smile.

"What twenty percent? From now on, whenever we venture into the mountains together, we'll split our discoveries 60-40, with me taking 60 and you taking 40!"

She had initially intended to propose a fifty-fifty split, but upon reflection, she acknowledged that her greater strength had indeed played a bigger role in their endeavor.

Next, she encouraged Daniu to join her. By taking more for herself, she could exhibit the aura of a gang leader, right?

Li Daniu's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Woah, Sister San Ya, you're too kind!" She almost dashed forward to give Qin San Ya a bear hug.

She had misunderstood in the past. Her Sister San Ya was a good person, one of the best in the world!

Qin Xiaoyao felt a chill run down her spine and quickly looked away.

"We've only walked a short distance, yet we've found more yam. It seems there's an abundance of them in this area, or perhaps even all over this mountain," Qin Xiaoyao analyzed.

If that were true, she could continue earning money from these yams.

Upon hearing this, Li Daniu was even more thrilled than Qin Xiaoyao.

"There's more? Then what are we waiting for? Let's keep searching!" she suggested.

Qin Xiaoyao glanced at the dug-out yams and said after some thought, "We still have to climb further up the mountain, and it won't be convenient carrying these yams. Let's find a spot to leave them temporarily. When we come back, we'll collect them then."

Despite her strength, she still needed to expend her extraordinary abilities to do so.

These past few days, most of the recovered energy within her body had been spent, leaving little for bodily recuperation.

It was essential to conserve energy whenever possible.

She also wanted to shed the excess weight on her body as soon as possible.

However, Li Daniu was somewhat hesitant.

"What if someone else picks them up—" These yams weighed at least forty pounds, which would amount to over two hundred copper coins.

If they were lost, she would probably be devastated.

"In these deep mountains and dense forests, who would come across them? Besides, not everyone knows that these yams are edible," Qin Xiaoyao responded.

"Well... that's true," Li Daniu finally agreed.

"Then let's hide them better." With that, Qin Xiaoyao took action herself.

Qin Xiaoyao smiled and offered assistance to Li Daniu.

In no time, they concealed the yams in a roadside bush.

Qin Xiaoyao even marked a nearby tree for reference.

"Let's go," she said to Li Daniu once they were done.

"Okay."

The two of them resumed their ascent up the mountain, proceeding slowly as they inspected the surrounding vegetation, wary of overlooking any yam vines.

Suddenly, Qin Xiaoyao made a discovery.

"There's another yam over here! Daniu, come quickly!" she called out to Li Daniu across the way.

Li Daniu's face lit up with delight, and she hurriedly rushed towards Qin Xiaoyao.

"Where are you, Sister San Ya?!" Having found more yams, she was elated.

"Over here! There are a few vines; let's dig and see."

Qin Xiaoyao immediately started digging with her hoe.

After the excavation, they didn't find as many yams as before, but still managed to gather over ten pounds.

"It seems there are quite a lot of yams on this mountain. If we're careful, we might uncover even more."

"Indeed!" Li Daniu nodded eagerly.

Since there weren't many yams this time, Qin Xiaoyao decided against hiding them by the road. Instead, she placed the tubers in her basket and continued up the mountain.

Before long, she stumbled upon another treasure.

This time, it wasn't yams, but rather, a fragrant chun tree.

Moreover, it was an extensive grove of Chinese toon trees! There were at least a hundred of them.

The nearest one was right beside her.

She was certain because her exceptional sense of smell had already detected the fragrance of the toon sprouts.

It was currently spring, the season when toon trees sprouted. This was a treasure!

"Did anyone ever tell you, Li Daniu, that you're a harbinger of good fortune?" Qin Xiaoyao suddenly asked Li Daniu.

If not for Daniu's insistence on not venturing too deep into the mountains today, she might not have come up this hill.

If she hadn't come, she wouldn't have discovered this new yam patch or these toon trees.

Toon sprouts were truly valuable vegetables.

Even in the pre-apocalyptic era, they were priced by the ounce.

"Aah?" Li Daniu was slightly confused.

A lucky star?

"Daniu, it seems we're truly on the path to prosperity this time," Qin Xiaoyao said, suppressing her excitement and turning to face Li Daniu with a serious expression.

Not only were the fragrant chun tree sprouts expensive, but they could also regrow after being picked. Typically, new shoots would emerge within two or three days.

This meant that these chun trees could provide them with an abundance of sprouts.

"Huh?" Li Daniu was still in a daze, though her heart was pounding faster.

"Sister San Ya—"

Suddenly, Qin Xiaoyao reached out and pulled over a small sapling growing upright nearby. Then, she plucked a fragrant chun sprout from one of its branches.

"Smell it—" She handed the sprout to Li Daniu.

Li Daniu brought it close to her nose and immediately detected a rich, aromatic scent.

"This is-" He asked Qin San Ya with a hint of confusion.