"Brother Zheng, I'll take you up to see," Tian Jing leaped down, carrying Li Zhengguo to the treetop.
Standing on the treetop and looking back, Li Zhengguo raised the original map in his hand.
"Looking down from here is completely different from the map. But what do the map and the arrow mean?"
Tian Jing led him down. "It's getting late, let's go back first, and come again tomorrow."
...
After dinner, by the light of the kerosene lamp, Li Zhengguo continued to study the map by the cutting board.
Tian Jing handed her daughter to her mother-in-law and returned to the kitchen. Seeing her husband so diligent, she teased him about being a money-grubber.
Li Zhengguo put down the drawings. "Aren't I doing this for you and Grandpa Chen? If Chen Guangfu and his son hadn't shown up, we wouldn't be so passive."
Tian Jing, however, stepped to his side and picked up the two drawings from the cutting board.
Li Zhengguo was startled by his wife. Then he saw his wife place the two drawings on top of each other and hold them up to the kerosene lamp.
Through the lamplight, the two overlapping drawings clearly revealed a complete map of another appearance.
Looking at the new map, Li Zhengguo exclaimed, "So it's not in that valley, but in another mountain range. They really know how to set up a diversion."
These past few days, Li Zhengguo had practically etched the terrain of the two mountain ranges and their surroundings into his mind.
So, when he looked at it, he knew where it was.
The map quickly faded, leaving only a mountain range and two small hilltops.
Between these two small hilltops was a crescent-shaped valley.
The original map flickered, and soon, the two hilltops disappeared.
Tian Jing was surprised. She took it back to examine it. There was nothing left on the original map, only the drawing she had made remained unchanged.
Tian Jing thought of trying other methods to see if the original map could reappear.
Li Zhengguo stopped her. "Don't look anymore. We've already remembered the figures that appeared. But why did you think of overlapping the two papers to look?"
"Didn't you say 'copy paper' would appear?"
Li Zhengguo paused, then chuckled softly. "Father and son? Copy paper? My sweetie is really good at listening. Is this a fluke?"
It was like the original map that had been heated by the lamp just now.
"Sweetie, let's put this map back into the gold lock..."
Tian Jing turned and pounced on her husband. When she saw her husband's cunning look, her heart raced.
Li Zhengguo was, of course, very welcoming.
...
At the Tian family's home, it was the second branch's turn to feed the pigs today.
Chen Yun, with her eldest daughter-in-law, carried the pig feed to the backyard.
At this moment, her face was full of anger because her mother-in-law had said that the pigsty needed to be cleaned today.
Why should it be the second branch's turn to feed the pigs and then clean the pigsty?
"Li Fu's wife, you go in and shovel the pig manure."
Tian Lifu's wife was reluctant, but she dared not disobey her mother-in-law, especially since she had given birth to two daughters.
Standing on the stones outside the pigsty, Tian Lifu's wife scooped out a few shovelfuls, and only then was there space to step in the pigsty.
She jumped into the pigsty and shoveled around the pigs.
Huh? This shovel sounds wrong?
She overturned the pig manure on the shovel and dug through it with the shovel, uncovering a golden object.
She bent down and picked it up. "Mother, what is this?"
Chen Yun, who was stirring the pig feed, wanting it to cool down faster, immediately threw down the stirring stick when she saw the color.
"Let me see."
Tian Lifu's wife handed the object covered in pig manure to her mother-in-law.
Chen Yun pinched a corner disdainfully and bent down to wipe it on the ground.
A small key appeared.
A golden key?
These three words flashed through Chen Yun's mind.
She didn't recognize gold before, but after seeing those two large gold bars, she learned what gold was.
Before, she didn't know her family had a gold key like Tian Jing's. When those arrogant couple came to find her father-in-law and argued, she heard the words "gold key."
Could this be it?
She looked around, rubbed the gold key on herself, and put it in her pocket.
"Li Fu's wife, you didn't see anything just now."
Tian Lifu's wife glanced at her mother-in-law, lowered her head, and softly replied, "Mm."
...
County scrap yard.
The receiver opened the gate, tidied up his belongings in the lounge, and started a fire to boil water.
He casually threw the leftover cold tea from the previous night out the door. As he turned, something flashed in his eyes.
What was that?
He walked towards the pile of scrap metal that was emitting a light.
When he saw the source of the light, he was so delighted that he almost dropped his newly bought tea mug.
He picked up a golden lock, which was half the size of an ordinary door lock, and looked up at the sky, the courtyard wall of the scrap yard, and the gate he had just opened.
This was truly a stroke of financial luck; not even the gate and courtyard wall could stop it!
...
The watermelon seedlings could be planted. Tian Jing and her husband temporarily put aside the matter of finding Misty Valley and devoted themselves to planting the watermelon seedlings.
The vegetable shed was left to Li's mother to watch, and the three Yang brothers and Chen Suozhu all went to the hillside orchard to plant seedlings.
Li Liguo and Li Jianguo also went to help.
Li Weikang also ran over. His money was all spent, and if he didn't earn some more, he and his brother would have to live on air.
The kitchen was entirely handed over to Afeng, and Li's mother still felt a bit overwhelmed.
Because the vegetable shed was divided into three sections, even if she didn't need to carry water, watering alone took her half a day.
She then realized that her daughter hadn't visited for a few days and took her water ladle to find her daughter at the Chen family's home.
Li Min hurriedly complained to her mother that her elder brother had grounded her.
Li's mother waved her hand and left. "Serves you right. It's good that he grounded you. Since you can't help, I will suggest to your elder brother that the watermelon dividends today will only be given to Chen Suozhu. You won't get any."
Hmph, you want to share the money without working? How could such a good thing happen?
"Mother, Mother, I know I was wrong. Please tell my elder brother for me." Li Min cried out anxiously.
Li's mother waved her hand without looking back. "When your elder brother remembers you, he'll lift the restriction."
"Mother~"
Li Min, hugging her younger son, stomped her feet anxiously. Her mother didn't care about her anymore.
Brother Suozhu also didn't dare to disobey his elder brother's orders. She truly regretted it now.
...
Grandpa Xiao found a chess partner.
It was Doctor Yang.
The two had common topics and shared sentiments.
They also had equally matched chess skills.
Grandpa Xiao wondered how a doctor, without an opponent, maintained his chess skills.
"I play against myself." Doctor Yang made a move with his horse. "Check."
He glanced at Xiao Shuyuan behind Grandpa Xiao. "Why are you following me? This is just a poor mountain village. Go and help quickly. The Li family is almost overwhelmed."
Grandpa Xiao, being checked, quickly moved his chariot to block the knight's path. "Yes, A Yuan, go and see if there's anything you can help with. If not, help Afeng light the fire."
Grandpa Xiao also felt uncomfortable being followed.
Xiao Shuyuan was worried. "Grandpa, you must wait for me to pick you up."
"Alright, alright, hurry up and go."
Grandpa Xiao casually agreed. He had walked through this mountain from west to east and east to west how many times? Couldn't he find his way home?
Doctor Yang also agreed. "I'll have Yuan Man take your grandpa home."
Tian Jing saw Xiao Shuyuan return alone and asked curiously, "Where is Grandpa?"
"He's playing chess at Doctor Yang's house. They said I was in the way and told me to come back and help."
"Oh, go and help water the plants in the vegetable shed, and then pick some vegetables to give to Doctor Yang. Doctor Yang likes our vegetables."
"Okay, okay."
Xiao Shuyuan carried a basket of vegetables to the clinic. Doctor Yang raised his hand and swept the chessboard over.
"I'm not playing anymore. Yuan Man, quickly wash two cucumbers for me."
"Okay."
"I'll wash them." Xiao Shuyuan offered to help.
Doctor Yang disagreed. "Take your grandpa home to eat. Everything here is mine."
Grandpa Xiao chuckled. "Alright, we'll go home and eat. The vegetables we grow ourselves taste different. I also like eating them raw."
Doctor Yang would never tell this happier old man that the vegetables grown by his granddaughter's family tasted the best.