"I think we really need to talk to the town mayor about this, so we can make plans early."
"Mm, and we must also be careful. Although this place is not within the territory of the Ming Dynasty, it is close. I'm afraid they..."
Xin Ci didn't finish her words, but the captain and the others understood.
"Xin Ci, you don't need to worry. We have no quarrel with the Ming army. And when the Tatars and Japanese pirates attack, we will fight alongside them."
"But if they deliberately seek trouble with us, we will definitely not tolerate it. At the very least, we'll beat them black and blue."
"I like you all this way." The captain's words put her at ease. She then followed the captain to find Xiang Tong, leaving them enough sweet potatoes and potatoes, and not forgetting to leave some for Lan Tianyao and the others.
She had things to do today, so Fu Xin Ci didn't stay long. After explaining the matter, she left.
When she returned to the territory of Eagle Beak Cliff, she saw Uncle Qi personally directing people to till the slopes from a distance.
Surrounded by strong young men, the atmosphere was quite lively. She didn't go over to say hello.
She discreetly avoided being seen and quietly slipped home.
Fang Shi had previously suspected that her daughter might have sneaked out. However, with so many things happening at home today, she hadn't had time to look for her daughter.
Now, with lunch almost ready, she finally found an opportunity and came to the backyard to take a look.
To her surprise, she saw her daughter sitting by the window, measuring something with needle and thread.
Han Xue sat beside her, doing needlework, and occasionally looked up at her young lady.
Such a scene was rare, but Fang Shi was quite satisfied.
To her, as long as her daughter didn't go out, it was a good thing.
Seeing her mother's back as she tiptoed away, Fu Xin Ci slyly curved her lips.
The weather was getting hotter, so they had cold noodles for lunch.
After lunch, Fang Shi had a habit of resting. When she returned to her room to lie down, Fu Xin Ci also picked up a fan, leaned back in her rocking chair, and mused.
She thought that after she had worked hard to upgrade her space and brought her companions from the apocalypse, she could retire with peace of mind and live a quiet life of prosperity.
Who knew that plans could change faster than circumstances.
The secret order mentioned by Uncle Qi last night renewed her understanding of the shamelessness of those in power.
Fortunately, they were dealing with Uncle Qi. If it had been another military officer, their family might have been ruined.
After thinking about it, she decided that she had to go up the mountain with Qi He in a few days. The old ginseng in her space should also be put to good use.
It didn't have to be much, just two plants could be exchanged for a considerable amount of grain.
Then, she would have people openly go to the vicinity of the capital to exchange for grain.
Yes, this old ginseng would not be sold for any amount of silver, only exchanged for grain for the soldiers to eat in winter.
This would provide a source for the grain. Even if they didn't intentionally leak the news, those with intentions would investigate further.
They couldn't control what happened next.
Her only wish was for Uncle Qi and his son to gain a good reputation.
Fu Xin Ci made up her mind without consulting anyone, hoping only that the situation would develop in their favor.
When it was Qi He's day off, he had informed Grandpa Meng the night before that he and Sister Fu would be going up the mountain.
Grandpa Meng was a little puzzled. It used to be his granddaughter who was more eager to go up the mountain. Why was it Qi He this time?
He had known Qi He since he was a child and had a certain understanding of his character and way of handling things, so he didn't overthink it. He just reminded them to be careful and added the old saying, "Come back early."
"Grandpa Meng, we know. Don't worry."
Ning Er, upon hearing the news, chased after them. His sister and brother-in-law had already ridden away on their horses. He called out "brother-in-law" several times but received no reply.
Pouting, he was led back by his older brother.
Yu Er's mood was also not good. Ning Er was young and couldn't climb mountains, but he could. His sister and Brother Qi hadn't taken him. What a tragedy!
Fu Xin Ci never expected that Yu Er would even bring up "heavenly justice" just because she didn't take him up the mountain.
Qi He, already happy on the mountain, didn't think about his two younger brothers-in-law's resentment.
Looking at the continuous green mountains, Qi He's gaze swept over pine and cypress trees, then over Chinese toon, mulberry, and Chinese fringe tree, before finally resting on the clusters of mushrooms in the forest.
"There's a chance," Fu Xin Ci thought to herself.
Indeed, she understood Qi He very well.
Seeing so many mushrooms on the ground, Qi He couldn't bear to move.
"Sister Fu, should we pick all these mushrooms?"
"Of course. Especially these pine mushrooms, they aren't encountered at any time."
"Mm." With Sister Fu's support, Qi He immediately took action.
Soon, the basket that Fu Xin Ci had taken out was half-filled with mushrooms.
Seeing that it was almost enough, Fu Xin Ci released Xiao Bai from her space.
"Squeak squeak." Xiao Bai was very reluctant to do hard labor and wanted to protest.
Although Fu Xin Ci didn't say "protest invalid," the meaning was clear.
"Squeak squeak." This Bai wanted to run away from home.
"You'd only go from upstairs to downstairs, and you'd run back meowing if you saw Ning Er."
"Squeak~" Xiao Bai was depressed.
"As long as you can distract Qi He for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, you will have accomplished your mission."
"Squeak squeak." What reward would this Bai get?
"One yellow croaker."
"Squeak squeak." Two big ones.
"Deal."
Xiao Bai darted to Qi He's side and squeaked, "There are many mushrooms over there."
"Where? Let's go now." Qi He believed Xiao Bai's guidance implicitly. Although several years had passed, he still remembered how Xiao Bai had led them to find ginseng.
"Squeak." Ahead.
"Alright!" Qi He, carrying the basket, went to the treasure spot that Xiao Bai had found, completely ignoring his Sister Fu who was smiling like a little fox.
The mountains here were high and the forests were dense. Fu Xin Ci looked around and saw a shaded spot to her left. It was overgrown with weeds, and the soil was mainly composed of rotten fallen leaves. She unilaterally concluded that this place was very suitable for faking.
When she climbed up, she felt that this place was simply tailor-made for her idea.
Heh heh, the first step she took was to take out a small shovel from her space. She wouldn't forget that she was a professional at faking.
After she dug a few careful shovelfuls, a shallow pit about a foot deep appeared on the ground.
Thinking about the scene of digging for ginseng last time, she dug the pit even larger, and then dug downwards, trying her best to make the pit as deep as possible.
With grunts and heaves, she finally dug a decent pit. Then, she placed the two ginseng plants she had prepared in her space into the soil.
She covered it with soil and patted it firmly. If she hadn't been afraid of damaging the ginseng, she would have wanted to stand on the pit and stomp a few times; that would have made it more solid.