Even in a famine, there's no panic; the eldest sister has stockpiled plenty of money and grain.

"Seventh brother, don't use your seniority to put Bai girl in a bad mood."

"Tiger and his brother did something wrong, so they have to be punished."

“Since they destroyed the bamboo pipes that Bai Yatou set up, let’s use the pipes you made to fill in the gaps for now. Also, let Hu Zi and Qian Yatou help Bai Yatou carry water and irrigate the fields for a day.”

"Bai girl, what do you think?"

The clan chief also knew that this was not something that could be started. The bamboo pipes for drawing water could not be used as soon as they were cut down. They had to be dried in the shade, soaked in water, and boiled. This required a lot of effort.

If we let this matter go so easily, there's no guarantee that other families won't do the same thing in the future.

His eyes darkened slightly.

The water in that river may not be enough to irrigate all the fields.

"I'll listen to Grandpa."

Jiang Bai was overjoyed to have gained two laborers for free.

She originally didn't have time to go up the mountain, but now that these two laborers are helping out, she's able to spare some time.

Jiang Bai dragged away a lot of processed bamboo tubes from the old house.

The next day, Jiang Songhu and his companion reluctantly went to the riverbank and carried water to irrigate Jiang Bai's fields.

She wasn't worried about them disobeying, because Jiang Bai had said that if they didn't work properly, she would sabotage the old house when the pipes were installed.

The old house has much more land than hers.

Even so, Jiang Bai still had Jiang Lu watch over the two of them from the side.

He then walked up Pingshan Mountain.

Pingshan is located east of Jiangjia Village. The mountain is covered with dense trees and deep forests. There are professional hunters in the village who go up the mountain every day to hunt or set traps. If they catch prey, they take it to the county to sell during the market. Some wealthy families like to eat this.

Jiang Bai carried a basket on his back.

"Da Ya, where are you going?"

Villagers who were weeding in the fields greeted him from afar.

"Uncle, I'm going to the mountain to pick some wild vegetables."

Jiang Bai answered crisply, but her voice was naturally soft and weak.

"There may be large tigers in those mountains, so don't go too far in."

"Okay, Uncle, thank you."

Jiang Bai kept walking, encountering many people along the way, whose smiles almost made her face stiff.

As we got closer to the mountain, the land finally became a bit overgrown, covered with weeds that were lush and green, looking exceptionally vibrant.

Jiang Bai was somewhat tempted. No one had cultivated this area at the foot of the mountain because wild beasts would often come out and trample the crops. All the hard work of the year would be in vain.

If the time is right later, we can cultivate some more land and plant some grain.

The thought flashed through Jiang Bai's mind, and he followed the path that everyone had trodden into the mountain.

Many wild vegetables at the foot of the mountain have been picked, leaving the ground bare in patches of green. It doesn't look nice, but at least it's safe.

"Sister Daya, you've come to pick wild vegetables too?"

Several girls, around eight or nine years old, carrying baskets on their backs, greeted us warmly.

Jiang Bai nodded, walked around them, and headed into the mountains.

"I heard that Da Ya is going to find a husband to marry into her family."

"Can she recruit anyone?"

"Who would be willing to come to our door?"

"..."

The voices faded into the distance. The girls thought they were speaking very softly, but Jiang Bai, with all five senses, heard them clearly.

She continued walking without stopping, going further into Pingshan.

The road became narrower and narrower, and only hunters would venture into it. Under normal circumstances, people would not come in because the grass was much taller, and snakes often appeared in the grass.

Once upon a time, a young girl saw that there were many wild vegetables in this place and came in regardless of the danger. She happened to encounter a long worm, which bit her. When she was found, she was already dead.

"Da Ya."

There was a clump of wild vegetables growing well nearby. Jiang Bai paused slightly, wondering whether to pick some and take them home, when he suddenly heard a panting sound behind him.

The person stood at the entrance to the mountain, his forehead covered in sweat; he must have come all the way here.

Jiang Bai's memories churned like boiling water. She stood still, looking at the newcomer, mimicking the original owner's reaction, and greeted him with a slightly shy smile: "Second Brother."

Jiang Erlai saw her heading into the mountains from afar and hurried over as fast as he could.

When I got there, I didn't know what to say for a moment.

He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his face gradually turning red.

She is still so beautiful.

The tips of her ears also turned red.

"I'm sorry, Daya."

He stammered as he spoke, explaining that he was heartbroken when he learned that his mother had broken off his engagement with Daya. He had tried to refuse, but his mother refused no matter what she said, even threatening suicide, so he had no choice but to agree.

He had planned to apologize to her the next day, but she hanged herself that very night, which made him feel even worse.

But his mother wouldn't allow him to visit.

After all that happened, he was even more ashamed to show his face.

This was the first time the two had met since the annulment of their engagement, and he didn't know why he had called out to her.

He knew he was wrong and shouldn't have listened to his mother in everything.

But his mother had raised him with great difficulty, and when it came to choosing a daughter-in-law, he always wanted her to be someone he could be happy with.

He didn't understand either. Mingming's mother used to be very satisfied with Daya. Although she had complained that Daya was too weak, she felt that as long as he liked her, that was enough. She was usually good to her.

Why did her mother's attitude change just because Uncle Anliang left?

Jiang Erlai was very puzzled, but he couldn't figure it out. He asked his mother, who said that Jiang had harmed his parents.

The two looked at each other in silence, and after saying "I'm sorry," they had nothing more to say.

Seeing him standing awkwardly in place, Jiang Bai sighed silently.

"Brother Erlai, you have nothing to apologize to me for."

"Marriage is meant to bring good between two families, not to create enmity, right?"

Jiang Bai didn't show much emotion, after all, she wasn't the original owner of this body.

“You… I’ve heard there are a few unmarried young men in the surrounding villages, but they’re all quite young. If you really want to find a husband for your wife, you could ask someone to inquire about them.” Having run out of things to say, Jiang Erlai remembered her desire to find a husband for her and didn’t see anything wrong with it. On the contrary, he sincerely recommended a few men to her.

Jiang Bai vaguely remembered them; they were all young men from neighboring villages, between fifteen and sixteen years old. Many of them were brothers who couldn't afford to get married and were waiting for the government to arrange marriages for them.

The family is destitute; if Jiang Bai can afford the price, he might actually be able to bring the person back.

He spoke with such seriousness that it was clear his advice was sincere.

Jiang Bai: "..."

What should you do if your ex-fiancé sincerely introduces you to potential partners?

"Okay, I'll ask someone to help me ask later," Jiang Bai replied, somewhat awkwardly but politely.

"Did you come up the mountain to pick wild vegetables?"

"Ah."

"Then let me help you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Erlai deftly picked the wild vegetables that Jiang Bai had previously chosen and put them into Jiang Bai's basket.

"Ah... Brother Erlai, I don't need your help, I can manage on my own."

He moved so fast that Jiang Bai didn't have time to stop him before he had already put it in.

She didn't actually come here to pick wild vegetables!

Jiang Bai wanted to cry but had no tears.

"It's okay, I'll help you pick them faster." Jiang Er felt extremely guilty and knew that there was no possibility between them. He did these things not because he couldn't let go, but because he wanted to do something for her so that he wouldn't feel so bad.

"I see there are more over there, I'll pick them for you."

Without stopping, he headed towards another clump of wild vegetables.

"Eh……"

Jiang Bai couldn't stop him, so he had no choice but to pick wild vegetables himself.

Whether it was luck or something else, Jiang Bai had his eye on a clump of grass and was about to make his move when suddenly a black snake darted out of the grass and lunged straight at Jiang Bai's face.