Chapter 25

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Chapter 25: Within the dark eyes, astonishment and resignation gave way to panic…

Outside, rain poured as though the heavens had cracked open. Water swiftly pooled beneath the broken roof sections of the Mountain Spirit Temple.

Chu Xiulan took the little one’s bird-printed clothes to a leak near the wooden cart, scrubbing them with rainwater. Nearing dusk without the morning’s sun, she dared not bathe the child too. Without soap, she could only rub vigorously. The tiny garments required little time; after several washes, she wrung them dry and returned.

The downpour chilled the air, yet their hurried journey left no time to gather firewood. Even the guards had no campfire. The damp clothes were draped over the cart’s handles.

On the plank bed, the little one—now wearing Qin Chongli’s oversized prison shirt—lay blowing earnestly at the flattened Cloud ears.

"Yao Yao, what are you doing?" Chu Xiulan fastened the clothes and sat the child upright.

"Blow wind, dry fast, eat." The little one clutched the nearest Cloud ears, dark eyes fixed on Chu Xiulan. "Auntie, dry?"

"…Mouth-blowing won’t dry these. They need the wind outside." Chu Xiulan placed the still-damp Cloud ears back on the plank.

The little one froze, then shot Du Yinsui an accusing glare.

Du Yinsui slowly averted her gaze, feigning ignorance.

"Sick Sick!" The little one scrambled up, hands on hips.

"Careful where you step!" Chu Xiulan pulled her back. "Don’t call Sister Du ‘Sick Sick.’ Say ‘sister.’"

The little one pointed furiously. "Bad sick… Bad sister! She said mouth-blowing dries faster!"

Du Yinsui: "…" So very Qin family—polite even when furious.

"Sister Du teased you. She isn’t bad." Chu Xiulan gave Du Yinsui an apologetic look and hugged the child.

Poor Chu Xiulan! After being overheard calling her "Miss Pig," she’d promised to approach the Wei family girl again for information—without gifts. Merely anticipating it mortified her. Still, Miss Du had graciously forgiven her.

Or so Chu Xiulan thought.

The moment she finished defending Du Yinsui, the girl turned back.

"Who’s bad? I lent clothes to someone who had none, and she complains?" Du Yinsui stuck out her tongue. "Mouth-blowing *is* faster… for a second or two."

Chu Xiulan: "…" Perhaps the "Miss Pig" incident wouldn’t be forgotten after all.

"You bad!" The little one writhed, lunging for the plank.

"Put her down. Let them fight." Qin Chongli waved dismissively at his daughter-in-law.

*Heaven help me*, he mused, recalling past court events where the Emperor showcased the Crown Prince—while here, two youngsters bickered over clothes… Let them brawl!

Chu Xiulan hesitated one second too long. The little one squirmed free like a slippery calf.

"Hey—" Worried for Du Yinsui’s injury, Chu Xiulan reached out, only to see the child hoisted aloft by one hand.

Qin Chongli’s prison shirt hung loosely, but Du Yinsui had knotted the back into a snug fit. Her handiwork proved useful—she gripped that knot and lifted the flailing treasure.

"Yao Yao’s got some weight! That strength… impressive." Qin Chongli stared, momentarily forgetting emperors and crown princes, as Du Yinsui single-handedly held the kitten-fierce Xiaobao.

"Passable. Merely adequate." Du Yinsui saw no need to hide her unusual strength—she’d require it soon enough.

Her strength had just regained a bit of stability, barely that of an average adult man. During her peak in the apocalyptic times, she could have rivaled several men. However, her enhanced strength, a byproduct of her olfactory mutation, was far less than that of formal strength mutants.

In the apocalypse, she, as a scent mutant, worked like a scout, completing tasks from a safe distance far from danger, giving her a higher survival rate than direct-combat strength mutants. But in this situation, strength mutants were more useful; they could deal with a large wild boar with one punch or break a tree with a kick.

Qin Chongli had no idea what Du Yinsui was thinking. To him, lifting a struggling Xiaobao with one hand and staying as steady as a rock was impressive strength. Plus… Qin Chongli glanced at the small dent in the cart, made by Du Yinsui with just one stone strike that morning, something he couldn’t manage.

A one-sided fight couldn’t happen.

Fortunately, the sudden downpour ended before dark.

Though the rain stopped, the temperature didn’t rise. This night would likely be colder than the last.

Du Yinsui glanced at the little creature, once all claws and fangs, now sneaking closer for warmth, and pulled it into her arms. She turned to Chu Xiulan: "The guards are picking people again, probably to gather firewood. Take me this time; the cart can haul more."

Chu Xiulan weakly said, "Isn’t it possible that taking just the cart without you could haul even more?"

"I’ll take you," said Jiang Wu, who had been silent nearby.

Du Yinsui shook her head at Chu Xiulan, "Tsk tsk, look at him, no wonder there’s no ‘you all,’ just ‘you.’"

Chu Xiulan: "…" Great, she knew the ‘Pig Girl’ slip-up wouldn’t fade easily.

Fine, maybe she was the only one who misspoke it a few times, but when Du girl found out, Jiang Wu jumped up with, "Not you all, just me!" That was too loyal!

The guards still chose women to gather firewood, but more than the previous night. According to Tan Wang, it might rain again tonight. The Mountain Spirit Temple’s gate was half-collapsed, and the roof had big holes; the night would get colder, so more fire pits were needed.

Ma Datou came to pick people near the Qin family. Having seen them gather wildly in the Honeysuckle field before, when Jiang Wu insisted on bringing the cart and Du Yinsui, he hesitated briefly but agreed.

After all, handling the burden of the Deposed Crown Prince was easier with company; that was Ma Datou’s thought.

But soon, he saw that some people weren’t occasional gatherers; they were born to gather.

Four guards led groups in two directions from the Mountain Spirit Temple.

Ma Datou took Chu Xiulan, Jiang Wu, and the cart, plus Sun Xinang and Li Xiaojuan.

Having been scolded that morning, the mother-daughter pair stayed quiet, gathering firewood dutifully. But when they tried to load their wood onto the cart like Chu Xiulan, Du Yinsui shoved it to the ground.

"You bullied our Jiang Wu this morning; did you think we’d haul your wood now?" Du Yinsui smirked, putting on a wicked act, and snapped, "Carry it yourselves."

"This cart is empty anyway…" Li Xiaojuan, gathering wood for the first time, shook her sore hands, not wanting to reload, but Sun Xinang pulled her back.

"We’ll carry it," Sun Xinang coughed, hunched over, bending to lift the wood. She nearly slipped.

Du Yinsui felt the cart shake and saw pity in Jiang Wu’s eyes.

"Once, a man took his disabled wife to a lantern festival. Someone fell, and he felt so sorry, he let go of her hand to help. He saved that person, but his wife got kidnapped, and he lost her," Du Yinsui said fast to Jiang Wu, her face blank.

In his dark eyes, pity turned to shock and helplessness, even panic. Jiang Wu stayed silent, but the cart steadied.

Satisfied, Du Yinsui pointed to a rock ahead: "Park the cart there, then you can help Chu…"

Before she finished, Jiang Wu pushed the cart over, parked it, and rushed to where Chu Xiulan worked farther off.

"You scared me… why hurry? There’s plenty here; it won’t run away," Chu Xiulan patted her chest, smearing muddy Ground Cloud ears all over herself.

Great, just finished washing clothes for the little one, now back to washing her own.

Jiang Wu, head down gathering Ground Cloud ears, said nothing, but slowly turned red from face to ears.

Chu Xiulan noticed, curious, but she… didn’t ask!

Hmph!

Initially, he was the one who had sought her out for crickets, yet when trouble arose, it was as if she didn’t exist for him. True, she had uttered those words herself… Still, this guy—forsaking friends for a lover! Yes, forsaking friends for a lover! She wouldn’t ask! Unless… he volunteered. Chu Xiulan pricked up her ears while gathering the Ground Cloud ears little Du girl mentioned and edged closer to Jiang Wu. But Jiang Wu, lost in thoughts of "wife" and "bride," remained oblivious to her intense inner turmoil.

According to Du Yinsui, this Ground Cloud ears resembled the Cloud ears they’d picked from tree stumps at noon, but it grew in large patches on the ground, feeling softer, slimier, and dirtier. Had Du Yinsui not insisted it was edible, Chu Xiulan would never have stooped to touch it. One waited to hear, the other had nothing to say, so they silently harvested a heap of Ground Cloud ears.

When Chu Xiulan—already grimy—used her prison uniform as a sack and filled it, Ma Datou stood nearby with hands clasped behind his back and remarked, "Is this stuff really that tasty? What about the firewood? Don’t forget, you must gather one bundle each first. Only extras can be kept for your own fire. If you only collect this and freeze tonight, don’t come crying."

Firewood was essential. They’d already gathered one bundle on the cart during their journey. One more bundle, and the rest could be theirs. Though firewood mattered, these Ground Cloud ears were food! Seeing the gloomy yet bright sky, they sped up their harvesting under Ma Datou’s nagging.

Ma Datou thought, "Fine. If you hadn’t rushed to catch up last time, you’d have picked every honeysuckle on that hillside, wouldn’t you?"

The cart rolled on, loaded with a firewood bundle and a large pile of Ground Cloud ears. Ma Datou assumed they’d focus on firewood now—but no. The supposed "burden" on the cart seemed unnaturally sharp-eyed. After moving just a short distance, before even half a firewood bundle was gathered, a small heap of mushrooms appeared beside the sticky black Ground Cloud ears…

Though mushrooms were common after rain, finding them this quickly defied reason. Suddenly in no hurry to return, Ma Datou decided to watch how much more they’d gather.

Here, Du Yinsui—relying on brief scent-memory boosts that made her point erratically—directed the picking. Another scrambled about plucking clusters, while Ma Datou watched, hands behind his back. All grew more absorbed and merry.

But those lagging behind suffered, hauling two piles of firewood.

"Mother, can’t we drop these and collect them on our way back?" Li Xiaojuan complained, her clothes filthy from damp wood.

"What if we don’t return this way? Our effort would be wasted," Sun Xinang said grimly, eyeing the group ahead who showed no sign of turning back. She tore a vine from a tree, cut it with a sharp stone, and ordered, "Tie the wood to carry it. Then we’ll gather more."

"Tie it? And gather more?" Li Xiaojuan recoiled. "Mother, let me ask Jiang Wu for a pancake! He’d surely lend us the cart now!"

Her front was already dirty; now her back would be too—unbearable!

"Blaming me?" Sun Xinang paused her tying to look up.

"…No." Li Xiaojuan turned away.

"If you’d won his favor earlier, you’d be riding that cart. Would we need to beg?" Sun Xinang bent to tighten the vines.

"Mother, what did you say?" Li Xiaojuan stared, doubting her ears.

"Nothing." Sun Xinang smiled warmly. "Come, carry this while I tie the rest."

On the cart, the mushroom pile now matched the Ground Cloud ears. Unable to resist, Ma Datou finally stepped closer and sifted through the haul.

"Are all these mushrooms edible?" Ma Datou asked. Though he was from the countryside, mushroom picking was a woman’s job at home, so he couldn’t tell the difference.

"Hard to say, not necessarily," Du Yinsui paused, choosing her words carefully. "Sort them after picking. Eat what’s edible and throw away what’s not; I’ll eat them."

"Do we need to give some of these Ground Cloud ears and mushrooms to you?" Chu Xiulan asked quickly.

Ma Datou pinched a small bit of the black, slippery stuff with disgust. He meant to sniff it but couldn’t stand the feel, letting it drop halfway. "Forget it, you eat it yourselves—looks nasty. We don’t want the mushrooms either. If you missed a poisonous one, well, you’d be the ones to suffer."

Disgust didn’t bother Chu Xiulan, who hadn’t been full since going to prison.

While they spoke, Du Yinsui sorted fast through the mushroom pile. She realized her mistake: things that might be poisonous got extra watch from the guards. Sadly, Du Yinsui knew few mushroom types. From the big heap, she only spotted edible ones like oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, white mushrooms, and termite mushrooms.

Du Yinsui split the mushrooms into two piles quickly.

"Sir, what are those two doing back there?" Du Yinsui said, pretending to turn her head after hearing noise behind.

Ma Datou looked back and saw the mother and daughter far behind, squatting on the ground doing who knows what.

"You three stay put," Ma Datou ordered, then turned and shouted at the two, "What are you doing?"

"Take this pile and throw it away," Du Yinsui pointed to one separated pile, then to a nearby slope.

Jiang Wu moved to grab them, but Chu Xiulan stopped him. "I meant take them to throw out, not grab them."

Jiang Wu paused, then saw Du Yinsui with a mushroom in her left hand and another in her right, eating fast.

"This pile…" Jiang Wu’s face changed, blocking her. "Is it poisonous?"

"No… just ugly," Du Yinsui pushed his hand away and kept eating.

Ma Datou rushed over to the mother and daughter, heart pounding, and found them tying firewood, not making trouble. He relaxed, glad his watching others pick mushrooms didn’t cause problems.

Sun Xinang moved slowly, and Ma Datou didn’t help. Luckily, the three stayed still when told.

Just as the two finished loading the firewood, the pair at the cart suddenly ran toward the nearby slope.

Ma Datou’s heart raced, wishing he had a dart to throw—shouting didn’t scare them.

Poor Ma Datou, old as he was, ran fast, only to see them stop at the slope, shake their hands, and wander back.

"What are you up to now?" Ma Datou said, out of breath by the cart.

"Throwing the poisonous ones far away so no one picks them by mistake," Du Yinsui said firmly.

Ma Datou glanced at the cart and saw the mushroom pile was half gone. Fine…

"Tell me next time," Ma Datou tapped the cart handle, annoyed.

"Of course, of course," Chu Xiulan said, just returning and hearing the end. She nudged Jiang Wu and pointed at Du Yinsui’s mouth corner.

"You’ve got mushroom juice on your mouth," Jiang Wu whispered beside Du Yinsui.

Chu Xiulan: "…"

She hadn’t told Du Yinsui directly—was it because she had no mouth?

Jiang Wu looked up and saw Chu Xiulan rolling her eyes at the sky, confused and still confused.

"We should head back," Ma Datou checked the sky and pointed right. "Go a bit further that way, then return. Gather firewood on the way—put some effort in! See that mother and daughter? They’ve each got a bundle, and you only have one and a half!"

The night was cold; they needed a fire to cook those Ground Cloud ears and mushrooms. They should gather firewood, unless… If Ma Datou’s direction didn’t lead to a bamboo grove smelling of bamboo rats, they would have tried harder!