I Crossed Over with My Enemy, Only to Find Him Running the Empire - Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Wild Beans

One rabbit leg was snatched away by the quick-handed Wu Cuiyun, who giggled and hid in a corner to gnaw on it.

Zhang Jinhua left the other meaty hind leg untouched, carefully wrapping it in a lotus leaf before handing it to Wu Tiezhu. “Elderly, hurry up after you finish eating. Make a trip to town and deliver this to Canghai. He uses his brain so much at the academy; he needs something good to nourish himself.”

Wu Tiezhu quickly complied, taking the parcel of rabbit leg as if he had been assigned a glorious mission.

Li Qiaoqiao and Wu Ya exchanged a look but said nothing. Simultaneously, the image of Wu Canghai’s cold, calculating eyes floated through their minds.

This blatant favoritism who knew what kind of outcome it would nurture in the future?

After the meal, Wu Ya wiped his mouth and spoke casually. “Father, Mother, I see the weather is quite nice today. I’d like to head back into the mountains to see if I can try my luck again.”

He didn’t mention Physician Gong; he only framed it as “trying his luck.”

Sure enough, at the mention of entering the mountains, Wu Tiezhu’s expression changed. He waved his hands frantically. “I’m not going! After what I saw yesterday, I had nightmares all night! The mountains are eerie; it’s better to stay away for a while!”

He was clearly scared out of his wits.

Wu Duofu also coughed twice, rubbing his aching lower back. “I’m old and useless now; can’t climb mountains anymore. If you young people want to go, have a look. But come back early, don’t go deep.”

Zhang Jinhua frowned, clearly uneasy about her youngest son venturing into the mountains so soon after recovering.

At this moment, Li Qiaoqiao set down her bowl and spoke up. “Mother, let me accompany Tieniu. I’ve dug wild vegetables and cut pig grass at the foot of the mountain for years. I know the area like the back of my hand which paths are easy and which are treacherous. Besides, it’s our Fourth Branch’s turn to rest today; there aren’t any heavy chores.”

Her words were perfectly reasonable.

Zhang Jinhua looked at Li Qiaoqiao. Although this child-bride was thin, she was indeed a “mountain expert” and had a steady temperament. With her following him, she felt much more at ease.

“Fine then,” Zhang Jinhua finally relented, adding a warning, “Qiaoqiao, keep a close eye on him. Don’t let him run off blindly. Just stay on the outskirts, gather some firewood, and dig some wild vegetables. It doesn’t matter if you don’t catch anything, safety is paramount! You must be back before the sun sinks to the west!”

“Aye! Don’t worry, Mother, I’ll definitely look after Tieniu!” Li Qiaoqiao answered crisply.

…

The two of them packed lightly.

Wu Ya took a sharpened thick wooden stick for defense, while Li Qiaoqiao carried a small wicker back-basket containing a brush knife, hemp rope, and a small water pouch. They truly looked like they were heading out for work.

One after the other, they left the village and stepped onto the small path leading to the foot of the mountain.

The morning air carried a chill, but Li Qiaoqiao’s mood was anything but light. After walking a bit and confirming no one was around, she lowered her voice. “Wu Ya, this trip is mainly to see if there are any missed clues at that site from yesterday, and also to get a feel for the mountain. But don’t get your hopes up; the outskirts of this mountain have been stripped bare by the villagers. You have to race people just to dig wild vegetables, and wild game is nowhere to be seen.”

She paused, her tone becoming more serious. “If… and I mean if the family runs into real trouble later and desperately needs money, don’t you dare risk your life by pushing into the deep mountains. I have some things hidden away at the bottom of my chest, an old ginseng and a lingzhi mushroom I found by accident years ago. I’ve kept them well-hidden; in a critical moment, they should fetch enough silver to handle an emergency.”

Wu Ya looked at her deeply and nodded. “I understand.”

The two stopped talking and quickened their pace. As they moved further in, Li Qiaoqiao’s words were proven true. On both sides of the path, any edible wild vegetable had been dug up until only the root stubs remained, and even decent-looking dry branches had been gathered. Occasional small animal tracks could be seen on the ground, but the animals themselves were long gone.

As she walked, Li Qiaoqiao carefully observed the ground and surroundings, using her knife to part the grass. Her frown deepened.

“Wu Ya, look,” she pointed to a patch of soil that had clearly been turned over. “This was from digging wild vegetables. Looking at the tracks, it’s a fresh hole from the last day or two. And over there a piece of bark has been stripped off that tree. Only someone starving would do that.”

She sighed. “The mountain has been hollowed out. Life for the common people is too hard.”

She recalled how Wu Ya had managed to catch a rabbit yesterday by “dumb luck.” Looking at it now, that was a miracle; no wonder Zhang Jinhua had been so ecstatic.

Wu Ya also observed the surroundings with a heavy expression. “Since there’s no harvest here, we might as well head to the scene where Physician Gong was killed.”

…

They climbed up the rugged path, with Li Qiaoqiao in the lead, her eyes scanning the environment. Wu Ya followed, occasionally pushing aside branches that overhung the path to prevent them from scratching her.

“This is it,” Wu Ya said suddenly, pointing to a slightly disordered slope ahead.

Li Qiaoqiao looked. It was a steep slope where the grass and shrubs showed clear signs of being crushed and broken.

“This is where your eldest brother found the bodies?” Li Qiaoqiao asked, her gaze never leaving the slope.

Wu Ya nodded. “That day, Elder Brother slid down excitedly to pick up the rabbit, only to see Physician Gong lying there, already breathless. He was terrified and ran to report it. Later, the villagers kept coming and going, trampling the area into a mess.”

Li Qiaoqiao studied the terrain. The path was narrow, with a steep slope on one side and dense forest on the other. If one walked here at night, one would indeed need to be exceptionally careful. She looked from the bottom up, then from the top down, her brow furrowing slightly.

“It looks like Physician Gong and his apprentice intended to rush to the county seat overnight, only to be pushed down here,” Li Qiaoqiao analyzed. “A pity the scene was disturbed so badly. No clues left.”

Wu Ya sighed. “If only I had been the one to find it first, at least I know the importance of preserving the scene.”

They searched the area thoroughly, but as Wu Ya said, the official investigation and the villagers’ trampling had left the site in shambles. No valuable clues remained.

Li Qiaoqiao reached out to touch a bloodstain on a rock but quickly pulled her hand back.

“Forget it, let’s go back,” Wu Ya said gently, seeing her pale face.

Li Qiaoqiao nodded. Just as she was about to turn away, her eyes were drawn to a patch of yellow-green plants nearby. She squinted, her eyes suddenly lighting up, and she hurried toward them.

“What is it?” Wu Ya followed, puzzled.

As she got closer, Li Qiaoqiao couldn’t help but gasp. “Heavens, so many wild beans!”

Before them was a lush thicket of beans. The stalks were half as high as a person, laden with plump pods. The golden leaves shimmered in the sunlight, and some pods had already begun to split, revealing round, rolling beans inside.

“What’s so surprising about this?” Wu Ya said dismissively. “Aren’t they just wild beans?”

“What do you know!” Li Qiaoqiao slapped him playfully in her excitement. “These are treasures! Look at this vast patch and think of how many beans we can harvest! At least several hundred catties!”

Wu Ya still didn’t quite understand why she was so thrilled. As a former wealthy heir, he truly had no concept of these crops.