In truth, what they called “going into the mountains” referred to Crooked-Neck Mountain, not far from the entrance of Shangliang Village. The mountain was not very high, but its ridges rolled on in one vast stretch. The people of Shangliang Village generally only went to the hills near the village to chop firewood, gather mushrooms, or hunt small animals like pheasants and wild rabbits.
In the past, there had also been people from Shangliang Village who ventured deep into Crooked-Neck Mountain, but they were never seen returning. Later, people said there were man-eating tigers on the mountain, and that the villagers who had gone into the depths had all been eaten by tigers. As time passed, naturally, no one in Shangliang Village dared to enter the depths of Crooked-Neck Mountain anymore. At most, the villagers only picked up firewood and hunted around the nearby slopes.
Early that morning, seeing that the weather was good, Li Dazhu decided to make a trip into the mountains. Since Li Menglan wanted to go along, for safety’s sake, Li Dazhu brought both brothers, Li Zhiming and Li Zhihao, with them. Li Menglan, brimming with excitement, even brought two extra sacks. After all, who could say whether she might accidentally come across some treasure? It was always better to be prepared.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Mother, I’m going into the mountains with Father, Big Brother, and Second Brother!” Li Menglan said with a bright smile, waving goodbye to Zhang Yuniang, Li Fujin, and Lin Sanniang in the courtyard.
“Go on, then! Come back early.” Li Fujin and Lin Sanniang did not say much, only telling Li Dazhu and the children not to return too late.
“Lan girl, once you’re on the mountain, be careful. Don’t run around everywhere, and listen to your father and your two brothers. Do you understand?” Worried about her daughter, Zhang Yuniang gave her instructions uneasily.
“Mm.” Li Menglan nodded. “Mother, I know. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m not a little child.” No matter what, Zhang Yuniang’s actions made Li Menglan feel very warm inside. She could not help but stretch out her small arms, wrap them around the other woman’s waist, and act spoiled.
“You…” Zhang Yuniang found that after her daughter’s serious illness, she seemed to have become more and more clingy. “Eldest, Second, the two of you are her elder brothers. Once you’re on the mountain, take good care of your little sister. Do you understand?” Zhang Yuniang turned her head and instructed Li Zhiming and Li Zhihao.
“Mother, don’t worry! I’ll look after Little Sister.”
“That’s right! Mother, don’t worry. Am I not here too?” Li Zhihao also patted his chest and promised.
“All right, my dear, if you keep talking, the sky will be fully bright in a moment.” Li Dazhu interrupted the conversation between Zhang Yuniang and the children, lifting his head to look at the sky.
“All right, I won’t nag and delay you. Just be careful yourselves.”
Looking at her family, Li Menglan felt extremely satisfied. Hehe… These were her relatives in this unfamiliar world. Although they had no money, they were happy and harmonious.
After they left the courtyard, because the sky had not yet completely brightened, all of Shangliang Village was quiet, still sunk in sleep. By the time Li Dazhu and the others climbed halfway up the mountain, the sky had finally become bright.
Li Menglan panted softly and raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead. “Father, Big Brother, Second Brother, shall we rest here for a while?”
Along the way, Li Menglan had been carried in turns by Li Zhiming and Li Zhihao. Only after they reached the foot of the mountain, under Li Menglan’s strong insistence, had she walked this section of the mountain path by herself. Unfortunately, this body was simply too weak. After climbing only a short distance, she was already gasping for breath.
“All right, we’ll rest here for a bit, eat something, then continue on.” Seeing Li Menglan’s head covered in sweat, Li Dazhu hurriedly nodded in distress.
“Hoo.” Li Menglan let out a light breath, found a clean rock, and sat down, gazing toward Shangliang Village at the foot of the mountain.
The sky had fully brightened, and the sun had shown half its face. In the morning light, the people of Shangliang Village had also begun to busy themselves. From the rooftops of every household, wisps of cooking smoke rose into the air.
Below the mountain, all of Shangliang Village was shrouded in morning mist. The treetops and rooftops were covered in a hazy hue. A small road wound out from the fields to the west and stretched into the depths of Shangliang Village. Scattered trees stood in twos and threes along both sides. At the end of the road, the houses of Shangliang Village—some tall, some short, some new, some old—were arranged in picturesque disorder, hidden among these green mountains and clear waters. Several towering ancient trees rose above the cluster of houses, overlooking the entire village.
To the north of Shangliang Village, large stretches of farmland extended all the way to the banks of the little Yun River. The fields of everyone in Shangliang Village were concentrated on this side. The rice in the paddies had already been harvested, leaving only neat rows of rice stubble. Along the edges of the fields and on the grass by the river, small golden wild chrysanthemums bloomed everywhere in full splendor. The villagers who had risen early to work, together with the shepherd boys grazing livestock by the river, formed a beautiful picture.
Looking at the picturesque scenery below the mountain, Li Menglan half-closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A faint fragrance permeated the air, as if even the air itself were sweet. Such beautiful scenery had long ceased to exist a thousand years later. “So beautiful… so comfortable,” Li Menglan murmured unconsciously with her eyes slightly closed.
When Li Menglan turned her head, she saw her father standing behind her. “Father, why didn’t we see any trees at all when we came up? Let alone pheasants or wild rabbits?” Li Menglan’s current body was only ten years old. Although people in ancient times married relatively early, in the eyes of Li Menglan, who had only just arrived in this world, there were not so many needless scruples.
“This stretch of mountain road is fairly close to the village. The trees that can be used as firewood have basically all been chopped down by the villagers, so naturally this half of the mountain is bare, with nothing on it.” Li Dazhu was not surprised that his daughter would ask. After all, this was Li Menglan’s first time entering the mountains. It was only normal that she did not know.
“Oh…” Li Menglan nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more, but her brows unconsciously knitted together. In that case… would there still be anything on the mountain that could be sold for money?
This truly was a case of a single coin stumping a hero. At this moment, Li Menglan finally understood the meaning of one saying: money was not omnipotent, but without money, one could do nothing at all.
“Eh… Father, Big Brother, Second Brother, you can see our home from Crooked-Neck Mountain!” Suddenly, as if she had discovered a new continent, Li Menglan pointed toward the distant foot of the mountain and cried out in surprise.
From afar, their family’s thatched cottage stood with its back to Crooked-Neck Mountain, located not far from the foot of the mountain. The Yun River was like a jade belt, flowing out from Crooked-Neck Mountain. It first ran from east to south, curved in front of her house, then meandered westward. If not for the fact that the few rooms of their home were far too shabby, the scene before her eyes would truly have made a fine picture.
A few mud-brick thatched rooms stood there. Since much of the yellow-mud enclosing wall had collapsed, Li Dazhu and his wife had simply fenced off a circle with bamboo around the threshing ground in front of the door. Between the bamboo branches, they had planted a few unknown young trees, enclosing a small courtyard.
On one side of the courtyard, near the kitchen, was a small vegetable plot planted with garland chrysanthemum, spinach, green garlic, scallions, and other vegetables, all lush and emerald green. Hyacinth bean vines covered the fence on this side, but they were already sparse and withered. It seemed they would have to be cleared away before long.
On the other side stood a low thatched shed, where firewood was piled. A little farther back were the latrine and a place that seemed to be a pigsty. Unfortunately, the family had no money and did not keep any pigs inside.