Happy Little Farmer
Chapter 786

Chapter 786: Chapter 786

Zhou Yingnan provided a very secluded location, nestled on a desolate mountain. The road leading up was quite rugged, a single-lane dirt path. Fortunately, it was passable, and there was even mobile signal coverage.

Yang Fan leaned out to look at his surroundings, feeling a bit disoriented.

The location specified by Zhou Yingnan was here, but there were no buildings in sight. Aside from the dirt road, the area was surrounded by dense, towering trees reaching skyward.

"Maybe the signal here isn’t great, and the navigation might have been off. Let’s not rush off. I’ll ask." Yang Fan said.

"Alright."

Wang Daqiang responded, turned off the car’s engine, and parked it to the side.

Yang Fan closed the navigation app and was about to call Zhou Yingnan when a voice suddenly came from the forest on the right.

"Over here. Leave the car below; it can’t go any further!"

Yang Fan looked up to see Zhou Yingnan standing on the slope wearing a tattered coat, waving at them.

"This spot you picked is really something else," Yang Fan shouted.

The distance between them wasn’t close, so he had to speak loudly or Zhou Yingnan might not hear him.

"Come on up. The path is over here," Zhou Yingnan shouted back, waving his hand at Yang Fan.

Wang Daqiang, cigarette dangling from his lips, glanced towards the mountain and tutted with a sigh: "Fanzi, this woman is gutsy. This deep forest is creepy just to look at, and she’s bold enough to live in it."

"Some people just like environments like this. Can’t say I understand." Yang Fan shook his head. "Let’s head up."

Zhou Yingnan clearly operated on a different wavelength than mainstream society.

Being friends with mentally ill individuals, living in a place like this—all of it spoke to a uniquely unconventional way of life.

As they passed through a thicket ahead, their view opened up slightly, though not by much.

On one side of the path, a flat area had been cleared out, with a green tarp used to create a shelter. Through the gaps, one could glimpse vehicles and some tools inside; it seemed like Zhou Yingnan’s handiwork.

The uphill trail began just to the left of this shelter—a staircase fashioned from stacked large stones.

Yang Fan and his group ascended the steps, winding their way through for quite a while before finally catching sight of Zhou Yingnan.

The spot where Zhou Yingnan had been standing earlier seemed far, but walking there proved even farther.

Yang Fan joked with a laugh, "Did you deliberately choose this place as a way to get some exercise?"

With his fitness level nearing that of a beast, this trek was hardly a challenge. However, Fan Sisi and Yun Miaoyi, the two women accompanying him, were already panting heavily, their cheeks flushed and sweaty.

"What kind of exercise could this place provide? It’s about toughening up mentally," Zhou Yingnan replied with a chuckle.

"Mentally?" Yang Fan glanced around the surroundings. "Well, this setting certainly cultivates inner peace."

Provided one has the courage.

Even in daylight, this forest was dimly lit and a bit eerie. At night, it was bound to be even more unsettling.

Zhou Yingnan nodded, remarking casually, "The city is too crowded, people’s hearts are chaotic. This place is serene and unpressured, very tranquil."

"We still have to walk a bit further uphill; my residence is up there."

"Eh? It’s further up?" Yun Miaoyi exclaimed, breathing heavily, "Girl, aren’t you exhausted from climbing up and down every day?"

"Not at all; it’s just a short walk. You get used to it," Zhou Yingnan replied.

Yun Miaoyi shook her head in disbelief.

This trek already made her legs feel like they’d been weighed down with lead.

The group continued upward, traversing about the same distance as before, until a courtyard hidden within the mountain forest appeared before them.

The courtyard wasn’t large, consisting of one big and two small wooden cabins. Behind it were flower and tree plantings, while the front housed a straw pavilion. Around the yard were clothes hanging out to dry, chili peppers, and other vegetables. The entire courtyard was enclosed by a mix of wood and stone.

It wasn’t bad—a bit of a hermit’s retreat vibe.

"The conditions are simple. We’ll keep it casual; don’t mind too much," Zhou Yingnan said, leading Yang Fan and the others to sit in the straw pavilion. She then brought out some fruit and poured them each some tea.

The fruit consisted of wild berries from the mountain, while the tea seemed to have been pan-fried by her own hand.

This was evident from the tea leaves drying just beside the straw pavilion.

Zhou Yingnan had truly embraced a self-sufficient lifestyle, effectively cutting the capitalists out of her life.

Yang Fan curiously tasted the tea. The flavor was exceptional, fragrant and infused with a strong orchid aroma.

It seemed better than the tea he prepared himself.

In terms of tea-making skills, the two of them were colleagues of sorts, though it appeared Zhou Yingnan was the more skilled.

"Is tea-making your other side hustle?" Yang Fan asked.

Zhou Yingnan plopped down boldly on a long bench nearby. "Not really a side hustle. It’s just for fun. If I’m in the mood, I make some to trade for cigarette money; if not, I make it for myself. Either way, the tea comes from old tea trees and tastes pretty good. If you like it, grab a few pounds before you leave."

"I’ve been feeling pretty good this year; here and there I’ve made two or three hundred pounds," she added.

"The flavor is indeed wonderful, but I won’t take any—I’ve got tea planted at home," Yang Fan said.

Zhou Yingnan let out a playful "Oh?" and laughed, "Looks like we share quite a few similarities."

"That’s true." Yang Fan nodded with a smile. "As mountain dwellers, anything in the mountains that can turn a profit, we’ll definitely give it a go. I’ve even done part-time scrap collecting before. I figured since I’m already driving through the mountains daily and never quite filling up my car, I could gather some recyclables while collecting medicinal herbs and sell those too—it’s all money."

At this, Zhou Yingnan let out a hearty laugh. "Is this the commonality of all mountain folk?"

"I’ve done more than just collecting scrap. I’ve acted as a courier delivering goods, picking up parcels, driving unlicensed transport—basically, anything that involves the mountain. I dominate those services in this area."

"You really do a bit of everything!" Yang Fan marveled. "Are there people in these mountains?"

"Not in this mountain. You’d have to head down further south to find more villages; that’s where most of my business is," Zhou Yingnan replied. "This mountain is just primitive forest. I had to build the path myself. Living here is peaceful, sure, but there’s no water, electricity, or road, so the early days were quite a struggle."

As they had traveled up earlier, Yang Fan had been wondering.

This mountain was clearly a pristine forest—how could there be a road leading into it? Now he had his answer.

Glancing at Zhou Yingnan’s tattered coat, Yang Fan remarked, "It doesn’t seem too cold in this mountain, though?"

Her attire made him wonder if winter was approaching.

"I just came back from a cave to gather some stones. That place has bone-chilling winds; without a thick coat, you’d freeze stiff," Zhou Yingnan replied casually. "Outside, it’s summer, but inside, it feels like winter."

Yang Fan didn’t probe any further, curious but refraining from asking what kind of peculiar location could be that cold.

People like Zhou Ruonan aren’t constrained by ordinary ways of thinking; perhaps she has secrets of her own.

"Where are your medicinal herbs stored? Let’s start loading them onto the car," Yang Fan suggested.

They’d exchanged pleasantries enough—it was time to get down to business.