The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 248 Pretentious

Chapter 248: Chapter 248 Pretentious

A barrage of scolding left Wang Yongping clutching his head and scurrying away.

It wasn’t until Old Granny Zhang put away the sole of her shoe that Wang Yongping pitifully spoke up, "I just didn’t think that much! I didn’t see the Song Brothers as outsiders, that’s why—"

"Get lost! Not outsiders? What are they to you then, part of your family? What relationship do you have with them? Do you even have a brain? Just get out—get out!" Old Granny Zhang promptly chased Wang Yongping out, feeling irritated just looking at him.

Wang Yongzhu quietly admired Old Granny Zhang’s vigor in scolding Wang Yongping before stepping forward to comfort, "Alright, Fourth Brother must understand now after what we said. He’ll get it with some more reminders! Mother, don’t be angry anymore, I’m heading up the mountain now, I’ll definitely be back before it gets dark! Don’t worry, Mother, I’m not afraid of the wolves, and as long as I don’t go too deep into the mountain, I’ll be fine!"

Only then did Old Granny Zhang let her daughter leave, though not without worry.

She sighed inwardly that there wasn’t a single man in the family who could take charge, or else a young girl wouldn’t have to be making plans like this.

Once outside, with a face full of grievance, Wang Yongping carried his basket on his back and crouched by the door. When he saw Wang Yongzhu come out, he couldn’t help but want to complain, "Little sister, I—"

"You had it coming! If you keep bothering people for no reason, not just Mother, I’ll slap you too!" Wang Yongzhu bluntly silenced the words Wang Yongping didn’t get to say.

Wang Yongping jumped in fright, "I won’t do it again! Never again! But what about today?"

He had already notified Song Chongjin, and the man had agreed.

"This is the last time!" Wang Yongzhu glared at him, choosing to drop the subject.

When the siblings reached the foot of the mountain, Song Chongjin was already waiting there.

One good thing about Wang Yongping was his candor. Just having been scolded by his mother and sister, he immediately turned to Song Chongjin, "Brother Song, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have dragged you along up the mountain! It’s delaying your hunting, and your family relies entirely on you. It’s all because I was thoughtless and didn’t consider your situation..."

Song Chongjin, knowing what kind of person he was, glanced at Wang Yongzhu as soon as he heard this.

Wang Yongzhu...

If she had a forty-meter long sword in her hand, she would have already drawn it and hacked away.

But she had to keep up appearances, "That’s right, it’s all my Fourth Brother’s fault! How can we trouble you with everything? Brother Song, if you have things to do today or if you need to enter the mountain, feel free to go ahead. We’ll just look around Qili Slope here!"

Song Chongjin saw the "please go away" look on Wang Yongzhu’s face and felt an inexplicable pang of displeasure, "What are you looking for? I’m familiar with these mountains. It’s better to find what you need quickly and get down. Although the wolf pack has retreated for now, who knows if they’re lurking, waiting for revenge. It’s best not to go up the mountains too often these days. And if you must, make sure to call more people."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yongping immediately tugged on Wang Yongzhu, "Little sister, Brother Song is right. Wolves hold grudges the most! Let’s listen to Brother Song. What are you looking for exactly? Let’s find it and head home quickly."

Such a perfect example of a terrible team member!

Thinking it over, Wang Yongzhu changed her mind, finding no point in making a fuss since they were already there.

Having Song Chongjin along indeed made things safer, as her Fourth Brother, Wang Yongping, was nothing but dead weight.

"I saw some madder plants last time and wanted to dig up some roots to take back!" Wang Yongzhu led the way into the mountain.

At the same time, she contacted Xiao Tiantian in her mind, "Xiao Tiantian, scan the area for any wolf packs—"

Xiao Tiantian, not daring to make a sound, obediently scanned and reported back, "Reporting to the host, there are none. There are no ferocious beasts within a five-kilometer radius."

"While you’re at it, scan the mountains for any Amur Cork Trees, Hong Hua, or Lithospermum plants?" Wang Yongzhu instructed.

Now was Xiao Tiantian’s chance to redeem itself! It became immediately lively and proactive, "Host, the plants you mentioned, there’s a small patch of Lithospermum about three hundred meters from the madder plants, not many though! Deeper into Dahei Mountain, there’s a patch of Hong Hua, and the Amur Cork Trees you’re asking about are on Qili Slope. Additionally, I’ve discovered Chinese Cornel Trees and Chinese Nettle Trees, both of which have heartwoods that can be used to dye yellow. I also found oak and holly, whose leaves can produce a pale yellow color. When added to vitriol, they can dye black..."

In order to prove itself as a very useful System, Xiao Tiantian exerted all its energies and marked all nearby plants that could serve as fuel. If it had hands and feet, it probably would have wished to carry them over to the host directly.

Seeing Xiao Tiantian’s so eager attitude to admit its guilt, Wang Yongzhu knew she couldn’t push the System too hard.

Give it a good beating, then offer a sweet date, right!

So, she praised and teased Xiao Tiantian after a long absence.

If the Xiao Tiantian System could materialize, it probably would have cried tears of joy.

How difficult it was, it finally reconciled with the host!

The three of them walked quickly and soon reached the madder field they visited last time; the strong smell of blood in the air had dispersed after several days.

Only vague traces of blood remained, still bearing witness to the brutality of that day.

Although worried about the wolves seeking revenge, and despite Wang Yongzhu not being too concerned, the trio still remained silent. Following Wang Yongzhu’s gestures, they uprooted the madder, leaving only the roots.

The three worked together and quickly cleared most of the madder.

Apart from Wang Yongzhu, the other two had grown up at the edge of the mountains and knew the longstanding rule passed down through generations: no matter what you gather from the mountains, never take all of it, always leave something behind.

Therefore, when they saw it was about enough, everyone stopped.

Wang Yongzhu, with the basket on her back, walked further into the mountain. Wang Yongping wanted to say something, but Song Chongjin pulled him, and he closed his mouth, silently following behind.

They didn’t walk much farther before they saw it—a small patch of purple gromwell.

They dug out the roots of the purple gromwell, keeping Wang Yongping and Song Chongjin busy, covered in dirt.

Wang Yongping didn’t know what his little sister wanted these plants for, but Song Chongjin did; what he found strange was that not only did Wang Yongzhu know which plants to use for dyeing, but she seemed to be as comfortable as a fish in water in the Dahei Mountain, and she appeared to know exactly where these plants were.

Though puzzled in his mind, he didn’t stop working.

With these two types of plants collected, Wang Yongzhu looked at the sky and decided to stop; if nothing unexpected happened, she could dye fabric in three colors, which was already quite good.

She couldn’t dye too many colors at once; others might become suspicious, and with the Wang Family being weak and without the protection of a Scholar’s title, it was better to keep a low profile.

She wouldn’t reveal all three colors at once but would take it slow.

The most important task was to find a reliable partner before daring to sell the recipes she held.

The Wang Family’s foundation was too shallow, too weak; one careless move might draw the attention of powerful and influential people. With the current Government Office, if someone indeed set their sights on the Wang Family, they could easily destroy it with a flick of the wrist!

But building connections with such people needed to be done slowly and couldn’t be rushed.

Take it one step at a time!

In a hurry, they descended the mountain and at the entrance of the village, after thanking Song Chongjin, the siblings said goodbye and headed home.

Looking at the departing figures of the brother and sister, Song Chongjin stood for a moment. He did not head home but walked in another direction.