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墨書 Inktalez
The shimmering, pearlescent "Energy" stones from Druva covered the entire table, and Yezhi greedily stared at them, playing with one after another.
"Master, I've contacted Mr. Red Bean!"
Yezhi's consciousness logged in, and a dripping-wet Red Bean appeared in the starry sky, shouting, "Yezi, what's up!" Yezhi licked her dry lips and replied, "Hmm~ I received the 'Energy' stones you sent!"
At that moment, Yezhi felt conflicted: sending it back seemed unreasonable when it was so close to her grasp; accepting it felt too extravagant, but her shame wouldn't allow her to refuse! She inwardly lamented: Red Bean, why didn't you send just one?
Seeing Yezhi's troubled expression, Red Bean widened his eyes and exclaimed, "That's too little, right?"
"Too much for you! It's too precious!" Yezhi shouted angrily at Red Bean, feeling like he was testing her principles.
Red Bean laughed heartily, "Yezi, you've been fooled by advertisements! These stones are everywhere in our Druva; wherever there's a liquid lake, there are plenty! I have some in my backyard; I'm just fishing them out for you." He raised the small moon-white stone in his hand.
"Then why is it so expensive and limited in sales?"
"This stone is exclusive to Druva and limited for export. Only nobles from Druva have the privilege to gift them," Red Bean boasted proudly, being a noble himself.
"Noble? You have such a commoner vibe!" Yezhi teased.
"Hmph, that's called being approachable. It's your honor that I'm lowering myself to be friends with you!" Red Bean said with his head held high and hands on his hips.
"Ha~ ha! Friends, thank you for your gift!"
"No need! No need!" Red Bean waved his hand.
After saying goodbye to Yezhi, Hong Dou lay on the iron-gray frozen ground. He had intended to remind Ye Zi that the "Energy" stones from Druva could not be sold privately, or else they would face exorbitant fines. However, the words lingered on his lips, and he ultimately chose not to say anything. In fact, giving "Energy" stones to friends from other star systems was a way for Druva nobles to test true friendship. He genuinely liked Ye Zi as a friend, but he hoped she would be a true friend.
"Master, this Druva 'Energy' stone can purify water sources and is rich in beneficial minerals from the universe," Xiao Fang joyfully introduced. Yezhi listened happily, planning to drop a piece into the well soon.
...
Uncertain if it was just psychological, after placing the "Energy" stone in the well last night, the well water tasted sweeter and clearer than before. Yezhi used the well water to water her vegetable garden and then made millet porridge. Black Treasure drank three bowls before stopping. She also found it sweeter and smoother than usual, while Aunt Zhou praised her improving cooking skills as she drank.
After breakfast, Yezhi hugged Black Treasure and rubbed its round belly. She told Aunt Zhou that she was going up the mountain to gather wild vegetables and fruits. After Aunt Zhou reminded her to be careful, Yezhi strapped Black Treasure onto her back and took a shortcut up Big Green Mountain.
As they entered the dense forest, Black Treasure was very excited. It would stretch out its front paws to trample colorful flowers one moment, then bark at a little squirrel jumping around on a pine tree the next. It would run ahead randomly and circle around Yezhi. She was exhausted from keeping up with Black Treasure and vowed never to take this little rascal out again.
The deeper they went into the woods, the richer the resources became, and more small animals appeared, such as woodpeckers, pheasants, rabbits, foxes, and muntjacs! If it weren't for having Black Treasure—this little troublemaker—she would have chased after some of them to satisfy her hunger!
Calling out to the bouncing Xiao Fang, she ordered him to keep an eye on Black Treasure and shout if it ran too far away. Xiao Fang was more than happy to take on this task; he wanted to document the daily life of little bears.
Yezhi activated the identification function of her glasses. In a green glow, she navigated around marked red mushrooms while collecting non-toxic ones. When she saw Hazel Mushrooms floating among the data displayed, she felt a small thrill. Last time at Village Uncle's house, Aunt Li had used Hazel Mushrooms to stew chicken. Remembering the taste of those brownish Hazel Mushrooms—smooth and delicious—Yezhi wished she could gather them all to take home.
Previously, she didn't understand why Aunt Zhou kept collecting wild vegetables when there were already plenty at home. It wasn't until a few days ago when Aunt Zhou taught her how to dry wild vegetables that she realized all those dried vegetables were reserves for winter when fresh vegetables were scarce. As someone from the south who had never worried about vegetables on their dining table, Yezhi had been completely unaware of this. Now that she understood, she fell in love with gathering ingredients. The thought of wild vegetables and mushrooms turning into delicious dishes made her feel delighted.
By a dead standing tree, Yezhi discovered Elm Yellow Mushrooms. She had eaten these yellow funnel-shaped mushrooms before; they resembled oyster mushrooms but were fresher. She heard they were even exported products—how exciting! There were truly many treasures in this mountain. Since discovering Elm Yellow Mushrooms, Yezhi focused solely on collecting them and ignored other miscellaneous mushrooms.
"Black Treasure, what are you doing here?" One Egg exclaimed joyfully as he picked up Black Treasure who was playing happily. Yezhi looked surprised at One Egg who had come up alone and rushed over to tug at his ear while scolding him: "You little rascal! You’re so bold going into the mountains alone! Do you think you can just hug any bear? What if behind this little bear is not me but a big bear? What will you do then?"
"It hurts! Sister Ye, be gentler!" One Egg cried out while twisting his neck in pain!
"You brat, you still know pain. If it hurts, you should remember it!" One Egg protested, "Sister Ye, you're not going up the mountain alone either." Yezhi pulled One Egg's ear again, saying, "I'm different from you; I'm an adult."
Black Treasure was restless in One Egg's arms and saw Yezhi reaching out with her chubby hand towards her. Yezhi had no choice but to catch Black Treasure and let go of One Egg. While rubbing his red ear, One Egg complained, "Sister Ye, you're not that much older than me. Besides, I'm taller and stronger than you." Yezhi rolled her eyes at One Egg and asked, "So tell me, why are you going up the mountain alone?"
"I... I’m going up to pick wild fruits." One Egg didn't tell the truth. Yezhi thought for a moment and said, "You’re not trying to track a wolf pack, are you?" One Egg remained silent, but Yezhi exclaimed angrily, "You brat, how many lives do you have? You think you can compete with wolves?"
"I just want to understand things clearly," One Egg insisted stubbornly. Yezhi felt a headache coming on; this curious little kid was so stubborn. What should she do? This was too dangerous for an 11-year-old to be wandering around in the perilous mountains! She needed to find something for One Egg to do!
A sullen One Egg helped Yezhi carry a basket as they walked into Aunt Zhou's house. Yezhi followed closely behind with Black Treasure in her arms. Aunt Zhou greeted One Egg warmly, but when he called out, "Aunt Zhou!" and put down the basket to leave, Aunt Zhou looked at the silent Yezhi and thought they had quarreled. It wasn't until bedtime that Yezhi told her that starting tomorrow, One Egg would come to her house every day to learn cultural knowledge.
Early the next morning, the gate of Aunt Zhou's yard creaked open. Yezhi, who was practicing her arm strength while holding Black Treasure, turned around.
"Village Uncle, you're back!" Initially thinking it was One Egg, she was surprised to see Village Uncle instead. "Yezi, I asked the Acquisition Station to keep an eye out for ducks for me. But I've asked everyone in the Commune and the county; they all say there are plenty of fish in our water. Who raises fish? I haven't seen anyone!" Yezhi didn't believe that no one raised fish; they were probably hiding them under the current circumstances.
Unexpectedly, buying fish fry was this difficult. If two more years passed, Yezhi would definitely go to the southern rice and fish region for procurement. For now, with only a vague understanding of policies, she didn't dare make any big moves.
"How about we catch some ourselves? If each of us catches one fish, that's over two hundred," Village Uncle suggested. At first, Yezhi thought his idea was quite absurd! But then she remembered a book she had read where someone had done just that. Why not give it a try? Even if it didn't work out, there would be no loss.
"Village Uncle, let's give it a shot!"
"Okay, I'll notify everyone." Village Uncle rushed out without pausing for a moment.
Black Treasure waved its four chubby paws and shook its big head adorably at Yezhi, indicating that it wanted to play more. Yezhi lifted Black Treasure high in her arms.
"Girl, can your little arms handle this?" Aunt Zhou asked, holding an oval chicken coop woven from straw while standing in the yard.
To be honest, Black Treasure has been eating well lately and has gained quite a bit of weight. But who could resist how adorable and fluffy Black Treasure is? Yezhi couldn't.
"Aunt, are you really bringing all the chickens to the front yard?" Yezhi asked Aunt Zhou, who was tying the chicken coop to the Peach Tree.
"Yes! The backyard will be yours from now on, for whatever you call it... experimental field." Aunt Zhou, always action-oriented, truly meant what she said.
At dawn, Yezhi went to water the vegetable garden and noticed that Colostrum Oat had sprouted little shoots. Excited, she thought about expanding the planting area, and as soon as she mentioned it, Aunt Zhou made space for her.
"Sister Ye!" One Egg walked into the yard. Today, One Egg looked very different. Her hair was neatly combed, and although her clothes were patched up, they were no longer gray and dull; even the color was hard to distinguish. She was wearing a new pair of straw sandals. It was truly the first time Yezhi saw One Egg looking so tidy.
One Egg felt shy under the gaze of Yezhi and Aunt Zhou and mumbled, "My parents know. Sister Ye, you have to teach me; I need to respect my teachers."
One Egg sat across from Yezhi at the kang table. "What words can you write?" One Egg thought for a moment and replied, "I can write one word."
Yezhi took out a pencil and a notebook, writing down "Zhou Yiqiang" and "Zhou Yidan." She genuinely couldn't remember One Egg's name. Looking up, she saw the bright sparkle of knowledge in One Egg's dark eyes. Yezhi cleared her throat and asked, "What is your mother's name?"
"My mother is called Zhou Xiaohong!" One Egg answered cheerfully.
Yezhi wrote down Zhou Xiaohong in the notebook as well. She explained to One Egg that these were their happy family members. One Egg took each character seriously while learning, not wanting to ruin the notebook that Yezhi had handed over. She first traced with her finger on the kang table. Unable to watch any longer, Yezhi insisted that One Egg use the pencil in the notebook; otherwise, she wouldn't teach her anymore. Only then did One Egg carefully hold the pencil and write each stroke in the notebook.
After finishing these nine characters, One Egg looked at them repeatedly before cradling the notebook in her hands with a smile that made her eyes disappear. Yezhi blinked hard, feeling that this little brat was too annoying and made her heart ache!
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