“My heavens, there are still grapes this late in autumn?”
“With these fruits, we won’t have to worry about starving or dying of thirst on the road. It seems even Heaven wants us to survive!”
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and pick them.”
Everyone was ecstatic. They sprang into action, eagerly stuffing grapes into their mouths.
The sweet, refreshing taste instantly drove away the bitterness in their mouths, bringing them a long-lost sense of satisfaction and delight.
“So sweet!”
“Madam Cheng really is our lucky star!”
“Sister-in-law, you’re the best!”
Their cheers echoed through the valley.
All traces of their earlier dejection vanished. They were filled with renewed energy, and some even began humming quiet tunes from their hometowns. The melodies drifted lazily away on the wind.
They spent the entire day picking fruit. By the time the sun sank below the horizon and darkness began to fall, they finally descended the mountain reluctantly, each carrying a basket overflowing with their harvest.
From far away, they saw the women, children, and elderly people who had stayed behind waiting eagerly for them.
The anxiety on their faces instantly transformed into incredulous joy when they saw their returning loved ones, the heavy baskets on their shoulders, and the fruit piled high above the rims.
“They’re back! They’re back!”
“My heavens, what’s in those baskets…? Fruit! So much fruit!”
Cheers erupted from all sides. The children were the first to lose patience. Like a flock of little sparrows, they dashed over, chattering excitedly.
The women also hurried forward, their eyes filled with surprise and relief.
One elderly man eagerly took a basket from them. Feeling its solid weight, he let out a satisfied sigh.
Purple-black grapes and orange-red persimmons were carefully brought out and passed from hand to hand.
The rich fragrance of fruit seemed extravagant and precious in this bleak land of forced labor.
The young man who had fallen from the tree was now surrounded by his family. While rubbing his still-sore arm, he described the dangers and excitement of the picking expedition with great animation, making sure to emphasize the “heroic” way he had fallen. His family was both worried for him and amused by his storytelling.
He picked up the largest red persimmon and stuffed it into the hands of the companion who had stayed behind because of his injury. With a hearty laugh, he said, “Here, have a taste! It ripened on the tree, so it’s very sweet!”
That companion had not thought much of their expedition beforehand. He had believed it would be a waste of effort and had even quietly urged the young man not to go.
Now, holding the persimmon, his face burned with embarrassment. After a long while, he finally muttered, “Y-You really did it.”
“It wasn’t us. It was Sister-in-law. If she hadn’t led us, we would’ve come back empty-handed.” The young man urged him, “Go on, try it. It really is sweet!”
His companion hesitated before taking a bite. The fully ripened persimmon was sweet, but it was also astringent and left his mouth numb. He held it there, unable to swallow it and unwilling to spit it out.
The young man pointed at him and burst out laughing. “Fooled you, didn’t I? Who told you to try to stop me from going?”
“You rascal.” His companion pointed at him repeatedly. “You sure know how to hold a grudge.”
“Of course I do. If I’d listened to you and stayed behind, we would’ve suffered a huge loss.”
“You…” His companion shook his head helplessly and gave a bitter smile. “But this fruit really is hard to swallow.”
“Sister-in-law said these wild persimmons have to be treated before they can be eaten. Once the bitterness is removed, they’ll be delicious.”
“Really?”
Looking at the large and small baskets of fruit, everyone’s hearts burned with anticipation.
If all these fruits could be made edible, what would they have to worry about on the road?
Those who had stayed behind were already regretting it so badly that their guts felt green.
Second Madam Zhan, for example, had pretended that her wound was hurting so that she could keep Second Master Zhan from going. Feng Xianxian had pretended to have a stomachache and stubbornly held on to Zhan Jinmo, refusing to let him leave.
Father and son had both been somewhat lazy to begin with, so they had happily taken advantage of the excuse and stayed at camp.
Only Third Master Zhan and his son had returned carrying a single basket.
The third branch had collected less, but at least they had something. Just eating grapes alone was enough to ease their hunger and thirst.
The second branch had nothing at all. Their hunger gnawed at them as they watched the others eat, like ants devouring their hearts.
Second Master Zhan and his son were filled with regret and cursed their wives furiously.
Second Madam Zhan and Feng Xianxian were accustomed to being beaten and scolded. They simply let the father and son vent their anger, as though nothing could affect them.
But when they saw Cheng Yao being treated like the center of everyone’s attention and heard all the praise being heaped upon her, the mother and daughter-in-law truly felt as if their hearts and lungs were being clawed apart.
“Whenever Hao Ting’s wife takes action, she never disappoints!”
One of the clan elders said this.
“Exactly. My sister-in-law never does anything without confidence. It’s just that some people are always determined to dislike her and refuse to believe her.” Zhan Qingrou glanced at Second Madam Zhan and Zhang Dapeng with pride. “If I were in my sister-in-law’s place, I’d have slapped them across the face long ago. Fortunately, she’s magnanimous and doesn’t hold it against them.”
Although she had not actually raised a hand, her words became invisible slaps that landed crisply on their faces.
Those two had previously made sarcastic and cutting remarks about Cheng Yao. Now, as Zhan Qingrou scolded them and they looked at the baskets and baskets of harvest, as well as the long-lost smiles on everyone’s faces, they either turned away awkwardly or tried to force out a smile that looked worse than crying.
Their faces hurt.
How humiliating.
But no one cared about such wretched people. At that moment, the abundance and happiness before them were the most powerful response of all.
Fifth Uncle was so moved that tears filled his eyes. “Today’s harvest is enormous!”
A campfire was lit. Its dancing flames played across every weary yet smiling face, driving away the chill of the autumn night. For this group of exiles, the night was filled with hope and comfort.
Cheng Yao continued boiling ginger tea. Anyone who needed some could come and drink it, but she also kept a record of what they took.
Everything they drank would have to be repaid later.
Only after she had finished dealing with all that did Cheng Yao have time to find Constable Wang.
“These wild grapes are so sweet. Tomorrow, we should pick more and carry them to a nearby market town to sell. We’re sure to make some money!”
Constable Wang frowned, clearly unwilling.
Cheng Yao patiently coaxed him. “Think about it. We have no way to preserve the grapes, so we can’t pick too many. But once this opportunity is gone, it won’t come again. With late autumn approaching, fruit has become a rare commodity. Our grapes look so good, and they’re something people can hardly come across. We can definitely sell them for a high price! Once we have some money, do we really need to worry about food and other necessities along the road?”
How could Constable Wang not understand that?
He simply felt that since they had been exiled, they ought to suffer the hardships of exile. They were supposed to be starving and freezing, not picking fruit to earn money.
But if they did not save themselves, they really would die on the road.
After a fierce internal struggle, he finally made up his mind. “Fine! We’ll do as you say! Tomorrow, we’ll pick grapes and sell them!”
He could worry about whether it was proper later. For now, staying alive came first.
That night, all was silent.
After confirming that no one nearby was paying attention, Cheng Yao took hold of Zhan Haoting’s hand. With a thought, the two of them entered that gray, misty space.
Everything inside remained shrouded in chaos. In the center, the spirit spring dripped slowly, like a faucet that had not been fully turned off. Beneath it, a puddle no larger than a winnowing basket had formed, radiating a faint vitality.
Cheng Yao gazed at this precious treasure that could save their lives, her heart filled with satisfaction. At that moment, men and wealth could both step aside!
However, the instant she heard Zhan Haoting let out a groan, she immediately collected some spirit-spring water, mixed it into the soup, and gave it to him.
In her previous life, people would definitely have called her hopelessly lovestruck for doing this.
But they could say whatever they wanted. She had her own way of being foolish for love!
Besides, Zhan Haoting was a hero. He deserved it!
Cheng Yao helped him remove his shirt.
After eliminating those black-armored guards, she was not sure whether anyone was secretly watching her. Thus, she had behaved herself for several days and had not dared bring Zhan Haoting into the space.
At that moment, she noticed that the ghastly wounds covering his body were healing far faster than expected. Most had already scabbed over and fallen away, revealing tender pink flesh beneath. Even the deepest gashes had begun to close.
What excited her even more was that when she pressed on his legs, which had been numb for so long, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
“It’s a little tingly,” he murmured.
His legs had sensation again!
