Chapter 17

Years of martial arts training were not in vain. Although Shen Mo’er’s appearance had changed since arriving in this world—looking pale and gaunt—her body was still her own, and her strength had not diminished in the slightest.

With a single kick, she sent the man sprawling face-first onto the ground.

In the quiet night, the man let out a sharp cry of pain, but he was quick to react, almost immediately scrambling to his feet and sprinting away.

Shen Mo’er gave chase for a while, but the man was clearly very familiar with the terrain, dodging left and right through the fields and soon disappearing down a narrow path into the back mountain. Seeing she couldn’t catch up, Shen Mo’er had no choice but to turn back.

She hadn’t clearly seen the man’s face, only a vague silhouette of a tall and thin figure.

But in these times, no one in the village was fat; everyone was thin, just taller or shorter, so this feature alone was useless for identifying him.

Back at her doorstep, Shen Shaoyuan, having heard the commotion, had already come out but hadn’t gone far. He stood by the door, waiting. Seeing Shen Mo’er return, he scrutinized her briefly, then breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming his precious daughter was unharmed.

“Don’t chase a cornered rat at night,” he warned. “What if there were accomplices lying in ambush ahead?”

Her father was doting like this because she was his only daughter. He had never cared much about anything else but was especially concerned about her safety. Shen Mo’er felt a warm glow in her heart. It was fortunate they had both come to this world together; if either of them had come alone, they might have been overwhelmed by grief.

She had realized this earlier but quickly admitted her mistake. “I didn’t react in time just now. I’ll be more careful next time. But I think we shouldn’t sleep in the treasure room at night anymore…”

As she spoke, her gaze drifted to the nearby grass, and she flicked a stone toward it. “Come out!”

After a rustling, a skinny boy of about ten or twelve emerged, standing awkwardly as he stammered, “I-I heard some noise and just came to see.”

Shen Mo’er recognized him as Lin Kaicheng, who lived behind the brigade office. Because his father was a landlord, he was often chased and called “little landlord” by the village troublemakers, some even throwing clods of dirt at him.

The mother and son rarely left their home except to work, and although their houses were close, Shen Mo’er had only once seen the boy at the well early one morning since arriving.

She nodded. “Someone tried to break into our house, but they ran off. Be careful at home, lock your doors and windows.”

Lin Kaicheng looked at her in surprise. He had come earlier, witnessed the thief get kicked away by Shen Mo’er, but before the man left, Shen Shaoyuan had come out, so he hid in the bushes to avoid being mistaken for an accomplice.

He hadn’t expected Shen Mo’er not only to trust him but also to remind him to secure his home.

With a sullen “Okay,” he turned and ran off.

Shen Mo’er didn’t dare linger outside and went straight inside, locking all doors and windows, even placing a chair against the door before returning to the treasure room with her father.

Neither of them could sleep immediately, so they chatted quietly behind the screen.

She reiterated that sleeping in the treasure room had to stop.

Had she not gotten up to use the bathroom by chance, and the thief found the house empty with no one asleep, or had the treasure room door been left open and discovered, they would have faced endless trouble.

To be safe, it was best not to open the treasure room unless absolutely necessary.

Shen Shaoyuan, busy these days, hadn’t yet sought out the bearded man to buy another bamboo mat. After tonight’s incident, he resolved to do so tomorrow, and that night they would pack up the bedding from the treasure room and sleep outside.

They also planned to build a fence around the new house, and now it seemed it should be taller than originally planned.

The two chatted casually for a while until Shen Shaoyuan fell silent.

Shen Mo’er listened carefully and soon heard his breathing slow and deepen—he had fallen asleep.

Of course, her father had never lived a life like this before—born into wealth with servants everywhere—never before having to walk miles daily, working from dawn till dusk.

Shen Mo’er smiled faintly, thinking she should find something nourishing for him, then drifted off to sleep.

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The next morning, Shen Mo’er woke to find the ground damp from rain that had fallen late at night, and the sky still gray and overcast.

After Shen Shaoyuan left for the commune, she visited Zhou Mancang’s house to tell him about the break-in.

Zhou was shocked and furious. Not long ago, there had been a soap theft at the educated youth camp, and now someone was trying to break into the seventh Shen household in the middle of the night. Clearly, word had gotten out about the 300 yuan they had saved, and people were coveting it. If this continued, the atmosphere in Yangliu brigade would be ruined!

Busy with work, Zhou told Shen Mo’er to return home for now, promising the brigade would soon hold a meeting to tighten security and organize militia patrols at night to ensure no lazy thieves or petty criminals had any chance.

Hearing this, Shen Mo’er felt somewhat reassured. Even though she was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, she didn’t want to live every day on edge, constantly wary of thieves.

After leaving Zhou’s, she stopped by her family’s private plot. Thanks to the kind help of Aunt Chen and others, the vegetables were growing lush and green, though the warm weather had brought many bugs, and the leaves bore tiny holes.

Aunt Chen suggested using some pesticide called “Six-Six Powder” to control the pests, but Shen Mo’er, knowing it was toxic, politely declined.

Still, she couldn’t ignore the problem; if the bugs weren’t dealt with, they’d devour her crops. She’d have to find other ways to exchange for vegetables.

Frowning, she headed home. Approaching her door, she looked up to see a tall, upright figure with sharp, handsome features standing there—it was none other than Fu Mingze.

Seeing him, Shen Mo’er couldn’t help but smile. “Comrade Fu.”

Fu Mingze returned a faint smile. “Comrade Shen Mo’er.”

He handed her some blueprints. “The plans are ready. Take a look and see if they’re usable.”

Entrusted with this task and given two eggs as thanks, Fu Mingze had gone to the commune for help, consulting Qiao Jie and others to clarify fuzzy details and ensure every step was flawless.

“Thank you, Comrade Fu,” Shen Mo’er said gratefully, taking the blueprints. Though the space was just a few feet wide, there were several detailed drawings—three different plans, in fact.

Fu Mingze nodded, explaining, “There’s no running water in the village, so flushing and drainage are issues. Your house is close to the well, so you could install a water pump with pipes to simulate running water. But that option is expensive and not very practical. The cheaper way is to fetch water manually, which is more troublesome but saves money.”

He added, “As for drainage pipes, cities usually use gray cast iron, but that’s costly. Another option is to build with bricks and seal with cement.”

After a pause, he said, “Whichever plan you choose, the cost might be higher than you imagine.”

Shen Mo’er understood; beyond the cost, pumps, cast iron pipes, and cement were probably impossible to find even if they had money.

They couldn’t decide so quickly. They would have to consider it carefully. Still, it was clear Fu Mingze had put a lot of effort into this, and she thanked him repeatedly.

Just then, someone called out, “Mo’er, hurry up! Let’s go up the mountain to gather mushrooms!”

It was Aunt Chen and a group of elderly women followed by several children, all carrying baskets and boxes, ready for a big harvest.

Before Shen Mo’er could reply, Aunt Chen spotted Fu Mingze and, familiar and friendly, invited him along: “Comrade Fu is here too! Borrow a basket from Mo’er and come with us!”

Fu Mingze looked puzzled, but before he could decline, the women began urging him with one voice:

“Yes, come with us to the mountain. It just rained—there’ll be mushrooms and fresh wild vegetables.”

“You young educated youths aren’t good at farming. Better to come with us and gather mushrooms and bamboo shoots—it’s easy. Maybe you’ll even catch a rabbit!”

“Some of your comrades have gone up before, but none know as well as we old sparrows where mushrooms grow and where the wild vegetables are best. Follow us, and you’ll gather more than the others!”

The women really laid it on thick to persuade Fu Mingze. Shen Mo’er smiled at how popular he was and fetched a bamboo basket and a small basket, handing the basket to Fu Mingze.

“As the saying goes, ‘Invitation is no match for chance encounter; courtesy is best met with compliance.’ Let’s go, Comrade Fu.”

Fu Mingze could only laugh helplessly but took the basket.

The women were right—he had planned to explore the mountain after delivering the plans, so joining the locals might indeed bring better results.

The group set off in high spirits toward the back mountain.

The old women had heard about Fu Mingze helping with the house plans and listened intently as Shen Mo’er explained the water pump and cast iron pipe ideas, although most didn’t quite understand. That didn’t stop them from showering him with compliments, making the usually proud Fu Mingze blush.

Soon they reached the mountain, and the women’s attention shifted.

“We’re heading to Pine Tree Bay. There are guaranteed mushrooms there,” one said.

“Alright, first Pine Tree Bay, then back to the bamboo grove for mushrooms, wild vegetables, and bamboo shoots,” another agreed.

The old sparrows quickly agreed on the plan.

They moved briskly, the children laughing and running behind. Shen Mo’er and Fu Mingze exchanged glances and quickened their pace to keep up.

Though Pine Tree Bay was closer to the Pine Tree brigade, its roads were difficult, and the Pine Tree villagers rarely came this way. So this area was mostly frequented by Yangliu brigade people. The mountain paths twisted and turned, and only local “old sparrows” dared venture so far.

The area was lush and moist, perfect for mushrooms.

Once there, the group dispersed quickly.

Since the others were mostly elderly or children, Shen Mo’er and Fu Mingze chose to take the steeper paths, gradually drifting away from the main group.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.

“What’s this? Getting a second chance at life, yet you can’t even find a wild ginseng? Last life, crippled Zhu found some around here. Why can’t we?”

“Second chance at life.” “Last life.”

Shen Mo’er’s sharp ears caught those words. Instinctively, she slowed her movements and slipped behind a rock.

Raising her eyes, she met Fu Mingze’s dark, clear gaze.

“Shh!”