"Got it," Cheng Ying said. "When school lets out, if you see me, bring me along. If you don't see me, don't come looking inside. I'll assume it's boring and head home by myself. Understand?"

With that final instruction, Cheng Ying headed into the mountains alone.

Cheng Ming watched his young cousin's retreating figure. No matter how he looked at his little cousin, she seemed like such a fragile little thing—a tender sprout—to venture into the mountains by herself. This was the plight of a child without a father; how hard it must be. He resolved that he needed to look after her more from now on. Among the children they had grown up with, Cheng Ming had always been quite protective of his young cousin.

Cheng Ying arrived in the mountains alone, unsure of where to even begin. She reached the grave site of her own father. Strangely, Cheng Ying felt no fear whatsoever. The key was that she had her portable dimension to embolden her. It wasn't just wolves; even if the grave itself stirred up something, she could retreat into her dimension and be completely safe. Thus, the first place Cheng Ying started was around the gravesite. She retrieved Red Leaf tree saplings from the dimension and began digging pits to plant them around the burial ground.

Whether digging up the saplings or planting them, it was back-breaking physical labor. With her small arms and legs, Cheng Ying was so exhausted she could barely lift herself up. The only advantage she had from the dimension was that she didn't have to fetch water.

Originally, Cheng Ying had deep reservations about the water inside her dimension, but once she was sweating so profusely that her hair was plastered to her scalp from exertion, Cheng Ying forgot all caution. Mother wants a bath, right now.

Seeing that after a full day's work, she had only managed to plant ten saplings, Cheng Ying was on the verge of tears. Becoming wealthy was clearly not easy. When will this become a proper forest?

Cheng Ying let out a roar toward the sky, venting the frustration brewing inside her, and then entered her dimension. Her arms felt unusable. It was ridiculous; she had brought out over twenty saplings, and she hadn't even planted half of them.

Cheng Ying stripped off her clothes and, completely naked, jumped into the pond where the carp swam.

She swam several laps in the pool before the day's oppressive heat completely dissipated.

Emerging from the pond, Cheng Ying immediately returned to work. She took a basin and scooped up water from another clear pond, worried that the medicinal properties steeped from the honeysuckle in the first pond might not be potent enough. She grabbed a handful of honeysuckle blossoms and steeped them in the fresh water. Then, she submerged her aching arms and hands, rubbing vigorously at her lower back. The day's labor had left her back aching and her hands on the verge of blistering. Cheng Ying sniffled, feeling utterly wronged and wanting to cry.

This was suffering an ordeal. If it weren't for the fact that she was secretly trying to get rich, she would hire laborers to do this work. She wouldn't have to lift a finger herself.

Sighing, Cheng Ying wiped her face, pulled on her clothes, and stepped out, making sure she was presentable. At the very least, she couldn't let her grandmother see the toll the day had taken. The old woman would worry herself sick if she knew Cheng Ying had been working so hard.

Looking at the "Old Red Maple" sprouts in the field—saplings that looked just like maple leaves—Cheng Ying felt a measure of comfort. Look how healthy these little trees were, how spirited they looked! It was just the planting method that was too exhausting. It would take her family at least a year or two just to get this entire mountain ravine sorted out this way.

Cheng Ying thought about the water in her dimension and decided she needed to run an experiment. Otherwise, continuing to dig hole after hole by hand would surely exhaust her to death.

Cheng Ying pulled out a sapling, dug a spade-full of earth onto the ground, and thrust the sapling in. This was the simplest way to plant a tree. If she didn't have the water from her dimension, Cheng Ying was certain this sapling wouldn't survive. She then retrieved a large basin of bathing water from the dimension and poured it in. Oh, Cheng Ying silently pleaded, please let a miracle happen in this dimension, or I’m going to suffer immensely later on.

Glancing at the sky, Cheng Ying finally started heading down the mountain. She wondered if Cheng Ming was waiting for her; it was getting quite late.

By the time Cheng Ying reached the base of the mountain, the sun had long since set. She had been out here for an entire day and hadn't even touched her lunchbox. This showed just how absorbed she was in her work. However, she had to admit, although nothing grew in the dimension, she could at least pick a fruit or two to eat. So, she wouldn't starve. But she couldn't rely on that either, because the dimension was somewhat stingy; it barely produced any fruit even when it flowered.

Cheng Ying spotted Cheng Ming’s car parked by the roadside from a great distance. "Why haven't you left yet?"

Cheng Ming replied, "I enjoy lingering around outside for a bit."

Although Cheng Ying had bathed and felt much refreshed, she was utterly drained from a full day of hard labor. Without wasting words on Cheng Ming, she got into the car to go home, knowing full well he had waited for her. "You don't have to wait for me next time. If I head home on my own, you'll have waited for nothing. If we happen to cross paths, I’ll catch a ride. Besides..."

Cheng Ming couldn't bear the thought of his little sister suffering. The idea that there would be a next time annoyed him. He spoke with an edge, "Your stepfather, Wu Zi’s father—he really lets a little girl like you do manual labor in the fields?"

He was clearly agitated. Cheng Ying countered, "Don't talk nonsense. I went into the mountains to play, not to work!"

Cheng Ying thought to herself: How easy do you think it is for me? For the sake of my parents' reputation, even if I really was working, I wouldn't dare admit it. "Besides, that’s my dad's land. I need to keep an eye on it. Once I have money, I’ll hire people to fix it up."

Though Cheng Ming remained silent, his opinion of Chi Yong soured considerably.

Feeling displeased, Cheng Ming mulled it over. Chi Yong, for all intents and purposes, was an elder, and still a teacher. Cheng Ming couldn't do anything about him. But Chi Wu was different. If he dared bully his little sister, Cheng Ming thought, just wait until I deal with him. Whether it's in the village or even in the city, you won't find any peace.

Chi Wu was excited about school and, in the middle of June, suddenly sneezed twice for no apparent reason. Someone must have been talking about him. Chi Wu grinned foolishly. The people who cared about him could be counted on ten fingers. His parents were right there. The only one who could make Chi Wu happy was Cheng Ying. Chi Wu felt a silent surge of pleasure; at least the girl had some conscience and remembered him. He decided he would bring her something nice next Sunday.

The silly boy had no idea that people weren't thinking fondly of her; they were stirring up trouble for him.

After a long day of work, Cheng Ying saw the coarse grain water-rice her grandmother had made and, for the first time, didn't complain. Forgetting to wash her hands, she grabbed a bowl and started drinking immediately. Ah, I’m finally revived. Cheng Ming, that heartless boy, had made her get out and walk right at the edge of the village. Cheng Ying was both hungry and exhausted, and her steps were heavy.

The old lady came over and looked at her granddaughter. "Did you move boulders? You're worn out like this."

Cheng Ying gave the old lady a pained look. You guessed right, but I can’t admit it. It’s too damn heartbreaking to have to sneak around just to work. "Grandma, I ran too far."

The old lady brought her granddaughter a plate of scallions dipped in sauce.

Cheng Ying rolled up some scallions and ate them, finishing three large bowls of the coarse grain water-rice before she finally felt like she had something substantial in her stomach. And these weren't small porcelain bowls; they were large, blue-rimmed ones. Afterward, Cheng Ying didn't even want to recall that volume of food. It was too much for her small frame.

The old lady ate one bowl with her granddaughter before setting hers down. "Yingzi, where did you go? You weren't home all day. Is there a spirit in the mountains that has bewitched you?"

Cheng Ying took a deep breath. The issue was that she had eaten too much, and she felt too full to stand up. "Yes, there is. And it’s much more powerful than any spirit."

In Cheng Ying’s view, if the spirit were made of money, she would throw herself into its embrace without hesitation. Unfortunately, why couldn't she run into a spirit like that? What a pity.

The old lady glared at her granddaughter. "Nonsense child, don't talk like that again, and don't wander off like that. You don't know, Grandma's heart was held in suspense all day. Until I saw you return whole and sound, my heart wouldn't settle."

Cheng Ying looked at her grandmother and felt that the day's exhaustion had not been in vain. Her eyes stung, almost bringing her to tears. Someone did care about her. "Grandma, it's fine. You won't believe it, but today on the mountain, I ran into the forest rangers several times. The mountain was quite lively."

Saying this, Cheng Ying was impressed by her own inventiveness. This was all just to soothe the old woman. She hadn't seen a single soul while she was up on the mountain all day; it was as lonely as snow.

Indeed, money wasn't easily earned, and cash wasn't easily spent. For this one day's effort, Cheng Ying felt she might have to endure ten years of loneliness.

The old lady brightened. "Really? Oh, that forest farm is truly good. Yingzi, what were you doing up on the mountain?"

The old lady was in a better mood and quite engaged. Cheng Ying stretched her waist. "Grandma, you have to praise me. Today on the mountain, I found over a dozen 'Old Red' saplings and planted them all near Dad's grave. There were a few cypress trees too. In a couple of years, that spot will look nice. Grandma, you don't know, that place is prime territory. When I was with my mother, I saw ginseng sprouts there, and today I spotted several on that section of the mountain!"

The old lady’s eyes widened. "That is a good place. In our area, we haven't seen that sort of thing in years. Decades ago, people used to come here often to dig for ginseng."

Cheng Ying said, "Grandma, I was thinking of protecting a few of those ginseng sprouts. In over ten years, they’ll be worth a fortune too."

The old lady shook her head. "Sweet girl, you make it sound too simple. Why is that stuff so valuable? Because it’s rare. Rare things don't easily survive. Haven't you heard? Survival of the fittest—that's a gift from Heaven, not something we can just covet. If you encounter it, it’s a blessing; you can’t force it."

The old lady deliberately omitted the part about tempting fate, fearing she might frighten her granddaughter.

Cheng Ying thought to herself that thinking about that stuff gave her a headache. She couldn't curse Heaven, but she didn't have a good impression of it either. She hadn't expected her grandmother's words to carry such Buddhist philosophy. The old lady sounded wise. "Grandma, if it was before, I might have let it go, but at least now the mountain area belongs to us. I was thinking of consolidating that area. Since I have nothing else to do, I can manage it."

"Those few ginseng sprouts, I'll treat them as something to occupy my time. If they grow, it’s a bonus; if they don't, it's fate, and I won't let it bother me."

This sounded like doing one's best and leaving the rest to Heaven. The old lady nodded. "My granddaughter has a broad heart. Go ahead and try to nurture them. If they grow, it’s a gift from Heaven. If they don't, you are absolutely forbidden from being sad about it. That kind of thing isn't something we can tamper with, you understand? But what can you do as a child? Forget it. Wait until the holidays, and have your mother and Wu Zi's father go for a couple of days; wouldn't that be better?"

Cheng Ying shook her head. "Mom and Dad have their own mountain plots, Grandma. That area belonging to Dad, I want to manage it myself. No matter what, it was acquired with my dowry."

The old lady chuckled, "You shameless girl."

Though she said that, the granddaughter's words still brought tears to the old woman’s eyes. What Cheng Ying said was simple fact, but in the grandmother's heart, it meant that the girl didn't want anyone else interfering in the place that belonged to her father.

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