Even if she had fallen into such a poor, remote place, she shouldn't have to do this kind of work.
"You don't need to take such care of me. If you can do it, then naturally, so can I. In the end, being able to earn my living with my own hands makes me happy."
Lu Youqing's eyes were clear and transparent, as if she could see straight through Qin Ke's thoughts.
"…Alright."
After spending these days together, Qin Ke had come to understand just how stubborn she was. Once she made up her mind, no one could change it.
After thinking for a moment, he had her walk ahead to scatter the seeds while he followed behind covering them with soil. That way, she wouldn't have to bend over or touch the dirt too much.
He also casually took the straw hat off his own head and placed it on hers, so she wouldn't get dizzy from the sun.
Lu Youqing was frighteningly intelligent—no matter what it was, as long as she wanted to learn, she picked it up quickly.
Watching the seeds go from uneven spacing at first to nearly perfectly uniform intervals, Qin Ke fell silent and continued covering the soil behind her.
Working together was indeed easier than working alone. They finished sowing the entire acre early in the afternoon.
"How about we go up the mountain and see if there are any wild vegetables or something?" Qin Ke suggested, seeing that it was still early. Since coming here, he had spent most of his time in the fields and hadn't had a chance to explore.
The mountain wasn't far from their land. From the memories he had inherited, Qin Ke knew that only hunters went into the mountains, as there were wild animals. The original owner's father had been killed by a tiger that came down from the mountain.
But since Qin Ke suggested going up, he naturally had some confidence. He had just asked the system, which promised to warn him before any danger appeared.
It was a mountain forest—untouched, natural wilderness. He felt certain there would be something to gain.
Lu Youqing had no objections and nodded.
The mountain paths were difficult to traverse. This wasn't a scenic hiking trail developed for tourism like in later times. There were no paths at all—just dense trees, scattered rocks, and thorny undergrowth.
Worried that Lu Youqing might slip, Qin Ke walked slowly, taking each step only after making sure she was following behind him.
Most of the plants in the mountains were unfamiliar to Qin Ke. But he had already arranged things with the system: if anything valuable was nearby, it would alert him—essentially acting as a detector.
Of course, this detector wasn't free. After bargaining with the system for quite a while, Qin Ke managed to reduce the cost to two points.
What a shameless profiteer, Qin Ke complained inwardly, though his expression remained calm.
Without a watch, it was impossible to tell the time—another thing Qin Ke found difficult to adjust to after transmigrating. He estimated they had walked for about half an hour.
The system, silent until now, finally spoke:
"Please note, host—fifteen meters ahead to the left."
Lu Youqing, walking behind Qin Ke, saw him suddenly stop, glance left, and then head straight in that direction.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and followed him without a word.
He stopped beneath a thick, sturdy tree and crouched down, casually picking up a branch to brush aside the fallen leaves covering the ground.
At first, Lu Youqing didn't know what he was looking for—until he uncovered a green plant bearing several bright red berries.
She had never seen a full ginseng plant before. But when Qin Ke cleared away the soil at its base, revealing gray-brown roots, she finally realized what he had found.
Qin Ke didn't notice the probing gaze Lu Youqing directed at his back. He was busy carefully separating the soil from the ginseng's roots. Judging by its size, it must have taken at least fifty or sixty years to grow.
This was wild ginseng—pure and natural. Even in modern times, it would be worth a fortune, let alone in ancient times.
Those points were well spent!
Tomorrow, taking it to town would surely fetch a high price. With that money, he could finally ease their financial troubles—and buy Lu Youqing some new clothes…
Lost in his calculations, Qin Ke's hands never stopped working.
Realizing what he was doing, Lu Youqing crouched beside him and reached out to help.
With the two of them working carefully together, the wild ginseng was finally unearthed intact.
Holding the ginseng in one hand and pulling Lu Youqing up with the other, Qin Ke grinned happily.
"We really hit the jackpot this time. This trip wasn't wasted."
After brushing the dirt from her hands, Lu Youqing looked at the ginseng in his grasp, estimated its value, and nodded.
"This ginseng is very old and quite rare. You'll definitely get a good price for it at a pharmacy in town."
"Exactly!" Qin Ke was so excited he almost danced in place. "So tomorrow we'll go to town. We can use the money to buy what we need."
"It's getting late. We should head down the mountain before it gets dark—the paths will be hard to see."
It was the first time Lu Youqing had seen such childlike behavior in a man, and she found it oddly novel.
"Oh—right!"
Snapped back to reality, Qin Ke first took off his outer robe and wrapped the ginseng in it, then grabbed Lu Youqing's wrist to head downhill.
He didn't want villagers seeing them on the way back. If people found out he had dug up wild ginseng, they'd never have peace again.
Not to mention his troublesome grandparents—if they found out, they would surely come knocking. After all, money had always stirred people's hearts.
But halfway down the mountain, Qin Ke noticed that the person beside him was slowing down. Her breathing had also grown heavy.
"Can't go on anymore?" Qin Ke stopped and looked at her pale face.
"I'm fine. I can keep going," Lu Youqing said through clenched teeth. She didn't want to be seen as a burden.
Knowing her stubborn, prideful nature, Qin Ke sighed softly. He shoved the ginseng into her hands, then squatted halfway down in front of her.
"Get on. I'll carry you."
Lu Youqing silently looked away.
"…No need."
"If you don't get on, I'm not moving," Qin Ke said, holding his crouched position. "Let's see which one of us can outlast the other."
Though he often felt helpless with her, Qin Ke had gradually figured out her weakness—raised to follow rules, serious and proper most of the time.
And proper people were the most vulnerable to shameless persistence.
After a long silence, Lu Youqing finally moved. She slowly leaned onto his back.
It was the first time in her life she had been carried by a man—strange, and very… high.
Perhaps to accommodate her, Qin Ke walked steadily and carefully on the way down. As the breeze brushed past, resting against his broad back, Lu Youqing saw a view she had never seen before.
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Currently at chapter 90 for advance chapters
https:// ko-fi.com/rabi08