Chapter 643 - 555: Wu Qin’s Return

Xiao Man was preparing to return to Gongdao Village. She planned to make a detour to Ping County Town to visit a few teachers and classmates, which naturally meant buying more gifts. Gu Shaojun arranged for a relatively spacious and comfortable car and assigned two of his subordinates to drive her back. He also needed to hurry back to his unit.

Before they parted, Gu Shaojun warned Xiao Man to be extra vigilant for a while. He told her to remind Grandpa and Uncle Jiabao to watch out for any inconspicuous strangers who happened to pass by. He assured her their protection detail was always in place, so they didn’t need to be overly worried or afraid—it was just a precaution, in case the worst happened.

In a week at most, or perhaps even sooner, the Gongsun Clan Leader would return to the valley, discover the family treasure was gone, and realize their hidden paradise had been exposed. Gongsun Li and Gongsun Xiang probably wouldn’t do anything rash immediately. Gongsun Hanshan, however, was hot-tempered. If he found out, he would certainly not tolerate it. His furious rampage was easy to imagine.

Gu Shaojun was just waiting for Gongsun Hanshan to go berserk and come charging out, seeking revenge and demanding the treasure. He had a big stick ready to beat the mad dog. However, he also speculated that Gongsun Li might temporarily conceal the news of the missing treasure to prevent Gongsun Hanshan from making an irreparable mess of things. Regardless, the Gongsun Clan was now under surveillance. Once he finished up a few things, Gu Shaojun planned to apply for a special assignment to personally tail Gongsun Hanshan.

’A trace of worry surfaced in her heart, but she quickly dismissed it. Gu Shaojun was born with an Abnormal Spirit Root, so Cultivation was as natural to him as breathing. The Treasure Pearl Space was filled with profound and inscrutable Ancient Cultivation Methods. At first, progress was slow because he had to rely on her handwritten copies. But once Gu Shaojun could read the Jade Scrolls himself, he was like a fish in water, absorbing and storing entire sets of Cultivation Techniques in his mind. Not to mention, the auxiliary pills he took were all made from the celestial treasures within the Treasure Pearl Space. Plus, these last few days, Xiao Man had watched him craft Arrays and Array Maps. She had intentionally added materials from her space’s collection, and the results were astonishingly powerful! Even though Gongsun Hanshan also had a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, Gu Shaojun’s personal abilities and resources would allow him to suppress the man with ease. If he wanted to eliminate him, it would be even simpler. No need for talk—a single Suffocation Array Map would be enough to end it!’

Xiao Man arrived in Ping County Town that same day. She stayed at Teacher Yu’s house for two nights, meeting up with her old teachers and classmates for a get-together. On the afternoon of the third day, she returned to Gongdao Village.

The rural "double rush" was in full swing. The summer grain was being stored, and the cleared fields were immediately plowed and harrowed before being planted with new rice seedlings. By October or November, another harvest of autumn grain would be ready.

Grandpa Mo had bought a new thresher last year. Between that, the large water buffalo they raised, and their eighteen acres of rice paddies, the work went quickly. Mo Jiabao led his sons, sons-in-law, and the five workers from the mountain herb base, finishing all the harvesting and planting in just a few days. They didn’t even need help from the women, children, or elderly. Xiao Man stayed home with Grandma, Yu Wumei, and Xinghua to dry grain and do chores. Sometimes she would follow Grandpa up the mountain or tend to the herbs in the medicinal garden on the small hill.

Sometimes at noon or in the evening, she would also go help out at Mo Chengfu’s clinic. Unlike city dwellers, the villagers refused to let an illness interrupt their farm work. They would only spare a moment to run over for a diagnosis and medicine during their meal breaks. As a result, the clinic was swamped during those times and relatively quiet the rest of the day.

Every evening, Grandpa’s courtyard was still the liveliest spot in the village. Adults and children alike loved to come over for a while to watch TV, chat, and catch up on the day’s news from each family. The teenagers who came to hang out with Xiao Man, Xinghua, and Da Zhi usually gathered under the pear tree. The whole group would shoot the breeze about everything under the sun, enjoying the cool night air beneath a brilliant starry sky as peals of laughter rang out. What everyone loved most, however, was hearing Xiao Man describe the splendor and beauty of Beijing. They would pepper her with endless questions, and Xiao Man patiently answered every one. She encouraged her friends to study hard so they could get into a university in Beijing and explore the historic capital for themselves one day.

Late one night, while meditating and practicing her Cultivation in the space, Xiao Man finally broke through her bottleneck and successfully reached Foundation Establishment.

Only then did Xiao Man let out a silent sigh of relief. ’I miss Gu Shaojun,’ she thought, ’I wonder how he’s doing. By my count, Gongsun Li should have discovered the treasure was missing long ago. But there hasn’t been any trouble in Gongdao Village, and everything was fine when I called Beijing two days ago. Could it be just as Gu Shaojun predicted? Did Gongsun Li suppress the news and decide to lay low for now?’

In mid-August, the busy "double rush" season came to an end. After nearly a month of hard labor, people could finally relax a little. Guan Ailan, Mo Shuiling, and Mo Shuixia led a group of younger children and insisted on helping Grandpa with his work on the mountain. In truth, they just wanted to coax him into taking them into the forest to forage for wild bounty. Grandpa was touched at first, but when he figured out their ulterior motive, he didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry. In the end, he simply set aside his work and announced that he would take everyone into the mountains for two days. Anyone who wanted to go was welcome.

A large troop was quickly assembled—more than thirty boys and girls, ranging from seven to eighteen years old, all chattering and clamoring with excitement. Xiao Man, Xinghua, Qiuyan, Da Zhi, and Dapeng naturally went along with everyone. Carrying baskets on their backs and holding choppers, they spent two days exploring the mountain forests. Their harvest was plentiful, but unfortunately, the wild grapes covering the slopes were not yet ripe. They wouldn’t be ready to pick until after October.

The days flew by, and soon it was almost time for the school year to begin. The family started discussing and packing the things Xiao Man would take back to Beijing. Grandma was very reluctant to let her go and kept sighing. Xiao Man wrapped an arm around her and said, "Why don’t you come to Beijing with me, Grandma? We can all come back together for the New Year."

Grandma’s mouth moved, but before she could speak, Grandpa cut in. "Absolutely not. Hat Mountain still needs a lot of work, and we’re building a new house this year. There’s far too much to do! I can’t spare a single moment. Forget Beijing, I’m not even willing to go to Wancheng right now. It would waste too much time!"

Xiao Man was speechless.

’Grandpa, I don’t think I invited *you*,’ she thought. ’I know you’re busy!’

A moment later, she found it amusing and chided herself for being so thoughtless. ’Grandpa and Grandma have been inseparable their entire lives. In her past life, they chose to die together rather than be parted. How could I even think of taking Grandma to Beijing and leaving Grandpa all alone? Without her, what would be the point of him staying busy?’

Grandma didn’t agree to Xiao Man’s request either. She said the family was getting ready to build a new house, which would be a huge undertaking. "Your aunt can’t manage it all by herself," she explained, "so I need to be here to help supervise."

With the packing nearly complete, just two days before Xiao Man was set to leave for Beijing, Wu Qin returned to Gongdao Village.

Liu Fengying had accompanied her.

Liu Fengying must have picked Wu Qin up from the Wancheng train station, and they had taken the bus back to Gongdao Village. Normally, the bus stopped in the center of the village, but the mother-daughter pair didn’t get off there. Instead, they rode all the way to Grandpa’s gate before asking the driver to stop. Liu Fengying then helped Wu Qin off the bus. Wu Qin stumbled straight into Grandpa’s courtyard and collapsed on the ground, wailing and screaming hoarsely to the heavens about a terrible injustice. When everyone saw the state she was in, they were all stunned.