The Prime Minister’s Little Wife

Chapter 4: Gathering Herbs in the Mountains

That night, it was late summer.

The mosquitoes were terrifyingly numerous. Xu Zhizhi hadn’t brought any mosquito repellent in her portable space, so she could only keep fanning herself with a tattered palm fan.

Xu Zhizhi guessed it was around seven o’clock at most.

But kerosene was a luxury.

And the light it provided was too dim.

Apart from sleeping, there was nothing else to do.

No other options.

Xu Zhizhi instinctively reached for her phone, only to remember she didn’t have one.

Ancient times were really tough!

And the bed was so hard!

By the early hours of the morning, Xu Zhizhi finally fell into a restless sleep.

At dawn, as soon as the sun peeked over the horizon, Xu Zhizhi woke up.

It was the first time she had naturally woken up so early.

Her back and waist ached from the hard wooden bed. It would probably take some time to get used to it.

For breakfast, it was sweet potatoes again.

The whole family ate happily and contentedly.

Only Xu Zhizhi was already tired of them. She had been eating sweet potatoes for a whole day and longed for something savory, like spicy strips.

Early in the morning, Xu Zhizhi took a basket and went up the mountain to gather wild vegetables. Her two younger brothers followed her.

The wild vegetables on the mountain had been mostly picked clean. The reason was simple: poverty. With nothing else to eat, people had no choice but to forage for wild greens.

Xu Zhizhi had to take her brothers further into the mountains.

If they stayed too close to the village, finding a ginseng root wouldn’t seem believable.

Deeper in the forest, there were many more medicinal herbs.

From the memories of her original body, Xu Zhizhi knew that many of these herbs could be sold for money. She had previously dug up these herbs and sold them to the town’s pharmacy, giving all the money to Jin Zijun.

What a waste of affection!

Xu Zhizhi dug up quite a few herbs and placed them in her basket. Then, avoiding her brothers’ eyes, she took a ginseng root from her portable space and placed it in the basket.

She pretended to be ecstatic and shouted, “Look! I found a huge ginseng root! I’ll sell it in town later, and we’ll buy meat. We’ll have meat to eat!”

“Really?”

“Sister, you’re amazing!”

Her two younger brothers were overjoyed.

The three siblings excitedly chose a different path to return home.

On the way back, they stumbled upon a patch of chicken-foot mushrooms in a secluded corner of the mountain. These mushrooms were expensive in modern times!

She wasn’t sure how much they were worth here, but even a single one could fetch a few copper coins.

Many villagers had never even seen a silver coin in their lives.

In the village, one tael of silver could feed a family for several months.

It was roughly equivalent to several thousand yuan in modern currency.

The chicken-foot mushrooms were also incredibly delicious. Though they were mushrooms, they tasted like chicken, with a rich, savory flavor.

Xu Zhizhi took the opportunity to dig up a few and placed them in her portable space.

She was beginning to understand the importance of food.

“Brother, look! There are chicken-foot mushrooms here!”

A chubby girl shouted excitedly.

Her brother rushed over, but the last mushroom had already been picked by Xu Xiao Wu and placed in the basket.

The boy rudely demanded, “Hand over the chicken-foot mushrooms.”

Xu Zhizhi immediately stepped in front of Xu Xiao Wu and said, “Are you trying to rob us?”

“Zhizhi-jie, Brother Zijun studies hard every day, and his body is weak. These chicken-foot mushrooms) would be perfect to nourish him.”

Xu Xiao Wu and Xu Da Niu hid behind Xu Zhizhi, clutching the basket tightly.

It was clear from the boy’s entitled attitude and her brothers’ cautious behavior—along with her own memories—that this kind of thing had happened many times before.

These two were Jin Zijun’s younger cousins.

Because Xu Zhizhi had liked Jin Zijun, she had been especially kind to his family.

Every time they met in the mountains, Xu Zhizhi would often give whatever her family had gathered to Jin Zijun’s cousins, hoping they would put in a good word for her.

Over time, they had come to take it for granted.

Xu Zhizhi spoke sharply to the boy, “Jin Zijun has no moral integrity. He was engaged to me but flirted with another woman. Yesterday, he even humiliated me in front of everyone. I’ve already called off the engagement. From now on, I have nothing to do with Jin Zijun.

These are things my family gathered. If you dare to try and take them, don’t blame me for being harsh.”

The boy and his sister were shocked. They hadn’t expected the village rumors to be true.

The chubby girl sneered at Xu Zhizhi, “Hmph, you must have been dumped by my cousin. You ugly, unwanted spinster.”

“If you don’t marry my cousin, you’ll be an old maid for the rest of your life.”

Facing their cruel words, Xu Zhizhi felt a chill in her heart.

The original Xu Zhizhi had been nothing but kind to Jin Zijun’s family, often going hungry herself to give them food.

As the saying goes, “Those who eat others’ food should at least show some gratitude.”

But instead, she had raised a pack of ungrateful wolves.

Xu Zhizhi had looked in the mirror. Her features were actually quite pretty.

But due to poor nutrition, too much manual labor, and lack of skincare, her skin was dark, and she was thin and malnourished.

But her facial features were fine.

She was far from being an “ugly spinster.”

Xu Da Niu retorted, “My sister is blessed by an immortal. The immortal said she will soon meet someone a hundred times better than Jin Zijun.”

“You’re just bragging!” the boy scoffed.

As the two walked away arrogantly, Xu Zhizhi suddenly understood.

In ancient times, not having a partner made it easy for others to look down on you.

When she had the chance to go to the county town, she would definitely buy herself a husband from the slave market.

She would choose one whose parents had passed away.

That way, she wouldn’t have to serve in-laws and deal with complicated family relationships. In ancient times, elders often used filial piety to pressure others, and she wanted to avoid such toxic dynamics.

She would buy someone with good looks and a decent figure. Being poor didn’t matter.

With the help of herportable space, turning him into a wealthy gentleman in the city wouldn’t be too difficult.

That way, she would have both face and substance.

Such a husband would definitely be a hundred times better than Jin Zijun.

The prophecy she had made up would have to be fulfilled by herself.

There was no rush. She had plenty of time to improve her living conditions first.

She would buy some mugwort to burn, which would keep insects and mosquitoes away.

On the way home, Xu Da Niu and Xu Xiao Wu began to talk more.

Perhaps it was because this was the first time Xu Zhizhi had stood up for her family’s interests.

In the past, Xu Zhizhi had always sided with others.

At noon, Xu Zhizhi had planned to cook the chicken-foot mushrooms for lunch, but her mother insisted she take them to town to see if they could be sold.

Xu Zhizhi had no choice but to comply.

But secretly, she planted the mushroom in her portable space.

In time, they would grow into a large patch, and her family would have more money.

With money, they would naturally be willing to eat better.

Xu Zhizhi boarded an ox cart to town.

The ride was bumpy and uncomfortable, mainly because the road was uneven.

The village hadn’t paved the road to town, but thankfully it wasn’t too far—only about ten li (a few miles). They arrived quickly.

(End of Chapter)