When Jiang Ning left home, it was during the busy morning hours of farm work.
She moved through the space, walking past ridges, wheat fields, corn fields, and lotus ponds... No matter where she went, she could see villagers passing by her.
This was the second time Jiang Ning had seen so many people since coming to this world. People digging fields, carrying manure, hoeing, planting vegetables, herding cattle... This small village was a microcosm of primitive agricultural culture, displaying the simplicity and unpretentiousness of rural life vividly.
Jiang Ning brushed past these villagers in the space. She could see them, but they were completely unaware of her.
It was a strange feeling. She wandered among men and women, old and young, like a bloodless, fleshless, lonely ghost without any attachments.
Jiang Ning walked and observed, mostly giving everything a cursory glance, until she encountered a familiar face in a vegetable patch.
It was the Third Great Aunt who had washed her body and changed her clothes, picking chili peppers in the field.
The old woman had a basket on her back and wore straw sandals as she stepped in the field. She bent slightly, grasped the red chili peppers, pulled them up, and the peppers detached from the plant, clutched in her hand. When she had gathered a large handful, she tossed them behind her, landing precisely in the basket.
Third Great Aunt worked deftly while chatting animatedly with a woman in the neighboring field. Her face was smiling, with a kind and gentle expression.
Jiang Ning was just passing by but stopped when she heard a familiar name.
"...I don't like what you're saying. What do you mean 'Ming'an isn't good enough'? In what way is Ming'an not good enough?" Third Great Aunt asked the woman, somewhat irritated.
The woman looked to be in her early forties. Hearing Third Great Aunt defend Liu Ming'an, she narrowed her eyes in a mocking smile, pursed her lips, and began to argue:
"He just isn't good enough! Third Great Aunt, your favoritism won't help. He Yiyi is the prettiest girl in our village, and her family is the best off. Her two brothers are also successful. What does Liu Ming'an have? No parents, just three mud-brick houses, he's not even good at farming, just a pretty face. Apart from being able to write a few characters, what else can he offer? How could He Yiyi be interested in him?"
Third Great Aunt was a bit angry at first, but after hearing the last sentence, she started smiling again, with a somewhat meaningful expression: "Aunt Li Er, you're just being presumptuous. Yiyi isn't materialistic like you, maybe she really does like him."
"Oh~ Third Great Aunt, you know as well as I do. He Yiyi might like that pretty boy Liu Ming'an, but can she make her own decisions? Do you think Aunt Lin Er is just for show? Would she let her daughter marry a poor scholar?"
Third Great Aunt was optimistic: "It'll be fine once Ming'an passes the imperial examination."
"Even if he passes, he'll still be a poor scholar! I'm not afraid to tell you, my son, who works in town, saw He Ping drinking with the youngest son of the Chen Family Rice Shop owner. That man even called He Ping 'big brother' and said he wanted to marry his sister."
Third Great Aunt couldn't respond. Although she felt for Liu Ming'an and thought he was good in every way, she also knew that given his circumstances, it would be difficult for him to find a wife. Otherwise, he wouldn't still be unmarried at nineteen, without any matchmakers ever visiting his home.
Third Great Aunt sighed, walked to the farthest end from the woman, and turned her back to pick chili peppers without saying a word.
The woman, having won this verbal battle, looked very pleased. She raised her chin and let out a soft "hmph" at Third Great Aunt's back, a victor's mockery of the defeated.
After they finished talking, Jiang Ning continued towards the mountains. Her pace remained unhurried as before, but she no longer had the mood to look around and observe.
She had always known that Liu Ming'an was different from ordinary farmers. His face was fair and clean, unlike someone who worked outdoors year-round. He spent his free time reading and writing, and wasn't particular about food, more like a poor scholar.
Jiang Ning didn't think there was anything wrong with that, after all, everyone has different pursuits. But she hadn't realized that in this environment, Liu Ming'an's various behaviors made him seem like an outsider. The contempt and disdain in that woman's eyes when she spoke of him were crystal clear to Jiang Ning.
At the root of it all, Liu Ming'an was simply too poor. In bustling cities, the poor are ignored, while in remote mountains, even distant relatives come calling when one is rich. Once he had money, these people who looked down on him would probably change their tune.
With this thought, Jiang Ning quickened her pace. As she moved towards the mountains, there were fewer and fewer people. By the time she reached the foot of the mountain, there were almost no signs of human activity.
Before her, weeds grew wildly, nearly waist-high. Past the peak of summer, the vegetation had started to turn yellow. Although Jiang Ning wouldn't trip or get caught on anything while in the space, she found it increasingly difficult to walk, as if some invisible force was restraining her.
Considering the possible reasons, Jiang Ning took a sickle from the space and came out to cut down the obstructing grass. When she re-entered the space and took a few steps, it was indeed much smoother.
It seemed that even in the space, she couldn't be completely disconnected from the outside world and was still limited by actual conditions.
This discovery disappointed Jiang Ning a bit. She had hoped to use the space for "light body skills to walk on water" and "unprotected deep-sea diving," but it seemed that wouldn't work. She'd probably drown.
With no one around, Jiang Ning decided to leave the space. She picked up a long branch from the ground, using it to beat down the grass in front of her as she slowly made her way up the mountain.
The slope at the foot of the mountain was fairly gentle, without many tall trees, mostly shrubs. As Jiang Ning cleared her path and walked, she discovered no less than ten types of edible wild vegetables in the short distance of about half a kilometer. Birdsong occasionally came from above, and the birds didn't seem afraid of her. Some even perched on branches, tilting their heads to observe her.
The mountain was rich in resources but untrodden by humans. The fearlessness of the birds also indicated that this place rarely saw people, which deepened Jiang Ning's curiosity.
Why didn't the villagers come up the mountain?
Pondering possible reasons, after nearly half an hour of walking, Jiang Ning entered the forest halfway up the mountain.
The trees here weren't dense, sparsely scattered, at most ten meters tall. Many had started to lose their leaves, leaving bare branches where birds hopped about.
There were no more tall weeds here, just low-growing grass clinging to the ground, lush and green. Rabbits would probably like it.
Jiang Ning tossed aside the branch she was holding, ready to search the area carefully. She had only taken two steps when she suddenly felt something hard under her foot. Looking down, she saw a yellowish-brown, spiky round lump. It had split open from her step, revealing brown, seed-like objects inside.
Jiang Ning stared intently for two seconds before realizing with delight that this strange-looking thing was a chestnut!
She crouched down, carefully avoiding the hard spikes on the outer shell, and split open the lump to reveal two round chestnuts inside.
Excited by this unexpected find, Jiang Ning quickly looked around and indeed spotted a chestnut tree about ten steps away. As she walked over, she stepped on many more lumps. Reaching the tree, she looked up to see the green leaves interspersed with small green-yellow balls – all unripe chestnuts still on the tree.
Looking down, she saw the grass under the tree was almost covered with these small balls – green, yellow, and black ones, most of them split open, revealing the chestnuts inside.
"How am I supposed to pick these up?" Jiang Ning muttered, looking at the prickly hard spikes. The only response was the crisp, melodious birdsong.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Ning picked up the branch she had discarded earlier, broke it into two pieces, and fashioned a pair of long chopsticks.
