Feng mountain was formerly called Abundant Mountain, and as the name suggests, maple trees dominate the entire mountain range, including the small hills behind the village.

Although the vegetation is diverse and the resources are abundant, once autumn arrives, the maple leaves become fiery red, and nothing else can be seen.

Due to the significant role Feng mountain plays in the lives of the people in the surrounding areas and the longing and obsession for a good harvest, the official records have always referred to it as Feng mountain.

The Feng mountain mountain range has several peaks, and on the southern side, there is a slightly independent small peak called Xiao Feng mountain. It is also the closest entrance to Feng mountain from Xiwan village. By passing through the middle of Xiao Feng mountain, one can reach the depths of the continuous Feng mountain.

In early summer, when looking from Xiwan village, the various shades of green on distant mountains and nearby hills create a magnificent spectacle, especially during misty mornings when the fog is thick and mysterious, deterring casual exploration.

The paths around Xiao Feng mountain are not difficult to traverse, and there are several routes that people have treaded throughout the year. Villagers often venture up the mountain to gather wild vegetables and pick wild fruits. Those familiar with medicinal herbs also collect some to sell at the town’s herbal shops. The hunters from nearby villages also rely on the mountains for sustenance and lead a relatively prosperous life.

Speaking of which, Jingyi’s main source of income at this stage is digging medicinal herbs in the mountains and setting traps for hunting.

During Jingyi’s years in the military, he participated in numerous wilderness operations, and even after entering civilian life, he still enjoyed participating in outdoor survival activities. Almost every year, he would spend a considerable sum of money to join high-end club organizations for wilderness survival activities. Recognizing basic food ingredients and medicinal herbs, setting up traps in the wilderness, and making simple hunting tools were skills he had long mastered. Now, he couldn’t help but marvel at how his interests and hobbies from his previous life had become a means of earning money.

Jing’s three brothers headed towards Xiao Feng mountain, encountering many uncles who were busy working in the fields or going to town for jobs. They exchanged greetings and continued on their way. However, when they saw the aunties sitting at their doorsteps or on the village paths, they had to stop and endure questions about various topics. Jingyi politely answered their well-intentioned gossip one by one.

There were also those who didn’t mind their own business and asked things like, “Did your father spend a lot of money on his illness?” or “I heard your family offended Mr. Liu in town, that’s quite serious.” Jingyi smoothly changed the subject, but in his heart, he made a mental note of several individuals.

And those who purposely avoided them from a distance had long made it onto Jingyi’s blacklist. Who didn’t have a little notebook in their heart?

“Auntie, you carry on with your work. We’ll be on our way. If we’re late, we won’t be able to dig enough wild vegetables, and if we run out of lunch ingredients, we’ll have to borrow some.” Jingyi said to a nosy gossiping woman, looking at her with an expectant gaze.

“Oh, you didn’t say so earlier! You rascal, you’re still here chatting away without calculating your time. Hurry up and start digging. Come to think of it, my own vegetables won’t be enough either.” Saying that, she hurriedly picked up a stool and left. It seemed like if Jingyi took one more step, he would have followed her to get some vegetables. And she didn’t forget to give Jingyi an eye roll before leaving.

Once they left the village, it became much quieter, and the scenery along the way was quite beautiful.

After crossing the fields, they entered a small hill where many wildflowers bloomed along the road, in various shades of pink and purple. Under normal circumstances, Jing Shu would run around picking several flowers and tie them into a small bundle around her waist. Jing An would pick up a small stick, swinging it around, sweeping through the grass and hitting tree branches. Being a ten-year-old boy, he was full of energy like a Husky.

But now, the two brothers wore expressions of deep resentment, their demeanor quiet and composed. If someone didn’t know the reason, they might think they were going up the mountain seeking revenge. Jing Yi knew what was going on, so he tried to console them.

“What’s the matter with you guys? Did the flowers lose their fragrance or the sun stop shining? Your faces are so gloomy,” he said, patting their heads lightly, one after the other, trying to calm them down.

“Big brother, they’re so annoying. They said bad things about dad.”

“Aunt Wang keeps giving us sideways glances. I’m never talking to her again!”

“Yeah, yeah! They keep prying about our family and laughing while asking.”

The two younger brothers found an outlet for their emotions and eagerly spoke up, one after the other. And they didn’t stop venting their frustrations; the more they spoke, the more extreme their suggestions became. “You should release some bugs at Zhang’s place tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, we can pick a fight with Li’s kid when he comes out.”

“Alright, alright, I understand,” Jing Yi said. “You two are amazing. You know how to stand up for our parents and our family.” It was Jing’s educational approach to first affirm and praise the children before providing guidance.

“When someone speaks ill of others, it’s their fault. If we hear it, we should immediately refute them with courage. What are we afraid of when we have a clear conscience? Besides, people like them usually don’t have much ability and can’t really do any serious harm. In the future, we should just avoid spending time with them.”

“But should we just let them badmouth us behind our backs, big brother? It still hurts,” Jing An asked in a low voice. He was ten years old now, older than Jing Shu, and he understood most of the reasoning behind it. He was also a little tough guy who couldn’t tolerate others bullying his family.

“I understand how you feel, Jing An. But you have to know that the best revenge is not becoming like the people you dislike. Instead, it’s about living well, better than them. They will feel more frustrated and unhappy than you can imagine. And our time is precious, don’t waste it on people we dislike and who are unnecessary in our lives.”

The two younger brothers listened attentively, although they only partially understood the reasoning, their expressions showed that they were absorbing the information and contemplating it.

These kinds of lessons were rarely given by adults in the countryside to children, but Jing Yi knew that education had to start from an early age. Although he was the older brother, he also took on the roles of a parent and a teacher. As a result, Jing An and Jing Shu, from this moment on and into the future, held great respect and trust in their older brother. When they were unsure about something, they would always come to him for advice.

The two brothers quickly recovered their spirits and soon became cheerful again.

They walked through the small hill and continued for about an hour, accommodating Jing An and Jing Shu’s smaller steps. At one point, Jing Shu even had Jing Yi carry her for a little while. Finally, they entered the area of Xiao Feng mountain. It was their first time here, and even though it was just on the outskirts of Xiao Feng mountain, it was enough to make the two of them excited.

Jingyi took the two of them to the vicinity of a stream. This stream flowed down from the mountain, and Jingyi didn’t know its source because he had never climbed to the top of Xiao Feng Mountain. However, the stream was clear and the water was still cold despite it being early summer. Jingyi thought that the source might be in the DàFeng Mountain range.

Near the stream, there was a large patch of orchids growing well. They had vibrant, watery green colors, which was rare to see such freshness after spring. Jingyi had noticed them while gathering herbs yesterday, and it was a good opportunity to gather them and mix them with the tofu brought back by his younger brother in the morning. They certainly had more than they could eat at home, but for now, they would bring them back and decide whether to eat or sell later.

As they entered the mountain, Jingyi remained vigilant. His two younger brothers, aged seven and ten, were still young, so he kept a close eye on them. He insisted that they move together as a group when picking wild vegetables and even implemented a military-like check-in system.

In reality, there were very few large animals deep in Xiao Feng Mountain. The terrain was gentle and easy to climb, attracting frequent visitors and discouraging large animals from coming. Moreover, they were still on the outskirts. However, Jingyi knew that in the wilderness, it was better to be cautious, especially when accompanied by his two younger brothers.

After picking the large patch of orchids, Jingyi thought that the weather was good today, and it was still early. With more people going up the mountain recently, it was relatively safe. He decided to take his two younger brothers a little deeper into the mountain to check the traps he had set.

As they ventured further, the vegetation became denser, and the wild grass grew taller. Both of his younger brothers were sensible and understanding. They knew that the danger increased as they went deeper into the mountain, so they obediently followed their big brother.

As they walked, they observed their surroundings, while the small animals in the forest silently watched the group of people. Finally, they arrived at the location of several traps, with each trap placed a short distance apart.

When setting the traps, Jingyi had considered the possibility of someone accidentally stumbling upon them and getting injured, so he used dark pieces of torn cloth that were no longer used at home as markers. He hung them in prominent places as a warning to others who came to hunt. Furthermore, Jingyi was cautious and made the markers conspicuous, but the traps were skillfully concealed to prevent others from stealing the prey.

In total, he had set up four traps. It was challenging to catch larger animals like wild boars and adult deer, but those were rarely seen in Xiao Feng Mountain in recent years. However, it was almost certain to catch naive deer, small deer, and wild chickens.

“You two wait here for me now. I’ll go check what’s in the pit,” Jingyi said, ensuring his brothers stayed about ten meters away from the traps. In case of any unexpected situation, they would have enough time to react.

“We got it, big brother,” Jǐng ān and Jǐng shū answered excitedly and eagerly, their eyes shining as they focused on the pit their big brother had just shown them. They spoke in soft voices, with Jǐng ān shrugging his shoulders and Jǐng shū covering his mouth, as if making any sudden movements or speaking too loudly would scare away the prey. This was the activity they had been most looking forward to today!

These adorable younger brothers truly touched Jingyi’s forty-year-old heart.

Quickly approaching the first trap, Jingyi looked inside and saw a grey, struggling wild chicken. One of its wings was pinned tightly to the wooden spike at the bottom of the pit, barely flapping.

Jingyi skillfully jumped into the trap, grabbed the wild chicken, and threw it up. With a push and a step, he leaped out of the pit. He held the wild chicken and gave it a shake. Not bad, it was quite plump. It felt like it weighed around five to six catties, which was rare. Wild chickens didn’t accumulate fat like domestic chickens, so it was generally difficult for them to grow heavy.

Taking the hemp rope, Jingyi tied the two chicken legs together and threw them into the basket behind. He quickly called his younger brothers over and headed to the second trap.

The second trap had no luck. The camouflage of dried branches and straw on top remained undisturbed, indicating that they had caught nothing. Jingyi didn’t bother checking it and went straight to the remaining two traps. In the third trap, there was a wild rabbit. Its fur wasn’t attractive, and it didn’t seem to have much meat. Jingyi thought it was better than nothing, and bringing it home to stew would still make a delicious dish. Everyone in the family could use some nourishment.

Then they proceeded towards the last trap.