The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

She quickly rummaged through the pile of things on the table that hadn't been distributed yet and found the tube of colorful rubber bands.

"Grandma, help me tie my hair!" Ya Ya grinned.

Grandma Liu looked at these colorful little circles and was a little confused. Were they for tying her hair?

She tried picking out a big red ring, pulled on it, and hey? It was actually elastic!

She slipped the hair over Ya Ya's dry, yellow braids, wrapped it around once more, and it firmly secured her hair. Grandma Liu's eyes lit up; this was a wonderful thing!

She picked up a large red circle, removed the straw rope from the other side of the sprout, and replaced it with this rubber band.

This works really well!

Other villagers also gathered around. Little Bean curiously picked up a stick and pulled it hard. The amazing elasticity made him feel particularly novel.

Zhao the hunter took a look, grabbed one too, tied his trouser leg up, and whoosh!

This is convenient.

"Hunter Zhao's method is excellent! When we go up the mountain to chop firewood or work in the fields, we don't have to worry about our trousers getting caught in the wind or straw!"

Each villager picked two ribbons of their favorite color and tied them up to cover their trouser legs.

"It can even be used to bundle wild vegetables!"

"How come those people are so clever? They can make so many wonderful things. What are they made of? Could it be the legendary dragon tendons?"

"What are you talking about? Dragon tendons are being sold outside, and so cheaply?"

Everyone was laughing and joking, feeling exceptionally relaxed, their initial despair long gone.

After admiring the things Ya Ya brought back for a while, everyone took their share and went home.

After a short rest at noon, we'll come back for lunch, and then we can go up the mountain to pick wild vegetables again in the afternoon. These wild vegetables have to be picked in time, not too late or too early. They have to be brought over by Ya Ya so that they are just right and fresh!

Hunter Zhao also took the mirror and toothbrush back to his hut at the foot of the mountain.

Lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a small mirror, I couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

I simply jumped up and went to the roadside at the village entrance, which was blocked by a mudslide.

Near that big rock, he also dug a shallow hole. He originally planned to come and clear it every day after the rainy season to open up the road outside as soon as possible. He also planned to reinforce the area near the mountain, otherwise, if it rains for several more days, it will be in danger.

I reckon there will be another landslide, which will make the road even more congested.

But now, looking at this natural 'wall' made of mud and stones, he felt conflicted again.

With Ya Ya's abilities, they couldn't keep anything she brought back.

Lotus Village is populated by the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled.

He was so weak he couldn't even kill a chicken.

These things will not become wealth, but only deadly weapons.

In these times, there is war and chaos, natural disasters are frequent, and there is a shortage of food and clothing everywhere.

People will fight tooth and nail for a bite to eat, let alone all these unheard-of delicacies.

If they were to be exposed, it wouldn't be long before a bunch of wolves and tigers would tear the village apart.

He looked down at the solidified earthen slope at his feet. In a few more days, when it rained, this area would become slippery again.

Reinforce it? Or... just let it get even more blocked?

The mountain is blocked off, so it's safe now, but what about the future? How long can they hold out guarding this mountain?

A little sprout can't be their feet, their eyes, their money bag forever.

Not to mention medicine.

In the village, when an elderly person coughs or a child has a fever, it's impossible to find even half a dose of proper medicine.

If someone really gets sick, this blocked road will become a death trap.

There's also the back mountain.

Hunter Zhao looked up toward the deep mountains, his brows furrowing even more.

There is another village in the valley over there.

In the past, when there were no disasters or calamities, there was very little contact between the two sides. They were separated by a mountain, and it would take two hours just to walk over to the village where one could see it. They also had to be wary of wild beasts in the mountains.

But who knows when they might come to this mountain if there's no other way to survive there?

Hunter Zhao sighed heavily.

In his life, he has hunted bears in the mountains, fished in the rivers, dared to climb the most dangerous cliffs, and dared to fight the fiercest wild beasts.

But now, facing this pile of mud and stones, facing a village of the elderly and weak, facing a little sprout that fell from the sky with hands full of hope, he felt for the first time how useless he was.

The wind grew colder and colder, and footsteps echoed on the dirt road.

The village chief, leaning on his cane, slowly walked over.

The old man didn't ask anything. He just stood in front of the mud and stone wall, squinted at it for a long time, and then sighed deeply.

Hunter Zhao turned around, his voice low: "Uncle, it's going to rain again in a few days, and this slope will be slippery again. I'm thinking about whether to reinforce it, or... just block it up even more completely."

The village chief touched the cold stone. "Blocking it up would be burying ourselves alive."

"We haven't planted wheat, we can't get medicine, and we can't keep the children locked up in the mountains forever. Today, Tiesheng said that Xiaodouzi has the potential to study, and he's thinking of sending him to school in town once the government officials finish building the road."

"Relying on Ya Ya alone to support the family is not living a normal life; it's using the child to the point of exhaustion."

Zhao the hunter's Adam's apple bobbed. "But those things Ya Ya brought back... once they're exposed, we... and that village behind the mountain, we still don't know anything about them. These days, people are more ruthless than wild beasts!"

The village chief nodded.

These boulders were stacked one on top of another, and the bottom was nowhere in sight. With just a few people from their village, it would be impossible for them to even move a single rock, let alone clear a path through it.

"Outsiders probably think that all the people in Lotus Village are dead. If this land isn't reinforced, it will be washed away again during the rainy season, and that will be the last wall of Lotus Village. It will be very difficult for outsiders to come in, unless taxes are collected in October. We still have half a year to wait for Ya Ya to learn more about the situation in that area."

"This is our way of survival."

"Every family still has some wheat seeds left, plus the kudzu root from the mountains, enough to last us for the next six months. Those two packets of salt are also enough."

As Zhao the hunter listened to the village chief's slow, deliberate words, his restless heart seemed to find its anchor.

"It's that mountain behind there, Tiger, can you still climb it?"

Hunter Zhao rubbed his rough hands hard on his trouser leg. "It can be flipped."

"These past few days, the food has been good, very nutritious. Uncle, I should be able to sneak over tonight."

The village chief's cloudy eyes brightened, and he patted him on the shoulder: "No rush."

"Ya Ya can go twice more. Every time she goes, she brings us a surprise. This child is so sensible. She always prioritizes things like food and other necessities. In that area, the doll clothes are so pretty, how could any child not like them? But she has never bought a single one."

"She hasn't bought any snacks. She hasn't been willing to buy any for herself. Let's get some more stinky leaves this afternoon so that Ya Ya can exchange them for more money. If she has more money on hand, she'll be more willing to spend it."

"Go over there tomorrow night, and check the situation from a distance, so that no one notices you."

Zhao the hunter swallowed hard and nodded emphatically.

"Okay, Uncle, we've got the cellar ready. We can go up the mountain with you this afternoon and pick those stinky leaves. They're valuable! I know several places where you can find them."