The timeline system has gone awry; they insist that steamed buns are a magic pill.

In the bamboo weaving courtyard of the brigade, a group of women were chopping reeds and bamboo strips, chatting. Outside, snow was falling heavily, but inside the courtyard, it was bustling with activity. The men went to the mountains to cut bamboo and to the river to cut reeds, while the elderly and women chopped bamboo strips and reeds.

The older children were responsible for transporting the split bamboo strips and reeds over short distances to the villagers who knew how to weave them. The younger children either played in the yard, were next to their mothers, or gathered together to play in the snow.

However, the women in the bamboo house noticed that something was wrong today. Aunt Liu, who usually loved to gossip about the team's news, was silent today.

"They said they didn't sleep well yesterday and caught a cold."

"Oh dear, what's wrong? Aunt Liu can't sleep well, can she? Maybe she's feeling down because she sees someone else doing well, and that's keeping her awake?"

"Haha, don't say that. I've been saying a lot of bad things about Li Laosan the other day. Who would have thought he would become the deputy team leader with fifteen work points a day? Damn it, that's like a rocket launch. How can Aunt Liu be happy?"

"That's not right either. Yesterday, Aunt Liu was talking about Li Laosan's shortcomings in front of Aunt Lanhua, which made Aunt Lanhua give her a good beating."

That makes sense; they all seemed better yesterday. "That's strange, could they really be sick?"

Just as we were talking and laughing, Da Mao came running into the house yelling loudly.

"Mom, Grandpa Medicine Basket and the others are back. They carried back a really big person."

Following Da Mao, a group of children of similar age also shouted and waved their little hands.

"What? They brought someone back? What happened? Did they encounter a wild boar?"

Good heavens, the entire courtyard was in an uproar. They carried the man back; something had happened to him. Everyone in the family who was part of the treasure hunting team dropped what they were doing and ran outside.

The intersection of the road.

"I'm exhausted from the journey, but I've finally arrived."

Li Qingqiu wiped his forehead; there was no sweat on it.

Li Qingbing and Li Qinglian were completely unwilling to speak. They had been carrying the three- or four-meter-long kudzu roots, weighing at least six or seven hundred kilograms, all the way with great effort. Li Qingqiu, on the other hand, was carrying a bamboo basket and several shovels, yet he actually said he was tired.

Even though Li Qingbing had no objection to Li Qingqiu's title as deputy captain of the treasure hunting team, and was even somewhat terrified by Li Qingqiu's good fortune, he still couldn't help but feel the urge to beat him up when he heard Li Qingqiu's words of being ungrateful after getting a good deal.

"Let's take a break first."

We've already reached the crossroads of the brigade. There's no rush. Let's rest for a bit first. Uncle Medicine Basket remarked that he was surprised to have roast chicken, oil-baked steamed buns, and cornbread for lunch. He had to admit that Li Qingqiu was quite the gourmet. No wonder she brought along the female educated youth; it turns out this girl is a good cook.

"I never expected that Uncle Medicine Basket, who looks so honest and unassuming, would have this side to him."

Li Qingqiu gave him an "I understand" look, while Li Fushou thought to himself, "What's wrong with this kid now?"

"Xianye, you guys come here."

Before Li Fushou could figure out what was going on with Li Qingqiu, he saw Li Qingqiu beckoning to the group of kids who were playing around.

"Third Uncle."

"Here, one piece of candy for each of you. Go to the brigade headquarters and shout a few times that Uncle Three has brought back the big treasure."

"oh."

A few kids, having divided up the candy, took off running, shouting that they were carrying their adult back. Li Fushou was stunned; what was going on? "Third brother, what's this?"

"Uncle Medicine Basket, I understand. Don't worry, I'll stand at the back and you stand at the front."

Li Qingqiu said, "I understand what you older folks are thinking. I'll let you have this chance to show off."

"Good lad."

Li Fushou was both amused and exasperated. He really had no intention of showing off, but who would have thought that this kid had misunderstood.

"Who carried it back?"

He was just about to explain that, after all, as the only barefoot doctor and medicine carrier in the brigade, the proper doctor in charge of the brigade's medicine usage, how could he have any intention of showing off? Although he was the deputy captain of the treasure hunting team, his main purpose was to help the production team make up for its deficit, not to show off his abilities.

"Oh my god, what did you bring back?"

A giant human-shaped kudzu root was placed on the ground. Anyone who saw it at first glance would shudder. It was huge—no, it was a kudzu root.

"Aunt Guihua, Ge Gen, Uncle Medicine Basket, please tell Aunt Guihua quickly."

Li Qingqiu chuckled and pushed Li Fushou forward. Li Fushou subconsciously straightened his clothes, after all, Han Guihua was followed by a group of women. "What's all the fuss about, Tree Root Powder? Didn't I tell you, women are all talk and no action?"

"Tree root powder, why is it so big?"

"My goodness, at first glance, it really does look like the same person."

"How did you dig it out?"

"Thanks to Uncle Medicine Basket, who has been digging for medicinal herbs for many years, he knows a lot. With his guidance, how could we have dug up such intact herbs? You know, intact herbs sell for much more money than damaged ones." Li Qingqiu tapped the drum beside him.

"I knew it! How could you dig it up so perfectly? It turns out Uncle Medicine Basket is very experienced and gave you great guidance."

"Uncle Medicine Basket goes into the mountains to dig for medicinal herbs all year round. Digging up tree root powder is just a matter of lifting a finger."

"If we're talking about treasure hunting teams, we really need Uncle Medicine Basket to be in charge. Otherwise, how would those young guys know about these things? They'd just dig around randomly and break off a few pieces, losing a lot of money."

The young wives showered him with flattery, making Uncle Medicine Basket feel a little smug. Not to mention Uncle Medicine Basket, Li Qingbing and Li Qinglian also stood up straight, their chests puffed out.

"It's not just my achievement; Li Qingqiu dug through the snow a lot to find treasures, and he's the one who discovered this tree root powder."

"Uncle Medicine Basket, I was just lucky. It's all thanks to your command, Qingbing, Qinglian and the others who dug so carefully, otherwise how could it be so intact?" Li Qingqiu was very supportive, and also included Li Qinglian and the others in the conversation.

As they were talking, Li Fuluo arrived with several brigade cadres, who circled the kudzu root. "Good, good, this thing must weigh several hundred pounds, right?"

"I can grind dozens of kilograms of powder, and it only costs three cents a kilogram, so it's cheaper," Uncle Medicine Basket said nonchalantly.

Damn it, Li Qingbing and the others all looked at Li Qingqiu. Why does this guy's tone of voice sound so much like him? It makes me want to punch him.

"More than three cents a pound, that's at least twenty dollars! My god, that's a lot! The treasure hunting team is really capable."

Those who had gathered to watch the spectacle were quite surprised to hear that it could be sold for more than twenty yuan. Twenty yuan was more than many families could earn in two or three months. Not to mention after deducting food rations, a family might not have that much cash in a year.

"Third brother, you're really something! How did you find such a treasure?" Li Qingqun's wife's eyes darted around. As Li Qingqiu's cousin-in-law, she was sure to side with her third son in the family!

"Sister-in-law, it's nothing really. I'm just lucky. I just happened to pee and it came out. I looked and it was kudzu root. I dug it up with a few hoe strokes. I didn't think it was that big, but it got bigger and bigger as I dug. Sigh, it just took up too much time."

Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "Uncle Medicine Basket, it's my turn," and kicked the bamboo basket. "Look at this! If I had known, I wouldn't have dug up the kudzu root. I regret it now. It's too big and a waste of time. Look at these winter bamboo shoots, they're so good. I just dug them up in a few strokes. And there's even Ganoderma lucidum. Sigh, I leaned against a tree to rest for a while, and when I looked up, I saw that it wasn't Ganoderma lucidum. Uncle Medicine Basket said it's more than two yuan a piece. You tell me, in the time it took to dig up such a big one, I don't know how many winter bamboo shoots I would have dug up, or how many Ganoderma lucidum I would have found. I regret digging up this human-shaped kudzu root. It's exhausting and not worth much money."

""

"Wow, third brother, you not only dug up kudzu root, but also winter bamboo shoots and Ganoderma lucidum! Wow, you're incredibly skilled!"

"Third brother, this is worthless. Where else can you find twenty-odd yuan?"

"That's right, it's only twenty-odd yuan. What's a little tiredness? I can't even find a job that's tiring. You're just lucky, kid."

"But seriously, third brother, do you kowtow to God every day? How come you're so lucky?"

"Maybe it's because I'm kind-hearted that even God looks up to me," Li Qingqiu waved his hand. "Actually, it's nothing much. Compared to easily catching hundreds of rats a few days ago, it's much more tiring."

"Pah, you unreliable, heartless bastard, you've really gotten cocky. You regretted it after spending over twenty yuan, pah."

Big-Foot Sister-in-law stood outside the crowd, not moving forward, because she couldn't bear to see Li Qingqiu so smug.

"It's really bad luck that God didn't have eyes. How did he manage to dig up such a treasure? Look how smug he is. He's even regretting it now. He's so proud of himself that he's practically wagging his tail."

"I really want to spit in his face, he's shameless," Wang Yulan said angrily. "Hey, where's Sixth Aunt? She's always the one eager to join in the fun."

At this time, there was no sign of Aunt Liu. In fact, Han Caihua had also come over, but she was hiding behind a haystack.

She wasn't stupid. In this kind of unfavorable situation, she definitely had to avoid the limelight. Especially when she saw Shi Lanhua bringing her family over, she was even less willing to show her face and hid behind the haystack. "I won't show my face, let's see who you can be so smug to." Thinking this, Aunt Liu was a little smug. "Shi Lanhua, you can't see me, let's see who you can be so smug to."

In fact, Li Qingqiu had been looking for his sixth aunt for a long time, wanting to show off to her, but he couldn't find her. It wasn't until his mother came that he gave up looking for his sixth aunt. It was really a bit upsetting that his sixth aunt didn't come. His attempt to show off had lost its charm.

"mom."

"So this is the tree root powder you found yesterday? How did it grow into a human? Has it become a spirit?"

"What are you saying, Mom? We live in the new China. There's no such thing as spirits here," Li Qingqiu thought to herself. She dared not say such things; feudal superstition was no good, even though kudzu does look somewhat like a person. Seeing that almost everyone had arrived and the others were busy, Li Qingqiu waved her hand.

"Uncle Fu Luo, let's take the kudzu root back to the brigade headquarters and leave it there."

"Carry it over there first."

Li Fuluo addressed Qinglian and the others, and they picked up poles and threaded them through the straw ropes. Li Fushou shouted a slogan, and the group escorted the human-shaped kudzu root to the brigade headquarters courtyard.

"It's actually quite big."

Hearing the commotion, Li Fuyuan came out to take a look. It was a three- or four-meter-long kudzu root shaped like a human. "What a pity," he said, "the price was a bit low. If it were ginseng, it would be worth a fortune."

Uncle Fuyuan, you're really dreaming! This ginseng is so big, it must be a spirit!

"Let's go inside and talk, and see how we can handle this."

Upon arriving at the brigade headquarters office, Li Qingqiu pulled up a stool and sat by the brazier to warm himself. Inside, everyone was drinking tea, taking out their tobacco pouches and rubbing their pipes, puffing on their pipes. Li Qingqiu sniffed and muttered, "Luckily, this guy doesn't like smoking, or we'd really be broke."

"Hey, medicine basket guy, tell me, how do we deal with such a big lump?"

"What else can we do? We can grind it up and make it into powder, but the food station won't accept it. We can only try selling it at the free market."

"What? The food station won't accept it? This is kudzu root!"

Goodness, are food stalls really this brazen these days? Or is it just a publicity stunt? Well, Li Qingqiu sighed. "It's such a waste to break it. It's taken so long to grow this big, and it's even human-shaped."

"If it weren't for the beautiful mountains and rivers, where could such a wonderful spiritual creature grow? Uncle Fuyuan, Uncle Fuluo, it's not worth breaking it for just ten or twenty yuan."

"We can't just leave it sitting in the yard, can we?"

The items looked good, but the team was short of money. Even ten yuan was money. Li Qingqiu frowned, unable to come up with a good idea for the time being.

"Why don't we let it sit for a while? There's no rush. The weather hasn't cleared up yet, so it's not good for grinding the powder," Li Fulu suggested. Li Fuyuan and the others thought about it and agreed, deciding to wait. But Li Qingqiu's eyes lit up with an idea.

"Uncle Fuyuan, I think it would be a waste not to use such a rare and precious item that we can produce here."

"You've got a lot of ideas, tell me, what are you planning to do?"

Li Fuyuan has been running around the commune and the food station these past two days trying to get the beef. He's had no good connections to curry favor with, but no matter what he does, the three cows will only yield a little over a thousand catties of meat, which will only sell for six or seven hundred yuan. There's still a shortfall of nearly two thousand yuan that he can't find a way to cover.

"Uncle, tell me, what's your first thought when you see a human-shaped kudzu root?"

"What a surprise! It's grown into human form; it's practically a spirit!"

"That's right. If we told the outside world that our mountains and rivers are beautiful, and that the things we grow are wonderful and good for our health, would people believe us?" Li Qingqiu thought for a moment and then voiced his little idea.

"Will anyone believe this?"

"Our human-shaped kudzu root is right here. If you don't believe me, come and see. The kudzu root is almost as big as a human. Don't you think our mountains and rivers are beautiful and spiritual? Our winter bamboo shoots, lingzhi mushrooms, and even pheasants and rabbits must have been influenced by their spiritual beauty."

"When the time comes, we can go to the free market. Even if the price is a bit higher, it'll be understandable," Li Qingqiu said with a smile.

"You silly kid, how could you come up with such a crooked idea?"

Li Fuquan clapped his hands. "Our brigade's oxen eat plenty of wildflowers and drink mountain spring water, so their meat is top-notch."

"That's for sure."

"It should be three to five cents more per pound than regular beef, right?"

Li Qingqiu's words were pure nonsense, but they made Li Fuyuan's eyes light up. No matter what, the human-shaped kudzu root was right there in the brigade headquarters. If he could talk, then their Lijia'ao was no longer spiritually vibrant. If it weren't for the prohibition against feudal superstition, that guy would definitely have said something even more outlandish.

In feudal society, this human-shaped kudzu root would be considered an auspicious omen. Li Fuyuan, realizing this, slapped his thigh. "Good lad, that's a great idea! The team is quite satisfied with your work these past few days. What reward do you want? Just tell me!"

"It's nothing, it would be great if I could get some beef as a reward. But I know the team is in a big deficit right now, so I'll pay for some beef as a way of supporting the team." Li Qingqiu said, taking out two yuan. Since the beef wasn't being distributed, he was thinking of buying some, and he noticed that Li Fuyuan was in a good mood.

"Okay, I'll cut you five jin."

Two yuan for five jin is practically a sale, and they even gave away a few pieces of tripe and honeycomb tripe. These things aren't considered good these days, and they're not even considered beef tallow. Li Qingqiu took it all. He wanted beef tallow, some chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and some seasonings to make hot pot.

This snowy day is absolutely wonderful! Just thinking about it makes Li Qingqiu's mouth water. "Let's go find Yin Yi. Maybe we can really make hot pot, and beef too. Let's braise it first, then we can finally eat meat."

Upon arriving at the educated youth settlement, Yin Yi looked surprised. "Where did all this beef and butter come from?"

"Bought it, of course."

Li Qingqiu put down the beef and butter. "Do you have any seasonings here? Could you braise this beef? It'll be more convenient to take it into the mountains."

"I have the seasonings, but are you really going to braise this? Aren't you taking it home?"

"It's braised, but we don't have any seasonings at home."

Li Qingqiu said, "Oh right, let's save some fresh ones. We'll stir-fry them with red peppers and winter bamboo shoots later; it'll definitely taste delicious."

"Okay, I'll cut it in half. There's not much seasoning left."

"OK."

"Do you know how to render butter?"

"meeting."

"Do you know how to make hot pot broth?"

"I know some, but I might not have all the seasonings."

"If you can do it, you can. Don't worry, I'll take care of the seasonings if you're missing any."

Li Qingqiu got excited. Hot pot! He really wanted to eat it. He had beef tripe, honeycomb tripe, and winter bamboo shoots. There were also cabbages in the cellar. If he could get some other side dishes, he could definitely make a hot pot. Being able to eat a hot pot on a snowy day would be so wonderful.

Just thinking about it made my mouth water. I had to have this. I've been here for almost half a month, and I haven't really been thinking about having hot pot like this. The two of them started preparing the beef: washing it, boiling water, adding seasonings, and cooking the beef.

"This is?"

"I brought my family's secret sauce; it tastes even better with some braised beef."

Li Qingqiu thought to himself that he had indeed found the right person. He was full of anticipation as he waited for the braised beef to be cooked, completely forgetting about going home. As a result, when Li Qingmei went to the brigade headquarters, she couldn't find her third brother at all. After asking around, she found out and ran home as fast as she could.

"What? Tell me, what did your third brother do?"

Shi Lan Hua plopped down on the ground, her expression changing drastically.

"Third Brother just bought five catties of beef from Uncle Fuyuan."

"How much is five pounds of beef?"

"Two pieces. Uncle Fuyuan said that my brother dug up a large kudzu root, as well as winter bamboo shoots and Ganoderma lucidum. This is practically a half-sale, half-gift."

"Where did he get the money?"

Shi Lanhua felt bad about the money while wondering where the third brother got it.

"I don't know either."

"Mom, you said Third Brother bought meat, but why hasn't he come back? Uncle Fuyuan said that Third Brother bought meat early this morning and left the brigade headquarters, but he hasn't come home for half a day." Li Qingmei asked in confusion.

"Oh my god, this is terrible."

Shi Lanhua slapped her thigh. "That rascal, he's afraid I'll make him return the meat, so he's probably going to the educated youth settlement to have that girl cook it for him. That rascal, hurry, go to the educated youth settlement, don't let him put the meat in the pot, or we won't be able to return it."