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

"mom?"

"No way, why are you eavesdropping? Who taught you this habit? Seriously, it's terrifying," Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "This is such a dark skill."

This dilapidated hut is like that; the door is either closed or not, it's like a bird in a pod. You can hear everything clearly if you stand by the window.

Li Qingqiu and Li Qingmei exchanged a glance. "Open the door, what else can we say?"

"Tell me, what happened?"

"Little sister, tell Mom."

Li Qingqiu sighed and simply lay down. He decided to dig up some winter bamboo shoots himself and put them on the system's storage shelf to hide his secret stash of money. He figured he could forget about his own cave dwelling, as he had no defense against his mother.

"Mom, it's like this..."

Li Qingmei recounted the whole story in detail. "All the winter bamboo shoots are here today."

Shi Lanhua looked at the winter bamboo shoots on the ground; they were incredibly fresh and tender. The third brother was truly skilled. "Nobody knows about this, right?"

"Little sister, and Xianjing too..."

"And Xian'an."

Li Qingmei added, "The three of us went together. Xianjing and I dug it, and Xian'an was in charge of keeping watch. Nobody saw us."

"That's good."

Shi Lanhua stared at the winter bamboo shoots on the ground, lost in thought for a moment. "Third brother, don't tell anyone about this. From now on, if you need to dig for winter bamboo shoots, have your little sister and the others do it. Don't show your face, or the team will gossip."

"Mom, don't worry, I definitely won't get involved."

Li Qingqiu understood what Shi Lanhua was saying. If Li Qingmei and the others went to dig for winter bamboo shoots, no one would say anything. Why couldn't they dig for the bamboo shoots they found? But if Li Qingqiu went with them, it would be a different story. After all, he was the deputy captain of the treasure hunting team and received high work points. If he went to seek personal gain, the nature of the situation would be different. He would inevitably be gossiped about behind his back, and the team leaders would probably look at him differently.

"Also, Xiaomei and the others shouldn't go into the mountains to dig bamboo shoots every day. Go every other day, don't dig them every time, or outsiders will eventually see them." Shi Lanhua was still a little worried and gave these instructions. After all, if you go into the mountains to dig bamboo shoots, you can hide it once or twice, but if you go too often, someone with ulterior motives will eventually see you.

"It has to be Mom, she's so thoughtful."

Li Qingqiu had to admit that the old woman was quite wise in life. Although she wasn't highly educated, she was very perceptive about people's lives.

"That's what I think too. I go into the mountains every few days to dig up some winter bamboo shoots."

Li Qingqiu said with a smile, "Once the news about kudzu spreads a bit and the snowstorm subsides, we can carry some to the free market and sell it. That should bring in more money."

"What about kudzu root?"

"Mom, didn't you hear me?"

Li Qingqiu gave a brief explanation, and Shi Lanhua frowned deeply. "Third brother, won't this cause trouble? Last year they were smashing the Four Olds, don't do anything reckless."

"Mom, don't worry, the kudzu root is real. We didn't say anything, just that our area is beautiful and the scenery is clear. Everything else is just speculation. We'll just buy winter bamboo shoots and not say anything else." Li Qingqiu had actually thought about it too.

"That's good. But you mustn't do anything reckless. You can't just say anything in this world."

"I know, Mom."

"But will this really cause the price of winter bamboo shoots to rise?"

"It's hard to say whether prices will rise, but they'll definitely sell well. First, it's snowing heavily now, making it difficult to dig winter bamboo shoots. Second, once the reputation is established, people will have some reservations. If it were you, would you choose ordinary winter bamboo shoots, or the 'spirit bamboo shoots' from this mountain where kudzu roots that can grow in human shapes?"

"If the price were the same, I would definitely choose the bamboo shoot you mentioned."

"Look, you've already chosen the finest bamboo shoots, so you can imagine how well-off the city officials will fare." Shi Lanhua agreed with Li Qingqiu's assessment; it was true, city officials were certainly well-off and would definitely choose the best. "Mom, I asked around with Uncle Medicine Basket. In previous years, winter bamboo shoots were a little over 30 cents each. This year, with such heavy snow, digging for bamboo shoots is much more difficult, so the price will probably go up. They'll probably sell for around 50 cents each."

"How much? Fifty cents a pound. That's almost as much as eating meat. Eating winter bamboo shoots can make you immortal."

Upon hearing that it was only 50 cents a pound, Shi Lanhua was immediately taken aback. Beef only cost a few cents a pound, and this was almost as expensive as beef! This was outrageous!

"People in the countryside can't afford it, but city cadres, who earn just over a hundred yuan a month, can afford anything. These winter bamboo shoots are so fresh and tender. In this snowy weather, there aren't many other fresh vegetables available, but winter bamboo shoots are in season and so fresh and tender that there's no shortage of buyers."

Good heavens, only five cents a day! Lin Xiu, the second sister-in-law, who had just stopped to listen to the sound of winter bamboo shoots while passing by, covered her mouth to keep quiet. "Winter bamboo shoots, they can sell for five cents. If you dig up ten or eight pounds a day, good heavens, that's three or five dollars!"

The third brother is really capable now. Lin Xiu had just returned from the woven courtyard when she heard that the treasure hunting team had dug up twenty or thirty catties of winter bamboo shoots today. It was all discovered and directed by the third brother. Lin Xiu had originally wanted to come back and tell Li Qinghua about this.

Unexpectedly, I heard that Li Qingqiu not only openly helped the brigade dig bamboo shoots, but also privately gave instructions to Li Qingmei and a few others. But why didn't he include his own Xianle? Why did he only think of the eldest son's family when it was such a good thing?

Xianjing and Xian'an were both with her; who knows, they might learn Lao San's skills in the future. That wouldn't do. Lin Xiu's eyes darted around as she tiptoed past Li Qingmei's window and returned home. "Qinghua, come here."

"What's wrong?"

Li Qinghua was tidying up and repairing tools with Li Fuhai when he heard his wife calling him. He was a little confused, so he clapped his hands and came into the house. "What's up? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"I have something important to discuss with you."

Lin Xiu saw Li Qinghua come in and close the door, then pulled Li Qinghua to sit on the bed.

"What are you doing? It's broad daylight, and there are people here."

Li Qinghua thought Lin Xiu was about to do *that*, why was she in such a hurry? What's wrong? Did she see that bastard?

"What are you talking about? Get to the point." Lin Xiu slapped the irreverent Li Qinghua. How old are you? "I'm telling you, I just passed by my little sister's window on my way back, and guess what I heard?"

"What?"

Li Qinghua muttered to himself, wondering what could possibly be wrong with his younger sister. He looked at Lin Xiu with some confusion. "Has my younger sister gone out today?"

"What do you know? My little sister, Xianjing, and Xianan went to dig for winter bamboo shoots on the hillside today. They dug up five or six jin (2.5-3 catties)." Lin Xiu said in a low voice.

"Are there winter bamboo shoots on that hillside? With such thick snow, how did you find them, and dig up so many?" Li Qinghua was a little incredulous, and Lin Xiu snorted. "What do you know? I saw it with my own eyes. They don't know how to dig winter bamboo shoots, but some people do. You don't know, do you? Today, under Lao San's command, the treasure hunting team dug up twenty or thirty catties of winter bamboo shoots. Goodness, everyone in the whole brigade knows."

"So many? Sigh, I just got back from cutting reeds today, I didn't know about this."

Li Qinghua was surprised that what his third brother said yesterday was the truth. When did he learn this skill?

"See? You don't even know this, so you definitely don't know what happened to your little sister either." Lin Xiu slapped Li Qinghua's hand, "What are you doing, fidgeting and reaching for your waist like that?" "I'm telling you something serious. You know, the third brother said that winter bamboo shoots might sell for 50 cents a pound this year."

"We dig up five or six jin a day, but that only earns us two or three yuan." Lin Xiuyue became more and more upset as she spoke, wondering why they didn't take care of their own child.

"That's great! What's wrong? Aren't you happy?" Li Qinghua didn't think much of it and was focused on taking his wife's kidneys.

"Don't move around. You, you, use your brain and think about it. Little sister went with Xianjing and Xianan. The eldest brother's family went together. Guangguang didn't bring our Xianle." As soon as Lin Xiu said this, Li Qinghua stopped.

Why?

"Perhaps I offended the third brother with what I said yesterday."

"No way, the third brother has a temper; he won't take it to heart."

"Then why don't you tell me why we didn't bring Xianle along?"

Lin Xiu gave Li Qinghua a push. "Wait a minute, go ask him. Let me tell you, this is no small matter."

"Let's dig for bamboo shoots. If we don't want to go, then we don't have to."

"It's not a matter of whether you go or not. This is a skill. Why don't other families go dig for winter bamboo shoots? How can they find them in this heavy snow? But Lao San is capable; he knows how to find them. You don't want to learn this skill, but I want Xianle to be able to learn it too." Lin Xiu's words made Li Qinghua ponder. "What you said makes sense. I'll go ask Lao San later."

"Don't go empty-handed. Third brother loves to eat. I went back to my parents' house last month, and my mom packed some red dates for me. Grab a handful later." Lin Xiu pulled a wooden box from under the bed. Inside the box was a cloth bag containing some red dates and some soybeans.

"Isn't that unnecessary?"

Li Qinghua felt that he didn't need to bring anything when he went to talk to Lao San.

"You know, Third Brother is the deputy captain now. Don't speak like you used to. Besides, you're asking for a favor. Bringing some red dates will make Third Brother happy, and things will be easier to handle." Lin Xiu is a bit realistic, a little calculating, and a little shrewd.

"Okay, okay, okay."

Li Qinghua thought it made sense; his third brother was a smooth talker, so bringing some red dates would surely please him.

Achoo!

Li Qingqiu muttered to himself, "Why has the eldest brother been sneezing lately? Could it be that Shi Lanhua went back and said something to Li Fuhai? Never mind, I'll continue drawing the winter bamboo shoot distribution map for my younger sister and the others. Tomorrow we'll go to a place a little further away. There's a small patch of winter bamboo shoots here, weighing about ten pounds."

"Knock knock knock".

Hearing the knock, Li Qingqiu assumed it was his younger sister, Li Qingmei. The girl seemed rather impatient; he'd only just begun drawing and wasn't finished yet. "Oh, Second Brother, come in quickly!"

"Third brother, your sister-in-law's family sent some red dates through someone."

Li Qinghua took two handfuls of red dates from his pocket and placed them on Li Qingqiu's bed. "You know, you had a head injury the other day and bled a lot, so I brought you some to help replenish your blood."

"Thank you, Second Brother and Sister-in-law."

Li Qingqiu muttered to himself, "I've had a head injury for days, and now they're sending me red dates to replenish my blood? Something feels off."

"No need to thank me, we're family."

Li Qinghua smiled and sat down. "I just heard that your treasure hunting team dug up a lot of winter bamboo shoots today. It's all thanks to your skills, Third Brother. You're really capable. With such thick snow, winter bamboo shoots are hard to find."

"It's alright, I learned a little from someone before."

Li Qingqiu squeezed the red dates; they were pretty good, quite dry after drying. "Besides, I always like going into the mountains, you know. I haven't learned how to hunt, but I've memorized some places with bamboo. Plus, I've learned a few skills, so winter bamboo shoots aren't too hard to find."

"You've been smart since you were a kid. You learn things much faster than me and my older brother. I always said you'd be successful sooner or later."

Li Qinghua showered Li Qingqiu with compliments, which Li Qingqiu found quite appealing; everyone loves to hear nice things.

"Second brother, where is it?"

Li Qingqiu pinched a red date and put it in his mouth. It was quite sweet, a good date.

"Oh, right."

Li Qinghua seemed to remember something. "I saw Xian'an and Xianjing following my younger sister to that hillside area today. Were they digging for rats?"

"You see, this is what happened."

Li Qingqiu didn't think much of it, assuming his second brother had run into him. He hadn't intended to keep it a secret forever; after all, his brother often went into the mountains to dig for bamboo shoots, so they were bound to run into each other eventually. Once the simple matter was explained, Li Qinghua suddenly understood. "Oh, is that what happened? I thought we were digging for rats. I was even thinking of asking Xianle to help."

"Xianle doesn't go to school now, and he doesn't know anything about bamboo weaving..."

Li Qingqiu finally realized what was going on and said with a smile, "Second brother, tell your little sister to bring Xianle along. There's strength in numbers, right? Maybe we can dig up even more."

"Okay, then I'll tell my little sister."

Li Qinghua chuckled and patted his bottom. "Alright, I'm going to help Dad repair the farm tools. You should rest too; going up the mountain is tiring. I'll have Xianle call you when dinner is ready."

"Okay, I'll think about it. There are winter bamboo shoots in that area."

Li Qingqiu saw Li Qinghua off, then returned to the room and looked at the red dates on the bed. She pinched one and put it in her mouth. To her surprise, it was really sweet. She put some away on the storage shelf, planning to give a few to Yin Yi tomorrow, and left the rest lying around.

While continuing to draw a map of the winter bamboo shoot distribution, Li Qingqiu smiled and handed the map to Li Qingmei when she and the others arrived. He then explained the specific locations and pointed them out. "Little sister, Xianjing, have a red date."

"Hey, Third Brother, where did these red dates come from?"

"Given by my second sister-in-law."

Seeing Li Qingmei's surprise, Li Qingqiu smiled and said, "Tomorrow, bring Xianle along too."

"oh."

Li Qingmei paused for a moment. Her second sister-in-law was indeed very shrewd, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she smiled and changed the subject. "Third brother, you don't know who Xianjing saw at the team's place just now?"

"Sixth Aunt, Big Foot Sister-in-law and the others are whispering to each other, I don't know what they're saying."

"When he saw Xianjing, he avoided her and muttered to himself."

"Are you talking about me?"

"That's right. Yesterday they were saying you were lucky to dig up kudzu, but today you turned around and dug up twenty or thirty catties of winter bamboo shoots. They said you're some kind of expert..."