Reborn in the 1980s: Nine Stunning Beauties Get Pregnant Before Marriage

Ding Wanru tugged at the weeds she had just pulled, her voice soft: "But gossip is a powerful thing, you'd better cut ties as soon as possible..."

She still hoped that Chen Yongqiang could leave Lin Xiulian, so that she would have a chance to be with him.

Chen Yongqiang was busy using a wire hook to dig into the tree hole and didn't catch the hidden meaning in her words: "What did you say?"

"It's nothing. I mean, this tree is cured, and it should bear fruit again next year." She bent down and continued to pull weeds. The wildly growing weeds were like the inexplicable thoughts in her mind, impossible to pull out or get rid of completely.

There were so many longhorn beetle larvae on this old tree that Chen Yongqiang pulled out dozens in no time.

Chen Yongqiang plugged the last wormhole in the tree with mud and then received a system notification:

[Mission Completed: Rescue in the Ancient Forest of Xishan'ao]

[Reward received: 20 points of Mountain God's Blessing]

[Bonus: 1 insect-resistant apple sapling]

He probed his consciousness into the Peach Blossom Spring space and discovered an additional apple sapling, several tens of centimeters tall.

"This apple sapling, apart from being a bit sturdy, doesn't look particularly special," Chen Yongqiang thought to himself.

"Brother Yongqiang?" Ding Wanru called out when she saw him staring blankly at the empty space.

Chen Yongqiang snapped out of his daze and replied, "Now that the tree is healed, I'll go with you to gather herbs!"

"Okay!" Ding Wanru picked up her medicine basket and followed Chen Yongqiang deeper into Qinglong Mountain.

It's hard to find any good medicinal herbs outside the mountains now, and it's too dangerous for a young woman to go alone into the deep mountains.

This is also an important reason why she took the initiative to invite Chen Yongqiang to go into the mountains together.

The two were quite well-matched in terms of profession; one was a hunter, and the other knew about herbs. It was just a pity that Chen Yongqiang had no romantic feelings for Ding Wanru at all.

Chen Yongqiang walked ahead with a machete, cutting down the bushes blocking his path. He turned back to remind Ding Wanru, "Be careful, there are thorns here."

Ding Wanru wiped the fine sweat from her forehead and called out to the front, "Brother Yongqiang, slow down!"

Chen Yongqiang stopped and looked back: "There's a flat area ahead, let's rest there."

The two walked into the woods one after the other, found a flat rock to sit on, and heard the calls of some unknown birds from time to time.

Chen Yongqiang took the water bottle from his waist and handed it over: "Here, have some water!"

Ding Wanru took it, her fingers inadvertently brushing against his palm, and her heart skipped a beat.

She took a sip and found the water very sweet, and her strength seemed to have returned. Curious, she asked, "Did you put sugar in this water?"

"No, it's just spring water!" Actually, this was spiritual spring water that Chen Yongqiang took out from his spatial storage.

He discovered that in addition to accelerating plant growth, the spiritual spring also had the effect of restoring physical strength, so he always carried a pot with him.

Ding Wanru made conversation: "This is deep in the mountains, I really wouldn't dare to come here alone."

"Just call me when you're gathering herbs in the future." Chen Yongqiang thought he should go into the mountains more often to collect some mountain products to sell for money.

Ding Wanru felt a sweet warmth in her heart and handed the water bottle back to him. Chen Yongqiang took the water bottle and drank it down.

Seeing this, Ding Wanru's heart fluttered: "Could this be considered an indirect kiss?"

"Look, isn't that a seven-leaf lotus?" Chen Yongqiang suddenly pointed to a crevice in the rock not far away.

Ding Wanru looked in the direction Chen Yongqiang was pointing and exclaimed, "It really is!"

The seven-leaf lotus is relatively common, but it is very useful, having the effects of dispelling wind and dampness, promoting blood circulation and relieving pain.

Ding Wanru took out a medicinal hoe and started digging. Before long, she had collected a seven-leaf lotus into her medicine basket.

This is the first discovery we made today while hiking in the mountains, which is a good omen.

Chen Yongqiang picked up his machete again and pointed it deeper into the forest. "Let's go, let's go further in."

"Okay, sure," Ding Wanru replied, quickly following in his footsteps.

With Chen Yongqiang's help, Ding Wanru's herb-gathering progressed much more smoothly.

He had a keen eye and was familiar with the terrain, so he could always help her find those hard-to-find herbs in steep crevices or behind dense bushes.

Before long, Ding Wanru's medicine basket was filled with a lot of useful medicinal herbs.

Small animals darted through the woods from time to time, and occasionally a squirrel perched on a branch, curiously observing them. Although Chen Yongqiang was carrying a homemade gun, he never pulled the trigger.

They're all small gadgets, not big enough, it's not worth wasting bullets by firing a shot at them.

After walking a while deeper into the mountains, Ding Wanru's eyes suddenly lit up.

She crouched down, parted a clump of dense ferns, and carefully examined the herb underneath that had small, pale purple flowers.

"Brother Yongqiang, wait a minute..." she called out to the front.

Chen Yongqiang turned around and walked over, seeing Ding Wanru digging up a medicinal herb: "What kind of herb is this?"

"This is... Epimedium," Ding Wanru replied somewhat shyly.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yongqiang leaned closer to take a look: "Oh? This is epimedium? I've heard from the older generation that this stuff... well, it's good for men."

He spoke frankly, as mountain people have nothing to be shy about when discussing the effects of herbs.

Ding Wanru's cheeks flushed slightly as she dug with her herb-gathering hoe, feigning composure as she explained the medicinal properties, "This herb tonifies kidney yang; it's a good medicine..."

After digging it out, Ding Wanru handed the herbs, still covered in soil, to Chen Yongqiang, saying, "Here, take it if you need it!"

It was meant as a slightly shy joke, but to her surprise, Chen Yongqiang only hesitated for a moment before reaching out and accepting it: "Okay!"

Watching him calmly put the herbs into his bamboo basket, Ding Wanru was immediately filled with regret.

Ding Wanru then realized that, besides Lin Xiulian, who else could be the person around Chen Yongqiang who would make him need this medicine?

The thought that these herbs would ultimately fuel Chen Yongqiang's entanglements with other women was unbearable.

She felt a tightness in her chest, and even breathing became difficult. She secretly regretted saying that.

"It's getting late, let's go back." Ding Wanru slung the medicine basket, which was full of medicinal herbs, over her shoulder.

Although Chen Yongqiang didn't catch any prey today, his main objective was to manage the ancient tree, so he considered his mission accomplished.

Just as Chen Yongqiang was about to speak, a deep system notification sound suddenly rang in the depths of his mind:

[Fortune and misfortune are intertwined; calamity is imminent. A dramatic change is likely to occur at Qinglong Mountain soon. The host should quickly increase their strength to prepare for the unforeseen circumstances.]

This abrupt and unrelated warning sent a jolt through Chen Yongqiang's heart: a dramatic change? What kind of dramatic change?

Turn left ahead; there is an old ginseng plant about 100 meters away that can help the host.

The system's voice sounded again, this time providing clear instructions.

This is not a reward given without reason, but a necessary preparation for dealing with the crisis.

"Wait," Chen Yongqiang called out to Ding Wanru.

He pointed to the seemingly ordinary steep slope on the left, "I feel like something's different over there, let's go take a look."