Seven blind dates?

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At dawn, Ye Qingzhi and her two children were already awake. Habit truly is a formidable thing; when she first arrived, Ye Qingzhi could hardly get up in the morning. Now, at this hour, she found herself unable to fall asleep. Of course, it also helped that they went to bed early—around seven o’clock, with a short story before sleep at about seven forty to eight, then waking at four thirty. That gave them eight to nine hours of rest. With ample sleep, it was no wonder they were full of energy—and her hair seemed much thicker, too.

After breakfast, Ye Qingzhi took the children up the mountain. When they came across motherwort, she took the opportunity to teach them how to identify it, but she didn’t teach them about anything else. Whether it was rehmannia or gastrodia, they had to be gathered deep in the mountain. Ye Qingzhi worried that if the kids learned, they might sneak into the mountain by themselves, so she kept it from them.

“You two stay here and pick slowly. Mom will go further up to look for gastrodia. Don’t go searching for me on the mountain, I’ll come back early,” she reminded them repeatedly, fearful they might wander off.

“Got it, Mom. Don’t worry, I’ll watch out for my little brother,” Wei Anmin promised, patting his chest.

After walking another ten minutes or so, Ye Qingzhi could no longer see anyone around. She hesitated, then decided not to go any deeper—too far made her uneasy. Holding a wooden stick, she carefully searched the ground. Although she found no gastrodia, she did manage to dig up some rehmannia.

Unconsciously, more than an hour passed before Ye Qingzhi finally found a gastrodia plant. She dug it up completely, roughly three jin in weight, though she wasn’t sure how many grades it could be divided into.

After another two hours, she gathered some white anemone, a herb used to clear heat and detoxify, useful for ordinary colds and fevers, along with one twig of asarum, which treats coughs. She dug them out with roots and soil and planted them in her yard—both to enjoy as flowers and to use as medicine when needed.

As the sun gradually shifted westward, Ye Qingzhi decided to head back for safety and so the children wouldn’t worry.

Luck was truly unstoppable. She had searched fruitlessly before, but on the way back, she found two more gastrodia plants. Together with what she had already dug, she had nearly ten jin—worth at least fifty cents even if graded second class.

At that time, a strong laborer earned two cents a day. She had been digging for most of the day, so fifty cents was not a small sum.

She packed the gastrodia into her basket, placed the other herbs on top, and picked plenty of wild vegetables along the way so no one would suspect she had dug up gastrodia.

Getting rich quietly—there wasn’t much gastrodia in the mountains. If others found out, she would never be able to dig again.

Having finally found a way to earn money, she didn’t want it to end here. With two children to raise, she intended to save as much as possible. She couldn’t pin all her hopes on remarriage; if she didn’t find the right man, she wouldn’t marry.

“Mom!” Wei Anmin ran excitedly toward Ye Qingzhi as she descended the mountain.

“Slow down! Did you eat lunch at home?” Ye Qingzhi asked, seeing them shake their heads. Her heart ached. “Why didn’t you go home to eat? I made extra this morning. You could just reheat it.”

“We waited here for you,” Wei Anjie grabbed Ye Qingzhi’s clothes. “Mom, let’s go home quickly.”

Ye Qingzhi nodded and led the children down the mountain, passing many villagers gathering wild vegetables.

“Qingzhi, where did you find these wild onions? They look so plump,” Sister Li said, pinching one.

“Over at Ox Head Ridge, that way,” Ye Qingzhi pointed.

Sister Li glanced in that direction, surprised. “You went up the mountain? My husband said he saw wild boars there while chopping wood last time. Qingzhi, you shouldn’t go alone. If you meet a wild boar, you won’t be able to run.”

Old Lady Li, Sister Li’s mother-in-law, nodded in agreement, advising Ye Qingzhi not to go deeper into the mountain.

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“I didn’t go far. You guys keep digging. I’ll head back first—the two kids are simple-minded. They didn’t even eat lunch waiting for me,” Ye Qingzhi secretly praised her children’s filial devotion and left with a smile.

Back home, Wei Anmin started a fire while Ye Qingzhi planted the white anemone and asarum. After eating, she began sorting the gastrodia.

“Mom, what’s this?” Wei Anjie squatted beside her, curious.

“Gastrodia. Doesn’t it look like a potato?” Ye Qingzhi gently washed off the dirt, careful not to scratch the skin and affect its grade.

“Mom, I’ll help you,” Wei Anmin pulled over a chair.

“No need. You and Anjie go wash the wild onions. We’ll have scrambled eggs with wild onions tonight.” Seeing Wei Anmin’s reluctance, knowing he worried about the eggs, she smiled and said, “Anmin, look at the gastrodia I dug. Even second grade sells for five cents per jin. There’s at least ten jin here, so that’s at least fifty cents. So don’t worry about the eggs—go wash the onions with your brother.”

Wei Anmin’s eyes widened. Those things on the ground could really sell for five cents a jin?

He calculated the time—Mom started at seven in the morning and returned after two in the afternoon. Earning fifty cents in half a day—were they about to get rich?

The children were so aware of how valuable the gastrodia was that they carefully avoided stepping on it, which made Ye Qingzhi immensely happy.

She placed the washed gastrodia in a cool spot, planning to save more before selling.

The next day, Ye Qingzhi climbed Ox Head Ridge again. Luck was on her side; she found three plants at once and some common herbs. Hearing the calls of unknown animals, she grew a little afraid and decided to return early.

Halfway down the mountain, she saw more and more villagers—some gathering wild vegetables, others collecting firewood.

At the village entrance, as Ye Qingzhi chatted with a sister, Aunt Lin came running toward her, eyes sparkling.

“Jiancheng’s wife, you still have time to stand here and chat? Your father-in-law and your mother-in-law are fighting.”

Ye Qingzhi paused, then realized—No way, Fang Xiaomei was so quick to act?

“How did they start fighting? Weren’t they always like one person?” Sister Li came out, pouting. “I saw them holding hands washing clothes just a few days ago. A woman half buried in the earth is closer than young lovers. It hurt my eyes.”

“Are you sure it hurt your eyes? That’s just envy. Tell your Chun Geng to hold your hand when washing clothes too,” Sister Wang joked.

“When we just married, we were afraid to be seen walking close. She insisted I walk in front, and she followed behind,” Sister Li scrutinized Sister Wang. “Your Shouxi is really something. He must hold your hand often when washing clothes, right?”

Seeing their conversation drifting, Ye Qingzhi quickly brought it back. “Aunt Lin, you said my father-in-law and Aunt Fang fought. Do you know why?”

Aunt Lin, enjoying the spectacle, slapped her thigh in frustration. “Oh no, I forgot to ask.”

The group hurried toward Wei Youliang’s house—not to mediate, but to watch the drama.

With little farm work these days, the villagers were bored. Wei Youliang and Fang Xiaomei’s quarrel was too entertaining to miss. By the time Ye Qingzhi arrived, a crowd had gathered by the wall.

“Fang Xiaomei, after all these years, haven’t I treated you and Haibo well? And yet you secretly find another man?” Wei Youliang’s finger trembled as he pointed at Fang Xiaomei.

“Weiyouliang, don’t talk nonsense with your eyes wide open! When did I ever find another man behind your back?” Fang Xiaomei denied.

“Don’t deny it! Someone saw you with that wild man, holding each other. You’ve been packing your things lately. What, you want to leave me and be with that wild man?” Wei Youliang’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared.

As more people gathered outside, Fang Xiaomei grew anxious. “Youliang, let’s talk behind closed doors. It’s embarrassing if people hear.”

“You’re cheating and afraid of gossip? Fang Xiaomei, you’re a disgrace,” Wei Youliang never imagined she would be unfaithful.

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Aunt Lin overheard the word “cheating,” tugged on Ye Qingzhi’s sleeve, and whispered, “Did you know Fang Xiaomei is unfaithful?”

“How would Qingzhi know? They don’t live together,” Sister Li stood on tiptoe, then patted Sister Wang, pointing somewhere. “We’re blocking the view. Let’s move over there.”

The four moved and indeed saw Wei Youliang and Fang Xiaomei.

“I always knew Fang Xiaomei was restless. Look at her—stealing men at her age,” Sister Wang watched the quarrel with glee.

“Is it true? Who’s the man? Do you know?” Aunt Lin curiously scratched her head.

“No idea. Hey, they went inside. No way, Fang Xiaomei cheated and Wei Youliang will forgive her?” Aunt Ye appeared beside them.

“What choice does he have? Jiancheng is dead. Could Wei Youliang have the face to rely on Qingzhi? He won’t let Fang Xiaomei or Wei Haibo leave, or he’d be a lonely old man,” Aunt Lin sneered.

With no more drama to watch, people gradually dispersed in small groups. Aunt Ye stayed close to Ye Qingzhi, heading the same way.

When only the two remained, Aunt Ye whispered, “Qingzhi, you need to hurry with remarriage. If Fang Xiaomei really leaves, I’m afraid Wei Youliang will cling to you.”

Ye Qingzhi had never considered this. She nodded. “If there’s a suitable person, I’ll think about it.”

Because the last match had fallen through, Aunt Ye felt she owed Ye Qingzhi and worked hard to find a suitable suitor.

That evening, Ye Qingzhi rinsed wild vegetables to soak overnight and reduce bitterness, so they could be dried and stored tomorrow.

“Qingzhi, Qingzhi…” Aunt Ye burst in excitedly. “I found a very good match for you.”

Ye Qingzhi poured a cup of honeysuckle tea for Aunt Ye and smiled. “How good? Sit down and rest first.”

After a few sips, Aunt Ye waved her hand, excitement bubbling. “The man’s from Dayang Village—not the one before. He’s in the army, just got promoted. Handsome, thick brows and big eyes, tall and long-legged. Divorced a year ago. I checked carefully—his ex-wife has the same situation as you, two sons. He’s four years older than you, twenty-nine this year, and you share the same zodiac sign.”

Sounds promising, but a soldier… would he be willing to marry a widow with two children?

It wasn’t that Ye Qingzhi belittled herself, but soldiers held high status then. With his qualities, marrying a young maiden would be no problem.

“What are his requirements?” Ye Qingzhi asked.

Aunt Ye knew what Ye Qingzhi was worried about and smiled. “I asked. He just wants a wife to live steadily with him, and most importantly, someone who treats his children well. Of course, if the woman has children, he treats them equally.”

So he didn’t mind a woman with children. If she agreed to remarry, it would be to build a good life, and she wouldn’t mistreat her kids.

“Well? Qingzhi, the conditions are great. If I weren’t friends with his eldest aunt, I wouldn’t have this news. The market day is the day after tomorrow. I’ll take you to meet him, and you two can talk. If it works out, you and Anmin will have a reliable future,” Aunt Ye said earnestly.

Seeing him once won’t cost anything, Ye Qingzhi nodded in agreement.

“Okay, let’s set the meeting for the day after tomorrow.”