Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper! Chapter 17 - 16: Preparations

Entering the mountains isn’t as simple as just saying it.

To do a good job, one must first sharpen their tools.

Early the next morning, Qin Yao didn’t go to the fields but went to the mountains first to dig up enough yams to last four days.

She had dug from that yam patch so many tis that there weren’t many left.

Then she hid the yams and hoe in the bushes at the foot of the mountain, picked up a sickle, and went to the place where villagers usually gather firewood, chopped a full load of firewood, plus the stockpile from the previous days, which was enough for half a month’s use.

The sun was already high in the sky by the ti Qin Yao got ho, but she didn’t rest. A few yams filled her belly, she took all the money at ho, forty copper coins, and hurried to the neighboring village.

The village wasn’t far from Liu Family Village, following the river downstream for an hour to get there.

Qin Yao walked fast and reached there in just over half an hour.

This was a larger village than Liu Family Village, called Lower River Village, and there was a blacksmith who made a living by crafting so farm tools for the surrounding villagers.

This village also had a well-known hunter, renowned across several villages. The n in the family were all hunters, and it was said that they had once caught a striped tiger, gaining them so fa in the Jinshi Town area.

Qin Yao first went to the blacksmith shop, where after so bargaining, she exchanged thirty coins for an old short knife.

Fortunately, the blade was still sharp, and the blacksmith helped sharpen it with a grinding stone, making it barely usable.

However, to Qin Yao, it felt a bit too light. She weighed it in her hand, swung it a few tis with broad and open moves that seed to have no technique, but the fierce wind was intimidating.

The blacksmith gave her a surprised look, "Young lady, you wield the knife quite well!"

Qin Yao put away the knife and gave him a gentle smile, "Master, do you know where the hunter’s house is?"

The blacksmith, being from the sa village, of course knew. He pointed to a solitary house halfway up the eastern hillside.

Qin Yao nodded, "Thanks!" and turned to make her way there.

It was midday, the hunter’s house door was ajar, and when Qin Yao called out at the entrance, an energetic elderly woman ca out, assuming she was there to buy at, and waved her hand, saying there was no more at, as it had all been taken to town.

Qin Yao quickly realized the person she was looking for wasn’t ho and tentatively asked the elderly woman when the n would return.

"You’re not here to buy at?" The elderly woman asked suspiciously.

Qin Yao nodded, "I ca to see if I could borrow so hunting tools from your family. In return, I’ll give a tenth of what I hunt as commission, would that be possible?"

The elderly woman, hearing of soone coming to borrow hunting tools for the first ti, was taken aback for a mont before saying she couldn’t decide and would have to wait for her sons to return.

So, Qin Yao sat down under a big tree at the hunter’s gate, taking the opportunity to get familiar with the newly bought short knife.

Qin Yao waited until the sun was setting.

The hunter family was surnad Yang, with two brothers: the elder brother nad Yang Da, the younger one Yang Er, each having a son and a daughter. It seed they caught sothing big yesterday, and the whole family went to town to sell it at the restaurant, returning with a full load in the afternoon.

When they arrived ho, Granny Yang told her sons about Qin Yao’s request.

The villagers were quite wary of outsiders, but Qin Yao was from the neighboring Liu Family Village, which they were familiar with.

The two brothers walked towards Qin Yao with suspicion, not outright refusing but worried she might damage their equipnt.

However, their main concern was they didn’t believe Qin Yao could actually hunt anything.

She ntioned a tenth of the reward, but if she didn’t catch anything, wouldn’t it be a waste of their hunting gear?

"If I don’t catch anything, I’ll compensate for any damage according to the repair costs," Qin Yao promised sincerely.

Thinking that if the two brothers continued to disagree, she might have to resort to pleading for sympathy.

But luck seed to be on her side, and seeing her in such a run-down state, the brothers’ hearts softened. They waved her inside to choose.

The Yang family were hunters by trade, with a wide array of hunting tools, all well-maintained.

Having reaped a big harvest yesterday, they weren’t planning to go hunting again soon, hoping to make another trip before winter set in and then stay holed up for the season.

The mountains here were not like the overly exploited mountains of later generations for tourism. Here, the mountains were teeming with man-eating beasts, venomous insects, and snakes.

Untouched, uncharted mountains ant that if you didn’t understand how to navigate, getting lost was a high possibility.

Every trip to the mountains involved life-threatening risks for the Yang brothers.

Therefore, they had also purchased a few acres of land, planning for the younger generation to beco farrs. Farming, no matter how exhausting, was better than losing one’s life.

Qin Yao chose a bow, the one Yang Da usually used. It was the biggest, heaviest, and most powerful.

The four Yang youngsters followed Qin Yao curiously as she picked, thinking she was overestimating herself picking Yang Da’s bow.

Unexpectedly, Qin Yao picked up the bow and pulled the string to its full extent with just two fingers.

Apparently not satisfied, she expertly used the string winding tool to tighten the bowstring even more.

Seeing Qin Yao draw the bow again made Yang Da’s heart skip a beat, afraid she might break his beloved bow.

Qin Yao took an arrow from the quiver, placed it on the string, and tested it in the Yang family’s yard, making the entire Yang family nervously circle around her, fearing becoming her unintended target.

Qin Yao put away the bow and arrow with satisfaction, "I’ll take this one."

Though they allowed her to pick freely, she knew her limits and wouldn’t go overboard.

One bow, thirty arrows, combined with the short knife and ropes from ho, seed enough.

"Miss Qin, are you naturally strong?"

As he saw Qin Yao off, Yang Da curiously asked.

Qin Yao thought about it and nodded, making up a story, "I’ve been strong since childhood."

The Yang brothers looked at her in amazent and envy.

As they saw her to the village entrance, Yang Da worriedly said, "It’s getting dark, and there have been bandits roaming lately. As a young woman on a solitary journey, it’s not safe. How about I borrow a cow from the village chief to take you ho?"

Qin Yao pointed to the bow and arrow on her back, "With these, I’m quite safe."

The brothers chuckled sheepishly, realizing they’d been foolish.

Qin Yao hurried back, finally making it to Liu Family Village before nightfall.

Whether it was good luck or her shabby appearance, she didn’t encounter any of the bandits the Yang brothers ntioned.

She even felt a bit hopeful, thinking there might be unexpected gains from such encounters.

Upon reaching Liu Family Village, Qin Yao didn’t rush ho but stopped by the Liu Family’s old house along the way.

Seeing her with a bow and arrow on her back and a short knife in hand, the people at the old house were puzzled about what she intended to do.

Poverty had thickened her skin, and Qin Yao bluntly stated, "I’m really not suited for farming. I plan to enter the mountains tomorrow for three to five days, at most seven to eight. I hope my two brothers can help plant the remaining wheat seeds at ho."

"Also, there are four kids at ho. During my absence, I ask my two sisters-in-law to help look after them a bit."

Then she took out the last ten copper coins and handed them to the stunned Sister-in-law He.

"Sister-in-law, the food at ho is only enough to feed the kids for four days. I’ll need your help with the rest. I know this isn’t enough, so whatever’s missing, I’ll repay when I get back."

Having said her piece, she decisively turned to leave.

Leaving the old and young at the Liu Family’s old house bewildered in the wind.

Mrs. Zhang reconsidered her opinions of Qin Yao from a few days ago. Now she thought, indeed, birds of a feather flock together. The new wife of the third son had a thick skin just like him!

No, she surpassed the master!