Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

The next morning, the sound of pattering rain drifted into Zhou Rui's room.

My younger brother, Zhou Ming, is still sleeping.

Because of the rain, the construction team wasn't working, so my father and Zhou Ming wouldn't go out either.

But the sound of parents talking could be clearly heard outside.

The couple got up early as always; the father was doing handicrafts, weaving bamboo chairs, while the mother was cleaning.

[Intelligence 1: Wang Ermazi's wife is having an affair.]

There's only one piece of intelligence today.

The prompt appeared in Zhou Rui's mind as usual, but this intelligence prompt... didn't seem to be of much use.

Zhou Rui muttered to himself, it seems that intelligence isn't always a mix of old and new reports every day, but rather it's random.

Without disturbing Zhou Ming's continued sleep, Zhou Rui tiptoed out of the room.

Inside the main room, Grandpa and Grandma had already gotten up, as had Parents, Second Uncle and Second Aunt.

Zhou Rui greeted his elders, ate a boiled potato, and then prepared to leave.

"Grandpa and Grandma, Dad and Mom, I'm going to Aunt Li's house."

After his elders reminded him to be careful, Zhou Rui picked up a heavy, dark-colored, patched old-fashioned oilcloth umbrella and walked outside.

It's morning now, and Aunt Li's family should be busy at this time, but they rarely go out when it rains.

Uncle Zhao is a newly emerging self-employed individual who runs a small factory in the county town.

The factory hasn't been doing well lately, so he's not busy and that's why he came back to help Aunt Li with farm work.

Holding a heavy oilcloth umbrella, I walked along the country road, raindrops dripping onto the irregular bluestone slabs.

Few people.

A short while later, Zhou Rui arrived at Zhao Jianjun's door again.

This book was first published on 2009.com, providing you with a reading experience free of errors and disordered chapters.

A gentle knock.

dong dong dong-

"Uncle Zhao—Aunt Li—are you home?"

Zhou Rui first knocked on the door politely, but it was clear that the Zhao family members in the backyard or not in the front room probably couldn't hear him.

So Zhou Rui still chose to solve the problem by speaking loudly.

Soon, footsteps could be heard inside the house; they were very light and didn't sound like the footsteps of an adult.

Sure enough, it was Zhao Qingya who opened the door.

"Brother Rui, you're here!"

"My aunt and the others told me yesterday that you went to the back mountain and dug up a lot of mountain products. That's amazing!"

A sound like a silver bell rang out, and Zhao Qingya looked with a smile at Zhou Rui, who had just put away his oilcloth umbrella outside the door.

At the same time, there was also admiration in her eyes, because news spread quickly in the village, and there wasn't much to talk about after meals.

The news that Zhou Jia Da Wa had dug up a "wild gastrodia king" spread throughout most of the village in just one night.

The rain wasn't heavy, but it was still a bit wet around my feet.

"Xiaoya, is Uncle Zhao home?"

Zhou Rui did not enter the room without permission, but Zhao Qingya pulled him inside.

"You're in the back room. What are you doing standing outside the door? Come in, or you'll get soaked in the rain."

Zhao Qingya pulled Zhou Rui into the house and then closed the door behind her.

"Dad, Mom, Zhou Rui is here."

Zhao Qingya shouted loudly inside, while Zhou Rui placed the umbrella against the wall to drain the water.

Upon hearing her daughter's voice, Aunt Li quickly came out from inside.

"Hey—it's the mountain king! Come in, come in, your uncle's making breakfast."

Zhou Rui waved his hand before walking inside.

"Aunt Li, don't laugh at me. I'm no mountain king, I'm just lucky."

The story goes that the boar was hunted by the father and son together, but as the story spread, it became known that the eldest son of the Zhou family hunted it all by himself.

Although the answer was indeed correct, it was a lucky accident.

Adding to yesterday's mountain produce, Zhou Rui has now been rumored to be a "mountain king".

Moreover, this trend is gradually intensifying, with claims of extensive experience in the wild and the legendary Shennong's knowledge of hundreds of herbs.

When Aunt Li heard Zhou Rui say that, she took it as him being modest and didn't take it seriously.

"Son, have you eaten yet? Let's eat something together later."

"Aunt Li, I've already eaten. I'm so sorry to bother you so early in the morning."

Zhou Rui declined, but it was clear that he couldn't resist Aunt Li's enthusiasm.

"What is this silly boy saying? He's at the age where he's growing. He should eat some more at his aunt's house."

As Aunt Li spoke, she pulled Zhou Rui and led him towards the back room.

Zhou Rui was a little embarrassed, but he still compromised.

Zhao Qingya chuckled to herself from the side.

"Xiaoya, go grab a handful of sunflower seeds for your brother Rui to eat."

Aunt Li called Zhao Qingya to get some snacks.

At that time, sunflower seeds were still a rare commodity, and only wealthy families in the village could afford to buy them as snacks.

Ordinary people are reluctant to spend money on this, so much more affordable "fruit candy" is a cheaper alternative.

"Okay~"

Zhao Qingya agreed and ran off quickly. A moment later, she stood in front of Zhou Rui with a handful of fragrant melon seeds.

"Brother Rui, take this and eat it, it's delicious!"

Zhou Rui didn't refuse; if he were hesitant or coy, it would be awkward.

He sat in the main room cracking melon seeds, while Zhao Qingya sat beside him, glancing at him and then at the floor.

"Xiaoya, here, I have another piece of candy."

Instead of continuing to eat sunflower seeds, Zhou Rui took out a "White Rabbit" snack from his bag and handed it to Zhao Qingya.

The latter blushed immediately.

"Brother Rui, what are you doing? Mom is still here."

Aunt Li smiled at the two children without saying a word, then got up and went to the stove to help.

Zhou Rui chuckled and didn't say anything more.

He definitely brought the candy today on purpose.

A short while later, Zhao Jianjun carried a bowl of hot noodles into the back room.

In rural areas of Southwest China, men usually do the cooking in many families, but in the Zhou family, whoever has time does the cooking, and the distinction isn't so clear.

This sounds like something called a "henpecked husband"?

Before he could think twice, Zhou Rui saw the enthusiastic Aunt Li bring him bowls and chopsticks. He immediately put the remaining melon seeds into his pocket and got up to help.

The noodles were mixed with a spoonful of lard, along with chili peppers and pea pods. The red soup, green leaves, and floating oil made it look incredibly appetizing.

"Nephew, eat more, there's more in the pot after you finish."

Zhao Jianjun spoke to Zhou Rui very familiarly.

Zhou Rui thanked them twice without being polite. The couple had invited him sincerely, and it would be impolite not to eat.

After finishing a bowl of noodles, Zhou Rui felt completely refreshed. The improved diet over the past two or three days had allowed his strength to slowly return. If he were to encounter that little wild boar again now, he believed he wouldn't be easily injured.

After everyone finished eating, Aunt Li cleared away the dishes and went to wash them.

Zhou Rui then brought up the more pressing matter: "Uncle Zhao, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

Zhao Jianjun, as if he had guessed something, said, "It's about Tianma Wang, isn't it?"

Zhao Jianjun had obviously heard about Zhou Rui's discovery of the Gastrodia King, and given that Zhou Rui had come to see him early in the morning, it wasn't hard to guess what had happened.

Zhou Rui nodded.

"That's right, Uncle Zhao, I'd like to ask you to help me contact buyers in the county town and see if anyone is interested."