Chapter 177: Chopping Trees

Yan Yu insisted on following her father into the mountains.

Mao Mao was nestled in her arms.

Yan Lao’er had no choice but to take her along.

Sanbao was led by Li Xuemei to help work on the ten acres of land near the village.

It was the busy farming season, and taking an ox into the mountains would have raised questions.

The beams Qi Wu had found were made of cedar.

Tall, straight, and of the right thickness.

Qi Da carefully set Yan Yu down, while Yan Lao’er looked at her helplessly.

His daughter had a way with words—flattery flowed from her mouth as if it cost nothing.

“Uncle Qi, are you tired? Let me walk on my own for a bit…”

“Uncle Qi, you’re really tall…”

“Uncle Qi, you walk so fast and steady…”

“Uncle Qi, you’re not even sweating—I was hoping to wipe your sweat for you…”

“Uncle Qi… Uncle Qi… Uncle Qi…”

And so, Uncle Qi had carried her the whole way.

Yan Yu giggled as she ran ahead, stretching her arms as wide as she could around a tree.

“Dad, look! How much more do I need to reach all the way around?”

Yan Lao’er glanced at her and said, “A little more forward—you’re almost there.”

Yan Yu puffed up her cheeks, straining to reach.

Her father laughed heartily. “Nope, you’ll need to grow for another two years—your arms aren’t long enough.”

Yan Yu withdrew her arms and grinned.

She knew her father was jealous. But he was easy to appease—a little act of filial piety, a bit of teasing, and everything would be fine.

Qi Wu pointed out the markings he’d made. “The ones with this mark are the trees I selected.”

Yan Lao’er nodded. “Alright, let’s get started. Daughter, stay back.”

“Got it!” Yan Yu responded cheerfully. “Dad, I’ll just play nearby—I won’t go far.”

“Alright, have fun.” Yan Lao’er was at ease knowing Mao Mao was with her.

Mao Mao sat in Yan Yu’s backpack, its tiny head poking out.

Before they left, Li Xuemei had given it special instructions—to keep a close eye on Yan Yu.

So this time, Mao Mao was exceptionally obedient, sticking to her side without wandering.

Everything in the mountains was untouched by human hands, and the terrain was difficult.

Especially this area—it seemed rarely visited. The ground was layered with fallen leaves, decomposing into the soil, yet still stubbornly leaving traces of their presence.

Yan Yu treaded carefully, testing each step to see if the ground was solid or hollow beneath her feet.

Duang—Duang—

Yan Yu turned to see that Uncle Qi Wu had already started chopping trees.

Uncle Qi Da had also taken his stance.

As planned, the four of them would cut down two trees at a time—any more, and they wouldn’t be able to transport them down the mountain.

“Mao Mao, are there any wild animals nearby?” Yan Yu flipped her backpack to the front.

Mao Mao nodded. ‘Nearby’ was a broad term—there were plenty of wild animals.

“Are there wild rabbits?”

“Are there chickens?”

“Are there wild boars?”

Mao Mao kept nodding.

The mountains had everything—wasn’t that exciting?

Yan Yu was thrilled!

This would save them money on buying meat!

“Is there a water source too? Which direction?”

Mao Mao stretched out a tiny paw and pointed.

Yan Yu smiled in satisfaction.

Drawing water for irrigation—fetching it from the river wasn’t as efficient as getting it from the mountains.

Since the mountains were at a higher elevation, it was actually easier to channel water.

She wanted to explore the mountains to assess the slopes, the density of the forest, and the condition of the paths.

Some things were better seen firsthand than just heard about.

But she didn’t plan to go check the water source now.

Because her Uncle Qi Wu and Uncle Qi Da were incredible at chopping trees.

In no time at all, they had nearly finished felling two cedar trees.

Yan Lao’er called her over. “Daughter, come quick!”

Yan Yu responded and ran to stand beside her father and Uncle Qi Si.

The two men positioned themselves.

Qi Wu and Qi Da lifted their legs and kicked the massive trees to one side.

Branches scraped against each other as the two towering trees crashed down with a thunderous noise, startling a flock of birds into flight.

Qi Da and Qi Wu chopped off the unnecessary branches.

Yan Lao’er and Qi Si gathered the fallen branches into piles and set them aside.

After some discussion, they decided that Qi Da and Qi Si would each carry one log down the mountain first, while Qi Wu and Yan Lao’er stayed to cut more trees.

Yan Lao’er focused on bundling the fallen branches neatly.

Qi Wu enthusiastically continued chopping, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

One tree after another fell, keeping Yan Lao’er constantly busy tying and stacking the branches.

“Qi Wu, take a break! Rest a bit! We’ve got so many—how long do you think it’ll take to carry them all down?” Yan Lao’er finally had enough and called for a stop.

Chopping trees was easy—carrying them down was the hard part.

The trees were too tall, making it difficult to navigate through the forest while carrying them horizontally.

Qi Wu chuckled foolishly, still holding his axe as he trimmed the fallen logs, stripping away any unnecessary branches.

Yan Yu helped as well.

The bigger pieces were too heavy for her, but she could pick up the smaller ones.

Qi Da and Qi Si made several trips.

They started with one log per trip and later managed to carry three at a time.

On their final trip, they brought two handcarts to load up the neatly bundled branches.

The group descended the mountain just in time for lunch.

With Nanny Rong handling the meals, Yan Lao’er had it easy.

All he had to do was grab a bowl and eat.

Nothing beat coming home to a hot meal after a hard day’s work.

Nanny Rong’s cooking was excellent—even simple farmhouse dishes tasted amazing.

Looking at Master Lu and the others devouring their food, it was clear they agreed. Every day at mealtime, they didn’t need an invitation—they just showed up.

After filling his stomach, Yan Lao’er spoke with the Qi brothers.

The latter planned to head back up the mountain to chop more trees, while he had to make a trip to Yongning’s brick kiln to see if he could haul some bricks back.

Yan Yu didn’t tag along this time.

She obediently followed her mother to the fields.

The ten acres near the village didn’t have much grass, but they were full of stones—especially small ones.

Each person carried a basket on their back, crouching in the fields to pick up rocks.

Li Xuemei was assigned to rake the grass by Nanny Rong, so she got to stand while working.

Yan Yu worked for a while before standing up to stretch, stamping her feet and twisting side to side.

Si Tie and Wu Tie ran over.

“Yan Xiao’er, why didn’t you ask us to help your family work?” Si Tie asked.

Yan Yu blinked.

“Every household is clearing land—you guys are busy too!”

“Grandfather said we only need to pick up rocks. We already finished our field, so we can help you too. Will you give us work points?”

Si Tie had a plan.

Wu Tie was more straightforward.

“Yeah! We want to earn points to trade for scented soap for Mom and Aunt.”

They had overheard their mothers complaining about the hard work and the stink of sweat. Since they lived near the river and had plenty of water, the scented soap would be useful.

But their mothers were too embarrassed to barter for it with worthless trinkets.

Word had spread that Yan’s family’s scented soap could sell for eight silver coins in town!

Since Si Tie and Wu Tie had to wash up every day too, they saw the soap shrinking and suddenly remembered Yan Xiao’er talking about earning work points.

Trading work points for scented soap meant they wouldn’t have to spend money!