Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder — I Rise to Female Lead Through Hard Work-Chapter 98: Going Up the Mountain

Now that I’m going back to my mother’s home, back to my grandfather’s house, to the small wooden house that only he and I know of, I can no longer just be the simple, headstrong Yi Roujing. In the future, I must shoulder the responsibility of the Yi Family; I will be Yi Roujing. Since I’ve already enjoyed the rights that were originally hers, I must also take on the responsibilities and obligations that come with them.

The house is at the foot of the mountain, making the climb convenient. However, the small wooden house is quite a distance away. It was Yi Roujing’s first time finding her way there on her own, leading Ding Ancheng in circles for nearly an hour before they found it.

"Ah, we found it, found it, it’s right there," Yi Roujing exclaimed joyfully, jumping up and down.

"Your stamina is impressive," Ding Ancheng teased.

Yi Roujing was momentarily stunned by his off-handed comment, "Well, I do work out, though not as often as you do."

The small wooden house was in a bamboo grove. Though it’s called a wooden house, its foundation was made of stacked stones. The house was dilapidated, with a large hole in the roof, and the wooden door was about to fall off its hinges. Upon opening it, we were hit by a strange odor—a mix of animal musk and a faint medicinal scent.

The structure inside the house was simple: a plank resting on stones served as a bed, with a makeshift stone stove. The paper covering the windows was tattered, firewood was piled haphazardly, and there was a pot with holes in it.

It seems the small wooden house had become a temporary shelter for hunters of the past. Yi Roujing laughed, remembering how her grandfather initially built it for communal use.

"Ding Ancheng, let me tell you, it wasn’t like this before. Besides the bed, this place was filled with medicinal herbs, all picked by my grandfather from the mountain. He would do some simple processing here and leave bleeding-stopping, anti-inflammatory, and anti-venom herbs in the house, marking them clearly for those who might need them on their journeys."

"Grandfather was well-regarded in the neighboring teams, for he truly was a healer with a benevolent heart," Yi Roujing had a great impression of her grandfather, who only existed in memory.

Compared to the so-called doctors from the traditional Chinese medicine family she knew in her last life, this must be what a true noble family looks like. Maybe her ancestors were this kind of healer, expanding the family step by step, only to see future generations swayed by the temptations of power and wealth, adulterating the art of healing.

"Hmm." Ding Ancheng could see that Yi Roujing had a great fondness for her grandfather, but he was curious, "Wasn’t this supposed to be your secret base? Seems like everyone could come here."

Yi Roujing led Ding Ancheng out of the small wooden house and to its back, squatting to move a stone at the bottom and began digging.

Seeing this, Ding Ancheng quickly pulled her behind him and said, "Tell me, I’ll dig."

He dug down two feet, revealing a stack of weathered, blackened newspapers, making Yi Roujing a little excited, "This is it."

Ding Ancheng extracted it entirely, revealing a square object. After removing the outer newspapers, a layer of oilcloth was wrapped around for waterproofing and moisture-proofing. After opening the oilcloth, there was a wooden box—but not an ordinary box. Its surface and sides were carved with patterns, depicting sparrows perched on branches, and it wasn’t a lid-style box, but a drawer with three compartments.

What was inside, Yi Roujing had no memory of. Perhaps she was too young back then. Pulling open the first layer, the long drawer contained some toys: a Nine Rings puzzle, small beads, and a small rattle drum. Shockingly, they weren’t made of ordinary materials.

The Nine Rings and beads were made of pure jade. Except for the drumhead and the silk ribbon holding the small beads, the rattle drum was also made of jade.

Ding Ancheng’s eyes were full of surprise as he saw these items, "Seems like grandfather had quite a wealthy background."

"Passed down from the past, I suppose," Yi Roujing remembered some of the toys, "I could only play with them in the small wooden house, never allowed to take them out otherwise."

The second drawer was half the length of the first. Inside were small pieces of jewelry: a jade thumb ring, a jade medallion, a jade bangle, and a jade hairpin. Judging by their lustre and transparency, they were precious treasures.

The third drawer was filled with gold bars. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Yi Roujing thought for a moment, closed all the drawers, and then carefully examined the corners of the box. The drawers couldn’t be pulled out entirely; there was nothing unusual on the two sides, bottom, or face. Thinking of the half-length drawer, Yi Roujing rubbed the back and pressed on an inconspicuous spot, causing a small piece of wood to be pushed in, releasing a long strip that was tightly sealed with a strip-shaped box inside.

Yi Roujing picked up the long box, revealing a yellowed piece of paper beneath it, which she picked up and unfolded.

The familiar script, robust and vigorous, filled her eyes: "Nannan, have you grown up? Inside the box are pills made by grandfather, ten in total, critical for saving lives."

These were the only two sentences left for Yi Roujing, with the formula for the pills written below the note.

Yi Roujing was filled with shock. If she wasn’t mistaken, the pills’ effects should be similar to the An Gong Life-saving Pills of later generations, but the ingredients were different. Who knows if the effects would be better than the future Life-saving Pills?

Despite being capable of creating such excellent medicines, grandfather couldn’t save himself; thoughts of her grandparents, who passed away early, left Yi Roujing feeling stifled.

Yi Roujing put the long box back, "Let’s take these back for Mom."

Without any hesitation, Ding Ancheng nodded in agreement and even helped carry the box, "But I never thought grandfather would bury the things here."

"Perhaps a place with passersby is the safest," Yi Roujing sighed.

"These things should remain out of sight for now, discuss this with Mother-in-law later," Ding Ancheng advised.

"Yes, I know," Yi Roujing nodded.

"Swish, swish, swish—"

A rustling sound came through the low bushes, drawing closer to Yi Roujing and Ding Ancheng. Ding Ancheng hurriedly handed the box to Yi Roujing and stood in front of her. After a white figure darted out, they both saw that it was a sizeable rabbit.

Yi Roujing looked at the rabbit, and it turned its head to stare back at them, then..."Thud," it ran straight into a tree trunk.

Yi Roujing’s lips twitched; could this be what people call standing by the tree to wait for the rabbit?

The rabbit twitched a few times before stopping, uncertain if it had fainted or died.

"Looks like we can have a feast tonight," Yi Roujing said.

Ding Ancheng utilized nearby resources, tying up the rabbit’s legs with flexible twigs and also took the box from Yi Roujing, carrying all the weight.

A single rabbit might be a coincidence, but as they continued walking down the mountain, Yi Roujing accidentally slipped, falling beside a nest of wild chicken eggs, startling the hen incubating them. The hen flapped its wings, only to be trapped by the branches of the low bushes, then tied up by Ding Ancheng.

"Don’t tell me all the wild game before was caught like this?" Ding Ancheng was a bit stunned by Yi Roujing’s unusual luck, "Were those precious medicinal herbs also gathered this way?"

"You need to recognize medicinal herbs first to gather them. I rely on skill, thank you very much," Yi Roujing retorted angrily to Ding Ancheng’s words.