Chapter 114: Pelted with Stones

Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Pelted with Stones

For now, she had to set these thoughts aside. Once they reached Lingnan, it would be time to truly put their plans into action.

Furthermore, Hua Buwan needed to devise a comprehensive strategy. The core of mutual trade was figuring out exactly what supplies to exchange, and that alone gave her plenty to ponder. She hadn’t bought much to bring to Dongxuan Country today—mostly just food, along with a few sets of ancient-style clothing meant to be worn while she was over there.

As for selling antiques, Hua Buwan decided to put that on hold. She had already sold quite a few pieces recently, and flooding the market with too many items at once would undoubtedly raise suspicions. Next time, she would need to find a new buyer in a different location and wait a bit longer before making another move.

For now, Hua Buwan’s next target was medicinal herbs.

When she visited Ling Qianjun tomorrow, she planned to head into the mountains herself to try her luck. She also wanted to educate the Ling family on what to look for. After all, she couldn’t guarantee she would visit every single day, and relying solely on her own efforts was unrealistic. It was better to mobilize the Ling family first, strategize, and then act.

Now that she knew what needed to be done, she had to prepare. She started by watching educational videos to learn how to identify various herbs; she couldn’t just blindly wander the mountains completely clueless. Even though she had made it into college, her knowledge of medicinal herbs was limited to common soup ingredients, ginseng, and Lingzhi. Moreover, she only recognized them in their sliced, sun-dried forms. If those herbs were hidden in the wild, Hua Buwan probably wouldn’t recognize them even if they were growing right in front of her face. Therefore, she needed to research the preferred growing environments of various herbs so she could narrow down her search once she was up on the mountain.

Hua Buwan spent the entire evening studying hard.

The following day, Hua Buwan kept the supermarket doors firmly shut. She could eat, drink, and wash up inside the store. Being a natural homebody, she didn’t feel the least bit stifled by staying indoors. Besides, she had her own private backyard in the form of Dongxuan Country, which kept boredom entirely at bay.

She woke up early, washed up, and changed into her ancient-style clothing, eating her breakfast while waiting for Ling Qianjun to arrive. Her breakfast was simple: just a piece of bread and a carton of milk.

As she ate, drank, and scrolled through her phone, Hua Ying’er’s shouts suddenly rang out from outside the door. "Hua Buwan! Get out here! Open the door right now! I know you’re home!"

Hua Ying’er had felt incredibly frustrated when she failed to corner Hua Buwan yesterday. She had arrived early again today, only to find the supermarket still closed. She agonized over whether Hua Buwan was telling the truth, wondering if she had really gone out. Refusing to give up, Hua Ying’er scrutinized the front of the supermarket. Since the front windows were closed, she couldn’t peek inside to see if anyone was actually there.

Biting her lip, her eyes darted around until she suddenly came up with a brilliant idea. She sprinted to the back of the supermarket. Sure enough, the curtains were open! She could even see several outfits—Hua Buwan’s newly purchased ancient garments—hanging up to dry.

Now absolutely certain that Hua Buwan was inside, Hua Ying’er ground her teeth in fury. Enraged, she stormed back to the front, planted her hands on her hips, and screamed at the second floor.

Hua Buwan hadn’t expected her to circle around to the back. She had closed the front windows and drawn the curtains long ago. Since she needed to dry her laundry daily, she had intentionally hung her clothes by the back window. At that moment, she was completely oblivious to being discovered, so no matter how loud Hua Ying’er yelled, Hua Buwan simply ignored her.

Who would have thought that a moment later, a loud BANG would erupt from the window! A rock smashed through the glass, landing right at Hua Buwan’s feet.

Immediately after, another small rock was hurled at the other side, and with a sharp CRACK, a corner of that window shattered!