The women began to scatter and start digging for Medicinal Herbs in their chosen spots. Qin Sang couldn't very well insist on continuing the climb; mountain climbing was strenuous work, and it was only reasonable for everyone to conserve energy and start digging herbs early.
But Qin Sang had previously scattered quite a few fruits, potatoes, and Pumpkins in the mountain area. If no one found them, wouldn't they just go to waste, rotting on the mountain?
Seeing everyone swinging their small hoes to dig up roots, and the Hunting Team showing no intention to continue up the mountain, Qin Sang thought for a moment. She called Da Huang over, placed an apple in her palm for him to sniff, then patted his head:
"Go look, see if there are any fruits in the mountains."
Da Huang's eyes lit up, and he darted off in a flash.
Qin Sang trusted Da Huang's capabilities, so she stopped worrying and also started digging for roots.
Not long after, Da Huang came darting down from the mountain, something held in his mouth.
After running back, Da Huang lifted his head to show off his find to Qin Sang and the others, seeking praise. Eldest Girl was the first to see what was in his mouth and cried out in delight:
"Grandma, it's an apple! Da Huang found an apple!"
Si Jin took the large apple from Da Huang's mouth, held it up, and handed it to Qin Sang. Many people looked over.
"So big! This one must weigh nearly half a pound," Qin Sang said, deliberately turning it over and over in her hands.
"Come on, let's go up and take a look. There might be more."
Er Fu, Si Jin, and the others nodded eagerly. They had eaten apples before; they were so delicious and sweet.
After rewarding Da Huang, the creature turned and immediately dashed up the mountain.
If it weren't for the long drought that had withered the plants, he might have been lost from sight in an instant.
"Da Huang, wait for us!" Eldest Girl shouted, chasing after him on her little legs.
Qin Sang and the others, carrying their baskets, quickly followed. The other women, hearing there were fruits to be picked on the mountain, stopped digging herbs and also headed up with their baskets.
Soon, Eldest Girl made a discovery:
"Grandma, there really are fruits! Look, such a big apple!"
Hearing this shout, the others, who had been exhausted from climbing, instantly revived with renewed energy and quickened their pace.
Si Jin also made a discovery:
"Oranges! There are oranges here too!"
"Mother, I found a Pumpkin! Such a big Pumpkin!"
As the exclamations from Si Jin and Er Fu rang out, other villagers gradually made discoveries too:
"Oh my, are these potatoes? Wow, there are so many in this patch!"
"I found an apple! It smells wonderful!"
"There's a Pumpkin here too. I hear they're delicious."
The Hunting Team also scattered to gather things:
"There are some over here too! This hillside is full of fruit!"
"It's truly a treasure trove! Not only is there water, but so much food too."
"Thanks to Da Huang. If not for him, we wouldn't have climbed up here."
Qin Sang also pretended to search. Bending down, she saw Widow Xia with her four children, Caoer and Daner, behind her. She would deliberately pretend not to see some items, leaving them for them.
The forty or fifty people spread out searching. In a little over an hour, everyone had filled their baskets. Qin Sang's family had nearly filled one backpack basket and one hand basket, both becoming quite heavy to carry.
Someone spoke up:
"What do we do? There are so many fruits. How do we carry them down the mountain?"
"What's the problem carrying them down? If you can't carry yours, give me some. I can manage, haha!"
"I'm not worried about getting down. I'm worried there must still be plenty of fruit on this hillside. If we go down now, coming back up would be such a hassle."
"Who would have thought we'd ever worry about having *too much* food after coming into the mountains?"
Hunter Xu stepped forward and said:
"How about this? We help carry a load down for everyone? Then you can keep gathering."
The women naturally agreed. Qin Sang said:
"But there are only about ten of you, and we have dozens of baskets. You can only carry one basket per trip, right? What about the others?"
Hunter Xu was also stumped:
"Well..."
Qin Sang saw Da Huang, who had been marking his territory, and got an idea:
"Da Huang, come here."
At her call, Da Huang immediately bounded over happily. Qin Sang took out paper and a pen from her clothes, wrote a line, folded the paper into a strip, tore a piece of cloth from her hem, tied the note to it, and fastened it around Da Huang's neck.
She crouched down, fed Da Huang some beef jerky bits, and poured some water for him:
"Go back and find Xiao Wu, understand?"
Da Huang gobbled up the beef jerky bits in a few bites and eagerly darted down the mountain.
Qin Sang called out loudly:
"Da Huang, be careful!"
Eldest Girl stood beside Qin Sang:
"Grandma, are you sending Da Huang home to fetch help?"
Qin Sang smiled and patted her little head:
"Yes. I wrote on the note for Wen Mo to find Da Zhuang and the village chief, to bring the Mules and Horses up the mountain to transport the goods."
Others who overheard exclaimed in admiration:
"Da Zhuang's Mother always has a solution."
"It really pays to be literate."
"Da Huang is such a good dog."
Listening to the praise, Qin Sang smiled:
"The village should send people up soon. Let's all start searching again. Let's try to find every last fruit on this hillside."
"Right, hurry up and search."
After searching for another half-hour, each family's fruit had piled up into a small hill. Da Huang's agile figure reappeared in Qin Sang's view.
Qin Sang turned to look behind her. Soon, she saw the village's all-male team and praised:
"Our Da Huang completed the task perfectly. Excellent! Here, a reward for you."
Qin Sang grabbed a handful of dog food and some dried fish, feeding him while pouring water:
"When we get home, I'll reward you with a big bone."
Da Huang's tail wagged like a propeller, showing just how happy he was.
The women sat down to rest, happily calling out loudly:
"Finally, you're here! Husband, come quick, look how much fruit I've gathered!"
"This basket and this pile, I gathered them. Impressive, right?"
"This pile is ours. Look at this big Pumpkin, it must weigh seven or eight pounds!"
Da Zhuang and San Gui arrived separately, leading Mules and Horses. Basically, a man from every family had come, bringing carrying baskets and such.
When they saw the piles of fruits and food everywhere and heard what their wives said, gasps of astonishment rippled through the arriving team:
"Hiss... How can there be so much fruit on this mountain?"
"I've never even seen some of these fruits before."
"So much! This will last a long time."
Tian Yougen was also in the team. Seeing everyone stunned by the scene, he spoke up:
"What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and start moving it!"
"Ah? Right, right, right."
Instantly, the hillside was filled with busy figures.
Tian Dazhuang and Tian Sangui led the Mules and Horses over to Qin Sang. Seeing the mountain of fruit piled on the ground, joy spread across their faces:
"Mother, this much?"
Eldest Girl smiled, holding Tian Dazhuang's hand:
"Father, I gathered this whole pile! Am I amazing?"
Tian Dazhuang happily scooped his daughter into his arms:
"My daughter is truly amazing."