In his previous life, Wei Ling had been the heir of a noble family, a Guogong heir, to be exact. Setting aside his status and worldview, it had taken him a long time to come to terms with the baffling reality of his transmigration. Over the past year, he had been actively learning and absorbing all the knowledge of this future world, remaining mostly silent to avoid raising suspicion.

The term Guogong (国公) refers to an ancient Chinese noble title, often translated as "Duke" or "Duke of the State" in English.

However, if he were to marry, he wasn't sure he could keep his secret safe.

When he initially requested a transfer to the borderlands, it was to avoid the people who knew this body's previous owner-the people most familiar with him. After accepting the original owner's memories, he fled, and he had been on the run for a year. Just when life was starting to become easier, his family had arranged a marriage for him-a blind date with a young woman from Beijing who had been sent to the countryside.

Before transmigrating, his marriage would undoubtedly have been arranged by his family. However, after over a year of exposure to new ideas and philosophies, Wei Ling no longer intended to follow the traditional concept of "parental orders and the matchmaker's word." He didn't want to risk exposing his secret, nor did he want to marry someone he didn't know.

If he ever married, it would be to someone he genuinely liked.

But was there anyone in this era that he liked?

As Wei Ling pondered this question, the image of a girl with a delicate yet resilient face flashed through his mind-the girl he had encountered at the state-run restaurant in town last time.

She wasn't the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, but she was the one who had left the deepest impression on him. His keen instincts told him that there was a secret hidden within her, a secret that drew him in.

Mulling over this, Wei Ling decided to leave the military camp and rode his horse into the mountains.

The biting cold mountain air cleared his mind, and the sight of the heavy snow weighing down the trees lifted his spirits.

This was the future, not the feudal era he had once known. Although this time still valued filial piety, marriage was more of a personal choice. As long as he refused, not even his family could force him into a marriage.

Worst case scenario, he would never return to Beijing.

Recalling how much Beijing had changed over the years, Wei Ling felt a calm wash over him.

With his mood lightened, the world around him appeared brighter.

Since he was already outside the camp, he figured he might as well hunt some game to bring back to the kitchen for a nice meal. Although the military farm raised pigs and the soldiers were mostly self-sufficient, there were many mouths to feed. Not everyone could eat meat to their heart's content at every meal.

Wei Ling, who had once been a skilled general, started to study the tracks in the snow, deciding that his goal today was to catch a wild boar.

On the other side of the mountain, Qin Qingman was trying her best to keep up with the group. This was her first time trekking through the snowy mountains. Though the wind wasn't blowing and the sun was bright, making it less cold than expected, the path was extremely difficult to walk on.

The snow was so deep that it could easily reach up to her thighs with each step.

For shorter individuals, the snow could even reach their waists, which was why children hadn't been brought along on this trip.

Qin Qingman carefully stepped in the footprints left by those ahead of her, making the journey a little easier.

The group had set off from the village at 7:30 a.m., and it was almost 10 a.m. when they finally stopped. Zheng Anguo, the village head and leader of the group, addressed them, "Ladies, we're not too far from our village here, and this area has plenty of oak and hazelnut trees. You'll definitely find some tree hollows nearby. You can collect what you find here, and it'll also make it easier for you to head back down the mountain sooner."

"Got it, Secretary. You men go ahead and don't worry about us!" Auntie Yun and a few of the other women waved off Zheng Anguo and the men.

Hunting and searching for tree hollows were two very different activities. To hunt, the men needed to track animal footprints and signs, which could take several days in the mountains. A big hunt could last three or four days, with the group returning only after a large haul.

On the other hand, foraging for tree hollows was a quicker task.

All the women needed to do was find an area with many pine, oak, hazelnut, or walnut trees. Where there were tree hollows, there would be food. After just a few hours of foraging, the women could head back down the mountain.

"Comrade Zheng Guihua, as the women's committee director, make sure you take care of everyone and stay safe," Zheng Anguo instructed the woman in charge of the female group with a serious tone.

"Don't worry, Comrade Anguo. I'll make sure everyone stays safe and gets back home together," Zheng Guihua assured him. She had led these foraging trips every year and was well experienced.

"Secretary, let's get moving. This area is close to the village, so there shouldn't be any large animals nearby. Plus, this part of the forest has been thoroughly foraged in the past, so there's little danger. We need to move deeper into the mountains if we want to bring back enough meat for everyone before the New Year," reminded Li Yang, the production team leader.

Zheng Anguo nodded. He waved one last time to the women and led the hunting team deeper into the mountains. The hunting dogs, excited by the prospect of a big hunt, ran ahead, wagging their tails and letting out eager yips.

Once the hunting party was out of sight, Zheng Guihua turned to the women and gave her instructions, "This forest has plenty of tree hollows, so let's get started. Don't wander off too far. At two o'clock, I'll blow the whistle for everyone to regroup. By then, no matter how much you've collected, we need to head back down. If we wait any longer, we might not make it home before dark."

"Got it, Director," the women responded. Since they had done this every year, everyone knew the risks. No one dared to take Zheng Guihua's words lightly.

In the mountains during this season, it was safest to stick together.

"Let's get moving," Zheng Guihua said. Satisfied that her instructions had been understood, she waved for the group to disperse and headed off to search for the tree hollows she had marked the previous year. She wondered whether the squirrels and chipmunks had moved their stores of food.

Like Zheng Guihua, most of the women went off on their own. This wasn't a group effort-any food found in a tree hollow belonged to the person who discovered it. Since the bounty couldn't be shared, it was best to work alone.

Auntie Yun waved goodbye to Qin Qingman before heading into the forest by herself.

With most of the trees bare in the winter, the forest was much brighter than in the summer. The sunlight reflecting off the snow illuminated everything, making it easy to spot the other women scattered throughout the forest.

Qin Qingman glanced at a few of the familiar faces, then chose a direction and headed off.

Thanks to the original owner's memories, she knew how to search for tree hollows and remembered where they could be found. She even recalled which ones had been particularly bountiful last year.

Adjusting her scarf to ensure her ears were fully covered, Qin Qingman rubbed her gloved hands together and picked up her pace. There was one place the original owner had stumbled upon last year that had been quite promising. She hoped it would be the same this year.

As she followed the memory in her mind, she ventured deeper into the forest.

About twenty minutes later, she stopped in front of a large pine tree. A few meters above the ground, there were several obvious tree hollows. The smooth edges of the hollows indicated they were frequently used by animals.

Qin Qingman carefully observed the hollows but didn't attempt to climb the tree. Instead, she squatted down and began digging through the snow at the base of the tree.

As the snow cleared away, she uncovered a thick layer of dried leaves.

Brushing aside the leaves revealed a dark tree hollow nestled in the roots of the tree. And inside the hollow, a stash of nuts gleamed in the sunlight, waiting to be harvested.

Qin Qingman smiled and quickly took out her cloth bag, carefully selecting the edible hazelnuts, pine nuts, and walnuts.

As she worked, she couldn't help but marvel at the cleverness of the squirrels and chipmunks. Just like the old saying "a crafty rabbit has three burrows," these little creatures had learned to deceive humans as well. While the tree hollows aboveground were almost empty, the real treasure trove was hidden underground.

After taking about one-third of the stash, Qin Qingman covered the tree hollow again.

Although the snow covering it was new, the next snowfall would completely erase any signs of her presence, leaving the remaining food for its rightful owners-the squirrels and chipmunks.

Feeling triumphant after her first successful find, Qin Qingman smiled in satisfaction and moved on to the next tree hollow.

Naturally, this took her deeper into the forest.

The original owner had been timid and preferred to avoid others, always searching for food in the more remote areas. Today, Qin Qingman was no different. She had no interest in confronting troublemakers or having her hard-earned nuts stolen by the likes of Zhu Hongxia and her gang.

But it seemed that trouble was exactly what she was about to face. After walking less than 100 meters, Qin Qingman heard Zhu Hongxia's voice behind her.

"I kept an eye on her. Qingman definitely went this way. Look, you can see her footprints in the snow. Let's follow them," Zhu Hongxia said confidently, leading the group.

"Most of the tree hollows have been empty this year. What a bad omen," grumbled Qin Qingman's third aunt, Li Meina.

"I think people have just been too greedy. Last year, some families were so desperate for food that they broke the rules and emptied several tree hollows. Now we're paying the price. The squirrels and chipmunks have all moved away. What's left for us to collect?" complained Qin Qingman's fourth aunt, Yao Chunying, who was clearly frustrated.

Her cloth bag was nearly empty.

Hearing her sisters-in-law's complaints, Qin Xiang's face was just as grim. She had checked several tree hollows earlier, and all had been barren.

"I've been watching the others, and they haven't found much either. Everyone's heading farther into the mountains. Let's follow Qingman. She had good luck last year, and maybe she'll get lucky again this time," Zhu Hongxia suggested with a scheming glint in her eye.

Qin Xiang's eyes flickered with agreement. "That girl always avoids everyone and goes to the more remote areas. She's so timid, she'll definitely stick to the rules and leave enough behind for the animals. The squirrels won't have moved from her spots."

"Let's go. We need to catch up," Zhu Hongxia urged, eager to follow the footprints in the snow.

In snowy terrain, footprints were impossible to hide unless there was fresh snowfall to cover them.

Qin Qingman, having overheard the conversation between her aunts, didn't try to flee. Running away would be futile. Unless she dealt with these women, they would simply steal her findings. Facing four opponents, she couldn't rely on brute force.

"Wait, look! Qingman already cleared out this spot," Zhu Hongxia said as they stopped at the tree hollow Qin Qingman had just emptied.

"Underground?" Qin Xiang's voice was full of surprise.

"Of course. There are tree hollows underground too. Let's dig," Zhu Hongxia said greedily, crouching down to start shoveling snow. The others quickly joined in.

Within a minute, the tree hollow that Qin Qingman had carefully covered was exposed once again.

Seeing the stash of nuts still hidden inside, Zhu Hongxia and her companions burst into laughter.

They wasted no time in dividing up the contents of the hollow, taking everything without leaving a single nut behind for the squirrels or chipmunks.

After emptying the hollow, their greedy eyes turned to the hollows higher up in the tree.

Watching from a distance, Qin Qingman's expression grew cold as she observed their actions.

Glancing at the cloth bag in her hand, Qin Qingman studied the tracks in the snow leading away from the hollow. She reached into her bag and grabbed a handful of nuts.

It was time to teach Zhu Hongxia and her cronies a lesson.