Chapter 19: Ah Yuan’s Delivery

Ruan Ming wanted to send the honey to Ye Fengwan.

Her only worry was that both Ye sisters were Research Institute staff, especially Ye Jianggui, someone dedicated her entire life to cultivating healthy crops to feed humanity. If she sent this organic honey, would they, from a position of public good, send someone to investigate Territory 32?

What if the base discovered something special about this mountain forest? Would they reclaim the territory?

And where would she go then?

Ruan Ming admitted her selfishness. She just wanted to keep this land her father left her, to have a sanctuary of her own. She didn’t want outsiders barging in, disrupting her peaceful life.

She opened her wristband, hesitated a moment, then sent a message to Ye Fengwan: I have something I want to give you and Institute Director Ye, but can you promise not to ask about its origin?

Ye Fengwan’s reply came quickly: I can promise not to ask. But if this puts you in a difficult position, you can choose to keep this secret yourself.

Ruan Ming looked at the words on the screen, and the corner of her mouth lifted softly.

Very typical of Ye Fengwan.

Even though public opinion on Ye Fengwan was mixed, with some calling her incompetent and unscrupulous, for Ruan Ming, that person earned complete trust with just a single sentence.

She replied: I just hope Institute Director Ye gets well.

Ye Fengwan seemed to guess something: So, this secret is… you found organic food?

Ruan Ming bit her lip. Ye Fengwan had called her clever, but wasn’t she just as clever herself?

She got up, took a picture of the honey and the detector showing a green signal, and sent them to Ye Fengwan.

This time, Ye Fengwan’s response was instantaneous, sending three exclamation marks. I want as much as you have! I can trade you credits, whatever price you want, name your price!

Seeing this, Ruan Ming’s eyes lowered slightly. She slowly typed back: I just want Institute Director Ye to get well. I don’t want to use this to trade for credits!

Just yesterday, when she’d brought up transferring credits for the soil conditioner, the other hadn’t been happy either. And here she was today, doing the same thing.

‘Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself’!

Ye Fengwan: You should understand, honey is even more precious than other organic foods. If you sold it on the market, it wouldn’t just fetch a sky-high price, countless people would fight over it.

Ruan Ming: I know. But it also means people would come after me, wanting to know where this honey came from.

Ye Fengwan: Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about the honey. If you’re unwilling to take credits, whatever you need in the future, you can always ask.

Ruan Ming didn’t refuse this. The Ye sisters were at the Research Institute, and as a farmer, she might indeed need their help someday.

Not to mention far-off things, the soil conditioner mentioned earlier was already a huge favor.

More than that, she wanted Ye Fengwan to owe her a favor.

Not to get anything from her, just to have her owe her something.

As long as there was a debt, they would have to keep in contact…

She bit her lip, ashamed of the sudden desire to get closer to Ye Fengwan.

She pushed the thought away and asked: How do I get the honey to you? Send it with the Patrol Team?

That was how the little calico had come last time.

Ye Fengwan quickly replied: No, not the Patrol Team. I’ll have someone come to your territory to pick it up.

Ruan Ming hesitated, then answered: Better not. I feel like someone’s been watching my territory recently. Strangers coming and going might attract attention. I know a young delivery man, very trustworthy. He goes to the Safe Zone every three days, and I often buy goods from him. No one would be suspicious. I’ll have him take the honey into the city, and you can send someone to meet him.

Hearing this, Ye Fengwan dismissed the idea of having Shangguan Yu pick up the honey. If someone was watching Ruan Ming in that area, Shangguan Yu’s movements would definitely be noted. If it exposed her identity, it would cause more harm than good.

She asked: Is it a young peddler named Ah Yuan?

Ruan Ming was surprised by her knowledge: You know him?

Ye Fengwan: Mhm, I’ve heard of him. Have him bring it to the Safe Zone. I’ll send someone to pick it up.

Ruan Ming: Okay.

After finishing the call with Ye Fengwan, Ruan Ming immediately sent a message to Ah Yuan.

Hearing he just needed to deliver a package, Ah Yuan agreed without a second thought.

Ruan Ming told him to come pick it up first thing tomorrow morning.

With that arranged, she began packing the honey.

The honey and honeycomb she’d harvested today totaled about eighteen or nineteen jin (9+ kg).

Ruan Ming found a white plastic jug left by her father, with a ten-jin capacity, still faintly smelling of alcohol.

She washed it with a cleaning agent, then shook it out with plant ash and rinsed repeatedly until the alcohol scent was gone.

Carefully, she poured the honey into the jug until it was completely full.

Truly, because Ye Jianggui suffered so much, Ruan Ming sincerely wished her well, wishing her a long life of one hundred and fifty years.

Even if she weren’t Ye Fengwan’s sister, she would still want to give this much.

Besides, there was more on the mountain. The swarm’s honey hadn’t even been a quarter harvested today. If she craved it later, she could always go back and ask for more.

The remaining eight-plus jin, however, would be plenty for her for quite a while.

She divided the remainder into small bottles, filling three. One she reserved for Little Calico, the other two for herself.

She made a mental note to buy some hawthorn berries from Ah Yuan next time. She could drizzle them with honey syrup to make candied hawthorn sticks. When Little Yu came over, she’d have treats to offer her.

The little girl couldn’t talk, she kept secrets well.

If only she had other ingredients. Honey-glazed chicken wings, honey-roasted pork, or even vegetarian options: honeyed pumpkin, bread or steamed buns with a smear of honey—all would be mind-blowingly delicious.

Just thinking about it made her mouth water.

Early the next morning, Ah Yuan arrived. He carried a huge, bulging bag on his back, with another tied to the back of his bicycle.

Entering the yard, he took the bag off his back and pulled out a bunch of foam padding. Then he carefully placed the large bundle Ruan Ming handed him inside.

A cloth bag wrapped tightly around a large jug of honey, bundled up firmly.

Since it was packed completely full, with no empty space, the liquid wouldn’t slosh. Unless someone opened it up, no one would know what was inside.

She didn’t say what it was, and Ah Yuan didn’t ask. But she’d told him the night before that Ye Fengwan would send someone to meet him for it, so he knew it was no simple item.

He’d arrived with his bag full, and left with it just as full. No one would be any the wiser.

“Going now, sis. Once the stuff is delivered, I’ll message you.”

“Alright. Safe travels. If there’s grain on your way back, bring me some.”

“Got it.”

Ruan Ming watched him cycle away, his bell tinkling. Just as he reached the intersection, a voice called out: “Ah Yuan, visiting Territory 32 every day. What good stuff is Ruan Ming giving you?”

Ruan Ming recognized the voice. It was the new Territory Lord of 31.

Hanging around the border of the two territories first thing in the morning, sneaky and suspicious.

This was one of the people Ruan Ming had told Ye Fengwan about, one of those watching her territory.

Ah Yuan replied with a laugh: “Nothing special. She asked me to buy a few packs of salt. I was heading to the Safe Zone today, so I brought them over on the way.”

“Boy, what other good stuff do you have? That bag is bulging.”

Ah Yuan pedaled faster. “Just stuff I picked up here and there. Of course there’s good stuff. You think I’d sell bad stuff? Brother Liao, what do you need? I can bring you some on my way back?”

“I have everything I need, don’t lack a thing.”

“Alright then, Brother Liao. Gotta go, or I’ll miss the shuttle bus.”

Liao Chun grunted vaguely. “Alright, off you go, off you go.”

Ruan Ming withdrew her attention, sneered coldly, and turned back into the house.