After escaping from famine, the evil stepmother was pampered by the villain Zaizai Tuan

Jiang Xiaohua knew that there was a river near the village because Mrs. Qin casually mentioned it during lunch.

Mrs. Qin said that in other seasons, when the river is not freezing, everyone goes there to wash clothes.

Because river water is not as "hard" as well water, clothes will not fade easily when washed.

It's just that it's a little far away, and it takes a meal to walk through the woods to get there.

Wulong led the way, and Jiang Xiaohua followed.

There was crystal white snow on the trees and on the ground, and the afternoon sun illuminated the ice and snow world crystal clear.

While admiring the snow scene, Jiang Xiaohua habitually observed her surroundings.

The terrain in the forest is flat, and at a glance, rows of trees with all their leaves can be seen.

There is a plateau at the end of the east, which is low and has a gentle slope. You can see the top from here.

Because there was snow everywhere, Jiang Xiaohua looked at it for a while and felt her eyes were a little tired.

She was about to turn her eyes away when she suddenly felt something flashing in the corner of her eyes.

Jiang Xiaohua closed her eyes and looked towards the top of the plateau again.

Wulong saw Jiang Xiaohua stop and stopped too, holding his head high to watch with her.

Except for the snow-covered ground and a large mess of wild jujube branches, there was nothing special.

Maybe it was just sunlight refraction?

Jiang Xiaohua shook her head and prepared to move forward.

Wulong suddenly moved forward with two claws, lowered his body, looked at Tuyuan with ferocious eyes, and whined lowly.

Jiang Xiaohua looked at Oolong and frowned slightly.

Could it be that Oolong also saw the flash?

Jiang Xiaohua saw that it was still early and decided to temporarily change the route and go to the plateau to explore first.

This forest extends all the way to the plateau.

Walking to the bottom of the plateau, you can see a flat and gentle slope, which is obviously a human-made road.

It can be seen that people here often go to the plateau.

Jiang Xiaohua walked up the gentle slope.

There are no human footprints on the snow, which shows that no one has come here since the snow.

The plateau is not high and it is easy to climb to the top. However, the top of the plateau is strip-shaped and the area is actually very large.

Jiang Xiaohua could only find the shining location based on the approximate position in the woods.

Wulong followed Jiang Xiaohua closely, following every step, always vigilant, like a serious bodyguard.

Jiang Xiaohua patted the wolf's head comfortingly, "Don't be so nervous."

"That shiny thing shouldn't be dangerous."

She smiled and thought, maybe it was just an ice skate, and the sunlight happened to be reflected on it.

Buried in snow, the road conditions are unclear and it is easy to hide obstacles such as cracks in the ground, tree roots, and rocks.

Jiang Xiaohua specially picked up a tree stick to explore the way, and then followed her behind.

After all, no matter how sharp the wolf is, he will still fall into the trap.

Jiang Xiaohua and Wulong safely jumped over a natural crack in the ground.

After taking two steps forward, she stopped, looked down, and said with a smile, "It should be right here."

Oolong looked at Jiang Xiaohua in confusion.

It didn't smell any wild beast here, not even a trace of a living thing.

It didn't understand what Jiang Xiaohua was looking for.

Jiang Xiaohua, however, had already started searching seriously.

From the tree to the ground, she didn't miss anything, just walking over little by little.

However, time passed and Jiang Xiaohua was about to walk out of the area she had designated.

She only found a few ice skates that had been blown down by the wind.

The crystal-like ice skate was pretty good-looking. Jiang Xiaohua played with it for a while and then returned.

"Oolong, let's go."

Jiang Xiaohua called out, but when she felt that Oolong didn't follow her, she heard another whirring sound.

She looked back strangely.

I saw Oolong burying his head under a crooked-necked willow tree, digging hard at something with his claws.

Loose white snow scattered under the wolf's paws.

What was originally only a little bit exposed in the tree pit quickly revealed a small corner.

Jiang Xiaohua hurriedly moved over and squatted down, "Well done Oolong! Stop digging now, let me take a look."

Oolong glanced at his master, stopped digging, swung his tail and turned behind Jiang Xiaohua, continuing to alert the surroundings.

More than half of what was buried under the snow was still in the soil.

Only a thumb-sized horn was exposed, which seemed to be part of some kind of vessel.

The texture is colorless and transparent, but slightly cracked. It should not be glass, but white crystal.

Jiang Xiaohua started digging the soil with the tree stick in her hand.

The soil has been frozen a bit hard, making it difficult to dig.

But your patience will be tested at times like this. Maybe you can really dig out a treasure?

Jiang Xiaohua dug and dug, taking turns with her hands and tree sticks, until her hands were so cold that she almost lost consciousness.

Most of the things in the soil have been exposed, and finally the true appearance can be seen.

It is indeed a vessel, a small tripod with two ears carved from white crystal, with patterns carved on it.

Because there is a lid, the small tripod is not filled with soil and is still crystal clear.

Jiang Xiaohua made sure there were no cracks on the artifact, so she grabbed the ears of the crystal tripod with both hands and pulled it out completely with all her strength.

There was a crisp clang sound, and there seemed to be something else in the cauldron.

This kind of thing of unknown origin must not be opened hastily.

Jiang Xiaohua immediately grabbed a handful of snow, wiped the surface of the crystal tripod clean, and then picked it up and looked at the light.

It's not a mechanism, and it's not like poisonous gas.

There were only a few golden things dangling in the crystal cauldron.

Jiang Xiaohua looked at it and slowly opened her eyes...

To the north of Xulin Village, most of the young and middle-aged men in the village are here.

Some people dug out the dirt blocking the road.

Another group of people carried burdens back and forth, moving the excavated soil to a nearby slope.

Li Yuanzhi consciously chose the job of digging.

He was holding a shovel and standing next to Hua Yonghe.

The men also chatted while digging to relieve the boring repetitive work.

Someone asked Li Yuanzhi with a smile, "Hey, Mr. Li, I heard that you are a scholar?"

"Why is the wife you found so tough?"

Hua Yong laughed and scolded, "Go, go, what is toughness? Don't say anything if you can't speak!"

Someone else grinned and said, "This toughness doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing."

"That day at your house, she commanded all of us. Her majesty was truly extraordinary!"

"That's right," someone echoed, "The most amazing thing is that we just obeyed others' orders! It's like we can't help ourselves."

Everyone laughed, but the laughter was not malicious.

Li Yuanzhi smiled and said, "She is indeed a hero among women, not inferior to men."

The crowd booed again.

The person who spoke first had a new question, "Mr. Li, I heard that the four dolls are neither your biological children nor her biological children."

"After you two got married, why didn't you get a baby?"

Li Yuanzhi was inserting the shovel into the soil with force.

When I heard this, my teeth almost bit my tongue.

Hua Yonghe also looked over curiously, "Yes, you two have been together for some time."