"What's the big deal? We just ran into each other on the road."
He was quietly scheming, his attention now completely focused on Shanshan.
He had noticed that she would sneak out almost every day, carrying a small cloth bag.
At first, he thought the girl was just restless and wanted to enjoy the novelty of the mountains.
But after observing her for three or four days in a row, he discovered a strange pattern.
Every time she went out, she avoided the main road.
She would always turn into the deep, old forest behind the village, all by herself.
He recalled seeing a fleeting image of Shanshan squatting in the grass that day, clutching a handful of roots, her expression tense as she glanced around nervously.
She didn't look like she was picking wildflowers at all.
A thought suddenly buzzed in Cao Daqiang's mind.
A ridiculous idea popped into his head.
'Could it be...'
'Is she really going into the mountains to gather herbs for Yang Dapeng?'
He scoffed internally.
