Fossil

Mǎn Bǎo has already dug up that plant. She found it troublesome to carry, so she wrapped it directly in a large tree leaf and tied it with long grass, hanging it on her small satchel.

As for when the plant disappeared, Zhou Silang and the others didn't know, but they had all become accustomed to its absence.

When Mǎn Bǎo was very young and could run steadily, she enjoyed pulling various flowers and plants. Initially, it was the wild grass growing in the stone crevices in front of the house. After pulling it out, she would toss it around and then throw it away.

When she was even younger, Mǎn Bǎo enjoyed pulling plants with flowers. Lǎo Zhōu happily showed off, believing that she was the reincarnation of a flower fairy.

But later, as Mǎn Bǎo pulled more and more flowers and plants, even the trees were not spared, Lǎo Zhōu stopped mentioning this, and the people of the Zhōu family had long been accustomed to Mǎn Bǎo's behavior.

Rarely venturing into the mountains, Mǎn Bǎo naturally didn't want to leave abruptly, so everyone continued walking and conversing. In the meantime, she plucked countless flowers and blades of grass, and even caught a few ants with her bare hands, joyfully cradling them in her palm.

Zhōu Sìláng looked very worried. He felt that the family should prepare a larger dowry for her; otherwise, she might truly struggle to get married in the future.

As they walked further in, the ground under their feet felt both hard and soft. Mǎn Bǎo looked at the soft ground with regret, "This is all fertile soil."

She just made a suggestion, and Zhōu Sìláng immediately said, "It's impossible for me to come here to dig and carry soil; it's too far."

Mǎn Bǎo said, "Then let's bring crops here to plant; the soil is so fertile."

"There are so many birds and animals in the mountains that no matter what we plant, it won't be enough for them to eat." I'm not going to bother with that.

Mǎn Bǎo was contemplating what to plant that wouldn't be eaten by birds and animals, yet could still produce a harvest for them, when suddenly Kē Kē's voice echoed in her mind, "Host, please proceed further."

Mǎn Bǎo subconsciously took a step forward, staring at the ground ahead, and asked Kē Kē in her mind, "Huh, there's no grass ahead?"

"There is no grass, but there are trees."

Mǎn Bǎo stared at the front, blinked for a while, and blinked again. The large tree ahead hadn't moved.

"Yes, it's this tree."

Now Mǎn Bǎo couldn't pretend not to see it. In her heart, she thought, "It's too big, I can't dig it up."

It was indeed very large. The area in front of her was quite open, with only a few scattered trees, the largest of which was the one designated by Kē Kē.

The soil in this area may have accumulated from fallen leaves and decayed under ample sunlight. As a result, the soil here is much darker in color compared to other places and is also much softer. When people stepped on it, the branches and leaves made a creaking sound.

Mǎn Bǎo ran over and hugged the tree. Because it was so large, she couldn't even reach around it. She tried to look up but couldn't see the top of the tree.

Mǎn Bǎo felt that even if she had the ability to dig it up, she wouldn't be able to fulfill Kē Kē's requirement of "quietly incorporating into the system."

So she simply gave up and looked around, trying to find another tree nearby that was similar to it, but smaller.

Unfortunately, due to Kē Kē's training, she now had a keen eye for biological, especially plant, identification. With just a glance, she knew that there was not a single tree nearby that looked the same or even similar to the one designated by Kē Kē.

Kē Kē had already regained his composure from the shock and said, "No need to dig."

This was a fossilized plant, and its size indicated that it had existed for a significant period. If the host were to encourage digging and collecting, they could earn a large number of points, but they would also definitely be punished for violating the rules. The penalty points were lenient, but if they led to the extinction of the species, it could result in imprisonment or even termination.

Kē Kē said, "The host only needs to take comprehensive photos and scans, and then record its living environment." If you can collect its leaves, branches, and fruits, that would be even better.

Upon hearing the excitement in its voice, Mǎn Bǎo looked at the tree and asked, "What kind of tree is this? Is it very powerful?"

Although not certain, Kē Kē said, "It should belong to the cypress family." After scanning, I speculate that it still belongs to a relict species within the water cypress family.

Mǎn Bǎo understood that even now, this tree belonged to the rare species category, very scarce!

She looked up at it and said, "It's really pitiful, there's only this one."

There were no relatives, or very few.

Zhōu Sìláng stood behind her, also looking up at the tree, and nodded, "Yes, yes, this tree is thick and straight." "It can be used to make a good bed in the future."

Zhōu Wǔláng and Zhōu Liùláng also noticed it, and they both approached to pat and kick it, sensing that it was indeed very sturdy. After peeling off the bark, they discovered the color inside and were even more pleased. "This is good," they thought, "the remaining parts can be used to make a box or something." Mǎn Bǎo, when Wǔláng comes of age and goes to the mountain to divide the land, I will also go to my place to see if there are any attractive trees for you to choose from and make more boxes for you.

Mǎn Bǎo, who had been instilled with the idea of protecting and cherishing rare species since she was young, hugged the tree trunk and said, "No, this is a rare species, we must protect it."

"Yes, it must be protected," Zhou Silang said. "When we come back, I will tell Dad, and we will mark the tree so that it won't be stolen. It can only be cut down when you are ready to get married."

Mǎn Bǎo said, "I mean to protect it from being cut down, to let it live on."

"I can't guarantee that," Zhou Silang said. "I'm not a tree, mother." How can I guarantee that it will live on? What if it gets struck by lightning? What if it dies from drought? What if it gets bitten to death by insects? Furthermore, trees are utilized for beams and furniture. If it's cut down, we can simply plant another one. Why should we protect it to survive?

Because it's a rare species?

But obviously, Zhou Silang couldn't understand this point. However, when he saw Mǎn Bǎo looking anxious and unable to explain clearly, he didn't argue and reluctantly agreed. In his heart, he decided to tell his father when he got back, and that Mǎn Bǎo's dowry bed was settled.

Mǎn Bǎo collected the bark that Wǔláng had just peeled off, and picked up a lot of fallen leaves and small branches from the ground, as well as a handful of soil, and gave all these items to Kē Kē for recording.

Zhōu Sìláng and the others didn't notice at all because they had just discovered a few clumps of bamboo not far from the tree. They had also seen a clumsy bamboo rat scurry into the bamboo.

Bamboo rat~~

The bamboo rat resembles a squirrel, and when it becomes plump, it looks very cute. Most importantly, it is considered delicious.

So the three brothers of the Zhōu family looked at each other and left their sister, who was squatting on the ground trying to dig up soil, and quietly approached the bamboo clump.

When Mǎn Bǎo finally put away everything Kē Kē wanted, she looked up and found that her three brothers were all gone, leaving her alone under the tree.