ushernet Chapter 7 Finding He Shou Wu
Chapter 7 Finding He Shou Wu
Song Jiaojiao calculated the time in her mind. It was just past 5-7 a.m. Now, after deducting the time spent on the road and the time spent getting the certificate, He Fan estimated that he would be back no earlier than 1 p.m. (1 p.m.-3 p.m.).
"Mother knows, eldest sister, I'm going out for a bit. Don't wait for me for breakfast, you and little sister eat together. Lock the door, and help little sister clean the house. I'll be back soon." Song Jiaojiao picked up her basket and wood-chopping knife and went out, heading towards Qingshui Mountain behind the house.
The air in the countryside is so fresh in the morning; now I understand why so many people prefer to go back to the countryside.
In the blink of an eye, Song Jiaojiao arrived at the foot of Qingshui Mountain. There were rows of green mountains, one after another, stretching into the distance, majestic and imposing.
As the saying goes, "Those who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near water live off the water." I hope there is something I need in these mountains.
Song Jiaojiao picked up a stick and started walking while cutting grass.
Song Jiaojiao didn't choose the usual route, but instead opted for a different direction. The sun was gradually rising, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled light into the woods.
Suddenly, clusters of plants resembling small white flowers caught Song Jiaojiao's eye. A twining, vine-like plant appeared before her, with alternate, heart-shaped, yet narrow and long leaves that were smooth and hairless.
If I remember correctly, this might be a goblin, which is actually He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum). When I was a child, merchants would come to our village to buy it, and my grandmother and I would often dig for it in the mountains.
Thinking it over, Song Jiaojiao took out her machete and began digging for the gnome. In no time, she could see its roots, which were irregularly shaped. Seeing this, Song Jiaojiao was delighted and quickened her digging. In about ten minutes, she had dug out the he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum). Its dark brown root was about the size of a bowl, composed of several irregular tubers.
"Such a large he shou wu must be several decades old," Song Jiaojiao thought to herself. Seeing some smaller pieces in the pit, she picked them up.
Song Jiaojiao cautiously looked around and, seeing that no one was there, went into her spatial dimension and planted the small clumps in the yellow soil. Before she could check on the sprouting of the red clumps from yesterday, she was kicked out of the spatial dimension.
"Host, He Shou Wu is a rare medicinal herb. Your space experience is full and you are upgrading. It will take ten minutes." Fei Hu's happy voice came from my mind.
Finally, I heard some good news. It was worth going into the mountains so early in the morning.
Seeing that it was getting late, Song Jiaojiao was worried that something might happen to the two children at home, so she hurried down the mountain.
Before I even stepped into the house, I heard Li Chunhua's voice.
"Da Ya, Er Ya, your aunt is here! Open the door quickly! Your aunt brought you sweet potatoes. Open the door and let me in."
Li Chunhua tiptoed into the courtyard, glancing around as she went. Seeing that no one answered her, she was about to push open the door and go inside.
"Li Chunhua, what are you doing here?" Song Jiaojiao shouted.
The sudden sound startled Li Chunhua, who was already feeling guilty.
"You startled me! Why are you shouting so loudly! Youngest sister-in-law, I'm not trying to be mean, but an eldest sister-in-law is like a mother. What younger sibling calls their eldest sister-in-law by her first name?"
Li Chunhua turned around, adopting the air of a superior elder, completely forgetting who had just acted guilty.
"Sister-in-law? You don't even deserve that title!!! Forget about what you've done to me all this time, you don't even deserve to be called a human being just because of what happened yesterday. What's wrong, did you fall asleep and your brain stop working properly, forgetting the good deed you did yesterday?"
Besides, I've severed all ties with your Wang family; don't try to claim kinship with me here.
After speaking, Song Jiaojiao pushed Li Chunhua aside and entered the room, leaving Li Chunhua alone, sulking. Unable to contain her anger, Li Chunhua immediately shouted loudly.
"You little brat, Song Jiaojiao, you think I can't do anything to you just because we broke off the engagement? Don't think I don't know whose child your little girl is. You restless little slut, Wang Chi just left and you're already pregnant, and you have the nerve to say it's Wang Chi's. Look at that girl, how does she resemble Wang Chi at all..."
Before Li Chunhua could finish speaking, Song Jiaojiao came out with a wood-chopping knife and walked straight towards Li Chunhua.
"What are you doing? Don't come any closer. What did I say wrong?" Li Chunhua said defiantly as she backed away.
"Li Chunhua, have you ever killed a chicken? I haven't, but I know that if you cut off its head, it dies." Song Jiaojiao stared at Li Chunhua expressionlessly, gesturing with a wood-chopping knife as she spoke.
Li Chunhua swallowed nervously, her legs trembling as she backed away.
Li Chunhua took a step back, and Song Jiaojiao took a step forward.
"If I hear anything bad about my little sister, then we'll see if your neck is tougher or my machete is sharper!"
After saying that, Song Jiaojiao ignored Li Chunhua and went into the courtyard, slamming the door shut.
The sudden sound startled Li Chunhua, causing her legs to buckle and she to fall to the ground. A chill ran through her as she thought, "Is Song Jiaojiao possessed by a ghost? How could she have changed so much all of a sudden?"
Thinking of this, Li Chunhua was filled with terror. She quickly got up and ran towards the village.
In the courtyard, as soon as Mu Qing opened the door, Mu Xue rushed out, grabbed Song Jiaojiao's leg, and called out to her with a thick nasal voice.
"mother."
Song Jiaojiao patted Mu Xue's head and squatted down. She saw two lines of clear tears streaming down Mu Xue's thin cheeks, and her usually bright eyes were now red.
"Little sister, were you scared? We shouldn't take bad people's words to heart. It's like if a dog bites you, you can't bite back, that's too dirty, and you might end up with a mouthful of hair." Song Jiaojiao patted Mu Xue's back and comforted her softly.
"Mom, I don't want to be bitten by a dog, it hurts so much." Mu Xue's small voice came from inside. "Brother Erzhu from the village was bitten on the butt by a dog, and he can't sit for a long time."
Song Jiaojiao smiled and replied, "That's right, we won't get bitten by dogs. If a dog comes at us, we'll hit it, and once it hurts, it won't dare to bark anymore."
"Are you hungry? Let's go eat. It's already noon without us realizing it," Song Jiaojiao said, holding Mu Xue's hand.
Looking at Song Jiaojiao's empty basket, Mu Qing said, "Mom, I'll take my little sister to dig for wild vegetables this afternoon. I know where there are lots of tender wild vegetables."
Following Mu Qing's gaze to the empty basket, Song Jiaojiao felt a little embarrassed and thought, "Oh dear, it's all Li Chunhua's fault. I forgot to take the things out. It's hard to explain how they got here now. Looks like I'll have to go there again this afternoon."
"Alright, Mom will go with you this afternoon. Let's eat now. Little sister, come on, let's go wash our hands."
After saying that, Song Jiaojiao and Mu Xue went to fetch water to wash their hands. Seeing this, Mu Qing went to bring the mixed grain porridge she had cooked that morning to the table. It was called porridge, but it was really just a little sweet potato and some mixed grains. The porridge was so thin that you could see your reflection in it.
Looking at the porridge that was as thin as water, Song Jiaojiao thought to herself, "The most important thing right now is to eat my fill."
"Host, the space upgrade is complete."