abcnovels
Chapter 21
Chapter 21
The mountain wind was strong. The thin clothes soon dried in the strong sun and mountain wind. YuanQiu tidied herself up before fetching YuanHao to bathe.
YuanHao was ten years old and knew to be shy. He didn’t want to take off his clothes in front of YuanQiu. YuanQiu could only wait for him to throw his clothes over before taking them to wash.
It was after Shen shi [3-5 p.m.] when the siblings took the baskets and went towards home. They didn’t meet anyone along the way. When they arrived home, it was already dark, which meant it was even more improbable to meet anyone.
In this poor village, even lighting an oil lamp was a luxury. Everyone would eat dinner early and sleep through the night. Unless it was absolutely necessary, they would never light a lamp.
The siblings were busy for a whole day. They carried two baskets of Bisanxi and walked for four hours. They were already tired and out of breath. Their backs were already chafed red by the ropes. Once they arrived home, the siblings rushed to take the baskets off their backs. They rested under the clear moonlight in the courtyard.
After a break, YuanHao finally had the strength to speak. “Jie, can this Bisanxi really fetch money? Will someone buy it?”
YuanQiu gave him a firm look. “Of course someone will want it. You will see. Come with me to town tomorrow. After we get a good price for the Bisanxi, I’ll buy a piece of pork belly.”
At the mention of pork belly, YuanHao’s couldn’t help but swallow some saliva. He couldn’t remember how long it’s been since he ate meat. Sometimes he dreamt about eating meat, but he woke up with his hand in his mouth. It was funny thinking about it.
As for how much the Bisanxi should be sold for, YuanQiu had already thought it over on their way back from the Ghost Forest. She was completely confident that she could sell them all and at a good price.
After YuanHao went to sleep inside, YuanQiu moved the two baskets of Bisanxi into the house. She removed the hidden bamboo tube. It held a tube of ancient spring water. If the Bisanxi was left alone, they would certainly lose their vitality and wilt by tomorrow. Although it would not affect the efficacy, it would still give the buyer the excuse that the product looked inferior to knock the price down.
With the ancient spring water, the Bisanxi would preserve their original fresh, green color, as if they were just pulled from the mud.
After taking care of the Bisanxi, YuanQiu went to the backyard. There was a big vat there. It was already damaged, but fortunately, it did not affect water storage. This vat had helped the family a good deal. Previously the water used to water vegetables had been from this vat.
The strange thing was that the previous host rarely fetched water. YuanHao was mostly responsible for carrying water back. A full vat was enough water for the siblings for a very long time.
In YuanQiu’s memory, there were few scenes of watering or fertilizing vegetables. Mostly, there were memories of picking weeds and raking soil in the garden. But these vegetables inexplicably grew tender and plump and very well. They grew even better than those vegetables in carefully tended gardens.
Although YuanQiu was a transmigrated modern soul in an ancient body, she was not a superstitious person. She believed there was a rational explanation for all strange events. The reason this vegetable garden grew so well was not related to the humans, but to the land itself.
She took off her socks and shoes and walked barefoot in the courtyard. She stepped on the soil. The soil was moist and soft. It made her feet icy cold. It was very comfortable.