Chapter 23.2

The day after Dragon Boat Festival, guests arrived at Daqing Mountain,l. These were guests who were familiar to both Guan Yue and Gu Sui—the aides of Yan Zhengwen.

“Doctors Guan and Gu, our Colonel sent us with this letter and some items for you.”

The items were packed in a wooden box.

Guan Yue and Gu Sui opened the letter first.

Guan Yue’s letter was from Yan Zhengwen, asking her to buy some divine medicine powder.

Unsurprisingly, there was money inside the wooden box.

Gu Sui’s letter was written by his brother. It inquired about the divine medicine powder and also teased about his relationship with Guan Yue.

Gu Sui, seeing this part of the letter, instinctively held it higher, and Guan Yue, who was tiptoeing, still couldn’t see what was written.

Guan Yue, uninterested, turned away: “It’s definitely asking about the hemostatic powder. If you don’t show it to me, I can guess.”

Gu Sui put the letter down: “It really is asking about the divine medicine powder.”

Guan Yue, with a mischievous grin, snatched a piece of the letter from his hand, then ran off.

When Guan Yue finally read what was written in the letter, her face flushed!

Oops, she had given herself away!

Just now, Gu Sui must have seen her.

It was all her fault for speaking without thinking—why did she admit to liking Gu Sui?

But didn’t she like him?

It seemed like…

The aide stood there, scratching his head. Everything was fine just a moment ago; now, the atmosphere felt off.

The Aide: “Doctor Guan, about the divine medicine powder…”

Guan Yue covered her face: “Sell, sell, sell!”

Gu Sui stepped forward, blocking the aide’s view of Guan Yue: “Do you know where the Educated Youth station is? It’s the place you stayed at last time. Tonight, you can stay there, and I’ll give you the medicine tomorrow.”

The aide nodded: “Alright, I’ll go now.”

“I’ll walk you.”

“No, no, no, I know the way down the mountain.”

Gu Sui still walked him to the cliff’s edge, watching him descend.

By the time he returned, Guan Yue was already gone.

Gu Sui chuckled softly: still just a little girl!

Guan Yue had hidden somewhere for a while and, when she came back, handed the crumpled, wrinkled letter to Gu Sui: “I was lying to her back there.”

Guan Yue looked straight at Gu Sui: “Do you get what I mean? I was just making things up.”

Gu Sui said, “You’re talking about who?”

Guan Yue stamped her foot: “Do you not know who I’m talking about?”

Gu Sui hummed in acknowledgment, continuing to wash vegetables without looking back at her.

Guan Yue was a bit annoyed: Why wasn’t he paying attention to her?

“I do like you,” she finally blurted out, worried that he might be upset.

Gu Sui turned his head to look at her: “So, does that mean you like me?”

Guan Yue was speechless for a moment; how should she answer this question?

Gu Sui smiled slightly: “Just go. Prepare the medicine powder. I can handle dinner alone.”

Guan Yue walked out of the kitchen. She felt like she was being kicked out.

Hmph!

Guan Yue put her hands on her hips, thinking that one day she’d get her revenge and make him speechless.

Unbeknownst to Guan Yue, in the kitchen at that moment, Gu Sui’s lips were almost turning up to the sky.

Since there were people staying at the Educated Youth station, Gu Sui didn’t go down the mountain that night—Guan Yue hurriedly left after dinner.

Guan Yue didn’t realize it, but her fleeing back, from Gu Sui’s perspective, was actually quite comical.

Back at the treehouse, Guan Yue rolled around on the bed, hugging a pillow.

It was just too awkward…

Xiao Hei quietly climbed out through a gap in the window—this woman was a bit crazy tonight, better keep a safe distance!

——

At the cabin, under the light, Gu Sui was happily writing a reply to Gu Ci.

His mood was quite good.

Guan Yue, oblivious to her embarrassing moment, didn’t know that Gu Sui already knew what she had said back then; she had been tricked.

Hehe.

Gu Sui probably never thought he’d be in a position to deceive anyone.

Still, awkward as it was, he had to deal with it.

---

The next morning, Guan Yue arrived early at the cabin, where Gu Sui helped her make two sacks of divine medicine powder.

The aide, seeing so much, hesitated: “Is the money from our Colonel enough? If not, we can add more.”

Guan Yue hadn’t even looked at what was in the wooden box by now—she didn’t care: “Just take the things and go.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll take them right away.”

The two sacks were heavy, and one person couldn’t carry them alone. Gu Sui helped the aide carry them down the mountain.

After loading the medicine powder into the car outside the valley, Gu Sui handed over the letter to the aide: “Could you also take this to my brother?”

“No problem.”

Once he had the letter, the aide glanced around to make sure no one was watching and whispered: “Doctor Gu, are you and Doctor Guan an item? We heard that Doctor Guan admitted to liking you right in front of Zhang Yu.”

Guan Yue didn’t hear this, so she was oblivious to the gossip spreading around.

Gu Sui only gave a knowing smile, not responding directly to the aide’s question.

Gu Sui raised an eyebrow: “How did you know?”

“When we questioned Zhang Yu back then, there were so many people in the room.”

Gu Sui smiled: “We aren’t dating yet; she was joking. She hasn’t taken a liking to me yet.”

“I don’t believe it. You weren’t staying on the mountain last night, were you? Were you two living together?”

Gu Sui: “No, really. There’s a cabin deep in the mountains where Guan Yue lives. We aren’t living together. Don’t go back and spread rumors to my brother; it’s not good for a girl’s reputation.”

“Alright, if you say there’s nothing going on, I won’t blab.”

Gu Sui stepped aside: “Alright, drive safely.”

“Got it!”

Gu Sui saw off the soldier and was just entering the village when Yang Guozhu stopped him.

“That soldier you just saw off, what was he carrying? Why didn’t you call us to help move things?”

“It was some hemostatic powder, for the soldiers at the front line.”

Yang Guozhu sighed: “Being a soldier isn’t easy!”

Gu Sui said: “Being a soldier isn’t easy, but farming in the countryside isn’t either—summer is hot, winter is cold. Without so many farmers, the workers and soldiers wouldn’t have enough to eat.”

Yang Guozhu laughed heartily: “You little brat, no wonder you’re an Educated Youth; you’ve read books and know how to talk.”

Gu Sui smiled: “Guan Yue still has some old herbs stored. Your insect repellent powder should be ready in a few days.”

“Alright, we’re not in a hurry.”

With one honest remark from Gu Sui, Yang Guozhu walked away with his hands behind his back: “Hey, it’s almost the summer solstice now; the weather is getting hotter and hotter.”

Since returning from Qingchuan, Gu Sui had been staying on the mountain, where the shade from the trees and the breeze through the woods made the heat bearable. Only now, after hearing Yang Guozhu, did Gu Sui take it seriously—the weather really was hot. It was time to prepare some cooling and heat-relieving herbal teas for everyone to drink.

That summer, with the sun shining every day and no rain for a long time, the rice paddies at the foot of the mountain were drying up. Fortunately, the water flowing down from the mountain hadn’t stopped; it was still possible to irrigate the fields.

Watering along the stream was relatively easy, but the cornfields further away required carrying water by hand. In the middle of summer, doing this work was incredibly hot and exhausting.

Gu Sui had long prepared herbal packages, and every household would cook up a large pot of cooling herbal tea before heading out to work each day. By the time the sun was high, they would drink the cooling herbal tea instead of water.

Li Da had just finished watering a patch of land when Lin Haiyin, with her large belly, came over to bring him some cooling herbal tea.

Lin Haiyin: “Hurry up and drink a few sips.”

Li Da wiped the sweat from his brow: “It’s not too bad right now; it’s not especially hot.”

“By the time you’re feeling overheated, will it still be effective? It’s mainly for prevention, you know?”

“Yesterday, the youngest from the Zhang family didn’t notice it was getting hot in the morning and passed out when carrying water. Don’t you remember?”

Li Da took the water jug: “Enough of that, I’ll drink now, I’ll drink now.”

Lin Haiyin was relieved: “Good, just drink it already. Why so much talk?”

Their family also had Guan Yue’s cooling herbal pills.

In the morning, they would drink the cooling herbal tea, and if they couldn’t bear it in the afternoon, they would take one of the cooling herbal pills. They were fortunate to have these remedies.

Li Da drank a lot of herbal tea and dragged his wife under the shade of a tree: “Look, the stream is getting shallower. The water flowing down from the mountain is less.”

“Thankfully, we’re in the valley; the stream flows from here. Unlike the others, the Qing Song Brigade at the mouth of the valley still has water. For the larger teams further out, they have to draw water from the river in town.”

Lin Haiyin rolled her eyes: “You think drawing water is that simple? Before, when there was enough water, it wasn’t an issue. But now that water is scarce, you wait and see. It’ll cause a lot of trouble.”

Lin Haiyin’s observation was spot-on—the water channels passed through other teams’ territories, and if you were at the front, they would stop your water. If you were at the back, you were out of luck.

The seedlings in the fields were already turning yellow from the sun, and the water still hadn’t been diverted. If it were you, would you be worried?

Down in the village, the people were busy, and Guan Yue was equally active. She made a trip to the county town to deliver medicine to Uncle Cai, bringing mainly cooling herbal pills. Most of her time was spent on the mountain making these cooling herbal pills, which she would then distribute to the several teams in the valley through Gu Sui.

With the weather so hot, Guan Yue had little appetite, and Gu Sui didn’t prepare any greasy dishes—just a pot of thin porridge, and when it was nearly done, he would toss in a handful of leafy greens. The side dishes included homemade pickles and some cold dishes.

Guan Yue didn’t feel like eating the thin porridge, so she made herself some cold noodles instead.

In these past few days, hot dishes had almost never appeared on the table.

Guan Yue’s forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and she lay lazily on the table.

“With it being so hot on the mountain, will my cured meat and sausages get worms?”

Gu Sui brought her a bowl of already-cooled glutinous rice water: “I checked, and so far, there’s no sign of worms.”

The cured meat was already a bit damp, and he wasn’t sure if it would spoil.

Guan Yue: “Then pack up the cured meat and sausages; I’ll take them deeper into the mountain. It’s cooler there.”

It was definitely cooler in the deeper parts of the mountain than here by the cabin.

To protect the tree house from being scorched by the day’s sun, Guan Yue grew large, sturdy trees around it in the morning. The trees were densely packed with leaves, completely surrounding the tree house. By evening, when Guan Yue returned, the branches would unfold and return to their original position.

Guan Yue said to Gu Sui: “Why don’t you come with me to the tree house tonight? I’ll set up another room for you. It’s too hot here to sleep well.”

Gu Sui shook his head: “I need to go back to the Educated Youth station in the evening, to check if anyone is sick. Plus, I have to send the prepared herbal packages down.”

Guan Yue leaned back and rested against the chaise lounge, looking up at the sky.

“There’s no wind right now, and the sky is full of clouds. Does that mean it’s going to rain tonight?”

Gu Sui: “It wasn’t windy last night either, and the clouds were especially thick. Everyone was saying it would rain, but today it’s still sunny.”

“Ah!”

After eating a simple dinner, Gu Sui went back down the mountain, and Guan Yue took the cured meat and sausages deeper into the mountain. On the way back, she noticed the animals in the forest seemed particularly active.

Animals are the most sensitive to their environment; was it really going to rain tonight?

Upon returning to the tree house, Guan Yue moved the branches that had gathered above it. The tree house was now bright and airy, and Guan Yue looked up at the sky. The clouds were thick and dark; after such a long hot spell, it definitely had to rain tonight.

Guan Yue stored the cured meat and sausages away, then went to check on the pigs in the pen and turned to wash up at the spring she often visited.

At nine o’clock in the evening, the sky was already completely dark. The thick clouds blocked out the stars above, and both Guan Yue and the people of Qingxi Village below were anxiously waiting. By eleven o’clock, nothing had happened.

On the flat square, a group of villagers fanned themselves with their worn-out fans, chatting while waiting for the rain to come.

Yang Guozhu checked the time and shouted, “It’s getting late! Stop waiting around and go back to sleep. We’ve got to work tomorrow!”

Zhang Cuihua stood up, holding a Luohan fan in one hand and a small stool in the other: “Where did the Thunder God and the Lightning Goddess go? It’s getting late, and they haven’t made a sound!”

“The Thunder God and Lightning Goddess are unreliable. It didn’t rain last night, and it’s not going to rain tonight either.”

“I say, why don’t we go pay a visit to the mountain spirit, ask her not to let the stream run dry? Otherwise, we’ll be in real trouble here.”

“You’re right. The mouth of our valley is like a gourd, and the terrain is higher than outside. If the water on the mountain really stops, we can’t bring in water from the outside.”

“I think there’s no need to worry. Daqing Mountain is such a big mountain, how could it dry up?”

“Sometimes, the heavens just aren’t looking out for us. After all these years, when are we going to have a good life again?”

A group of people cursed and grumbled as they went back home.

“Get some sleep tonight; we’ve got work tomorrow.”

Guan Yue let out a sigh and also went back to her room to sleep. Yet another night of disappointment.

In the middle of the night, Guan Yue suddenly woke up. She climbed out of bed, opened the window, and felt the abnormality in the air.

She put on her shoes and went outside. Outside the tree house, the dark night sky was suddenly split open by a flash of lightning, the thunder as loud as if a great demon was being slain, followed by howling winds and torrential rain. After a moment, the darkness was filled with the sound of branches snapping under the force of the wind.

Guan Yue quickly retreated into the tree house, closed the doors and windows, feeling the tree house sway in the storm.

At this moment, in the village below, Qingxi Village, everyone was startled awake by a loud clap of thunder. They didn’t even bother putting on their shoes, scrambling out of bed to see what was happening.

Li Da ran quickly. As he burst out of the door, he was drenched by the heavy downpour.

Li Da laughed heartily, running back and shouting, “Dad! Mom! It’s really raining!”

Zhang Cuihua also ran out, her face beaming with laughter: “The Thunder God and Lightning Goddess really can’t stand being talked to behind their backs—they just show up when we mention them!”

“Exactly! If only we had started talking to them sooner, we wouldn’t have had to wait so long!”

The storm was so sudden that the village was caught off guard, but it brought the long-awaited rain, easing the drought and providing much-needed relief.

Zhang Cuihua shot a stern glance at her silly son: “The gods have their own plans; they don’t need you to tell them what to do! Speak more respectfully, or the Thunder God and Lightning Goddess might just hear you!”

With the deafening thunderclap, nearly everyone in Qingxi Village was startled awake, dancing and shouting in the heavy rain as if celebrating a festival.

Gu Sui stood in the doorway, a flash of lightning illuminating a corner of Daqing Mountain.

Gu Sui was a little worried; with the tree house so high, was it safe for Guan Yue during this sudden wind and rain?

On Daqing Mountain, Guan Yue was continuously channeling her abilities, causing the trees supporting the tree house to grow rapidly—larger and larger—until she felt the tree house had stabilized, then she stopped.

Outside the windows and doors, branches were continuously snapping in the powerful wind, the sounds of branches falling or trees toppling filling the air incessantly.

This heavy rain lasted into the late hours of the night, and by morning, Yang Guozhu was worried that the fields had been thoroughly soaked.

Unable to sleep, Guan Yue kept listening to the sounds outside. Down in Qingxi Village, people were beginning to sense that something was wrong. They had been celebrating the rain joyously, but now, the ground was beginning to feel the effects. The land was being soaked, and there was no sign of the rain stopping.

If this kept up, the crops in the fields would be ruined.

The rain was so heavy that umbrellas, hats, and ponchos were useless. Many people braved the rain to check on their fields, and the situation wasn’t good in the rice paddies, but it was even worse in the other fields.

Yang Guozhu was frantic: What should they do?

The sky was turning a light gray, and slowly, dawn was breaking, but the heavy rain continued unabated. The water in the creek was overflowing, gradually spreading across the rice paddies, then over the lower-lying fields. The water level kept rising.

After hours of rain, Daqing Mountain was thoroughly soaked. The excess water that couldn’t be absorbed was flowing downhill, gathering in the valley. Not just the fields, but some houses at lower elevations were already half-submerged.

The village elders were beside themselves, crying out to the heavens: “What has become of us?”

When the water level reached the base of the mountain god’s temple, Yang Guozhu made a quick decision: “Alert everyone! We need to get out of the valley now. It’s too dangerous here.”

Once the water reached the base of the temple, it was a serious threat. If it rose another meter, it would flood the mouth of the valley, trapping everyone inside.

“I’m not leaving! We’ll go up into the mountains!” someone shouted.

Yang Guozhu bellowed, “Move! Move quickly! This is a flash flood!”

The mere mention of “flash flood” made everyone’s hearts skip a beat.

“Move quickly, now!”

Gu Sui’s heart tightened as everyone began to evacuate. He turned and ran up the mountain alone.