Chapter 26.2

By around 5 p.m., Guan Yue finally leisurely came down from the mountains, carrying a basket of pine mushrooms. 

“I want to eat this.” 

Gu Sui took the basket from her. “Alright, Wild Bee is awake. You should go check on him.” 

Guan Yue had noticed earlier that Wild Bee’s presence was different now. Compared to the morning, his whole demeanor had changed. 

Guan Yue checked Wild Bee’s pulse again. “Your health is fine, but I suggest you rest for a while.” 

Wild Bee remained silent. The three of them were about to set off on their journey back, and he might not have time to rest in the near future. 

Gu Sui still had to cook a dish, so there was time. After checking on Wild Bee, Guan Yue turned to Wang Tiejun. “Come over here, let me check on your foot.” 

Wang Tiejun went over and sat across from her. 

Guan Yue checked his pulse and examined his foot. 

“You’re recovering well. Just take it slow when walking, there shouldn’t be any major problems.” 

Wang Tiejun smiled and nodded. “Old Sir Deng and the others have also been very concerned about me. My foot used to limp when I started walking, but after a few months of rest, it’s almost as good as before. As long as I’m not running, it’s hard to tell there’s any issue.” 

Gu Ci seized the opportunity to sneak over. “Sister-in-law, what about checking me?” 

Guan Yue started checking Gu Ci’s pulse. After a while, she furrowed her brows. His health—well, compared to Wild Bee, he wasn’t even close to Wang Tiejun. 

Gu Sui came out holding the ham soup and noticed Guan Yue’s concerned expression. “What’s wrong with him?” 

“His health isn’t great. I think the injury from last time wasn’t properly treated.” 

Gu Sui frowned as well. 

Gu Ci had been seriously injured last time and had lost a lot of blood. Though he had recovered a lot, he wasn’t fully healed yet. Still, he was rushing to go on missions. In the jungle, forget about proper recovery—just being able to eat and sleep properly was a luxury. 

Gu Ci scratched his head. “It’s fine. I don’t think there’s anything serious.” 

“Nothing serious” just meant there were plenty of minor issues. 

Gu Sui decided to have him stay here for two days. “Wild Bee needs to go back to report work. It has nothing to do with you, right?” 

Guan Yue, sensing Gu Sui’s worry, added, “Aren’t you trying to convince me to open a medicine factory? I’ll think about it.” 

Gu Ci’s eyes brightened. “You’ll really think about it?” 

Guan Yue: “Not really.” 

Wild Bee spoke up. “What medicine factory?”

Wang Tiejun briefly mentioned the leader’s idea of opening a pharmaceutical factory in Qingxi Village, but Guan Yue had not agreed yet.

Ye Feng, who had used Guan Yue’s medicine, directly said, “I’ll go back with Wang Tiejun, but Colonel Gu should stay here for two more days. You should have a good discussion with Doctor Guan. When things are settled, we’ll come to pick you up.”

Gu Ci was shocked. Goodness, was he not allowed to leave if the matter didn’t work out?

In the end, Wang Tiejun and Ye Feng left Gu Ci behind and drove off directly.

After dinner, Guan Yue performed acupuncture on Gu Ci. During this time, Gu Sui went back to Qingsong Brigade to move his bedding to Daqing Mountain.

The people at the Educated Youth spot asked Gu Sui what had happened.

Gu Sui replied, “My brother came to see me. He’ll stay here for a few days. The Educated Youth spot is too crowded, so I asked him to stay in Qingxi Village.”

“Oh, Qingxi Village is fine. There are plenty of empty houses.”

Gu Sui nodded without further explanation.

As soon as Gu Sui left, the Educated Youths started chattering again. They had heard from the captain that Gu Sui’s brother was an officer.

Officers had high salaries and good benefits, making them very desirable marriage prospects.

“Do you think Gu Sui’s brother is married?”

“Ah, our Educated Youth spot is too crowded. If there’s an empty bed, we could ask Gu Sui’s brother to stay here for a couple of days.”

The women got more and more straightforward in their conversation.

It made sense. Compared to farming in the countryside, not knowing when they could return, marrying a worker or a soldier was the best option.

This year, a batch of newcomers had arrived at their Educated Youth spot. Less than a year in, one male Educated Youth couldn’t stand it and married a girl from the team, moving into his mother-in-law’s house. After this autumn harvest, two more couples were preparing to marry.

By the time Gu Sui made his round trip, the acupuncture had already been finished. When Gu Sui returned, Gu Ci was sound asleep, showing no sign of waking up.

Gu Sui made the bed, then went to the pharmacy to find Guan Yue. As he opened the door, Xiao Hei’s tail swiftly slipped behind Guan Yue.

Upon seeing it was Gu Sui entering, Xiao Hei ran out and began twisting around playfully.

Gu Sui smiled, “Making medicine for my brother?”

“Mm-hmm. When he wakes up, you can give it to him.”

Gu Sui stretched out his arms, opened them wide, and Guan Yue laughed as she leaped into his embrace.

Guan Yue rubbed her face against his chest, feeling a great sense of security in the hug.

Gu Sui gently stroked her long hair, saying, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!” she replied.

When Gu Ci woke up, it was already dark outside. Gu Sui called for him to take his medicine.

Groggy, Gu Ci took the medicine and the cup of water, downing it in one gulp.

The pills that Guan Yue had prepared were large, and Gu Ci almost choked on them, needing two more sips of water to swallow them.

In such a short time, the bitter taste of the medicine spread in his mouth. It was really bitter, and Gu Ci was immediately jolted awake by the strong sensation.

He got out of bed, stretched, and yawned. “Guan Yue is really impressive. After just one acupuncture session, my shoulders and back already feel so much better.”

Gu Sui replied, “You need to keep track of your own health. With your profession, you’re constantly putting your life on the line. What if your body gives out during a mission and you drag others down? What do you think your chances of coming back safely are?”

Gu Ci’s face grew calm, and the usual joking spirit was gone. “What can be done? Some things just have to be done by someone. If it’s not me, it’ll be someone else.”

“I’m not stopping you from doing it,” Gu Sui said, “I’m just reminding you to take care of your body. You only have one life.”

Under the light, Gu Sui’s expression was so cold that it was intimidating, and Gu Ci didn’t dare to argue.

He walked over and patted Gu Sui on the shoulder. “I got it, brother.”

Gu Ci stayed at Daqing Mountain. During the day, Gu Sui would go to Qingsong Brigade to treat people or work in the fields, and Gu Ci would join in to pass the time. At night, they would return to Daqing Mountain for acupuncture and sleep in the wooden cabin.

After Gu Ci had worked with Gu Sui for two or three days, Zhou Baohe came to find Gu Sui and asked when his brother would leave.

“What’s going on?” Gu Sui asked.

Zhou Baohe hesitated before saying, “It’s not really about your brother, but… some of the young women have had a bit of a conflict because of him, and it’s not looking too good.”

In the past few days, Gu Sui had been at Qingsong Brigade during the day and at Daqing Mountain at night, without returning to the Educated Youth spot or interacting with anyone. He was confused and didn’t understand what conflict had arisen.

Gu Ci’s identity wasn’t a secret, and once this news spread, Gu Ci became highly sought after. Especially among some of the young female Educated Youth, who were used to being pampered at home and couldn’t handle hardship. Without Gu Ci saying a word, they had already begun arguing amongst themselves.

After hearing about it, Gu Ci was silent for a moment before saying, “My brother came to recuperate. He’ll leave in a few days. I’ll tell him to stay in Qingxi Village, and he shouldn’t come back here in the next few days.”

“That’s good,” Zhou Baohe agreed.

In the afternoon, when they returned to Daqing Mountain, Gu Ci heard that a few female Educated Youths had fought over him, and he couldn’t believe it. “I’m this rough now, and there are still women interested in me?”

Guan Yue gave Gu Ci and Gu Sui a quick look. “Well, judging by appearances, you’re a bit worse than Gu Sui, but you’re not too bad.”

Gu Ci was angry and glared at Guan Yue. “What’s this about, huh? You’re trying to put me down while praising Gu Sui? That’s not nice!”

Gu Sui laughed. “Don’t get mad, Guan Yue doesn’t mean any harm. But if you find someone suitable, you can start dating. Once Mom and Dad get my letter and find out that Yueyue and I are together, they’ll definitely pressure you.”

Gu Ci and Gu Sui were twin brothers, born on the eighth day of the first lunar month, and they would turn twenty-four in a few months, just before the New Year.

Hearing this, Gu Ci got even angrier. It felt like the trouble was falling on him out of nowhere. He hadn’t done anything, yet he was going to bear the brunt of his parents’ nagging and complaints.

He flopped down onto a chair. “Forget it. At this point, you two just get married and have a kid. If you give them a grandson, maybe Mom and Dad will leave me alone.”

It was, at best, a hopeful wish.

Gu Sui turned to glance at Guan Yue, who blushed when she heard the mention of children and quickly avoided looking at him.

Starting the next day, Gu Ci stayed at Daqing Mountain. With nothing to do, he asked Guan Yue to take him along to gather medicinal herbs.

Guan Yue, who was planning to show him how complicated proper herb gathering could be, agreed.

Standing at the edge of a cliff, Gu Ci glanced down. “Where are the herbs?”

“They’re just two meters below the cliff. Didn’t you see them?”

“That… what kind of herb is that? No, I mean, what medicinal plant is it?”

Guan Yue secured a rope and handed the other end to Gu Ci. “Didn’t you say you wanted to help? Go gather it. We need this herb for the hemostatic powder.”

Gu Ci had done more dangerous missions than he could count, so this task didn’t intimidate him.

He double-checked the knot in the tree to ensure the rope was secure, then tied the other end around his waist and started descending to gather the herbs.

Guan Yue crouched by the cliff edge, directing him. “Don’t pick that one, it’s not old enough. The second one to the right, that should be usable.”

It wasn’t just the cliff. That day, Guan Yue led Gu Ci to many places, climbing mountains and crossing rivers. It was exhausting, but necessary.

Gu Ci, someone who regularly engaged in high-intensity training, found it difficult, so it was certain that someone like Guan Yue, a girl, would find it even harder.

In the afternoon, Gu Sui came up the mountain to cook. He heard Gu Ci go on about a long string of reflections, and he couldn’t help but smile.

Gu Ci asked, “What’s that expression? Are you making fun of me?”

Gu Sui responded, “I’m not making fun of you, I’m just reflecting. You’ve finally realized how difficult it is to gather herbs.”

Gu Ci said seriously, “Guan Yue’s medicine is always good. Even if I didn’t know how hard it was to gather herbs before, we never wasted any of the medicine she gave us.”

Gu Ci nodded. “Once the herbs dry out, they’ll be ready to be made into medicine. I’ll give you some of the medicine once it’s done.”

“Can you really make that decision?” Gu Ci didn’t believe Gu Sui’s words.

Gu Sui laughed lightly. “Guan Yue is a generous person. She won’t take advantage of you after all the hard work you’ve done collecting the herbs.”

Gu Ci didn’t believe Gu Sui, so he ran out to ask Guan Yue if the medicine would be given to him.

Guan Yue nodded.

Gu Ci became enthusiastic. “I’ll go collect more herbs tomorrow. Make more medicine!”

Gu Sui heard this and silently laughed in the kitchen. Guan Yue didn’t need to go through so much trouble to get the best herbs; it was always easy for her to obtain them.

At first, Gu Ci had been eager to go back quickly, but when it came to the magical medicine powder, he didn’t feel rushed anymore.

In the following days, even when Guan Yue didn’t go with him, Gu Ci still went out early and returned late every day, gathering the herbs needed to make the magical medicine powder. He didn’t feel tired at all.

Seeing this, Guan Yue could no longer bear it. Once the herbs she had dried earlier were ready, she quickly made them into powder.

After a full day of gathering herbs, Gu Ci came back and saw that his earlier work had already yielded a small bag of medicine powder. This only motivated him more.

Guan Yue privately told Gu Sui, “Your brother’s health is completely recovered now.”

What she meant was, he could leave now.

Gu Sui held her hand. “He knows it himself. He’ll probably leave in the next couple of days.”

In the past few days, Gu Ci had tried to bring up the idea of the pharmaceutical factory, but Guan Yue rejected it every time. After that, he never mentioned it again.

One evening, the two of them were taking a walk in the forest. When they reached the creek, Guan Yue noticed a fish in the water weeds on the opposite bank. She summoned some vines and used them to pull the fish back.

Gu Sui was holding the fish. “About two or three jin, how do you want to eat it?”

“Make sauerkraut fish.”

“Alright, let’s head back.”

On the way back, Guan Yue said, “I’ve thought it over. I can provide them with more medicinal herbs, but we need to find a way to solve the issues with the herbs and efficiency. Do you have any ideas?”

Gu Sui held the fish in one hand and held her hand with the other. His girl, really, was someone who appeared tough on the outside but soft on the inside.

“Think carefully, all of this can be solved. They can provide the herbs, and the production issues can be handled with machines.”

“Machines?”

“Yes, we can bring in an electric line, set up a powder mill, and with the powder mill, you’ll only need to focus on making the medicine. That way, even if you end up making more medicine, outsiders won’t suspect anything suspicious.”

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