Chapter 41: Finding Luo Suo Zi

Zhang Po Zi curled her lips and said, “Mother can see it clearly, this woman doesn’t care about Xiao Huai’an at all.

Even though she entered the Xiao family, the two of them haven’t consummated their marriage.

If you act first and take her for yourself, she’ll have no face to stay in the Xiao family.

By then, if our family takes her in, she’ll surely be grateful and indebted to us.”

“Mother, I can marry her, but she’s so ugly. Later on, I’d still need to marry a prettier one,” Zhang Da Shan reluctantly replied.

“Of course! She’d be marrying into our family as a second wife anyway, she’s not good enough for you. In the future, we’ll have her family provide more dowry, and I’ll make sure you marry a beautiful one!”

“Alright!”

Zhang Da Shan chuckled slyly.

Early the next morning, as dawn broke, the village of Yun Bian came alive.

The women lit fires to cook, and the men, braving the morning dew, hurried to the fields to finish some farm work.

Soon, they would head to the mountains to dig for stones.

Chang Sheng grabbed a steamed bun from the kitchen to eat on the way. Before leaving, he stuck his head back in to ask Ye Xin Ran, “Auntie, is it true that our village found a new water source?”

Ye Xin Ran, while stir-frying, replied, “Yes, there’s plenty of water up in the mountains!”

Chang Sheng’s eyes lit up. “That’s great! Let’s see how those folks in Dong Gou Village keep showing off now!”

“Have some vegetables before you go. There’s still time.”

Ye Xin Ran deftly scooped out the braised pork with purple yam from the pot.

“No need, I’m fine with just the bun!” Chang Sheng said as he was about to leave.

Ye Xin Ran snatched the bun from his hand. “What’s the point of just eating a bun?”

She tore the bun in half, used chopsticks to stuff it with meat and vegetables, and put it back together.

“Here, this way it’s tasty.”

Chang Sheng looked at the stuffed bun Ye Xin Ran made and smiled. “Auntie, you’re the best.”

After seeing off Chang Sheng, Chang An and Chang Ping also got up. They first went outside to cut grass to feed the chickens and goslings, then obediently washed their hands to get ready for breakfast.

Xiao Huai’an cut two bamboo poles to create a divider between the chicken coop and the goose pen.

“I noticed they’re always fighting, so separating them might help,” he explained.

Although Xiao Huai’an wasn’t good at cooking, he handled other chores in the household pretty well.

“Tomorrow, let’s make a nest for the hens to lay eggs,” Ye Xin Ran suggested.

“Yesterday, one of the hens laid three eggs. One got trampled, and the other two were covered in chicken poop.”

“Alright!”

Xiao Huai’an wasn’t familiar with this kind of task but still agreed.

After breakfast, the village leader gathered everyone to head to the mountain for work. Before leaving, he asked Ye Xin Ran to help record the participants:

Xiao family: 4 people, Zhang Shuang Zhu’s family: 4 people, Zhang Er Niu’s family: 3 people…

The village leader recorded everyone in the registry.

“The more effort you contribute, the more benefits you’ll receive. I’ll not only record it in this book but also remember it in my heart.”

“Village leader, don’t worry. Even though I came alone, I’ll work like two people!”

“Village leader, my father couldn’t come, so I’ll cover his share of the work too.”

With the discovery of a water source, everyone’s spirits were lifted, and they climbed the mountain with extra enthusiasm.

When they reached the rocky area from last time, the village leader gave a loud command: “Let’s start digging! The sooner we dig to the village, the sooner our fields will have water.”

“Got it!”

Everyone began digging, each working their own way. However, in no time, the trench they were carving twisted and turned like a figure eight.

“Stop! Stop!”

The village leader shouted, his voice booming.

While the enthusiasm was commendable, their lack of skill was apparent.

“You can’t dig like this,” the leader began to explain, but a deep male voice interrupted, “There must be rules in doing things. If we set clear guidelines, it won’t be chaotic.”

The leader looked up to see Xiao Huai’an.

“Come, Huai’an, tell everyone how we should establish these rules!”

Xiao Huai’an hadn’t intended to get involved but couldn’t stand the disorderly scene and had casually commented. To his surprise, the leader thrust the responsibility onto him.

He hesitated but caught sight of Ye Xin Ran’s expectant gaze and decided to continue. “You can’t blindly dig trenches. First, study the route, divide it into sections, assign each section to specific people, and make sure everyone completes their part properly. That way, the water channel will naturally come together.”

“Exactly, that’s what I meant! Who told you all to dig together like this?” the leader quickly chimed in.

“Let Huai’an and me map out the route first. Once we’ve drawn it, you can start digging.”

Xiao Huai’an and the leader retraced their steps, marking appropriate locations along the way. After finishing, they returned.

“Now, everyone, grab your tools. Line up one after the other, and each person digs one “Zhang” (about 3.33 meters). Once finished, move down to the next section.”

“Do as the leader says!”

With proper direction, the work proceeded more smoothly.

The mountain was lush with vegetation and rocks, making it a challenging task to carve out a water channel. Each family worked as a unit: men chopped trees and dug trenches, while women and children cleared debris and tidied the channels.

Xiao Huai’an wielded a hoe. Though it felt unfamiliar, his speed far exceeded that of others.

Ye Xin Ran and the children, Chang Ping and Chang An, helped clear stones and grass roots. By the time they finished one “Zhang”, the neighboring workers had barely completed half their sections.

Xiao Huai’an moved on to dig the next segment, while Ye Xin Ran led the children to follow.

Rounding a large tree, Ye Xin Ran suddenly noticed a familiar plant hidden behind it. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief, it was “Luo Suo Zi”!

Luo Suo Zi is an annual herb with a single thin stem branching into three forks, each bearing three heart-shaped leaves. The fruit itself is called Luo Suo Zi.

Typically blooming in May and ripening in August, this plant was tucked behind the tree, its purple buds swaying gently in the breeze.

This was truly a case of “seeking it far and wide only to find it effortlessly.”

Previously, she had specifically searched for it but found no trace. Now, by sheer chance, it was right in front of her.

Without a second thought, Ye Xin Ran crouched down and began digging.

“Auntie, do you like purple flowers?” Chang An asked curiously.

“Yes, but Auntie only likes this specific purple flower,” Ye Xin Ran replied.

“There’s another one over there. I’ll dig it up for you!” Chang An spotted a similar plant not far away and ran to retrieve it. Chang Ping followed him to help.

Nearby villagers noticed Ye Xin Ran digging in the mountains and became curious.

“Lady Ye, what are you digging? Can it be eaten?”

Ye Xin Ran didn’t hide the truth. “This isn’t for eating, it’s medicinal. I want to use it to treat Chang An’s health issues.”

“Oh, it’s for treating a child’s illness! Let me see what it looks like. If I find any, I’ll dig it up for you too!” Er Dan’s mother eagerly came over for a look.