Chapter 5: Mint for Heat Relief

Zheng Shi carefully cooled her son’s fever with a damp cloth while offering him gentle words of reassurance.

The commotion in the Xu family naturally drew the attention of many others, including the village chief, who came over to check on the situation. Only after confirming that there was no serious danger did he finally feel at ease.

Fortunately, Xu Kang’s fever was not severe, and by nightfall, it had subsided.

At the break of dawn the next day, Xu Nian quietly got up, making sure not to disturb her sleeping family. She then hurried back along the path they had traveled the previous day.

She vaguely remembered seeing some mint somewhere along the way. She needed to find it quickly and return, or else her family would surely worry if they woke up and found her missing.

Following her memory, she finally spotted a small patch of mint. Without hesitation, she used both hands to pluck the leaves as fast as she could.

Luckily, Tian Shi had worried she might get cold last night and made her wear an extra outer garment. Now, it came in handy as a makeshift bag for carrying the mint.

Xu Nian spread her outer garment on the ground and placed the freshly picked leaves on it. Once she had gathered enough to form a small bundle, she tied up the cloth, slung it over her back, and quickly made her way back.

Meanwhile, the Xu family was in a frenzy. Tian Shi had already started wiping away tears.

Just as Xu Ren was about to send his sons out to search for her, they saw Xu Nian sprinting back like a little monkey, leaping forward in bursts.

Xu Ren felt both exasperated and amused at the sight, while Tian Shi rushed over, anxiously checking her daughter from head to toe for any injuries.

“Big girl, where did you run off to? Do you know how dangerous it is to wander alone in the wilderness?” Wang Shi scolded her, still shaken.

“It’s good that you’re back. That’s all that matters.”

“Yes, next time, take someone with you if you have to go somewhere.”

Hearing the concern in their voices, Xu Nian felt a warmth bloom in her heart. Ever since her grandmother had passed away, no one had shown her such care.

The Xu family continued to chatter, offering both scoldings and reassurances, but Xu Yaozu was the only one who noticed that his daughter had something strapped to her back.

“Nian’er, what’s that you’re carrying?”

Only then did Xu Nian remember her purpose.

She untied the cloth bundle from her back and opened it to reveal the fresh mint leaves inside.

“This is mint. It helps clear heat and prevent heatstroke. Since we’ll be traveling under the sun, it’s inevitable that someone else might get heat exhaustion. You can chew a few leaves while walking or brew them into tea. It should help at least a little.”

The Xu family was momentarily stunned. It was Xu Wei’an who finally voiced everyone’s curiosity.

“Big girl, how do you know this?”

Xu Nian’s heart skipped a beat. She had completely forgotten to prepare an explanation. Hastily, she replied, “I don’t know… When I saw it, the knowledge just popped into my head.”

Before anyone could probe further, the caravan prepared to set off again.

Xu Yaozu kept a portion of the mint for their family and wrapped the rest to take to the village chief.

First, he sought out Liu, the village doctor, to confirm that the mint was indeed an herbal remedy. Only after receiving confirmation did he proceed to find the village chief.

Just as Village Chief Wang finished packing his belongings, he saw Xu Yaozu approaching him.

“Uncle, my daughter gathered some herbs for heat relief. I just checked with Doctor Liu, and he confirmed that they’re safe to consume.

I figured, with this intense heat, it’s best if everyone takes precautions in advance to avoid delays on the journey.”

The village chief nodded in agreement, surprised that the Xu family’s eldest daughter could recognize medicinal plants. He had heard rumors that she had lost her wits after her accident.

Accepting the Xu family’s generosity without giving anything in return didn’t sit right with him, so he turned to the crowd and called out:

“I know the heat is unbearable, but there’s nothing we can do about it if we want to stay alive.

Fortunately, the Xu family found some herbs to prevent heatstroke. Every household should come and take some—better to be safe than sorry.”

He deliberately avoided mentioning that it was Xu Nian who had gathered the herbs. Ever since her fall, the entire village believed the girl had gone dull.

Right now, they were in a race against time, and the village chief had no interest in wasting energy explaining everything.

Upon hearing that there were herbs to help with the heat, the villagers eagerly came forward to collect their share.

“This is great! Yesterday, my father’s face turned pale, and we didn’t dare to stop. But with these medicinal herbs, we don’t have to be afraid anymore. We really must thank Uncle Xu properly.”

“That’s why it’s good to have a scholar in the family. Just look at how much Xu Dalang knows.”

“Exactly, exactly…”

As the saying goes, when you receive someone’s help, you must show gratitude. The villagers, while receiving the herbs, continuously praised the Xu family.

Xu Yaozu, after returning from distributing the herbs, saw Xu Nian gnawing on a piece of dry food and asked, “Are you upset that I gave away the medicinal herbs you worked so hard to gather?”

Xu Nian shook her head. In truth, it hadn’t been that much effort for her to collect them.

Still, Xu Yaozu lowered his voice and explained, “Our Xu family has no close relatives in Dahe Village. Even though we have many men in our household, if we ever encounter a serious problem, we won’t be able to handle it alone.”

Xu Nian nodded to show she understood. Deep down, she was touched. After all, in this patriarchal era, Xu Yaozu did not act arbitrarily but instead took the time to explain things to her. This gave her more confidence in facing the future.

At the same time, she silently reminded herself that she needed to change her mindset.

In the modern world, because of her childhood experiences, Xu Nian had always preferred to make decisions on her own and keep to herself.

But in Sheng Dynasty—especially in their current situation—that way of thinking simply wouldn’t work. At the very least, she was now inseparably linked to the fourteen members of the Xu family.

Once all the villagers had received their share of the medicinal herbs, they prepared to set off again.

Xu Kang’s illness the previous night had also served as a wake-up call for the Xu family.

Before departing, Xu Ren moved some of the items from the donkey cart onto a handcart, allowing Xu Kang and Xu Jian to ride in the donkey cart instead.

Since the handcart had limited space, the women had to carry some of the luggage on their backs.

Xu Nian also carried a small bundle. Compared to the previous day, the journey was even more exhausting, and she was sweating profusely. Even with a mint leaf in her mouth, her throat felt as if it were on fire.

Tian Shi handed her a bamboo canteen. “Nian’er, drink some water to cool down.”

Xu Nian didn’t even have the strength to speak. She took the canteen and drank two gulps before finally feeling a bit better.

Zheng Shi also came over and untied Xu Nian’s bundle, slinging it over her own arm.

“I’ll carry this, you slow down a bit. This heat is unbearable.”

Little Wang Shi chimed in, “It’s much hotter than last year. I don’t know if it’s just my imagination.”

Xu Nian didn’t have the energy to think about the weather. All she knew was that if they kept traveling like this, she wouldn’t last more than a few days.

But as fate would have it, the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen.

On the afternoon of the sixth day of their journey, they encountered two groups of refugees.

One group had fled from Yangcheng, and it was from them that they first heard the shocking news—Yangcheng had fallen.

The other group had come from Huaiyang City. Since April, there hadn’t been a single drop of rain across five cities near Huaiyang, leading to a complete crop failure. With no relief grain from the government, they had no choice but to abandon their homes and flee.

Upon hearing this terrible news, the people of Dahe Village were dumbfounded. Their intended destination was Qingyuan City—one of the five disaster-stricken cities.

At this moment, Xu Nian wished she could drag the heavens down and tear them apart. What kind of karma did she accumulate in her past life to deserve this kind of punishment?

First, there was a drought. Now, an invading army. How was she supposed to survive this?

Perhaps it was due to the overwhelming emotions surging through her, but Xu Nian suddenly blacked out and collapsed.