Chapter 15

Big Brother Gu, have some water,” Lin Xiaoxiao said, feeling a little uneasy under the way Gu Jinchuan was looking at her.

So she took the canteen off her shoulder and handed it to him with a smile.

“Thanks.” Gu Jinchuan took the canteen, but instead of drinking directly from the spout, he tilted it from dozens of centimeters away so that the water arced gracefully into his mouth—without spilling a drop.

He drank half the canteen in one go, then smacked his lips and smiled.

“Comrade Lin, what did you put in this water? It’s cool, sweet, and really quenches thirst.”

Lin Xiaoxiao thought to herself, It’s spring water from my spatial dimension, of course it tastes amazing.

But she couldn’t exactly tell Gu Jinchuan she was from the 22nd century and owned a portable space with a mystical spring.

So she made something up on the spot. “Big Brother Gu, summer’s hot and I didn’t want to get heatstroke, so I added some hawthorn, honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, and licorice to the water. That’s why it’s a bit tangy and sweet—good for clearing heat and cooling off.”

Hearing her rattle off several medicinal herbs, Gu Jinchuan teased, “You know Chinese herbs and can mix cooling tea—don’t tell me you know medicine too?”

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded. “Yes. My foster grandfather was a famous doctor, so I learned some medical knowledge from him.”

That part was true—her mother was a nurse, and her maternal grandfather had been a surgeon. Whether they had actually taught her much medicine, only heaven knew.

Gu Jinchuan had been joking, but seeing she really did know medicine, he was a bit surprised.

He thought about his missions with his comrades—often ten days or more in the mountains, where injuries were common and medical supplies were limited. Without proper treatment, some men ended up permanently disabled; some even died.

If only I knew the mountain herbs… we could at least treat ourselves in emergencies.

With that in mind, he smiled at her. “Comrade Lin, that’s great. Later, teach me how to recognize herbs—I want to find some that treat bruises and injuries.”

Lin Xiaoxiao agreed readily. “How about this: let’s finish weeding first, then you can come with me up the mountain to gather herbs, and I’ll teach you.”

She was already planning to collect wild herbs to plant in her spatial medicinal garden.

“You’re not that strong—just pick up the weeds behind me, and I’ll do the pulling,” Gu Jinchuan said.

“Alright.” Lin Xiaoxiao nodded obediently.

So the two divided the work.

Gu Jinchuan pulled weeds; Lin Xiaoxiao followed behind collecting them.

With his strength, he was a powerhouse—his hands moved like scythes, and in his wake, the sorghum field’s weeds vanished completely.

What should have taken a whole day, he finished in just two hours.

Lin Xiaoxiao sighed in relief. If she’d been doing it, she’d probably still be at it tomorrow.

Seeing her cheerful smile, Gu Jinchuan couldn’t help smiling too. “Come on, let’s head up Wufeng Mountain. There are lots of herbs there!”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? Then let’s go quickly!”

Watching her eager expression, his smile deepened.

He’d herded cattle there as a boy—he knew the mountain had herbs, and also wild pheasants and rabbits.

After picking herbs, he could catch a pheasant to nourish her.

They walked about forty minutes before reaching the halfway point.

Gu Jinchuan glanced at the panting young woman behind him. “We’re here. Rest for a bit before we start gathering.”

“Okay.” Lin Xiaoxiao had just started to sit down when she spotted a clump of five-lobed yellow lotus in the bushes ahead.

Her eyes lit up and she rushed over to pick it.

Such a large patch could yield dozens of jin—once dried, enough for more than ten anti-snake-venom prescriptions.

Seeing her happily harvesting, Gu Jinchuan’s eyes narrowed slightly—she was adorable.

He walked over to help. “Comrade Lin, these sharp, yellow-striped leaves—what herb is this?”

“It’s called five-lobed yellow lotus. It’s a precious medicinal plant, and can be processed to extract snake venom serum,” Lin Xiaoxiao explained patiently.

“Unprocessed—can it still treat snake bites?”

“Yes, but you have to crush it to release the juice, then apply it directly to the wound to disinfect and detoxify.”

They chatted while picking, and soon finished with that patch.

Looking at the pile of herbs, Lin Xiaoxiao frowned. “Big Brother Gu, we didn’t bring anything to carry them—what should we do?”

“No problem, I’ve got a way.”

He smiled, took off his grass-green military jacket, and tied the sleeves and corners together into a big cloth sack.

Underneath, he wore only a white vest, revealing strong, muscular arms and a well-defined eight-pack.

Lin Xiaoxiao placed the herbs into the improvised sack, trying not to look at his muscles. “Good idea—this could hold dozens of jin of herbs.”

Amused by her averted gaze, Gu Jinchuan shook his head.

He’d hoped to charm her with his physique, but she was clearly shy.

Guess I’ll have to take it slow… I’m no beast.

Of course, in the future, after he caught her, he turned out to be as beastly as could be.

After clearing the halfway point, they moved deeper into the mountains, collecting more herbs—iron-clad dendrobium, atractylodes, scutellaria—and soon filled the sack.

“It’s getting late,” Gu Jinchuan said, hefting the heavy bundle. “Let’s stop for today.”

“Alright,” Lin Xiaoxiao agreed, though she thought to herself, If only we found a ginseng plant, it would be perfect.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she spotted a patch of bright green leaves ahead.

“Isn’t that ginseng?”

She was thrilled—it felt like ever since she’d entered this world, she’d been blessed with absurdly good luck.

Thinking it was ginseng… and there it was, a wild mountain ginseng!

Gu Jinchuan started down the trail, but after a few steps realized she hadn’t followed.

He turned to see her crouched in the dirt.

“What are you doing, Comrade Lin?” he asked curiously.

Grinning, Lin Xiaoxiao replied, “Big Brother Gu, I’m digging up ginseng!”