Chapter 47: Digging Up Medicinal Herbs and Visiting Neighbors

Little Su Huan placed a patch of medicinal herbs from her space on the mountainside. When Old Madam Su and Old Fifth Su took her up the mountain, they spotted the herb patch by the light of the moon.

The herb field contained not only turmeric and notoginseng, but also mint, bupleurum, ginseng, gastrodia, coptis, salvia, and dendrobium.

Wu Chunhe excitedly dug up a ginseng root. Ignoring her hands, which were red from the cold, she carefully held up the ginseng that had grown into a human shape under the torchlight and turned to her mother-in-law in delight. “Mother, it’s real ginseng! It’s even grown into a human shape! I’d guess it weighs at least four taels. After it’s processed, it should still weigh over one tael.”

Second Su was stunned. “Something this big must be a few hundred years old, right?”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but glance around at the surrounding herbs and rubbed his goosebumped arms. “I have to say, bringing Fifth Girl up the mountain really is something eerie. The last time I came here to chop firewood, there was nothing here.”

Seeing her second uncle spooked, Little Su Huan rolled her eyes mischievously and deliberately lowered her voice, letting out a creepy laugh, “Hehehe~”

“Ah!”

Second Su jumped three feet high in fright, hurriedly hid behind Wu Chunhe, and looked around trembling. “Wife, did you hear that? There’s a ghost, a ghost!”

“Pfft~”

Wearing her little koi-embroidered hood, Su Huan clapped her hands gleefully and laughed, delighted with her prank.

Wu Chunhe pulled Second Su out with an annoyed expression and scolded, “Look at you, acting so spineless! Who told you to say our niece is strange? If it weren’t for her agreeing to come with us up the mountain, would we have found these herbs? Without them, how would we save your uncle? For someone who’s usually so sharp and capable, when are you going to fix this cowardly habit of yours?”

Second Su glared at Little Su Huan resentfully. “Dear niece, you scared your second uncle half to death!”

Seeing his face turn red from being scolded by his wife, Su Huan tried her best to cover her mouth and laugh quietly.

The gloom in Old Madam Su’s heart lightened considerably. She held back her laughter and said, “Alright, these herbs must have been conjured by Fifth Girl. Let’s quickly dig them up and take them home.”

“Yes, Mother!”

They dug up the urgently needed notoginseng and turmeric and also dug up all the ginseng before heading back down the mountain.

Li Sumei saw them return earlier than expected and finally relaxed. She quickly took the notoginseng and turmeric to prepare medicine and sliced a piece of ginseng to decoct. She gave the medicine to Zhang Hongzhuang and his father, and when their condition gradually stabilized, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Yingying brought out some frostbite cream and clam oil to apply to Little Su Huan, determined to protect her delicate, fair skin.

However, the two ointments felt sticky on the skin, and Su Huan didn’t like them. From her cradle, she grabbed a small handkerchief and tried hard to wipe the clam oil off her face. Liu Yingying sighed and said, “Mother, why don’t we buy some snow cream? It’s a bit expensive, but it’s more refreshing than clam oil. Fifth Girl will definitely like it.”

Old Madam Su, already doting on her granddaughter, was even more responsive after witnessing her little granddaughter’s abilities tonight. She immediately agreed, “Yes, we must buy the best for our girl. I’ll give you the money later. Fourth, go with your wife into town tomorrow and see if there’s anything else Fifth Girl needs. Buy it all!”

Then she solemnly told her sons and daughters-in-law, “Yan Huan is the only girl in our Su family for five generations. She’s a blessing from Heaven to our family, and we absolutely cannot treat her poorly.”

Fourth Su smiled and said, “Got it, Mother!”

Third Aunt Zhang Xiaolan and Third Uncle Third Su made a large bowl of steaming noodles for the adults to warm up. For Little Su Huan, they cooked a bowl of oat porridge with goat’s milk.

The oats had been pre-stewed and were soft when cooked with the milk. They melted easily in the mouth and had a sweet taste. The porridge was fragrant and comforting.

Su Huan carefully savored the flavor and realized the sweetness wasn’t from honey or sugar, but from jujube juice that even children could eat. She quietly marveled at Third Aunt’s thoughtfulness. After finishing the porridge, she wiped her mouth and happily hugged Third Aunt and gave her two big kisses.

The next morning, just as the village roosters crowed, Old Madam Su led Second Su and his wife, along with Fifth Su, back up the mountain. They dug up all the remaining herbs and carefully covered up the traces, bundling some firewood as camouflage on their way down.

Without sorting by type, the four of them carried back about six hundred jin of medicinal herbs. It couldn’t all be processed at once. To prevent being seen and raising questions, Old Madam Su decided to store all the herbs in the backyard warehouse. After breakfast, she took Wu Chunhe and brought five jin of sausages to the Lin family near the village entrance to thank Big Brother Lin for delivering the urgent message last night.

Then she brought another five jin of sausages to the village chief’s house to thank Elder Wang for helping mediate the conflict between Zhang Hongzhuang and Zhang Lishi yesterday.

Elder Wang, an elderly man and the most senior member of the clan association, naturally took the role of mediator. He firmly refused to accept Old Madam Su’s gift.

Old Madam Su changed her approach and smiled. “I know you’re a man of great integrity, but if it weren’t for Sister-in-law Wang telling me about the county school, I wouldn’t have been able to get my four grandsons enrolled. We just made some sausages—it’s the sweet kind—and thought your family might enjoy a taste. If you insist on not accepting them, you’re saying our things aren’t good enough.”

The sausages on the table smelled delicious. Several of the Wang family boys peeked from behind the curtain, their mouths watering from the aroma, practically ready to rush out and grab the sausages themselves.

Elder Wang couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Alright, alright. Since you’re so insistent, how can I refuse? How are those radishes my wife gave you the other day? Do they suit your family’s taste?”

Old Madam Su replied, “They’re great! My third daughter-in-law made a pot of bone broth with them. It tasted even better than meat!”

Elder Wang nodded and stroked his beard. “Good. Baorui’s wife, go pack another basket of radishes for your aunt to take home.”

“Yes, Father!”

Baorui’s wife, who had been accompanying them, smiled broadly when she saw the old man relent. She quickly took the sausages, went to the cellar, and picked a basket of radishes for Old Madam Su to take back.

After she left, Elder Wang asked Old Madam Su, “Has your family decided who to send to the clan association?”

Old Madam Su had been meaning to discuss this and now smiled. “The boys are all going to school, and Third and Fifth have to help at home. After discussing it, we think Second and Fourth should go to the clan association. One has a steady temperament, and the other is strong. I believe they’ll be a good help to Qingshui Village. If they make any mistakes, please feel free to discipline them.”

Elder Wang chuckled at her words. After chatting a bit more, he asked his daughter-in-law to escort her out.

After seeing Old Madam Su off, Baorui’s wife whispered to Baorui, who was feeding chickens in the courtyard, in surprise, “Our old man always keeps a stern face, but today he actually talked so much with Old Aunt Su and even accepted her gift. Don’t you think the Su family is kind of strange?”

Baorui laughed. “Didn’t you also think they were unlucky before, but then started visiting them all the time?”

His wife glared at him playfully. “Wasn’t that because you said it wouldn’t hurt to stay on good terms with them?”

Baorui smiled and shook his head.

His old father could chat with Old Madam Su for that long—why? Because everything she says and does is honest and appropriate.

Unlike Zhang Lishi’s family, who keep stirring up trouble with the straightforward and tough Su family. Looks like their days in this village are numbered.