No one from the Zhao family had entered the valley for many years. When Zhao Qinghe arrived at the entrance of the valley, she found that the vines were unusually lush.

It took some time to peel away the vines at the entrance of the hole without damaging them.

After moving the large stone at the entrance, we waited for about half an hour before going inside.

The weeds in the valley grew very tall, and the fruit trees that were once lush and leafy were now laden with fruit, but they looked somewhat malnourished.

The chickens, ducks, and geese that had once stayed in the valley were startled and flew all over the valley.

Zhao Qinghe didn't have time to deal with the "wild game" and was more interested in the cave.

Fortunately, the cave doors were closed when they left, and there were glass windows, and even the chimney was blocked up.

After opening the door, the cave was fairly clean except for some dust.

There were no unidentified small creatures.

Even so, Zhao Qinghe immediately sprinkled some medicinal powder into her cave, closed the door, and sat down on a stone bench outside.

Even riding a tiger occasionally took a lot of time and left me very tired.

Upon reaching the valley, the tiger circled around for a moment and then disappeared.

It sensed the presence of its kind on the mountain. Whether it was female or not, it is unknown.

After resting and eating something, Zhao Qinghe picked up a hoe and began weeding the valley.

Fortunately, the rubble that felled when the tunnel was being dug was used to pave the road.

Otherwise, Zhao Qinghe would have to use her light-footed skills to walk in smoothly.

She continued weeding along the stone path, clearing the path from the cave entrance to the Hungry Pool.

One reason was that she needed to drink water, and the other was that she planned to grill some fish and eat them today.

As for the chickens, ducks, and geese, let's leave them alone for today.

Zhao Qinghe spent three days in the valley before returning to Zhao Family Village.

It was impossible to clear all the weeds in the valley, so she only cleared the grass and weeds along the path paved with stones near the cave and along its sides.

During the days Zhao Qinghe was away from home, there was a constant stream of people visiting Qingshan Xiaozhu.

Zhao Jinfa's hair was completely white, and he came over leaning on a cane.

People came all wanted to know about the Zhao family, especially about those who had gone out with them.

No matter what, I'm still worried about my clansmen going their separate ways.

However, Zhao Qinghe wasn't home; only a strange young man was there, which was quite disappointing.

When they learned that he was Zhao Qinghe's fiancé and a doctor, the clansmen's attitude changed again.

During the five days that Zhao Qinghe was away from Zhao Family Village, Bai Hetang was as busy as a spinning top.

People come to him early in the morning to have their pulse taken and prescriptions written, and some even need acupuncture treatment.

Since all the patients were members of his clan, Baihetang did not charge them for the consultation.

However, how could the Zhao family allow this son-in-law, who hadn't even officially entered the Zhao family, to look down on them? He didn't charge for his medical consultations, but they couldn't just leave without showing some appreciation.

This place delivers a chicken, that place delivers a basket of vegetables, and this place delivers a fish.

Soon, there was nowhere left to put the food at Qingshan Xiaozhu.

With the young lady not present, the steward had no choice but to inquire with Bai Hetang.

Bai Hetang had never worried about matters concerning the inner quarters, so he asked the steward how the Zhao family had handled these things in the past.

Upon learning that the Zhao family would host a feast for their clansmen upon their return, he thought for a moment and then instructed the kitchen staff to raise all the surviving members.

Eat whatever else is edible immediately, and let the kitchen staff process what they can't eat, either by pickling or drying it. In short, we can't waste the good intentions of our people.

He gave the steward another hundred taels of silver to prepare dishes, so that when Zhao Qinghe returned, a banquet would be held and the whole village would be invited to eat.