Chapter 174 It’s nice to be home

When He Jinglan first arrived in Huachidu Village, she was surprised by the enthusiasm of the villagers.

She hid beside Gu Xixi, feeling that her eyes and ears were not enough, "Are they happy about this, or do they not like seeing an outsider like me?"

"Hey, Xixi, isn't this your house? How come a child ran out?"

"Oh my god! I'm glad there are still blue-eyed Westerners in your village?"

Gu Xixi was silent.

Fortunately, the two people who rushed out of the door stopped roaring and started talking.

The elderly woman cried and laughed, "Finally you're back, God bless you to be okay! I heard there was a war on the border, and there's been no news from you for several days. My heart is broken!"

The little boy said seriously, "Sister, I'm not a child. My name is Shitou. You came back with Sister Xixi, so you must be my sister Xixi's friend, right?"

He Jinglan was stunned. "Shitou? You call me Sister Xixi?"

She patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew it. How could Xixi, at her age, give birth to a son as old as you?"

Gu Xixi rolled her eyes breathlessly, "He Jinglan, is your thinking always so unexpected?"

He Jinglan didn't bother to listen to Xixi's complaints, and smiled at the stone, "You must be Aunt Zhang, I often hear Xixi mention you!"

It was a rare occasion for a guest to visit. Aunt Zhang wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "It's me. May I ask your name, young lady?"

He Jinglan said, "It doesn't matter what my surname is or who I am. Just call me Jinglan."

"I'm sorry for bothering you by coming here without telling you in advance."

She said this and bowed.

Aunt Zhang saw that the girl was dressed elegantly and rode in a carriage that was the most luxurious she had ever seen. However, she was not arrogant at all and was unexpectedly kind and polite.

Aunt Zhang's initial impression of He Jinglan became more favorable, and she said enthusiastically, "What trouble is there? It's not peaceful outside right now. I have to thank Jinglan for sending our Xixi back home."

At this time, the people in the distance finally ran over.

To be precise, it was the blue-eyed Hu man who was running like crazy, and several people behind him were chasing him breathlessly.

The Hu man opened his arms a few steps away.

His expression was mixed with sadness and joy, his eyes were as wild as fire, "Xixixi!!!"

Just as he was about to rush in front of Gu Xixi, Aunt Zhang and Shitou quickly took two steps forward and blocked his way at the same time.

The timing was just right to separate the Hu man and Gu Xixi.

Aunt Zhang said seriously, "Xiao An, how many times have I told you that men and women should not touch each other."

"Here in our place, no matter how excited you are, you can't just hug a girl!"

Shitou nodded vigorously, glaring and baring his teeth threateningly.

An Qinghe's enthusiastic hug was interrupted halfway, and he put down his arms, feeling a little bored.

"I was just worried about Xixi. I'm very happy to see her back. The hug is a celebration and a blessing!"

However, no one listened to his reasons. At this moment, the people who were chasing An Qinghe rushed forward and surrounded Gu Xixi.

"Xixi, I'm so glad you're back safely!"

"The village chief asked someone to inquire about you two days ago, but the security near the military camp was too strict. We don't know anything. We are almost dying of anxiety!"

"Xixi, did you see the fighting? Were you scared? You must be tired after traveling such a long distance, right?"

"Xixi, your aunt has just steamed some wheat rice with elm seeds. The elm seeds are very sweet this year. I'll bring you a bowl of them later."

…

These are the growers of Pinellia chinensis trees.

Gu Xixi heard everyone shouting her name, and their words were full of genuine concern.

She felt warm inside and said with a smile, "It's good to be back home."

Gu Xixi then asked whether the progress of each orchard was smooth.

Everyone said everything was fine.

Mrs. Qin smiled and said, "You just came back, so take a rest first. When you have rested enough, you can visit any of our orchards. I guarantee you will be satisfied."

Everyone laughed.

Gu Xixi knew from their expressions that intercropping in the orchard was not far from bearing initial results.

After watching this series of lively events, He Jinglan was stunned and let Aunt Zhang pull her hand into the yard.

He Jinglan sat down on the kang in the main room and came to her senses when she saw wild fruits, snacks, candies and tea flowing onto the table.

"Xixi, were those people following you to plant fruit trees?"

Gu Xixi nodded and said "yes", then poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of He Jinglan.

"This is freshly brewed loose tea. It's refreshing to drink when the weather warms up."

He Jinglan had no mood to drink tea, "I didn't expect they cared about you so much,"

"When they surrounded you and talked to you just now, it really looked like General Huo walking in the army."

Gu Xixi laughed, "How can I, a farmer, compare with someone who commands thousands of troops?"

She grabbed a few more fruits for He Jinglan and said, "I heard you say you were hungry on the way. Why don't you eat something and drink something to fill your stomach?"

He Jinglan ate the fruit and said, "It's so sweet, better than any mulberry I've eaten before."

Gu Xixi said, "These are wild mulberries that grow in the mountains. Some of the trees have particularly delicious fruits. Only Aunt Zhang knows where to find them."

He Jinglan opened her eyes wide, "Are there really different fruit trees growing on the same mountain?"

She got familiar with the environment and gradually relaxed. She couldn't stop her curious mouth even while eating:

"I heard you say there's a mountain behind your place, I want to go there and play too!"

"Are we sitting on a kang? This is the first time I've seen one, but isn't the kang heated? Why is this one so cold?"

"What about your master? What kind of person is he? Is he easy to get along with?"

Gu Xixi had to answer all the questions from the curious baby.

You can go to the back mountain, but you must be led by someone in the village who is familiar with the road. Don't run around by yourself.

The kang is used when the weather is cold. There is a stove outside, and the kang will become warm only when fire is lit.

"My master is blind and a very good doctor."

He Jinglan chewed on a pine nut candy and said, "The doctor has to prepare medicine, weigh the dosage, and write the prescription. How can he do all this if he can't see?"

Gu Xixi had always seen the old doctor able to take care of himself and had never considered such a problem.

She recalled for a moment and said, "Master can write without looking. As for weighing the medicine, it seems that he feels the slightly concave and convex scale on the scale to identify it."

“Even when we go out, as long as we take him a few times to familiarize him with the route, he can do it on his own.”

The old doctor has been living like this for many years.

Seeing how skillfully he does these things, it is easy for people around him to ignore his eye problems.

He Jinglan said seriously, "Your master is such a powerful person, I must visit him!"

Gu Xixi nodded, "Aunt said that Master is out seeing patients. You will see him at dinner."

She looked left, then right, helpless, "I said, you two, women are just chatting, do you have to listen in?"