Chapter 122
The next morning, everyone started bustling around early in the morning.
Fan Xiaoxiao, unusually, used the little flour she had to make a lot of pancakes. These were their rations for the whole day; making them firm would keep them from getting hungry.
"Sister, your konjac powder should be almost ready, right?" Madam Fan asked as she helped Fan Xiaoxiao put away the cakes.
Aunt Wang, who was passing by behind her, heard what she said and interrupted with a smile: "You still remember that powder? I already put it away for Er Ya. The dried powder does look somewhat similar to flour."
"Thank you, godmother!" Fan Xiaoxiao said casually. Aunt Wang was slightly taken aback, and a blush of excitement appeared on her face: "Eh!"
Uncle Wang looked at the three of them, shook his head with a smile, and Fan Xiaoxiao turned her head and called out to him again: "Godfather, please boil some water and put it in the water bag."
"It's best for us to drink boiled water every day. There was a flood near Jingchuan, and the river water still feels a bit dirty. Drinking boiled water from now on will prevent stomach problems."
Her calling him "godfather" left Uncle Wang stunned for a long while; this usually resolute middle-aged man even had tears in his eyes.
"Godfather?" Fan Xiaoxiao called out again, somewhat uneasy, when she saw that he didn't move.
"Okay, okay." After realizing what was happening, Uncle Wang quickly stood up to boil water.
After everyone had been busy for a while, everything was loaded onto the carriage.
"Auntie! I want to ride in the same carriage as Brother Ye and the others!" Xiao Bao had already settled himself in before getting on the carriage and poked his head out from the carriage in front.
Xiaoyu was in their carriage, and the driver was none other than his beloved Brother Miao. Naturally, the little fellow followed in front.
"Then be careful not to disturb their rest!" Fan Xiaoxiao followed and reminded them, then followed Aunt Wang and Madam Fan into the carriage behind. Uncle Wang and Xiao Hei sat on the carriage shaft, gently waving their whips on the horses' backs.
"drive!"
The carriage slowly began to move, gradually heading towards the outskirts of Jingchuan Town.
"Big sister!!!"
Aunt Wang was slightly taken aback, then lifted the carriage curtain and peeked out.
It was Li Da, standing on a high slope, shouting something to them. His voice, carried by the wind, reached Wang Da Niang's ears. She heard Li Da say, "Sister, I'm sorry. Take care on your journey!"
Aunt Wang sighed, made no response, and got back into the carriage.
"Godmother, aren't you going to see them one last time?" Madam Fan asked cautiously, noticing her pale face.
Aunt Wang shook her head: "Whether he sees me or not, it's fine. He has his home, and I have mine. He knows this very well. Let's not talk about him anymore. Didn't the maid say she was going to tidy up the perilla leaves she picked yesterday? Where are they?"
The perilla was the same perilla that Fan Xiaoxiao had mentioned yesterday. She gave Aunt Wang a mysterious smile and said, "You'll find out soon enough."
The carriage slowly drove out of the east side of the town and soon arrived at the grove of trees that Fan Xiaoxiao and the others had passed by yesterday.
"Stop!"
Fan Xiaoxiao shouted "Stop the carriage!" and then quickly ran downstairs, returning moments later with a sack full of perilla leaves. The carriage started moving again, and Fan Xiaoxiao leisurely found a piece of burlap and spread it in the middle of the carriage. Then she poured all the perilla leaves onto the burlap.
She shook the cloth bag in her hand, carefully tidied it up, and then placed it aside. Then, pointing to the perilla in the middle, she said:
"Look, we've got them! Come on, let's pick the perilla seeds that have grown on top, and then bundle the leaves together and hang them upside down under the carport to dry in the shade."
Aunt Wang looked at the pile of perilla leaves in surprise. She had noticed that the cloth bag Fan Xiaoxiao had brought up wasn't very big, but she hadn't expected it to be so full of perilla leaves. After being poured out, it instantly expanded to more than double its original size.
"This, so much? You took this directly from the forest?"
Fan was amused by Wang Da Niang's unexpected question: "Godmother, these were picked yesterday, yesterday..."
Fan paused, as if recalling the unpleasant scene from yesterday.
Fan Xiaoxiao glanced at her and continued, "We left in a hurry yesterday and only had time to scatter the perilla leaves on the spot. That's why I specially asked Young Hero Miao and the others to wait for me here today."
"I see." Aunt Wang nodded and quickly helped pick the perilla seeds.
Seeing that the two of them were moving very quickly, Fan Xiaoxiao found a rope and sat down to tie the perilla leaves, which had already been picked of their seeds, into bundles.
The three of them worked together and finished processing the perilla leaves in no time.
Aunt Wang took the cloth Fan Xiaoxiao handed her and wiped her slightly dirty hands. Looking at the row of perilla leaves hanging upside down inside the car, she asked with some confusion, "Er Ya, you've got so much perilla, when are we going to finish eating it?"
After saying that, she looked at the burlap, where there were still quite a few leaves left: "Why don't you hang these up with them?"
"Ah, these."
...
"Whoa!"
As the sun slowly set behind the western mountains, Baihua and Xiaohei found a spot near the water and stopped, letting the horses graze and drink.
"Oh dear, I'm so suffocating!"
The Ghost Doctor jumped off the train and stretched out a big yawn.
"Hey, Xiao Hei! The place you found has pretty nice scenery! There's water and mountains."
"Pfft." Fan Xiaoxiao, who was washing perilla leaves, was amused by his dry description: "Grandpa, what do you mean by 'water and mountains'? We've had water and mountains everywhere along our journey! This is called 'the sunset reflecting on the water, a unique shade of red'!"
"Hehe, it's all the same, it's all the same." The Ghost Doctor smacked his lips and walked up to Fan Xiaoxiao.
"Girl, what are you washing this time?"
"Perilla!" Fan Xiaoxiao shook the water off the leaves without turning her head.
"Perilla... oh dear! Isn't this a medicinal herb? The leaves are used as a diaphoretic, antitussive, aromatic stomachic, and diuretic, and have analgesic, sedative, and detoxifying effects; it can treat colds. The stems have the function of calming the mind and stabilizing the fetus, and the seeds can suppress coughs, eliminate phlegm, relieve asthma, and dispel mental depression (excerpt from Baidu Encyclopedia). This thing can be used in cooking?"
The Ghost Doctor squatted down next to Fan Xiaoxiao with a curious expression, examining the large bunch of purple leaves.
"It can be used in cooking! I'll make some perilla sauce for you guys later, make a lot so we won't have to eat dry flatbread on the road! Hey, Grandpa! Can you hold these leaves for me? I'm going to go shred some shrimp. It'll taste great in the perilla sauce!"
Fan Xiaoxiao said it looked tempting, and the old doctor swallowed hard and took the perilla leaves.
"Hey! Baby! Be careful! Rub it a lot!"
Fan Xiaoxiao was amused by his words and smiled. After saying "I understand," she started rubbing shrimp along the riverbank.
"You seem to be having a lot of fun with her."
Gu Chongtai had somehow walked up to the Ghost Doctor's side, his lazy voice revealing no emotion.
The Ghost Doctor glanced at him, then sat down cross-legged on the riverbank. "Tch, this kid's much more interesting than you guys! He even made me something delicious!"
"Heh." Gu Chongtai chuckled lightly, "Since you get along well, then you can stay by her side from now on. It's also a good opportunity to eat more foods you've never tried before." It's better than dying in some unknown place in your previous life, where he couldn't save you even if he wanted to.
The Ghost Doctor shuddered at his words, then rolled his eyes at him: "Why are you talking like a girl! Alright, I'll naturally eat good food with this girl, you should worry more about yourself! And remember, don't use your internal energy lately!"
After saying that, he still seemed to feel it wasn't enough, so he stroked his beard and added, "You really can die!"
(End of this chapter)
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