Chapter 26
Yu Ying took the small arrow he handed over, held it in her hand, and glanced at the short arrow stuck in the wall. She still felt a little excited and her heart was still beating fast.
After a few breaths, Fu Wei's slow voice came from behind him: "It's always a bit nervous when using it for the first time."
Yu Ying breathed a sigh of relief, turned to look at him, and said, "Thank you." Then she raised the small crossbow in her hand, but suddenly remembered its power, her face changed slightly, and she put it down in a hurry.
Fu Wei reminded her, "There are no arrows in the quiver, don't panic."
Yu Ying then remembered that he had only shot two short arrows, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"No matter what, I have to thank you for making this for me..." She thought for a moment before continuing, "Yuanrong Crossbow."
After mentioning Xiaonu's name, Yu Ying smiled at him.
There is a very shallow dimple on Yu Ying's cheek, which appears when she smiles.
Her charming smile and beautiful eyes were just like this, even the few faint "stains" on her face had faded away without any trace.
At this moment, Fu Wei only felt his mouth dry and his throat rolling. After swallowing, he looked away and looked at the window with the straw curtain still on.
After two breaths, he calmly said, "You don't have to thank me. What you've done for the Fu family and for me is far more valuable than this crossbow."
Yu Ying just smiled and said nothing. Their current situation was one of mutual benefit and assistance, so there was no need to say much.
"This morning is the last day. We need to hurry up and collect more herbs. I'll be leaving now."
After saying something to Fu Wei, Yu Ying turned around and went out with the crossbow. When she reached the door, she seemed to remember something, so she walked back and pulled out the two short arrows stuck in the wall.
After leaving the yard, I saw Fu'an and Funing watering the seeds that had just been planted.
Because Yu Ying was busy, the two children dug the soil and buried the vegetable seeds themselves under Luo's guidance.
In addition to taking care of the herbs that are drying every day, these two children also carefully watch over the vegetable seeds that they buried with their own hands.
The first thing I do when I wake up every morning is to water the vegetables and squat beside them to urge them to sprout quickly.
Seeing that they didn't look over, Yu Ying secretly put the crossbow into the backpack and covered it with a cloth.
After covering it, Fu An looked up and asked, "What did my uncle say?"
Yu Ying put on the backpack and said, "Let me be careful when I enter the mountains."
After hearing this, Fu An curled his lips and said, "I went into the mountains before, why didn't my uncle remind me?"
Yu Ying chuckled, picked up the backpack, and told him, "I'll be back around noon. Remember to turn over the herbs. If the weather isn't right, put them all in my room."
Not only did Fu An nod, but the little Fu Ning beside him also nodded like pounding garlic, so obedient and cute.
I don’t know if it was her illusion or she just liked it.
Although the brother and sister were still wearing the same ill-fitting clothes full of patches and frayed cuffs, Yu Ying always felt that the brother and sister had gained some weight and looked much whiter.
Previously, Fu'an and Fu Ning were both dark and thin, with dull and empty eyes.
But now the two pairs of eyes are lively and full of longing for life.
*
Yu Ying went into the mountains and found that there were no villagers collecting herbs there.
I guess it was because I was busy the whole day the day before, but in the end I found that I might only have enough money to pay for the ox cart fare, or even not enough for the ox cart fare, so I didn't waste any more time.
Whether they entered the mountain or not had no impact on Yu Ying, so she didn't care.
Yu Ying had almost picked all the herbs in the area around the mountain, so she went to another place.
The other mountain was unfamiliar, even though it was only on the outskirts of the mountain. However, Yu Ying still took out the small crossbow given to her by Fu Wei, loaded it with five short arrows, and remained vigilant while collecting herbs.
Before she knew it, it was almost noon. Yu Ying looked at the less than full basket of herbs in her backpack, was silent for a moment, and prepared to go back.
Even if she picks for a while longer, it won't change the big problem, and she will be the one who gets exhausted.
When she was digging the last herb, a cold breath suddenly swept through the trees and bushes and landed behind Yu Ying.
Yu Ying seemed to sense something was wrong.
The next moment, there was a slight rustling sound from the bushes behind her. Yu Ying, who had been on guard, was startled. Although her heart was beating like thunder, she forced herself to calm down. She held her breath and gave up trying to dig up the herbs. Instead, she slowly reached for the crossbow on the ground.
The moment she picked up the crossbow, the sound of the beast behind her suddenly became clear. Yu Ying turned around abruptly and shot at the huge black figure that was suddenly rushing towards her without hesitation.
After shooting continuously, when the second short arrow was fired, Yu Ying could clearly see that there was a wild boar with fangs in front of her!
Yu Ying's face turned pale instantly, and she was terrified, but her reason overcame her fear. She resisted the urge to retreat and escape immediately, and shot the remaining three short arrows.
The wild boar was about three or four feet away. If she ran now, she would definitely not be able to outrun it, and her back would be exposed.
The wild boar had thick and rough skin, and the short arrow could hardly penetrate its flesh, but it still scratched its skin. The pain made it dare not pounce on it at will, and it dodged the short arrow.
When the fifth arrow was shot, Yu Ying turned around and ran without any hesitation.
The next moment he ran out, the howling of a wild boar suddenly sounded behind him.
Yu Ying didn’t know where the last arrow hit, she only knew that she couldn’t stop.
The clothes on her body were torn by the branches, and her cheeks were also scratched with tiny wounds.
She ran all the way until there was no movement behind her for a long time. She really couldn't run any more, so she stopped.
Yu Ying hid under the trees on the slope, panting and holding onto a tree trunk, gasping for air. Frightened and screaming from running, her sleeveless shirt was completely soaked with sweat.
After taking a few breaths, she stuck her head out and looked back. Seeing that the wild boar did not chase her, she breathed a sigh of relief.
The branches and thorns had torn her clothes into many holes, and she also felt a burning pain on her face from the sweat.
She didn't need to look in the mirror to see how miserable she was.
But compared with being injured by the wild boar, this current embarrassment is nothing.
While taking a breath, she remembered Fu Wei's words.
He said that if you often walk by the river, your shoes will get wet, let alone in this dangerous and unpredictable mountain.
It seems that we really can't be too careless, nor can we pin all our hopes of making money on these mountains.
The mountain is a treasure trove, but we are afraid of losing our lives to dig it out.
After taking a breath for a while and about to leave, I found something wrong around me.
After looking around, she realized that she had gone astray and was no longer on the outskirts of the mountain.
The area outside the mountain is dangerous, not to mention the area inside.
She didn't dare to stay any longer and had to leave quickly.
Yu Ying stood up and was about to leave, but because she was exhausted from running, she lost her grip on the small crossbow in her hand and it fell to the ground. She quickly bent down to pick it up.
She picked up the crossbow and was about to check if it was broken when she seemed to realize something. She stopped moving suddenly, took two steps back, looked at the vines growing on the hillside, reached out and pulled them over for a closer inspection.
The vines are intertwined, the leaves are slender heart-shaped, with a pointed end, and no hairs on the leaves.
Yu Ying's heart trembled slightly. If she was not mistaken, it should be the vine of Polygonum multiflorum - Polygonum multiflorum.
She knew clearly that although Polygonum multiflorum had become a relatively common Chinese medicine in later generations, it was a relatively precious medicinal material in ancient times.
The older it is, the more valuable it is. Even this Polygonum multiflorum may be more valuable than those herbs that are counted by weight.
Yu Ying pulled off the vine while looking for the roots.
She found the roots between the rocks and the soil. The roots would only be valuable if they were dug out intact, so she had to be very careful.
Seeing that it would take some time, Yu Ying first loaded the remaining five short arrows into the quiver of the small crossbow and put it aside before starting to dig.
*
The sun gradually moved westward. Fu An had already cooked the porridge, but Yu Ying had not returned.
Fu Wei had asked Fu An to lift all the curtains on the windows earlier, and he kept looking outside the yard.
He looked at the sky outside, but since he couldn't see the sun, he could only call Fu An over.
Fu An thought his uncle wanted to help, so he hurried over, walked to the window, and asked, "What's wrong with my uncle?"
Fu Wei asked, "What time is it now?"
Fu An made porridge by looking at the time, so he answered without hesitation: "It's exactly 5 p.m."
Hearing that it was already this late, Fu Wei's gaze swept over Fu An again, and he looked outside through the fence. There was still no one in sight, and his brows furrowed.
Fu An also followed his uncle's gaze and looked out, muttering, "Why hasn't my aunt come back yet? When she left, she clearly said she would be back at noon, but now it's already noon, why hasn't she come back yet?"
Luo and Fu Ning, who were picking wild vegetables under the eaves, stopped when they heard this.
Fu Ning didn't know how to tell the time, nor did she know how long an hour was, but she could tell that her aunt should have come back, but she hadn't yet.
She stood up and ran to the bamboo gate, looking eagerly in the direction where Yu Ying left in the morning.
Mrs. Luo also began to feel uneasy. She picked up the bamboo pole that was leaning against the side, then stood up and said to her son, "Sixth Mother is a person of measure. She will come back when she said she would. She hasn't come back yet. Maybe..." She didn't say anything else, only saying, "I'm going to the He family now and ask Uncle He to help look for her."
Fu An quickly went to support his grandmother and said, "Grandma, I'll go with you."
Watching the grandfather and grandson leave the yard, Fu Wei withdrew his gaze, looked at his legs with disgust, and clenched his hands into fists, with his knuckles turning faintly white.
Anxiety appeared in his eyes.
When will these crippled legs heal?
When will I stop being like a useless person, unable to do anything...
Fu Wei suddenly heard a sound from outside the yard coming into the house. He suddenly raised his head and looked outside, only to see Fu Ning seemed to have seen something and ran forward hurriedly.
Fu Wei seemed to have guessed something. He let out a breath secretly and slowly loosened his clenched fists.
From a distance, Yu Ying saw a small figure staggering towards her. Even though it was just a tiny dot in the distance, she could still tell who it was.
She was afraid that the little girl would fall, so she walked much faster.
The little girl was wearing straw sandals, and the ground was bumpy and full of stones, so it was easy for her to fall.
When they got closer, Yu Ying shouted anxiously, "Don't run, stand still, I'll come over."
The little girl heard the voice, hesitated for a moment, then slowly stopped and stood still.
Yu Ying breathed a sigh of relief.
When she got closer, when she was still seven or eight steps away, the little girl saw how miserable she looked, her face turned pale, and she no longer waited obediently. Instead, she stumbled and ran towards Yu Ying.
He rushed to Yu Ying and hugged her thighs.
Yu Ying looked down at the little girl and saw that her shoulders were trembling and her breathing sounded like sobbing.
Yu Ying's heart trembled slightly.
After no longer having the possibility to meet relatives and friends, it is hard not to be touched when you meet someone who cares about you so much.
After a moment, Yu Ying squatted down and said to her softly, "Auntie is fine, it's just..."
She thought about it and made an excuse: "I just fell accidentally."
Hearing this, the little girl raised her tearful eyes and looked at her.
Yu Ying smiled at her warmly, "Aunt is really fine. Let's go home quickly. Grandma and the others must be waiting anxiously."
The little girl nodded, then stretched out her hand and held Yu Ying's hand.
The two of them went back hand in hand.
Fu Wei stared outside the yard with an urgent look.
After a while, when he saw Yu Ying, whose clothes were torn and there were many small scratches on her cheeks, and who looked in a miserable state, his usually cold expression changed.
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