Chapter 5: Mint to relieve heat
Zheng used a wet towel to cool her son down while giving instructions.
Such a big commotion at the Xu family alarmed many people. The village chief also came over to inquire about the situation and was relieved to hear that nothing serious was going on.
Fortunately, Xu Kang's fever was not serious and it subsided at night.
At dawn the next day, Xu Nian got up and, without disturbing the sleeping Xu family, ran along the same route he came.
She seemed to remember seeing mint somewhere, and she had to find it quickly, otherwise her family would be worried if they couldn't see her.
Following her memory, she finally saw the small piece of mint and without thinking, she started pulling the leaves with both hands.
Fortunately, Tian was afraid that she would catch a cold last night, so she asked her to wear an extra coat, which was just the right coat to store the mint.
Xu Nian spread the clothes on the ground and put the plucked leaves on the clothes until they were piled into a small bag. Then he tied the clothes together, put them on his back and started running back.
At this time, everyone in the Xu family was in a panic, and Tian was wiping her tears.
Just as Old Man Xu was about to send his sons out to look for him separately, he saw Xu Nian running back like a monkey.
Old Man Xu was both angry and amused when he saw this. Tian also rushed over to check Xu Nian from head to toe to see if he was injured.
"Girl, where have you been? Running around alone in the wilderness, do you know how dangerous it is?" Wang scolded angrily.
"It's good to be back, it's good to be back."
"Yes, find someone to accompany you in the future."
Xu Nian felt warm at heart when she heard the caring words from her family. It had been a long time since anyone cared about her so much since her grandmother passed away.
Everyone in the Xu family was trying to persuade her, but only Xu Yaozu noticed that his daughter was carrying something on her back.
"Nian'er, what are you carrying?"
Only then did Xu Nian remember the important matter.
Xu Nian took off his clothes and opened them to reveal the leaves inside.
"This is mint, it can clear away heat and relieve summer heat. We are rushing so fast and some people will inevitably get heat stroke. You can chew a few leaves in your mouth while walking, or you can soak it in water and drink it. It will definitely be helpful."
The Xu family was stunned when they heard this, but it was Xu Weian who asked everyone's question.
"Big girl, how did you know?"
Xu Nian's heart skipped a beat. How could she have forgotten this? She could only perfunctorily say, "I don't know. When I saw it, its usefulness suddenly popped into my mind."
The Xu family was not given a chance to explore because the main force was about to set off.
Xu Yaozu kept some of the mint and rolled up the rest and took it to the village chief.
He first found Doctor Liu and asked if it was edible. After learning that it was indeed a medicinal herb, he felt relieved and went to find the village chief.
Village Chief Wang had just put away his things when he saw Xu Yaozu coming to look for him.
"Uncle, these are the herbs for relieving summer heat that my girl brought back. I just asked Doctor Liu to check them and confirmed they are safe to eat.
I think it’s better for everyone to take precautions in advance in such hot weather, otherwise it’s easy to delay your journey.”
Village Chief Wang nodded after listening. At the same time, he was also surprised that the girl from the Xu family actually knew about medicinal herbs. He heard that the girl must be stupid.
The village chief could not accept the Xu family's kindness for nothing, so he shouted to everyone:
“I know the weather is hot and everyone is feeling uncomfortable, but there is nothing we can do to save our lives.
It just so happened that the Xu family had gathered some herbs to prevent heat stroke, so every household came to take some back to avoid getting sick on the way."
The village chief did not say that it was the Xu family's eldest daughter who picked the herbs. After all, ever since the girl fell, everyone in the village had been saying that the child had become stupid.
Now it was a race against time, and the village chief didn't want to waste time explaining it to everyone one by one.
When the villagers heard that there were herbal medicines for preventing heatstroke, they all came excitedly to get them.
"That's good. My father's face turned pale yesterday, but we didn't dare to stop. Now that we have the herbs, we are not afraid anymore. I really have to thank Uncle Xu."
"That's why there must be a scholar in the family. Look at the eldest son of the Xu family, he knows a lot."
“That’s right…”
As the saying goes, one who takes from someone else is obliged to give, and one who eats from someone else is obliged to give. While receiving the herbs, the villagers kept praising the Xu family.
Xu Yaozu, who had just delivered the herbs, looked at Xu Nian, who was chewing some dry food, and asked, "Do you blame me for taking the initiative to give away the herbs you worked so hard to collect?"
Xu Nian shook her head. Actually, picking the flowers wasn't very hard for her.
Xu Yaozu still lowered his voice and explained: "We, the Xu family, have no close relatives in Dahe Village. Although there are many men in the family, once we encounter difficulties, a few people in the family cannot accomplish anything."
Xu Nian nodded to show that she understood, but she was still very touched. After all, in the ancient times when patriarchy was supreme, Xu Yaozu was not dictatorial and was willing to explain so much to her. At least she had more confidence in the future.
At the same time, Xu Nian was also slowly telling himself in his heart: I must change my thinking.
In modern times, because of his childhood experiences, Xu Nian always likes to make all the decisions on his own and likes to be alone.
But in the prosperous dynasty, especially under such circumstances, it would definitely not work. At least the fourteen members of the Xu family were already inseparable from her.
After the villagers had distributed the herbs, they were ready to continue their journey.
Because Xu Kang was ill last night, it also served as a wake-up call to the Xu family.
Before setting off today, Old Man Xu moved some of the things on the donkey cart to the cart and let Xu Kang and Xu Jian sit on the donkey cart.
Because of the limited space on the carts, the women had no choice but to carry some of their bags on their backs.
Xu Nian also carried a small bag. She was more tired and sweated more than yesterday. Even with mint in her mouth, she felt her throat was about to smoke.
Tian handed over a bamboo tube and said, "Nian'er, drink some water slowly."
Xu Nianshi didn't have the strength to speak. He took the bamboo tube and drank two sips of water before he felt better.
Zheng also came over, untied Xu Nian's bag and put it on her arm.
"Auntie, hold it. Please walk slowly. It's too hot today."
Little Wang also said, "It's much hotter today than last year. I don't know if it's just my illusion."
Xu Nian didn't have the spare time to think about the weather. She just knew that she wouldn't be able to hold on for a few more days if she continued walking like this.
And often the more people fear something, the more likely it is to happen.
On the afternoon of the sixth day after they had been walking, they encountered two groups of refugees. One group was fleeing from Yangcheng. It was also at this time that they heard from the refugees the news that Yangcheng had been captured.
Another group of refugees came from Huaiyang City. Since April, there had been no rain in the five cities near Huaiyang City, resulting in no harvest in the fields. The government did not distribute any disaster relief grain, so they had to leave their hometown.
The people of Dahe Village were stunned when they heard the tragic news, because their destination was Qingyuan City, one of the five cities affected by the disaster.
At this moment, Xu Nian wished she could pull God down and cut him into pieces. How could she have lacked virtue and talent in her previous life to have to punish her like this? How could she survive with drought in front and enemy troops behind?
Perhaps because he was too emotional, Xu Nian fainted.