While Ye Wenxue was researching how to make mud bricks from the lake and transport them directly to the valley, Dazhuang was searching for wild vegetables, game, and fruits along the lakeside.
Although the family had smoked cured meat and dried wood ear mushrooms, no one would complain about having too much food stored.
Besides, he used up all the salt at home when curing the bacon, and now he's using some snow-white fine salt that his mother got from somewhere... It looks very valuable, and he's reluctant to use it.
He wanted to find some naturally sour and salty fruits that he could mix into dishes to season them without adding salt.
Unfortunately, we couldn't find any wild fruit, only a lot of wild vegetables and fruits.
The trees and grass around the lake were very green, and the thickets were very dense.
Dazhuang had filled his basket to the brim. He glanced back at his mother, who was bending over to pick things up, and decided to find some more to fill her basket as well.
He had just turned his gaze away and taken two steps forward when he suddenly stepped on something, and his whole body froze.
Immediately afterwards, a cold and dangerous sensation reached my ankle.
...A poisonous snake?
Da Zhuang lowered his head tremblingly and suddenly saw an arm.
He was so frightened that he almost screamed.
Ye Wenxue noticed something was wrong with him from afar and quickly ran over. She parted the bushes and saw a man who was covered in bruises and seriously injured.
She raised her hand to check his breath, kicked away his hand that was holding Dazhuang, and gently comforted her son: "It's okay, he's not dead, let's go."
Da Zhuang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He thought the dead had come back to life.
"Mom, I picked up half a basket of persimmons and chestnuts, and some wild dates..." Dazhuang followed Ye Wenxue without hesitation.
"Help...help me!"
Dazhuang paused, turned around and looked back: "Mom, we're short of a laborer at home."
It wasn't that he felt pity, but building a house required a lot of strength.
He was too young and not strong enough, so no matter how much he loved his mother, he couldn't help her much.
The person who fainted looked very strong and capable of doing a lot of work.
Ye Wenxue glanced at the seriously injured man from head to toe, looking quite disgusted: "He's tall and strong and eats a lot. It'll take him a while to recover. There's no room for such an idle person in the house."
She wasn't making this up; even four-and-a-half-year-old Siwang had to do chores at home.
This person is seriously injured and needs at least four or five days to recover. How can you expect to get free food, drink, and lodging?
I won't do it.
To avoid a scenario reminiscent of novels, Ye Wenxue confirmed with Dazhuang again: "Your father, is he really dead?"
Could it be such a coincidence that this is the person?
Could it be that Cheng Xiucai didn't die but was hit into the river with a hoe, floated away to another place, and then came back to life seven or eight years later to snatch her child?
Dazhuang didn't understand how she connected it to his father, and mumbled a reply, "I saw it with my own eyes..."
He choked up a few times.
Ye Wenxue noticed his unusual mood and couldn't help but feel annoyed at her own slowness. She gently comforted him for a couple of minutes and forcefully changed the subject:
“If you want to save him, I will. I know a doctor who owes me a favor, so I might not even have to pay him for the treatment.”
Dazhuang had long since accepted the death of his parents, and his emotions quickly calmed down. He thought about it for a moment and followed Ye Wenxue's words: "Let's not save them. The doctor's favor is very valuable. We should save it for when we need it in the future."
Ye Wenxue nodded noncommittally.
"Clang."
The slight noise drew their attention.
Dazhuang hesitated for a moment, then tiptoed over to take a look: "...Mother, he dropped a jade pendant."
Ye Wenxue glanced at the seriously injured man, a half-smile on her face: "This thing can't be sold in the mountains, it's useless."
That bastard, he's clearly awake but pretending to be unconscious.
She won't save her!
Ye Wenxue turned and left: "Let's go home, our family must be getting impatient."
The free laborers just drifted away like that. Da Zhuang felt a little regretful, but that was all.
He understood what was more important.
Before the two men could take ten steps, the seriously injured man had no choice but to open his eyes and say, "If you two have saved my life, I will repay you with all my wealth."
Ye Wenxue and Dazhuang didn't turn their heads back.
The pie in the sky was too big for them to eat.
The seriously injured man's face grew even paler. He gritted his teeth and said, "I have some loose silver on me. I'll pay for my own medical treatment and medicine, and..."
Ye Wenxue turned around instantly and walked back, squatting down in front of him with a bright smile: "Also, while you're recovering, you have to help me with chores. You'll do all the hard, tiring, and dirty work. Once you're healed, leave this place immediately and don't mention us to anyone else, and..."
Dazhuang, who was listening nearby, was dumbfounded.
As expected of his mother, she's truly amazing.
The seriously injured man was so angry at Ye Wenxue's numerous demands that he laughed. But there was no one around. He had waited for three whole days and finally got a chance to live. How could he give up so easily?
The seriously injured man, holding his breath, said, "Stop talking! I'll agree to all your demands!"
Ye Wenxue raised an eyebrow and instructed Dazhuang to feed the person some diluted spiritual spring water: "Can you still walk?"
The seriously injured man shook his head.
Ye Wenxue thought about it and realized it made sense. If she could leave, would she have agreed to all those demands?
but……
Ye Wenxue's gaze swept back and forth between Dazhuang and the seriously injured man before she made up her mind: "You lie here for a while longer. I'll take my son home and then find someone to rescue you."
The seriously injured man had a hint of doubt in his eyes, but he had no other choice.
Ye Wenxue and Dazhuang came to the lake and called out to the geese a few times. The geese splashed in the water and ran back with something in their mouths.
It dropped what it was eating at Ye Wenxue's feet, shook off the water, and obediently squatted back into Ye Wenxue's basket.
"Um?"
Ye Wenxue picked up the token-like object and looked at it: "...What is this? Gold?"
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