Chapter 54
The house belonging to Manager Tian is not particularly large. Because it is an old house, some of the furniture is quite worn out, but it is clean and tidy. There seem to be no neighbors around, so it is very quiet and suitable for recuperation.
The house had exactly three bedrooms, a large kitchen, and a yard. Chen Qing looked at the room filled with clutter and saw some tattered mattresses and two rattan balls that looked quite new.
Zhou Yuan came over and looked at it with him. Chen Qing said, "The Tian family must have kept dogs before."
The storage room was full of things the dog used to use.
The day after they settled in, Li Xin and Chen Qing took Zhang Yin to the clinic. The clinic was very busy. They waited for a while and saw people coming and going. Some paid money, and some didn't. There were servants from wealthy families in the village, and people so poor that their clothes were patched. Doctor Yu didn't care about status; as long as someone was sick, he would treat them.
He was busy until almost noon before he had a moment to spare. When he saw them arrive, he led them to the back and took out his silver needles from his medical kit.
Zhang Yin held one of her sons in each hand, looking somewhat frightened. In all the years she had sought medical treatment, she had never been pricked with needles, so the sight of the gleaming silver needles filled her with trepidation.
Doctor Yu smiled, wiped the silver needles with wine, and then had Zhang Yin roll up her sleeves. The first needle landed on Hegu acupoint, and Zhang Yin felt a little pain, her delicate eyebrows furrowing.
Chen Qing used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead, while Li Xin held her other hand, which wasn't pricked by an injection.
The last few needles were to be inserted into her back. Zhang Yin lay on the wooden bed, while Li Xin and Chen Qing's faces were contorted as if the needles were being inserted into them.
Dr. Yu's acupuncture technique was excellent. After finishing, he looked at the two children's eyes and smiled, "It looks like the needles were inserted into your bodies. It's all done. I'll come back to remove the needles in a quarter of an hour."
Chen Qing leaned closer: "Aunt Yin, does it hurt?"
Zhang Yin shook her head: "It only hurt at first, but it's better now."
It was past noon when the acupuncture was finished. After Dr. Yu finished the acupuncture, he went outside to eat. The food he ate was delivered by Tianji Restaurant. Chen Qing helped Zhang Yin, while Li Xin went to calculate the medical bill with Dr. Yu.
Dr. Yu thought for a moment and said, "There's no rush to give it to them. There are still some medicines I need to consider before using them. We'll talk about it later."
Just then, Zhou Yuan and Qi Shuning came to pick them up. Upon seeing Qi Shuning, Yu Nian remembered Tian Yao's instructions: "If you don't have anything to do this afternoon, come with me to the academy."
Qi Shuning thought it was just a polite remark from Manager Tian, but she didn't expect that they had already made arrangements.
Zhang Yin only learned about these things after she got back. Perhaps because of the acupuncture, she felt very tired today and only ate a few bites of food before pulling Zhou Yuan aside and saying, "They have taken such good care of us, we can't forget to be polite."
Zhou Yuan nodded: "Godmother, don't worry about these things, just focus on getting better."
Zhang Yin fell asleep quickly. They returned to the front hall to talk. Li Xin gave Zhou Yuan thirty of the fifty taels that Li the blacksmith had given him before he left. From the time they arrived in Yunxi Town, Zhou Yuan had paid for all their expenses. However, even brothers should keep clear accounts, otherwise it would affect their relationship.
Zhou Yuan didn't answer. He said, "I might go back soon to give my godfather a message. You all stay here and keep your godmother company. Make sure you have some money to rely on."
Chen Qing nodded and looked at Li Xin: "Just keep it. Didn't you have Qi Shuning keep track of everything? We'll settle the accounts when Aunt Yin gets better and we'll go back."
"Alright then, but what are you going back for?" Li Xin asked.
"Zhou Yuan said that the things here are all novel and he wants to transport some to our area to sell."
Li Xin's eyes lit up: "I told you it was feasible, but Mom still scolded me."
Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "Stay with your godmother. We're going out for a bit and will probably be back in a couple of days."
"good."
When they went out, they ran into Qi Shuning, who was returning home. He hadn't come back at noon; he had gone with Doctor Yu to find the schoolteacher they knew.
Qi Shuning was a little excited. He held Li Xin's hand and said, "Xin Xin, do you know who Dr. Yu's friend who teaches is? He's the dean of Shuming Academy. I... I... I never thought I could get into Shuming Academy."
He originally thought he could just find some books or buy some notes by the academy, but he never expected to be able to go inside and read.
Seeing that he was almost crying, Li Xin helplessly took out a handkerchief and wiped his eyes: "Have some self-respect. If you can go to school, then study hard. What are you crying about?"
Zhou Yuan patted him on the shoulder: "We're going out for a while. Take good care of the family."
Zhou Yuan wanted to go with Chen Qing to find Manager Tian, who said he would take them into the mountains to find the key ingredient.
When Chen Qing arrived at Tianji, he could still smell the aroma emanating from the restaurant; he had never smelled such a fragrant aroma before.
"When we get back, let's come here for a meal together."
Soon, Manager Tian came out, leading a horse. He glanced at Chen Qing and asked, "Can your husband ride a horse? Do you need a harness?"
Chen Qing quickly shook his head, and Zhou Yuan said, "I can take him on horseback."
Then Chen Qing saw Manager Tian mount his horse cleanly and nimbly, flick his whip, and the horse neighed and galloped away.
Zhou Yuan quickly helped him onto the horse and then followed behind Manager Tian.
Chen Qing leaned against Zhou Yuan's chest, watching Manager Tian galloping ahead on horseback. Manager Tian was also a man, but he was able to run such a large Tianji restaurant on his own. He could also ride a horse. It seemed like he could do everything that men do. Chen Qing felt a little envious.
Soon they arrived at Manager Tian's hometown, Huailing Village.
When Chen Qing arrived in the village, he saw that the village was growing things that they didn't recognize at all, and the bright red fruits looked very beautiful in the fields.
Tian Yao's family lives deep in Huailing Village, backed by mountains. However, his house is very well renovated and is the best-built house in the entire Huailing Village.
"Manager Tian, shall we head up the mountain now?" Zhou Yuan asked Tian Yao after tying up the horse.
"Don't call me Manager Tian anymore, just call me Uncle Tian." Tian Yao took out some good fodder from the house and fed the two horses. "There's no rush to go into the mountains today, let's do some preparations first."
So he led the two men to the back of the mountain, where they found a very resilient type of grass and cut a lot of it.
Chen Qing was also quite skilled at farm work, and in no time he had gathered a lot of grass for Tian Yao's yard. He had gotten to know Tian Yao a bit better these past few days, so he asked softly, "Uncle Tian, what's this for?"
Tian Yao sat down in the yard: "We need to make straw rope. We need a very long rope. The old rope we had at home is too old and I'm afraid it won't be strong enough."
Tian Yao taught him how to make straw ropes, and Zhou Yuan carried straw back again and again, while Chen Qing and Tian Yao sat in the yard making ropes.
Chen Qing is very skillful, and the straw ropes he twists are very strong.
Tian Yao was a very talkative person. Once she sat there, she couldn't stop talking. In no time, she had asked Chen Qing about his affairs in detail.
"You two are really destined to meet. You've come full circle after going through so much trouble. It's different with me and Yu Nian. It's all thanks to my initiative."
After asking Chen Qing about his affairs, he went on and on about his own. Chen Qing listened attentively and felt a pang of envy. He realized that young men could live such a carefree and unrestrained life.
They quickly twisted out a very long rope. As darkness fell, Tian Yao cooked a meal for them and prepared a lot of dry rations, saying that the place was very far away and it would take several days to return.
When they slept at night, Chen Qing and Tian Yao shared a room, while Zhou Yuan slept in another room. Zhou Yuan had learned about the local customs beforehand, and that couples shouldn't share a room when visiting someone else's house.
Chen Qing was still reserved and didn't sleep much all night. Tian Yao woke them up at dawn, and after getting ready, they prepared to go up the mountain.
The mountains in Huailing Village are quite different from those in Luohe Village. The trees on the mountains in Huailing Village are much more lush, with towering trees that almost completely block out the sky.
When they reached a slightly more open area, Chen Qing saw that Manager Tian had stopped. There was a grave mound there.
Tian Yao squatted down, gently touched the grave mound, and then stood up to continue walking.
Zhou Yuan and Chen Qing didn't dare to ask him, but he himself was very eager to confide: "That's the grave of my dogs, one named Grey and the other named Little White, both very good dogs."
"I've raised them for over twenty years, they're too old..."
Tian Yao sighed and led them deeper into the mountains. The deeper they went, the more difficult the path became. Zhou Yuan carried their dry rations and the straw rope he had made the day before. Seeing that Chen Qing was a little tired, he carried the bundle on his chest as usual, and then carried Chen Qing on his back.
A day passed quickly, and they had only traveled halfway when they found a cave and lit a fire for the night.
Chen Qing was exhausted and fell asleep with his head on Zhou Yuan's lap. Tian Yao looked at them and smiled, "I heard everything he said. You two are really destined to be together."
“He has suffered too much.” Zhou Yuan touched Chen Qing’s cheek. “I want him to be happier in the future.”
"It's good that you know how to love your husband." Tian Yao looked at the leaping flames and recalled her past.
Neither of them spoke after that, and the three of them continued walking deeper into the mountains after daybreak.
Finally, on the afternoon of the second day, they arrived at the cliff that Tian Yao had mentioned. Looking at the scene before him, Chen Qing was surprised to find such a wide-open space outside the deep mountains.
“That’s it.” Tian Yao breathed a sigh of relief and led the two people toward the edge of the cliff. “I found those medicinal herbs here more than 20 years ago.”
Zhou Yuan glanced at the cliff and felt his heart pounding. He took a deep breath and said, "That's why you had us make straw ropes."
Tian Yao nodded: "Now tie the rope to one person, and the two of us will pull on it. We can go down and take a look."
Zhou Yuan tied the rope around himself, but Chen Qing, who was standing next to him, noticed his pale face and the sweat on his forehead. He reached out and grabbed Zhou Yuan's hand, feeling the fine sweat on his palm.
"I'll go. I'm small, so it won't be difficult for you to catch me." Chen Qing pulled on the straw rope in Zhou Yuan's hand.
“I can do it, how could I let you go?” Zhou Yuan smiled somewhat reluctantly. “Don’t worry about me.”
Tian Yao cleared her throat and asked, "How about I go?"
The two immediately shook their heads. Manager Tian meant well, but how could they let him do such a dangerous thing? They were both young and there was no reason to put their elders in danger.
Chen Qing was already tying ropes around himself, and he put the other end of the rope into Zhou Yuan's palm: "I feel very reassured having this end of the rope in your hand."
Watching them chatter back and forth, Tian Yao recalled how she and Yu Nian used to be so affectionate when they were young: "Alright, it's not dangerous, let's hurry."
Zhou Yuan had no choice but to check the knots on Chen Qing's body again, fearing that the knots might have come loose.
Chen Qing clung to the rocks on the cliff face and slowly descended. Zhou Yuan was extremely nervous, loosening the rope little by little. Tian Yao was also helping him pull the rope. Zhou Yuan had completely forgotten how strong Tian Yao really was.
Chen Qing dared not look down. He moved down little by little, looking at the crack in the rock in front of him. Finally, when he went down further, he saw the herbs growing in the crack.
"I saw it!" Chen Qing shouted, his voice echoing through the valley.
Zhou Yuan, who was above, was very anxious: "Be careful."
Chen Qing carefully picked the herbs and put them in his arms. Then he tugged on the rope, and Zhou Yuan quickly lifted him up.
When Chen Qing climbed up the cliff and his feet touched the ground, his legs went weak and he was caught in Zhou Yuan's arms.
"I picked them." Chen Qing's hands were trembling as he took out the herbs he had been carrying.
Tian Yao patted his hair: "Alright, let's get ready to go back."
The return journey seemed to pass much faster. They quickly arrived back at Yamashita Haruka's house, rested briefly, and then immediately rode their horses towards the town.
Chen Qing lay in Zhou Yuan's arms, feeling drowsy, but just as he was about to fall asleep, he always felt like he was falling.
As he trembled, Zhou Yuan kissed the tip of his ear and whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'm here to catch you."
Chen Qingcai clutched his clothes again and fell asleep once more.
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