Chapter 1006 Gathering Mountain Goods
The saying goes, "On festive occasions, one misses one's family even more." With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, Lin Yuesha misses her family even more.
Unable to fall asleep, Qi Heng took Lin Yuesha out of the cabin and boiled water for tea on the stone platform. This was a rare moment of leisure for the couple.
With the bright moon overhead and a cool night breeze, a sip of hot tea instantly dispelled the chill.
"Husband, what do you think of my elder brother?"
When the topic turned to her stepbrother Xiao Qi, Lin Yuesha started talking non-stop.
She had a misunderstanding with Qi Heng before. This guy Qi Heng was wearing a mask with a pockmarked face and insisted that she looked like his sister who was no longer alive.
What the hell is this girl? Looking at it now, it's like she's being cursed!
Why didn't Qi Heng mention this when he went to her house to propose marriage?
In a fit of anger, Lin Yuesha sent her capable subordinate, her stepbrother Xiao Qi, to plead with Pockmarked Face to marry, have children, and have a large harem.
My stepbrother is such an honest person, he should have done it.
"Tingyun is an honest man."
Evaluating oneself is a difficult task. If you praise yourself too much, you will eventually be exposed and it will be hard to recover.
Qi Heng was modest and cautious, giving his pseudonym a fair assessment.
Lin Yuesha agreed that it was because her stepbrother was too honest that he sometimes caused the family worry.
As siblings, she and Xiao Qi had a very good relationship and she liked her older brother.
If they were strangers, she would never marry a man with a personality like her stepbrother.
Why?
Qi Heng's eyelids twitched. He shouldn't speak too definitively; nothing in this world is absolute. Lin Yuesha is already married; she just doesn't know it herself.
"She is soft-hearted, easy to talk to, and too kind."
The three points Lin Yuesha mentioned, taken individually, are actually very good qualities, but when combined, they are simply a disaster.
Because of his stepson's behavior, he attracted quite a few unwanted romantic advances.
“People who are too kind are bound to meddle in other people’s business. There was a man in the next village who always went to fetch water for a widow. He did nothing wrong, but he caused the widow to be gossiped about and almost couldn’t survive.”
Lin Yuesha believes that her stepbrother is too self-centered.
Qi Heng curled the corners of his lips, picked up a cup of hot tea, and tried to distract his wife.
Did my older brother say anything to you?
Taking a sip of tea, Lin Yuesha asked again.
In what aspect?
He can communicate with himself without talking to himself; he can communicate simply by thinking.
Qi Heng was worried that he would make a mistake again, so he asked detailed questions.
"It's about getting married."
Lin Yuesha gestured, describing it euphemistically.
"No, Tingyun isn't that gossipy; he's focused on his studies."
Qi Heng shook his head in denial, but Lin Yuesha kept it in mind.
My stepbrother is unreliable. He made a promise, but he can't keep it.
Each with their own thoughts, they drank tea instead of wine and sat there until dawn.
Having barely slept all night, Lin Yuesha felt no fatigue whatsoever. On the contrary, she felt refreshed by the fresh mountain air, her body and mind were relaxed, and she had inexhaustible energy.
For breakfast, Qi Heng cooked eight-treasure porridge, served with steamed buns with spicy tofu, shredded chicken, and a plate of smashed cucumber. The two of them ate with great relish.
After the meal, Lin Yuesha didn't want to go down the mountain, her eyes lingering on the wild grapes she had encountered on the way up the mountain the day before.
Qi Heng, being experienced, prepared a bamboo basket lined with leaves, and the couple set off into the deep mountains.
Along the way, Qi Heng raided the pheasant nests. Lin Yuesha had just finished eating chicken and decided to let the pheasants go, but she took all the eggs they laid.
On a clear morning in the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the mountains were shrouded in mist. As you approached the woods, dew dampened the hem of Lin Yuesha's dress.
"My lord, that's a hazelnut tree!"
Lin Yuesha, with her sharp eyes, spotted a thick tree deep in the mountains that looked quite old.
Peel off the outer skin of the fruit to reveal the hazelnut inside.
Lin Yuesha loved making cakes with hazelnuts and would have Qi Heng do the hard labor.
The mountains are deserted and the wild fruits and vegetables have been left unpicked, some of them have already fallen to the ground.
Lin Yuesha went into the mountains and brought back two large baskets of mushrooms, wood ear fungus, hazelnuts, wild blueberries, and other fruits, a very fruitful harvest.
What excited her most was that she picked a lot of wild roses. The fresh flowers could be used to make rose jam and flower cakes, while the dried flowers could be dried and used to make tea.
On the way down the mountain, Lin Yuesha picked some wild chrysanthemums to make tea to clear heat and improve eyesight.
It was early morning, and the sun was blazing. Qi Heng suggested that the couple rest at a roadside tea stall for a while before continuing their journey.
"Okay, the old man said his tea leaves weren't very good, but the water he used to brew them was from a mountain spring, and it had a sweet taste."
The couple ordered a pot of tea, and Lin Yuesha asked the old man for some water to wash the wild blueberries.
With its sweet and sour flavor and fruity aroma, this wild blueberry is unique to the North.
Villagers from the surrounding area often go into the mountains to pick the fruit, and occasionally use it to make wine.
"Uncle, does anyone from the surrounding villages go up the mountain to pick these wild blueberries? Could I buy some?"
In a short while, Lin Yuesha finished the small bowl of wild blueberries.
Blueberries have many uses: they can be used to make wine, preserve fruit, make cookies, and fruit tea.
"Yes, the Qian family in the village used to do this kind of work, but they probably won't this year."
The old man sighed, his face clouded with worry.
"Then why don't you just stop?"
Lin Yuesha was somewhat disappointed. She found people to pick the fruit, but they couldn't get much even after a whole day, and they still had to go to the mountains to find more.
Those who make a living this way year-round have connections, are familiar with the terrain, and can solve problems with money.
Now the problem is that money can't solve it, and the Qian family is backing down.
"What a terrible thing!"
The old man sighed and pointed around, saying, "Young lady, haven't you noticed anything unusual?"
In previous years, when there was no war, his stall was always packed. By noon, the small stall was overflowing with people and often couldn't fit everyone.
Now, you can hardly see anyone drinking tea in a day; the old man sets up his stall purely by chance.
War is about to break out in the north, and the people are suffering. Grain prices are fluctuating wildly.
These past few days have been the autumn harvest season. Fortunately, the northern regions have enjoyed favorable weather this year, with no major disasters. However, just as the people's lives were starting to improve, the Great Qi Dynasty launched a civil war.
"Why doesn't the Qian family do business? Their daughter was abducted by General Qi and taken to the military camp. I heard she's been taken into the brothel. This is a sin that has befallen their ancestors for eighteen generations!"
Everyone knows what the red tent is for—it's a place with even less dignity than a courtesan.
If someone is in poor health, they basically won't live more than a year. Isn't this just pushing people into a fire pit?
The old man couldn't help but say a few words, and then felt a little scared afterward.
Now that Qi Heng has occupied the northern lands, he frequently kills civilians. He has no sense of propriety when it comes to his mouth. If General Qi's men hear this, he will surely die!
"Sir, are you telling the truth?"
The despicable General Qi is right before our eyes; someone can confront him face to face.
If Qi Heng were to do such a thing, Lin Yuesha would be the first to stand up and resist.
She declined to comment on matters like the military's red tents, but relying on abducting women to fill manpower was beyond what could be described simply as the despicable act of two scoundrels.
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