"Sister Xiaohui, you should stay home and help me take care of Mom. I can go by myself." Qiao Qiu didn't want anyone to come with her.
"No. Madam has enough people with her, Miss, so don't worry about it. On the contrary, Miss, you never let me go out with you. Does that mean you don't want me anymore?"
"I'm not abandoning you, I'm just worried about the dangers you'll face going up the mountain. It's so hot now, what if you encounter a poisonous snake?" Qiao Qiu wasn't trying to scare her; these kinds of animals do often come out in the summer.
Xiao Hui's face paled slightly. "Miss, you shouldn't go either. It's too dangerous."
"I'm fine, the snake won't hurt me."
"Miss, you're joking again. Do you think a venomous snake bites someone based on who they are?" Xiao Hui laughed.
Qiao Qiu laughed too, "Isn't it just a matter of who you are?"
“If Madam had thought of that, she definitely wouldn’t have let you go,” Xiao Hui said.
"Sister Xiaohui, don't tell Mom, I'll take you. You know snakes are afraid of realgar, right?"
Xiao Hui nodded. "Miss uses realgar."
"Um."
“That’s easy, Miss. I’ll ask Aunt Chun to help me tomorrow to soak two pieces of clothing and shoes in realgar powder. Then we won’t be afraid when we wear them outside.”
"Good idea." Qiao Qiu had just thought of realgar, but Xiao Hui had thought of more than her.
"Unintentionally helping someone, yet becoming a saint. Master, telling a lie and covering it up isn't easy." The ring seemed a little gloating.
“It’s all Yuge’s fault. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have told one lie after another, and it would have gone on and on.”
"Luckily, your lie worked, otherwise even a god couldn't save you."
Qiao Qiu laughed, "If I had a god to help me, that would be great. I could solve anything with a wave of my hand."
Xiao Hui quickly tied all of her hair up.
Qiao Qiu went to the warehouse and found a packet of realgar powder.
Xiao Hui also changed into lighter clothes and picked up a hoe and a small basket.
When Qiao's mother came out and saw their attire, she asked, "Qiu'er, are you really going?"
Qiao Qiu nodded. "I have the ability, I can't just stand by and watch someone die, can I?"
"But can you really do it with your limited medical skills?" Mrs. Qiao asked.
Qiao Qiu laughed and said, "Mother, what are you saying? Do I look like I can cure a serious illness? I'm just gathering some medicine to prevent people from getting sick in this kind of weather."
Where to collect them?
"It's just in the woods outside, Mom, don't worry. Maybe someone will come with me today," Qiao Qiu said, holding her hand.
Qiao Qiu didn't think many of the people who said those things last night would come; she just didn't want to stay at home.
“Who’s keeping you company? You can’t stay still at home. In this sweltering heat, aren’t you afraid of getting a tan?” Qiao’s mother tapped her nose.
"Don't worry, Madam, I will stay with Miss," Xiao Hui said.
Mrs. Qiao shook her head, "You're a girl too, how can I not feel at ease?"
“If you are worried, Madam, you can entrust their safety to me.” Yu Ge walked in, cupped his hands to Qiao’s mother and Qiao Qiu, and said, “I’m sorry for being rude. I came to say goodbye, but I overheard your conversation.”
Madam Qiao said gently, "Young master, what are you saying? I will send servants to accompany them. How could I trouble you? Young master, you probably haven't had breakfast yet, have you? I asked the servants to prepare extra breakfast this morning. I also prepared some snacks for you to take on the road."
After all, Qiao's mother had lived for so many years and had seen the world. It was really not good to keep a man like him, a man of the martial arts world, for too long.
"Thank you, Madam. I am truly ashamed to have disturbed your esteemed residence for one night and to have taken your belongings. I have nothing to offer you as a gift, but seeing your great kindness and compassion, I would like to give you something for your self-defense." Yuge took out a jade flute and gave it to her.
Madam Qiao quickly refused, "This is too valuable, no, Qiu'er cannot accept this. We've only kept you here for one night, consider this one night as a guest. Otherwise, next time the young master comes, our Qiao family will not keep him."
Yu Ge laughed heartily, "Madam, this is not a very valuable thing. Even if you are a guest, you should bring a small gift when you visit. Otherwise, how can you justify it? I would feel uneasy about it."
"this……"
After a brief exchange of polite refusals, Qiao's mother finally gave in and left the jade flute behind. She told Yuge that if she ever passed through this area again, she could come here.
After thanking Yu Ge, he briefly explained the usage to Qiao Qiu, gave her a meaningful look, and then left.
Qiao Qiu looked at his back and felt that there must be something more to it, otherwise he wouldn't have looked at her like that in the end.
Qiao's mother took Qiao Qiu to have breakfast and then saw her out the door.
Just as she had imagined, no one came to help her gather herbs.
Everyone has their own things to do. How many people like her are truly free in the whole village? Especially now, it's the busiest time of year for farming. I bet even the young men have been pulled away to help.
Qiao Qiu led Xiao Hui to a quiet place, and they soon left the village.
"Miss, many places in the woods are bare. Are there any herbs?" Xiao Hui asked, looking at the poplar grove.
Qiao Qiu smiled. This girl probably doesn't know that many plants have certain medicinal properties; it just depends on whether she can count them.
Seeing her head towards the mountain on the left, Xiao Hui quickly followed, "Miss, Miss, weren't you going into the woods? Why are you going up the mountain?"
"Sister Xiaohui, I told Mother I was only in the woods to put her mind at ease. If I told her I was going up the mountain, would she let me out?" Qiao Qiu asked.
"That's true."
"Stop dawdling, let's go. By the way, don't touch any of the plants on the mountain, or if you encounter something poisonous, I won't be able to save you." Qiao Qiu fiddled with the jade flute. Yu Ge told her it was a hidden weapon, but she felt it looked more like a regular weapon.
"Miss, may I ask how skilled you are in medicine?"
"Do you believe I have medical skills?" Qiao Qiu asked back.
"This..." Xiao Hui wasn't sure either. Her young lady seemed far too calm, and she did whatever she said she would do. She seemed quite capable, but whether she had any real skills or not was uncertain.
"Let's go." Qiao Qiu took two steps, then turned back to Xiao Hui with a very serious expression. "Sister Xiao Hui, since you're going to come with me, you have to promise me one thing."
"What's up?"
"Promise me you won't tell anyone what you see." Qiao Qiu felt she was bound to expose some things, so it would be good if someone was willing to help her keep it a secret.
Xiao Hui felt that her daughter had been acting mysteriously lately, but she was really worried about her always coming out alone. "Okay, Miss, I promise you, from now on I will not reveal a single word about your affairs."
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