Transfiguration (I)
The morning dew is faint and the thin dew is still condensing.
As soon as the sky turned pale, He Shu was already busy working in the herb garden in his own yard, carrying a bamboo basket.
He carefully parted the leaves of the Polygonatum odoratum bushes that were still damp with morning moisture and scattered specks of mud, selected a plant that was growing well, picked up a small shovel, and gently dug up the moist, dark soil around the roots of the plant.
Soon, the fleshy rhizomes growing horizontally began to break through the soil little by little, revealing the thick and plump body.
He Shu held his breath and moved more cautiously. Following the direction of the roots, he used the tip of the shovel and his fingers to carefully peel off the sticky soil.
Finally, a complete rhizome of Polygonatum odoratum was taken out intact. He then straightened his numb waist and breathed a sigh of satisfaction.
She carefully shook off the dirt on the rhizomes, picked up the small silver scissors beside the basket, and skillfully cut off the excess roots and leaves. Then she gently placed the processed Polygonatum into the bamboo basket that was already covered with a layer of medicinal herbs.
My eyes swept over the wooden rack beside the stone steps. In several large baskets on it, freshly picked plantain was spread out to dry, shining like broken gold in the gradually brightening morning light. On the other side, the leaves of dandelions were stretched out to dry, emitting the fresh water vapor just brought from washing at the well.
After Qingshan Ninghun returned, their lives settled down. But during the day, he was often alone in the courtyard.
Since he had nothing to do, He Shu decided to clear this medicinal garden and plant some easy-to-grow and commonly used medicinal herbs. It could help him pass the time and also serve as a way to make a living.
Under the eaves, the half-new copper pot was gurgling, and the tangerine peel and hawthorn water prepared for Jin Wu was bubbling inside, emitting a slightly sour and sweet aroma.
Over the past two days, the little fellow's spirits had improved, and he was able to eat and sleep well. He Shu no longer bothered Xuan Tongzi about this.
Although the cause of Jin Wu's previous malaise remains unknown, he's been given the appetizing and spleen-boosting tangerine peel and hawthorn water. After all, this little glutton's habit of stealing food is deeply ingrained, and preventing it is not easy. Drinking some medicine in advance to treat it will always give people some peace of mind.
He put away the small shovel and stool covered in mud, and took one last look at the stone table over there.
Jin Wu was lying there with his arms and legs spread out, his furry white belly exposed, sound asleep. His little paws would occasionally twitch unconsciously, clearly still dreaming sweet dreams.
He Shu couldn't help but chuckle and shook his head. He picked up the basket of freshly cleaned yuzhu and turned to walk towards the kitchen.
When you lift the blue printed cloth door curtain, a rich aroma with the aroma of meat and a sweet flavor instantly hits you. It is the lily and pork ribs soup stewed on the stove.
He Shu followed the steps that Qingshan had carefully instructed him to do before he went out in the morning. He picked up a long-handled wooden spoon and gently skimmed off the fine layer of oil and foam floating on the surface of the soup.
Then, he placed the washed rhizomes of Polygonatum odoratum on the chopping board, cut them into evenly thin slices with a knife, and added them all into the boiling soup pot. The soup looked even more nourishing and health-promoting.
After washing the herbal juice off his hands, he pulled a few sticks of firewood from the stove and turned it to a slow simmer. He then opened the cupboard, took out the white porcelain plate that belonged to Jin Wu, and found the dried meat that Qingshan had confiscated and hidden away after the little guy had successfully stolen it.
However, when he walked into the yard again and was about to call the greedy little cat to have breakfast, he saw that the stone table was empty. Where was the round orange figure?
"Jin Wu?"
He Shu raised his voice slightly, scanning the courtyard for the peach tree, the stone bench, and the corner of the fence. The only sound in response was the rustling of leaves in the wind.
"Jin Wu?"
He raised his voice and called out again, without stopping, as he walked quickly into the bedroom. He searched under the bed and beside the cabinet, where Jin Wu usually liked to hide, but still found nothing.
"Hey, where did this guy go?"
He Shu stood in the middle of the yard with his hands on his hips, sighing helplessly.
"On weekdays, I run faster than anyone else when it's mealtime, but today is unusual."
He had no choice but to return to the eaves and carefully pour the boiling tangerine peel and hawthorn water from the copper pot into Jin Wu's small dish, setting it aside to dry. Then, holding up a few pieces of dried meat that exuded an alluring aroma, he began to search more carefully inside and outside the courtyard.
"Jin Wu——"
The sound echoed in the empty mountains.
"Jin Wu—come out quickly! Here's your favorite little dried meat!"
He even leaned over to look behind the woodpile.
There was no trace of it in the yard, nor in the study, nor in the corners of the bookshelves or under the desks.
He even searched the storage room, which he rarely went to, and his shouts became more urgent and louder, but there was no other sound around him except his own echo and the singing of birds in the mountains.
He Shu was completely panicked. His previous "playful" mentality was gone, and his heart began to sink uncontrollably.
"How strange..."
He murmured softly, his brows furrowed tightly as a strong sense of unease gripped him. His fingertips subconsciously tightened, nearly crushing the pieces of dried meat.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. The spiritual energy in his body was like ripples caused by a stone thrown into a calm lake, spreading silently around the cabin and into the distant mountains and forests.
The perception of spiritual power fed back was extremely vague.
He Shu felt Jin Wu's familiar breath, but it was very unstable, looming, and so weak that it seemed like it would disappear completely in the next second.
That aura seemed to be nearby... It hadn't gone far, but it was as if shrouded in mist, making it impossible to determine its exact location...
The place where the breath finally disappeared was...
He Shu suddenly opened his eyes, raised his head, and his gaze fell on the peach tree in the yard that was in full bloom. A very familiar stone-blue color pierced his eyes!
That is... that is the kind-hearted Grandma Zhou at the foot of the mountain. She sewed the Five Poisons Pouch for Jin Wu with scraps of cloth during the Dragon Boat Festival last year!
Jin Wu likes it very much on weekdays. Except for cleaning, he almost never leaves it!
"Jin Wu!"
He Shu's heart suddenly tightened, and a bone-chilling ominous premonition instantly overwhelmed him like a tide.
Without any time to think about it, he moved his body, and green light flowed around him, turning into a fast stream of light, shooting into the mountains and forests like an arrow, and began to shuttle around anxiously searching.
The sun gradually rose higher, shining brightly on the lush forest.
He Shu had searched repeatedly on the familiar paths, deep forest valleys, and even the rarely visited ravines in Luzhu Mountain. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his clothes were slightly messy from being scratched by branches, but he still couldn't find the familiar figure.
Anxiety and fear are like vines, they get tighter and tighter.
"Qingshan——"
When the figure in green clothes who was returning home from school appeared outside the gate of the courtyard, He Shu, who had been searching for him for the whole morning and was exhausted, rushed over as if he had seen a savior. He grabbed his arm tightly and said in an uncontrollable trembling voice:
"Qingshan! Jinwu is missing! I've been looking for it all morning and can't find it!"
He buried his face in Qingshan's bookish chest and spoke incoherently.
"Do you think something's happened to it? It hasn't been feeling well these past few days. Maybe, maybe it's just getting weak from being sick... Now it's a cat all alone in the wild. If something happens..."
"Wuming, don't be so anxious. Speak slowly and calm down."
Qingshan caught He Shu steadily and patted him on the back with one hand.
After the rapid breathing of the person in his arms calmed down a little, he gently led him to sit on the stone bench in the yard and asked:
"Think carefully, when did Jin Wu disappear? Where was the last time you saw it?"
"It was this morning... I had just finished gathering herbs and was about to feed it breakfast. It was sitting here on this stone table, basking in the sun and soundly sleeping... But when I came out of the kitchen after making soup, I couldn't find even a trace of it..."
As He Shu spoke, his voice became lower and lower, and his head drooped a little bit, his thick eyelashes casting a shadow of guilt under his eyes.
"I originally thought it was just playing around again and had gone off to take a nap... but... but then I found the Five Poison Bag that Grandma Zhou had given it under the peach tree..."
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes full of confusion and self-blame:
"It usually treasures this pouch so much that it would never take it off on purpose! And... and I looked carefully, there are traces of something tearing next to the straps of the Five Poison Pouch..."
"Luzhu Mountain has always been peaceful, and there are no traces of large beasts. Wuming, don't scare yourself and think the worst."
Qingshan interrupted Heshu's increasingly frightened speculation in time, stood up and walked to the peach tree, leaned over and observed it carefully.
"Look, apart from some messy little paw prints, there are no hoof prints or signs of dragging or struggling by other beasts. In my opinion, it doesn't look like an attack."
Upon hearing this, He Shu hurried over and bent down to take a closer look.
Seeing that it was just as Qingshan said, the huge rock in his heart that made him almost breathless finally loosened a little. He sighed and calmed down.
But his worries were not completely dispelled. He sighed deeply, leaned against the rough trunk of the peach tree beside him, and muttered to himself:
"Since it wasn't taken away by a wild beast... then the most likely possibility is that it ran away on its own... Could it be... could it be that it really ran away from home?"
Thinking of this, He Shu suddenly shuddered and stood up like a carp, with a look of annoyance on his face:
"Oh no! It must be because I've been nagging it to go on a diet and control its snack intake lately, so it got mad at me! Tsk... I'm doing this for its own good. If it gets fatter... ah..."
"Without a name, care leads to confusion."
Qingshan raised his hand, his fingertips carrying a reassuring warmth, and gently straightened the strand of hair that had been scattered by the other person's ear and stuck to his cheek due to the sweat from running around looking for him, and tucked it behind his ear.
"Maybe Jin Wu was attracted by the smell of rice wafting from somewhere, or by the fat grasshoppers jumping in the grass. She was greedy and ate too much, and was too lazy to stay awake. That's why she didn't come back in time."
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