Chapter 21 Chapter 21 The treasure gourd seeds sprouted
Lin Xinghuo remembered that when Boss Chang from the black market sold her the gourd, he said, "This was originally a pair of ornaments, and the other one was taken away by an expert in Beijing." Because it was no longer a pair, he sold it to her for only three hundred yuan.
It was only because the caracal donated a small wild ginseng root that she could afford it. After buying it, Lin Xinghuo felt a little regretful because she thought it was too expensive. In fact, this gourd was so attractive that she couldn't bear to give it up.
Lin Xinghuo immediately closed his eyes and meditated, drawing this pure wood spiritual energy into his meridians, mobilizing his own spiritual power to drive the Small Circulation. Only after completing the Small Circulation, when the spiritual energy returned to the Qi Sea, could the spiritual energy absorbed from the outside world become his own. During this process, the spiritual roots continuously absorbed external spiritual energy, which was also constantly dissipated as it flowed through the tendons and meridians. Some of this dissipated spiritual energy entered the flesh and blood to temper the body, while some returned to the external world.
The rich wood spiritual energy brought a surprise far beyond expectations. While absorbing it, Lin Xinghuo's spiritual root actually dislodged a dark impurity. Lin Xinghuo didn't dare stop. She circulated her spiritual energy in circles, continuously flushing the spiritual root. Finally, with her tendons and veins swelled and her small circulation reaching its limit, a small stain peeled off the mottled emerald spiritual root, revealing its tender bamboo-like interior.
Spiritual roots take on different shapes depending on individual aptitude. Lin Xinghuo's resembled a short, three-branched sapling. A sapling should be as pure and clear as jade, but unfortunately, it was saturated with impurities. Deep and shallow filth permeated the root, like a cancer. This time, using the pure wood spiritual energy, he managed to force out the impurities from the upper half of the right branch. By purifying just this little bit of spiritual root, Lin Xinghuo's spiritual energy absorption rate increased by a level.
When Lin Xinghuo looked inward, he felt that this tender and green little tip was extremely cute.
"Don't you want to go for a hot pot?" Tu Xun's muffled voice came, as if his nose was blocked.
Reluctantly withdrawing her consciousness from the state of inner contemplation, Lin Xinghuo awoke to a lingering stench. The fox cubs, who had always loved to cuddle with her during her training, had fled far away. The caracal, in particular, had leaped onto the beams, shielding its snout with its thick, furry tail, and leered down at her from above.
Spiritual roots are the root of a cultivator's essence. Their specific form can only be perceived through introspection, but they are omnipresent within a cultivator's body. Therefore, when Lin Xinghuo forced out the impurities from her spiritual roots, her entire body was covered in a layer of black, oily mud.
Lin Xinghuo, slightly embarrassed, hurried to the west room to clean. The thin layer of dirt was incredibly stubborn, and Lin Xinghuo had no choice but to rub it with snow, then soak it in hot water. It finally cleared it. The intense heat and cold actually forced some impurities out of the skin. This was a pleasant surprise. Lin Xinghuo pinched his whitened arms, feeling more confident about his upcoming cleansing.
Looking at the gourd again, it resembles a dust-covered gem, its lacquer and mother-of-pearl peeling away, revealing its warm, dark green body. Though the rich, pure wood spirit within has escaped, the gourd itself retains its spiritual essence. At first glance, it's clear it's a treasure.
Lin Xinghuo picked up the gourd and felt it was as soft as mutton-fat jade. Shaking it, it rustled inside. He widened the mouth of the gourd a little and unexpectedly found two gourd seeds.
The caracal stretched its head to look at the gourd seeds in her hand, then glanced at the box of lotus seeds on the kang table. Its eyes suddenly became meaningful: It had made the right choice of this human! She was destined to be a good companion on its journey, a good cook!
"If only the mouth of the gourd had been sawed open, it could be used as a stopper and could also hold things." Lin Xinghuo still felt regretful.
"Wait until you grow the gourd, then take a piece of gourd vine and refine it into a plug..." said the caracal.
Lin Xinghuo felt a little strange when she heard the rising ending tone that couldn't hide its excitement: "How can you be sure that I can grow it?" It was obviously not like this when she got the spiritual lotus seeds. At that time, the caracal only wanted her to take the lotus seeds to improve her foundation and had no intention of planting lotus seeds at all.
The caracal covered its furry mouth with its tail, feeling a little guilty. "A cultivator, you're connected to heaven and earth. This gourd has been hidden for who knows how many years, yet you took a fancy to it at first sight. This is fate..."
Lin Xinghuo suddenly pulled away its tail and stared into its eyes: "Tell the truth."
The caracal meowed in shock before responding angrily, "Really? You were able to find the gourd and the gourd seeds, and when you got the spiritual lotus seeds, you thought about planting them first. This shows you have talent!"
All life under heaven possesses the instinct to survive and continue, and spiritual plants are no exception. Lin Xinghuo's attraction to the gourd and the resulting gourd seeds were likely partly due to the gourd's inherent spiritual guidance, driven by the gourd's desire to germinate and grow. This suggests that Lin Xinghuo possesses considerable talent, having acquired this gourd before refining his Qi.
"What talent?" Lin Xinghuo was stunned, unable to believe it. "Are you saying my talent is 'farming'?"
The caracal grew more and more excited as he spoke, meowing, "What's wrong with farming? Do you know how many awakened demons long for this talent? Even if it's just a little bit, it won't starve us!"
So what’s the matter with not being able to fill your stomach?
Lin Xinghuo thought as he picked up the water cup. The next second, the water in his mouth just "poofed" out. Is this water bad? Lin Xinghuo looked into the cup. It was clear and there was nothing wrong with it. But when he drank it, there was an indescribable fishy and bitter smell.
The caracal, which was racing vigorously, suddenly stopped, squatted with its back to Lin Xinghuo, but quietly pricked up its ears to not miss any movement.
Lin Xinghuo tasted the water in the thermos and water tank, and even drew a new bucket of water from the well. Without exception, they all had a bitter and fishy taste.
The unusual silence of the caracal aroused Lin Xinghuo's suspicion. He placed the water cup in front of the caracal's paw and asked, "Do you know the reason?"
Lin Xinghuo had been drinking water and eating meals before, and there was nothing unusual.
The caracal fished out its small bag from its fur, pried open a corner with its claws, and a wooden barrel filled with water appeared before Lin Xinghuo's eyes. "I've been drinking this water before." It licked its furry paw, not daring to look at Lin Xinghuo.
"Ever since you broke through to the Qi Refining stage, you've been drinking this birch water." The caracal added weakly, "After Qi Refining, it's common knowledge for cultivators that ordinary food without spiritual energy is difficult to eat." Lin Xinghuo temporarily concealed this 'aftereffect' in order to help the group of thieves break through in a hurry.
After the breakthrough, her five senses were indeed much sharper, and she could even see the tiny specks of dust in the air. Lin Xinghuo suddenly remembered that when she ate the demon pork jerky, it didn't taste as good as before, but she was so focused on other things at the time that she didn't pay much attention to it.
As if remembering something, Lin Xinghuo stood up, picked up a sweet potato from the shelf in the west room, broke off a piece and took a bite: "Pah!" The persimmons, pine nuts... even the cabbage leaves, all tasted different.
"Only high-level cultivators can practice fasting, you know, right?" Lin Xinghuo asked the caracal calmly.
The macaque nodded his head slightly, and put his little paws together obediently, which made Lin Xinghuo angry and amused: "So, I'm going to starve to death?" The ancient cultivators had spiritual food to fill their stomachs after they entered the sect, but now they are penniless, and there is not much demon pork left after these days of consumption.
"Human monks can use their spiritual energy to cleanse the impurities contained in ordinary food, just like you cleanse your bones and marrow." The caracal stomped its furry paws, its eyes bright and clear. "So, monks are blessed with special advantages."
Lin Xinghuo rubbed her brows, finally connecting the dots between their encounter and the present. No wonder the caracal's original intention was to make her its chef! Previously, Lin Xinghuo had assumed the caracal had never tasted human food and had been captivated by her cooking skills, so she refused to stay. It seemed this wicked caracal had been plotting this all along!
The young monk's face felt a little hot, but Lin Xinghuo refused to admit that he was being sentimental and attributed it all to anger!
With a clang, humans and caracals started fighting again...
After a hearty fight, the human still had to shoulder the heavy burden. Lin Xinghuo expressionlessly washed rice and cooked vegetables with his spiritual energy - he ran out of spiritual energy halfway through and had to meditate to recover before continuing.
The caracal pushed aside the fox cub and eagerly helped pass the leaves. Lin Xinghuo now understood the rarity of the demon pig. Since the caracal had no ill intentions and had proactively shared, the young monk's expression softened. Instead, he felt a little sympathetic towards the caracal: "Are you often hungry?"
"I'm afraid it's been hungry for many years. The caracal had told her about the spiritual tide and said it had the blood of the 'rabbit hyena'. Lin Xinghuo guessed that the caracal must have lived for hundreds of years.
Uncle Maomao had no idea that humans were secretly thinking of it as a hundred-year-old macaque, so he explained in great detail: "Any beast that breaks through the two stages of 'Gathering Spirits' and 'Comprehensive Intelligence' becomes a spirit beast. A spirit beast that cultivates to the stage of transformation can become a demon cultivator. A demon beast that cannot gain intelligence and can only absorb and exhale spiritual energy by instinct. But no matter whether it is a spirit beast or a demon beast, eating, drinking, and sleeping can increase its cultivation. If it doesn't eat, it won't starve to death. At most, its cultivation will increase slowly." Unlike humans who mainly cultivate the soul, beasts cultivate their bodies and bloodlines. Beasts have dull intelligence, but are born with strong bodies.
But you still need to drink water, and you can usually drink underground spring water or tree water. For example, birch sap from caracals or bamboo sap found only in the south are both good water with few impurities.
Generally speaking, spiritual beasts can only speak after reaching a high level of cultivation and transforming into human form. The caracal's current cultivation level is only at the Tongzhi stage, comparable to a human in the middle stage of Qi Refining, but it has been able to speak since it became conscious. The caracal's awakening inheritance is incomplete, so this young creature naturally has no way of knowing things that are not in the inheritance. Lin Xinghuo, who is even less knowledgeable about the world of cultivation than it, is even less likely to know.
The two chatted animatedly, with the caracal sharing a story about a household deity: "I've seen a Yellow Immortal with some skill who could transform into a human. It seems he was even worshipped by a wealthy family." The family that worshipped him had long since fallen on hard times, but the Yellow Immortal still displayed great pomp and circumstance, transforming into a human and acting as a master, even employing a housekeeper and servants. When the caracal encountered him, humans were beginning to dispel superstition, and the Yellow Immortal was planning to flee north. The caracal, still a child, was immediately captivated by his impressive demeanor and nearly fell for the trick.
"That kind of cultivation method allows for rapid progress, but it is too dependent on humans. Once you encounter someone with great luck and righteousness, they will see through you and your cultivation will be gone." The caracal glanced at the fox cubs. He heard that Huang Xian later revealed his true colors in front of an official, and that good could not prevail over evil, so he became an ordinary weasel.
Lin Xinghuo was just beginning to think the little foxes were much smarter than before; the sutra she'd been chanting seemed to be having some effect. The two couldn't help but turn the conversation back to the "Spirit Gathering" stage. The caracal, born with Spirit Gathering, didn't know much, so it simply said, "Feed them more food imbued with Spiritual Energy, and you'll get through it sooner or later."
Giving the smuggled cat a cold look, Lin Xinghuo plucked some Hericium erinaceus from its plate and gave it to the fox cubs. Strangely enough, the little foxes, who always loved meat, devoured these mushrooms and vegetables, which had been cleansed with spiritual energy, with great relish.
*
The old ancestral hall of the brigade is where the village holds meetings in winter.
"Has the commune really approved our brigade to set up a health center?"
The old Party Secretary's face grew a half-inch wider with laughter. "Of course not! The commune said the test for the barefoot doctor training will be based on the same questions from the final exam! Xiaolin did a great job! Not only did he get first place, he also scored over 80, which is on par with the results of outstanding students in the past. Director Zhou of the commune said special arrangements will be made and has approved the establishment of a health station in our village."
Lin Xinghuo was examining her own test paper. The instructor from the county hospital was very responsible. She had not only crossed out the errors but also written the correct answers. However, looking at the correct answers, Lin Xinghuo felt a bit bewildered. She knew what she had written was correct. The two recipes from her school had become effective after she had handled them, but now they were being denied recognition. Okay! I'd better go over the recipes in the barefoot doctor's manual before my next exam.
Wei Chunfeng held her hand and said, "That's amazing!"
"You're famous now. Everyone knows that the good student who used the wolf to pull the sled is from our Buxian Village!"
Lin Xinghuo smiled shyly. Ever since she built the sled, the animals at home have gone crazy. Da Huang was especially unsure what was wrong with her. She was a mighty wolf, but she got excited like a puppy at the sight of the sled. Now Da Huang could tie the rope herself, and when she wasn't outside, she'd drag the caracal and fox cubs up the southern slopes. The weather had been kind, with several heavy snowfalls in the past few days, making it a perfect time for fun.
She whispered to Wei Chunfeng about the homestead and private plot. Village regulations required new residents to have lived there for a full year and made contributions to the village before being granted a homestead. But Lin Xinghuo couldn't wait any longer. With her limited spiritual energy, she had to meditate twice to barely make up for a single meal. It simply wasn't enough! The meat was especially tainted with impurities. The rabbits Dahuang had hunted hung in a row, and she couldn't even eat them. Lin Xinghuo decided to become self-reliant and utilize her natural talent for farming.
Only with a homestead can one divide up a private plot nearby.
Lin Xinghuo tried soaking a lotus seed and a gourd seed in purified water, each resting the water bowl on her lap while she practiced. She was always surrounded by three fox cubs, a fat caracal, and a large yellow dog, forming a circle. It was said that the spiritual energy emanating from her body had been refined and channeled, making it far easier to absorb than the purer energy from the outside world. Within half a month, the gourd seed had sprouted before the lotus seed, prompting Lin Xinghuo to urgently seek a plot of land of her own.
After hearing this, Wei Chunfeng smiled and said, "Which place have you picked? The courtyard you live in now is indeed a bit out of the way. There are several good residential plots in the village. Just tell me which one you like, and I'm sure no one will object!"
"Hey, quiet down!" Wei Chunfeng stood up. "While everyone is here, I want to raise something and let's vote on it by raising our hands."
Her man Chen Lai Fu squatted in the corner and curled his lips when he heard this. There was no occasion that this woman dared not get involved in!
Wei Chunxing caught a glimpse of his brother-in-law's expression and felt a sudden rush of emotion. His sister's life was like this: He was a coward outside, but a bully at home. He'd long been dissatisfied with his sister's aggressive temper, constantly complaining about her having only given birth to a daughter. He also messed with the Chen family's father-in-law and mother-in-law, which made her feel uncomfortable. His sister never had a quiet day at home. Wei Chunxing, holding his little niece, crept closer to Chen Laifu, sniffing to see if there was anything else about him.
Wei Chunfeng had no idea her brother was using his nose to check on her. She beamed, "The teachers from the county hospital have approved that Xiaolin doesn't have to report to every class. He only needs to take the small-stage exams. Even though our village health station hasn't been built yet, the most important thing is that we already have a doctor. Setting up the health station is just a matter of clearing out two rooms, right?"
The old and young men all laughed: "Yes!"
"Now that our village has a health station, can we raise the chickens and ducks that belong to the health station? And isn't it time to put the issue of collecting medicinal herbs on the agenda? While there's no work to do in the fields, let's organize a class at the commune night school and ask Xiaolin to give us a class every week on how to identify common medicinal herbs. The rest of the time, if we can't remember or recognize them, we can learn from each other. It can also be a place for the men and women to chat and do work when they have it. While doing housework, we can learn about medicinal herbs and save some firewood at home! Is this a good idea?"
"Why not?" an auntie immediately said, "There's nothing better than this! There's only so much chores around the house, and there's nothing we can't do. Let's just say it's lively and exciting, isn't that better than anything else?"
The young man next to him said, "Auntie, you've seen enough of our uncle's stern face! We're all in the same room together all day, and his face always looks like he's angry. He's really scary when he's silent."
The aunt slapped her nephew and scolded him, "You are nothing but a bat with chicken feathers stuck on it! Stop talking nonsense and ask your mother if she is annoyed by your father's old face!"
Everyone burst into laughter, and the aunt said, "I also have a suggestion. When the fairy lady teaches us, we should behave ourselves. Don't bring our children's work with us. Whoever can listen attentively can come. It's the same if you don't have time to learn from those who have taken the class before!"
Her nephew was the first to applaud.
Wei Chunfeng wrote down the aunt's suggestion in her notebook and changed the subject: "This adds another burden to Xiaolin's burden. Originally, this barefoot doctor was here for the collective exam, and now he has to teach us about herbal medicine. After all, we've been relying on Xiaolin for the past few months since she settled in Buxiantun. Now it's time to give Xiaolin some peace of mind! I suggest that we allocate a good piece of land for Xiaolin's home as soon as possible so that she can settle down!"
Wang Huzi laughed: "This is not to reassure the little fairy, Director Wei is just trying to get reassurance from the little fairy. You are afraid that the little fairy will run away!"
His good brother Cen Dazhu's second uncle said, "Chunfeng's words are perfect timing. The sooner the better."
Everyone knew that Uncle Cen was a temporary worker for the county construction team and was well-informed, so they all asked what was going on.
Uncle Cen said, "What else could it be? The other brigades are jealous! In previous years, there were always two people sent to school by a brigade who failed the exam. Now, our little fairy girl passed the exam at the beginning of the training. Which brigade wouldn't be jealous? Even the commune would want to take advantage of them. The level of the two people in the commune health station is so low... Anyway, they don't even want to help the doctors in the county hospital. Think about it, think about it carefully, isn't it true?"
Hundreds of people raised their hands and agreed with Wei Chunfeng's words.
Wei Chunfeng nodded in satisfaction, tore off the page from her notebook, the page for Lin Xinghuo's housing plot application, and pulled out a small iron box of ink from her pocket. She carefully dipped a little ink in the ink and pressed her own fingerprint on it. Then she passed the paper around, and the commune representatives took it and pressed their fingerprints one by one. Some commune members, reluctant to dip in the ink, smeared the thumb of the previous representative, blew on it, and pressed their fingerprints on it.
Finally, it was passed to the old branch secretary, who took out the pen from his military coat pocket and signed his name and fingerprint. The team leader, Huang Dazhuang, had already been holding up the team seal, waiting for it to be stamped. After the old branch secretary signed, he stamped the "Agree" with a snap.
When Huang Dazhuang was about to put the paper away, he suddenly remembered: "Hey, Xiaolin, which housing plot do you want?" There were several good housing plots in the village, or he could just give her the current yard, and when spring comes, everyone can help build the yard.
Lin Xinghuo stood up. "The yard I live in now was built with the help of the brigade. It's sturdy, spacious, and has plenty of space. I think it would be a good idea to turn it into a health station. The homestead is halfway up the southern slope. The villagers know we have a lot of animals, so it's more convenient to keep them there. It can also help to keep the village away from wild animals coming down from the mountains behind."
"That won't do!" Wei Chunfeng hadn't expected Lin Xinghuo to even contribute the Nanshan courtyard. She was the first to disagree: "This is too much of a loss!"
Grandma Wei glanced at her niece and said, "That's right! Individuals shouldn't take advantage of the collective, but the collective can't take advantage of individuals either. Xiaolin is too stubborn! Our team can't do that."
It wasn't selfless devotion, but Lin Xinghuo truly felt the location was great. Building a house halfway up the cliff would not only make it easier for her and the animals to access the mountain, but more importantly, the large valley hidden behind it would become Lin Xinghuo's private domain. The area was steep, making it difficult for others to descend, but for Lin Xinghuo, it was easy. The valley was deep and large, with sunshine on the south side and windbreaks from the mountains on the north. It even had a large pool of water. Best of all, the rocks below on the south side overlapped and jutted out, largely obscuring the view from the cliff edge. Lin Xinghuo planned to plant some saplings and vines along the cliff edge and build a hedge to separate the cliff from the path.
Lin Xinghuo smiled and said, "It is really convenient for me. I live high up, so I can see what is happening in the village from afar. When the time comes, there will be a tree bell at the entrance of the health station like the one at the village entrance. If there is anything, I can just ring the bell." You can also ring the bell to call her when she is at her home on the hillside.
"Since there are no other doctors, it is more convenient for me to live closer to the health station. The main reason is that there is no obstruction there, and it only takes me a few minutes to run down the mountain. The place is big, and I can collect and prepare medicinal materials, or keep chickens and ducks, without disturbing the neighbors. The ready-made place is good for me and the group." Lin Xinghuo explained.
There was one other thing Lin Xinghuo kept in mind, but didn't mention it for now. Among the books she'd bought on the black market was a manual on brewing techniques, published in 1963 by the Beijing Red Star Distillery. Lin Xinghuo herself knew how to brew medicinal wine, and she'd read the manual; it was incredibly practical and could be used even with more modest conditions.
Live by the mountain, live by the water. There are many blueberry shrubs on the western hills of Buxiantun. The leaves and fruits of blueberries can be used as medicine, and the small, bright red berries are especially good for making wine. When Lin Xinghuo followed the autumn harvest team up the hill, he discovered that, aside from the teenagers, the adults rarely picked them. The fruits were small and troublesome, and unlike persimmons, the supply and marketing cooperatives wouldn't buy them. So, many unpicked blueberries were left to rot on the mountain.
West Mountain is a collection of gentle slopes, unconnected to the Old Forest and Deep Mountains. With a little care, it's accessible to everyone, young and old. If utilized effectively, it could be a treasure trove. Lin Xinghuo recalled how the captain and his men, reluctant to open their mouths when drinking wine to ward off the cold during their nightly patrols, would simply sip it with their lips. Only when they took the commune exam did they realize that Buxian Village was originally comprised of dozens of families who had migrated from elsewhere. Since no one in the village knew how to brew wine, they had to buy or trade it from the commune, which was quite expensive.
Neither the old Party Secretary, the Brigade Leader, nor the Women's Director could persuade Lin Xinghuo, not to mention the other members who hadn't said a word of "no" to her. The homesteads were allocated, and then there were the private plots. Selangor Province was vast and sparsely populated, and with a per capita arable land standard of 5%, Lin Xinghuo was entitled to three-tenths of private plot. She'd like to place it directly near the homestead, marking it out with gravel when building the house. Private plots weren't many, but every household in Buxian Village had a large courtyard, and the front and back yards combined could reach an acre. When Huang Dazhuang marked it on the map, he simply extended Lin Xinghuo's plots to one acre each, specifying that this was compensation for the location.
Wang Huzi's wife, Jin Zhaodi, wasn't with him, so Lin Xinghuo said directly, "I heard that Aunt Jin's family lives in Jinjiayao Commune. I'd like to buy some bricks from their kiln. Could you please ask if I need brick coupons?"
Wang Huzi was so happy that he laughed out loud: "How can you use brick tickets in a brick kiln in the countryside? The bricks from Jinjia Kiln are really good. People in the surrounding area buy bricks from them. I'll go back and tell your aunt, and she can do it for you on her way back to her parents' home. It's very convenient."
Lin Xinghuo didn't understand any of this, so he asked about the quantity and price. Wang Huzi then said, "If we only use bricks and tiles, three rooms like Grandma Wei's would cost about 25,000 bricks. A few more or less wouldn't matter; the kiln will refund any bricks you don't use. A brick costs two cents, and if you order more, you can get a discount, but it's still over 400 yuan. Tiles can also be ordered from the Jinjia Kiln; 1,200 small green tiles are about another 100 yuan. The sandalwood and rafters are easy. You can come with us and select the trees in the mountains. We'll cut them down and bring them back. Next spring, you can just go back to the place where the trees were felled and plant a few saplings." Newly approved residential land has a quota for felling trees, so the fairy lady has to be the one to take care of it.
These days, building a large tiled house costs at least 500 yuan, which is not affordable for many people. Otherwise, who would not want to live in a solid and bright brick house?
Lin Xinghuo understood what Wang Huzi said. Money was not a big problem, but Uncle Huzi meant cutting down trees in winter?
"Chopping down trees now?" she asked.
Wang Huzi saw that the little fairy had made some money and said with a smile, "It doesn't matter when the trees are cut down. But it's best to get the bricks and tiles back in the winter when the snow is deep. Jinjiayao has a large sled specially made for transporting bricks and tiles, which is much more convenient than using a mule cart after the snow has melted. Now that everything is ready, it's just right for us to start building the bricks as soon as the spring thaw comes, while the production team is still busy."
As the two were talking, Chen Laifu kicked Wei Chunxing in the corner and yelled, "What are you sniffing about with that dog nose of yours?"
Wei Chunxing clenched his fists and stared at Chen Lai Fu with red eyes.
Chen Laifu, a man who only bullies the weak and fears the strong, sincerely hit Wei Chunxing's slightly lame left leg. The people around him couldn't stand it: "Chunxing is holding Ni'er in his arms, aren't you afraid of dropping your daughter!"
Chen Lai Fu cursed and swore, and Nannan hugged her uncle's neck, tears falling from her big eyes like black grapes.
"Nannan!" Wei Chunfeng squeezed over, picked up her daughter first, then helped her brother up, and slapped Chen Laifu in the face: "You hit my brother?"
Chen Laifu valued his reputation more than his life. His face was purple with anger, and he pointed at Wei Chunfeng, "I really can't live with you, crazy woman!" As he spoke, he fumbled around, and when he saw a door bolt as thick as an arm standing on the wall, he raised it and swept it towards him, "I'll teach you a lesson!"
Lin Xinghuo frowned, walked over, clamped the door bolt with one hand, and snatched it away with a flick of his wrist.
Wei Chunfeng didn't want to involve Lin Xinghuo. Chen Laifu was mentally ill and couldn't tell good from bad. If he lost face now, he might resent Xiao Xian Gu later. This man didn't have the courage to provoke Xiao Xian Gu in person, but Wei Chunfeng knew his mouth very well. He would make up stories to cause trouble for Xiao Xian Gu.
She stepped forward and blocked Lin Xinghuo behind her.
Nannan hugged her uncle's legs, crying in fear. The caracal and fox cub that were sleeping in Lin Xinghuo's backpack woke up. The caracal jumped out and hugged the back of Lin Xinghuo's head, resting its furry chin on her head, watching the fun with relish.
After removing the bandage, the fox climbed out of the basket, jumped down and ran to Nannan. He swept the little girl's face with his big furry tail, whimpered a few times, and coaxed the little girl into silence in no time.
Lin Xinghuo looked at the thoughtful Fox with admiration, and raised his hand to relieve the heavy burden on his head.
Chen Laifu really didn't dare to yell at Lin Xinghuo in person. He picked on the weak and glared at Wei Chunxing, who hadn't fought back: "If you keep sniffing at me, I'll cut your dog nose off sooner or later!"
Wei Chunfeng was furious. She pointed at Chen Laifu and was about to scold him when the little girl's voice rang out in tears: "My uncle asked him where the smell of duck egg powder came from?"
The little girl spoke clearly, and the old Party Secretary, who had just hurried over from the office, turned pale: "Chen Laifu, where does the powder smell come from?"
"The unjust death is not worth the loss!" Chen Laifu jumped up and down. "What kind of duck egg powder is this? I don't know! And you just believe what he says?"
The villagers didn't know what duck egg powder was, and some even thought that Chen Lai Fu had stolen his brother-in-law's duck eggs, but his behavior made people think in the wrong direction.
"You rely on your good nose to smell this and that all day long. Why don't you smell the sour smell on you and your brother? I don't know what the smell is like!" Chen Lai Fu pushed the man away and wanted to leave.
Wei Chunxing grabbed him and said, "Even if it's exposed, I won't hide it! My sister is innocent, it's you who are embarrassing yourself, you bastard!"
"I could smell duck egg perfume powder on him. It's the perfume powder sold in the city that's pressed into the shape of duck eggs. We don't have it in our village, but Widow Jin at Jinjiayao does have a box! Brother Huzi knows about it too. Jin Gouzi once secretly put on some powder to show off. I remember the smell!"
Wei Chunxing was trembling, feeling angry and distressed for his sister.
Chen Laifu refused to acknowledge it, and the others, whose noses weren't as sharp as Wei Chunxing's, couldn't smell it either. The commotion was unbearable. Lin Xinghuo was shoved against the wall, unable to distinguish the aroma from the stench amidst so many people. She pinched the caracal's furry paw, and was swiped by the caracal's tail. But the old man condescended to pat his friend's head.
Lin Xinghuo knew it. Seeing the old Party Secretary clutching his chest and gasping for breath, she spoke up, "Old Party Secretary, once the health station is cleaned up, let Wei Chunxing come and help. He has a good nose and can tell the type and quality of medicinal herbs just by smelling them. He might learn faster than anyone else."
What? Is the fairy going to teach Wei Chunxing medicine? What a stroke of luck this Chunxing boy has!
Putting the fox cub on his back again, Lin Xinghuo walked away along the wall.
The old Party Secretary's face suddenly darkened: "Tie Chen Laifu up and take him to the back room!"
Chen Laifu was unconvinced: "Why did you tie me up? In this new society, people are forced to confess through torture? You are not police officers, so who dares to tie me up?"
"I'm not a police officer, I'm the patriarch of the Chen family!" The old branch secretary said angrily, "Ask your parents if they still recognize the ancestors of the Chen family!"
Chen Lai Fu's father lowered his head and dared not say a word.
"At the very least, this is a violation of family tradition. At the most serious, it's a crime of hooliganism! Do you think the police won't come to arrest you?" The old Party Secretary said with a single word, "Tie him up! If anything goes wrong, I'll go to the commune and report it myself!"
Wang Huzi stepped forward and punched Chen Laifu: "A dog will always eat shit!"
Wei Chunfeng handed her daughter to Grandma Wei and helped her brother to chase after her to ask.
The remaining villagers looked at each other in bewilderment, and one said, "Chen Laifu is really..."
"How could a man as slow and reckless as him, who keeps grumbling, have the guts to have an affair with Widow Jin? Could it be that Chun Xing was mistaken?"
"Of course it's true! How can you be so clueless?" His wife said disdainfully, "What did the fairy just say? She said Chunxing has a good nose and asked me to learn medicine from her! Don't you understand?"
"Chun Xing's luck is beyond words!"
Lin Xinghuo walked towards the courtyard. There was no one on the road. The caracal crouched back on her shoulder and leaned in close, saying, "He's incredibly talented! If that Wei Chunxing went into the forest to look for medicine, he'd be even more effective than a wild boar..."
Lin Xinghuo scratched her face uncomfortably. The cat's fur rubbed against her ears, which was a bit itchy.
"The last time we went hunting in autumn, when we encountered a wild boar, I remember his nose wasn't that sharp yet."
The caracal didn't care about this. It rarely looked at any human other than Lin Xinghuo. It just wanted to order Wei Chunxing to find old medicine for it and Lin Xinghuo. The caracal had been very poor recently. He had used up all the herbs in the small package to make medicine for Lin Xinghuo. There was even little birch juice left!
"Stop targeting others!" Lin Xinghuo pulled the caracal's round little ear. "Go back and continue soaking in the medicinal bath. Your nose will definitely be more useful than his."
Simply training the body cannot help Lin Xinghuo remove impurities. She can only use medicinal baths, medicinal steaming, freezing, and other methods to force out the impurities while training her body. Although the process is painful, the effect is still good.
After experimenting on himself for a few days, Lin Xinghuo decided to give it to the whole family: the little fox cubs used the medicine that was diluted many times, and at most they felt numb and tingling; but it was different for the caracal, whose skin was tough and flesh was thick, so the medicine Lin Xinghuo used had to be increased by 50% to be effective - but the caracal was quite delicate, and it made the three-point pain into ten-point, so Lin Xinghuo had to forcibly "steam the caracal".
Who told him to half-heartedly say there was a demonic plant in the Enlightenment stage deep in Nanshan, near the main ridge of Buxian Mountain? The bad news was that he'd fought it and passed out from the stench. The good news was that the demonic plant was, after all, a plant, and hadn't been able to move in eight or ten years...
Lin Xinghuo had no intention of provoking others, but in order to prevent any trouble, he was inevitably more eager to lay a solid foundation.
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