Back in her room, Lin Ying started fetching and boiling water. Although she said she didn't mind, she still felt uneasy because she didn't know who had last used the blanket. So, she decided to take the blanket off the covers and wash it.
She soaked the duvet covers in boiling water, and planned to steam the cotton to sterilize it. Then she would sun-dry it while the sun was shining.
Lin Ying put the collected Atractylodes lancea, Artemisia argyi, dandelion, honeysuckle, and Bupleurum chinense into a pot and boiled them.
These medicinal materials not only have bactericidal effects, but are also relatively safe to use, with no toxic side effects, making them suitable for disinfection in daily environments.
Lin Ying was very happy to see the cotton looking as white and fresh as new.
It seems that, just as that uncle said, these things came from a wealthy family's home. They might not even have been used yet.
Lin Ying's family used to have new bedding that was always kept there, so maybe this family is the same.
Just as Lin Ying was feeling pleased with herself, she pulled back the cotton cover of the blanket in her hand and a lot of things fell out. Lin Ying was shocked to see that there were several ten-yuan bills inside. Judging by the number, there were at least a hundred bills.
Upon closer inspection, Lin Ying noticed something amiss. The quilt was made by sewing together two thin quilts weighing two jin each. The stitching was very tight. Lin Ying hadn't noticed it before, but now, upon closer inspection, she realized that the quilt was sewn vertically every ten centimeters, clearly indicating that money had been laid flat inside.
She said she found it so difficult to take the blankets off.
Lin Ying quickly picked up the money and put it away. These days, you can't buy anything even with money if you don't have coupons. She'd better leave it for now.
Lin Ying remained calm about this unexpected windfall. For her, the fact that the money meant she had lost a few pounds of cotton was far more important.
It wasn't that Lin Ying lacked foresight; rather, given her current special status, she was constantly being watched, and living too comfortably would inevitably attract envy. Therefore, more than money, she valued being well-fed and clothed.
When times change, this money will be worthless.
Separating the duvet cover from the cotton cover, Lin Ying began to unscrew the second one. Seeing that the second one was sewn perfectly, Lin Ying breathed a sigh of relief, but then couldn't help but laugh. Having one like this would be a huge blessing for most people, and she was actually thinking of not needing a second one! What a coincidence!
Lin Ying first disassembled three of them and put them in the pot to steam. Lin Ying used the same stove she used for showering, and the steamer was the set she had made herself before for steaming wood.
After steaming the cotton cover, Lin Ying took the quilt to the well and washed it.
After washing and returning, I took the steamed quilt out to air it, threw the quilt cover into the bathtub, poured the filtered medicine from the pot into the bathtub, and started scalding it with hot water.
Lin Ying knew that even secondhand items would attract unwanted attention if she acquired too many, so she planned to air out three sets every day. That way, if anyone asked, she could say it was because she found the cotton covers smelled unpleasant at night and wanted to air them out more.
Because it had been soaked in a chemical solution, the originally white quilt had been stained a grassy green, but the light color didn't look bad. Lin Ying took the quilt sheets that had been soaked in the chemical solution outside to air them out.
After that, they took their dry rations, locked the door, and went up the mountain.
The firewood at home is basically enough, so she mainly goes up the mountain to collect food and fruit.
Aside from herbs they didn't recognize, there was practically nothing edible left on the outer mountain, so Lin Ying planned to head towards the back of the mountain today.
Sure enough, although it was only separated by a stream, there was much more stuff on this side than on the other. Hazelnuts, black fungus, pine nuts, wild vegetables, hazel mushrooms, dandelions, chestnuts, and wild chestnuts—in less than two hours, Lin Ying had filled a large basket. However, she didn't rush to leave. Instead, she hung the basket on a big tree, then took another basket containing her lunch, casually sat down, ate her lunch, and then continued working.
This time, Lin Ying picked herbs.
Few people come to this mountain, and Lin Ying even dug up two ginseng roots that were about fifty years old, along with more than a dozen wild Ganoderma lucidum plants.
Before dark, Lin Ying had gathered almost all the medicinal herbs in the basket. She returned to the big tree, put down the other basket, tied it with a rope, and carried it down the mountain on both sides.
By the time Lin Ying got home, it was already getting dark. She put down her basket, washed her hands, and then went to retrieve the cotton sheets and blankets that had been drying. Although the weather was getting cooler, the things would still dry after a day in the sun.
Back in her room, Lin Ying put the medicinal herbs in the kitchen and processed them while preparing dinner.
After dinner, Lin Ying laboriously sewed herself a quilt. That night, she covered herself with the quilt, which had a faint medicinal scent.
Lin Ying still couldn't fall asleep and needed acupuncture or incense to help. Later, Lin Ying made a sachet and placed it by her bedside, relying entirely on it to sleep. The good thing was that even without Zhao Qinghuai around, Lin Ying could now sleep soundly through the night without waking up repeatedly in the middle of the night.
The next morning, Lin Ying continued washing and cleaning the bed sheets. She also needed to process the leftover ingredients from the previous day, and she planned to start making cotton-padded clothes. Therefore, she didn't plan to go up the mountain that day.
As usual, Lin Ying boiled a pot of medicine and then continued to wash the bed sheets.
When Lin Ying saw this quilt again, which was "sewn tightly before departure," she couldn't help but feel a shiver.
A thousand was acceptable to her, but any more would mean hiding it deep in the mountains. Lin Ying was already thinking about where to hide the money, but to her surprise, when she opened the blanket, no paper or anything else flew out.
Lin Ying confirmed there was no hidden compartment, then couldn't help but laugh. She said, "There aren't that many 'good things' like that..."
Wait, what is this?
Lin Ying felt the hard object in her hand and confirmed that it wasn't due to the cotton clumps; there was definitely something inside. She parted the cotton and stared in disbelief at what was inside.
Lin Ying couldn't wait to take the item out of the box and examine it repeatedly. Finally, she confirmed that it was the same jade pendant that Lin Rong had once snatched away!
No, it can't be said that they are the same. This jade pendant is larger than the other one, and the texture is also better. But the reason why Lin Ying said they were the same is because the patterns carved on the jade pendants are the same.
Lin Ying wore the jade pendant that belonged to the Lin family for eighteen years. She was very familiar with it. When she was a child, she asked her grandfather what the patterns on it meant. Her grandfather said that it was the symbol of the Lin family.
Now, Lin Ying has seen another jade pendant that is just as beautiful, even more ancient and mysterious than the one she used to have at home.
Lin Ying suddenly remembered that her grandfather had once said that the Lin family had been imperial physicians and that they were a branch that had split off from the main family.
So? Lin Ying examined the jade carefully, wondering uncertainly if the owner of this jade was once another branch of the Lin family, or even the main branch.
Lin Ying recalled the medical records she had seen at the recycling center yesterday. She said that the medical records were so familiar, yet somewhat different. It turned out that they had once shared the same origin.
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