Gu Nanjiao flung Li's arm away with all her might, causing Li to stumble and almost fall.
"I already said it's none of my business. If you keep trying to frame me, I don't care if you're an elder or not. If you piss me off, I'll settle things with my fists." Gu Nanjiao fiercely raised her fist at Li Shi, gave her a contemptuous look, and turned to leave.
“You…” Li’s voice trembled with anger, and her fingers shook.
Thinking of Huang Qingqing's departing figure, Li Shi didn't have time to be angry and hurriedly chased after her.
"Qingqing, Qingqing, wait for your aunt."
The mountains are covered with lush trees in summer, and the further you walk, the cooler and quieter it becomes. When you reach the back of the mountain, you can see the kudzu root powder growing vigorously and looks very good.
Gu Nanjiao was about to go back when she suddenly noticed something under a tree. She went over to take a look and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a mushroom.
"Oh, these are chanterelle mushrooms! They taste so delicious!" Gu Nanjiao exclaimed with delight, and quickly bent down to pick them.
Summer brings abundant rainfall and damp mountain forests, allowing wild mushrooms to grow in large patches. Gu Nanjiao thoroughly enjoyed picking them, feeling like she was finding fish or money in a dream. Something she used to only dream about, she never imagined she could achieve mushroom-picking freedom in ancient times.
Having forgotten to bring a bamboo basket, Gu Nanjiao could only use her skirt to carry the mushrooms. It didn't matter if her clothes got dirty; she could wash them when she got home. But her enthusiasm for mushroom picking couldn't be dampened. Gu Nanjiao only recognized chanterelle mushrooms; she dared not pick the other red or white ones, fearing they might be poisonous. There's a song that goes something like this: "Red umbrella, white stem, after eating, we'll all lie on the plank."
Mushrooms grow very quickly; you can see a large patch of them every few steps, and Gu Nanjiao is enjoying picking them immensely.
After digging until midday, with a bag full of mushrooms that could barely be contained by her skirt, Gu Nanjiao decided to head back.
Throughout the journey, Gu Nanjiao was in a great mood and couldn't help but burst into song:
"The little girl picking mushrooms, carrying a big bamboo basket, barefoot in the early morning, walks all over the woods and hills. She picks the most mushrooms, as many as the countless stars. The mushrooms she picks are the biggest, as big as little umbrellas, filling her basket. Seror ...
Gu Nanjiao has been tone-deaf since childhood and has never dared to sing in front of others. Now that she was in a good mood and the mountains were empty and deserted, she dared to sing a song without noticing the person coming from behind her.
"laugh--"
A low, mocking laugh rang out, and Gu Nanjiao froze instantly.
who! !
There are still people in the mountains!
Did they hear her singing? Oh no! She's tone-deaf and her singing is awful. Now that she's been caught, she's not only sung, she's been singing the whole way. She's so embarrassed she wants to crawl into a hole.
Bai Luochen scoffed coldly and slowly appeared, dressed in a white robe and holding a jade fan, as if it were his standard attire.
When Gu Nanjiao saw that the person behind her was Bai Luochen, she began to look down for a hole in the ground.
Is there a hole in the ground so she can crawl into it?
How embarrassing! It was someone I knew!
Gu Nanjiao gave an awkward laugh and said dryly, "Young Master Bai, what brings you here?"
Bai Luochen swiftly opened his jade fan, his charming peach blossom eyes arching upwards as he teased, "Naturally, I'd like to hear a beauty sing!"
Gu Nanjiao rolled her eyes at him; she didn't believe Bai Luochen's nonsense. This guy was incredibly busy; she hadn't seen him for months. Bai Luochen was from the Bai family of Yuzhou; she didn't believe a young master from such a prominent family would have nothing better to do than travel to the nameless mountain in Toad Village to listen to her sing.
Gu Nanjiao glanced at Bai Luochen. His shoes were covered in mud, and the hem of his moon-white robe was stained with green grass. He had a cloth bag slung over his left shoulder. Although Bai Luochen tried his best to hide it, Gu Nanjiao still noticed that it was the outline of a stone.
Gu Nanjiao narrowed her eyes and asked, "You went deeper into the back mountain?"
Bai Luochen did not answer, but looked at Gu Nanjiao with a half-smile.
Actually, I was panicking inside: "This guy has a sharp eye, he knows where I've been!"
After thinking for a moment, Bai Luochen said, "I heard there are medicinal herbs deep in the back mountain, so I thought I'd dig some up to see."
"Really?" Gu Nanjiao clearly didn't believe her, but she didn't press the matter. The back mountain was full of rocks; where would herbs come from? Did Bai Luochen think she was stupid, that an outsider would try to fool a local like her?
Bai Luochen stepped forward, pointed to the mushrooms in Gu Nanjiao's pocket, and asked, "What are you carrying in your pocket?"
"It's mushrooms." Gu Nanjiao didn't hide anything and opened the bag to let Bai Luochen see.
"It's chanterelle mushrooms." These are so delicious when stir-fried. Bai Luochen smacked his lips. He was starting to miss Gu Nanjiao's cooking. He wondered if he'd have a chance to mooch a meal from her today.
Looking at the sun, Bai Luochen said, "It's noon. I wonder if Madam Lu would do me the honor of inviting me to her home for a meal?"
"this……"
Bai Luochen frowned: "Is it inconvenient for Madam Lu? I'll pay, two taels of silver..."
"This...this isn't about money." Gu Nanjiao didn't know how to start the conversation. The Lu family wasn't around, and if the people of Toad Village saw her bringing a man home, they would drown her in their spittle.
Although she doesn't adhere to the traditional virtues of obedience and submission for women in ancient times, it's still best for her to refrain from such blatant acts.
Gu Nanjiao apologized profusely, "Young Master Bai, next time we go to the county town, I'll treat you to the best food at a restaurant, how about that?"
Bai Luochen said with some regret, "Since it is inconvenient for Madam Lu, I will not disturb her."
The two parted ways, and the first thing Gu Nanjiao did when she got home was to wash the chicken oil mushrooms, stir-fry a big plate of them, and enjoy a delicious meal.
Some of the remaining chanterelle mushrooms were dried in the sun, while the rest were left to be stir-fried when Lu's mother and younger sister returned.
With nothing to do in the afternoon, Gu Nanjiao couldn't help but think of Bai Luochen. Why had he come to this unknown little mountain village for no reason, venturing alone into the depths of the back mountain? She had seen that Bai Luochen's bag contained some round objects, which, judging from their outlines, were stones. There were many stones in the back mountain, could it be...?
The rocks on the back hill are not ordinary rocks; they may be minerals or the like.
Gu Nanjiao couldn't help but chuckle softly; she was truly too clever.
...
Deep in the mountains behind, trees tower into the clouds, and the air is filled with the fragrance of grass and trees.
Gu Nanjiao searched around but found no herbs at all. Bai Luochen was definitely up to something. If there were herbs, they would probably have been dug up and sold by the nearby villagers long ago; Bai Luochen wouldn't have gotten a chance.
There's no doubt there are minerals nearby. The Bai family is large and powerful, with extensive business interests. As the young master of the Bai family, Bai Luochen probably got wind of this and came to investigate.
Gu Nanjiao searched around but found no minerals or strange rocks, only ordinary stones. Just as she was about to go back, her gaze was suddenly drawn to a few stones on the ground.
"This is……"
Gu Nanjiao picked up a piece and examined it carefully, finding it increasingly familiar.
This stone looks like the one our teacher taught us to make ice in a chemistry lab in my past life…
Saltpeter?
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