How can we wait until tomorrow?
We had dinner at Bai Houpu's house and just cleared the table and wiped it clean.
The villagers gradually arrived.
Li Lanzhen followed Bai Houpu through the village to the foot of the mountain at the very back of the village, where they saw a courtyard with a fence.
Once inside the courtyard, it was quite large, with five main rooms. The middle room was the largest and should be the main hall.
There are two bedrooms on each side of the main hall, four rooms in the east wing, and three rooms in the west wing.
Judging from the color of the mud on the exterior walls of the house, it was not built all at once, but rather constructed over several years.
On the way, Li Lanzhen learned that Bai Houpu had three children.
The eldest child was a daughter, followed by two sons.
His daughter married his apprentice, and they now have a son and a daughter. His son is married, and his granddaughter-in-law is pregnant.
The eldest son got married the year they fled, and now has three children, two sons and a daughter. The mischievous boy you saw at the village entrance is the grandson.
The youngest son has been married for just two years; he married a girl from this village.
The girl's parents were also hunters, and this was their only daughter, who was now pregnant.
Li Lanzhen knew that their family was not large, and Xuan Shen had told her that all three children were very well-educated.
He also said that if the imperial examinations did not restrict gender, his older cousin would definitely have become the top scholar.
The moment Bai Peilan came out, Li Lanzhen believed his words and secretly admired him!
She is indeed an intellectual, elegant, and aloof woman.
Her every gesture exudes the grace of a well-bred lady, yet she remains approachable.
When they arrived, the women were cooking in the kitchen.
Bai Houpu's youngest son was testing the children's writing and literacy skills in the courtyard.
Each child held a bamboo stick in their hand, drawing and reciting on the ground.
Both boys and girls studied diligently and attentively.
The only exception was this mischievous little guy who had just entered.
Before sitting down at the table, everyone remained silent, knowing that Bai Houpu must have something to tell them.
All the adults and children watched him quietly.
Bai Houpu introduced Li Lan and Xuan Shen to his children and grandchildren, as well as Chang An who followed behind Li Lanzhen.
"Therefore, we should leave here as soon as possible in the next two days and go to Youzhou City and Hulu Valley to continue planting and processing medicinal herbs."
Bai Houpu was in high spirits.
Li Lanzhen looked at her whole family, and everyone, adults and children alike, was happy, their eyes revealing joy and anticipation.
At this moment, the mischievous boy snuggled into Bai Houpu's arms again and spoke.
"Grandpa, let's leave tomorrow! Tomorrow's a beautiful sunny day, perfect for moving!"
His confident expression and affirmative words made everyone burst into laughter.
Bai Houpu patted his head and said.
"Our bellflower can even observe celestial phenomena!"
Li Lanzhen wondered why a boy would be called Kikyo.
It was as if they knew what Li Lanzhen was thinking.
Bai Houpu stroked the head of the bellflower and said to Li Lanzhen.
"Madam Li, the name Kikyo was chosen by him himself."
When she was a little over one year old, she couldn't speak, but she followed us around drying medicinal herbs.
I was drying bellflowers when he held a purple bellflower in his hand, grinning with delight.
I told him it's called bellflower.
Then he said 'Kikyo' to me, and patted his chest.
Bai Houpu said, gently patting Kikyo's head.
"This kid picked out his own name. Hahaha."
Bai Houpu's words filled the courtyard with laughter.
Little Kikyo tilted her head and looked at Li Lanzhen.
"Grandma Lanzhen, are there many children in Peach Blossom Spring?"
Li Lanzhen smiled gently and said, "Yes, there are many children. My little grandson is about your age. You will definitely become good friends when you go there."
Then, Li Lanzhen told them that there were also reed marshes, wild ducks, and wild duck eggs in Peach Blossom Spring...
At this moment, Bai Houpu's eldest son, Bai Yuanzhi, frowned and pondered for a while before asking Bai Houpu a question.
"Dad, when we were in Calabash Valley, why didn't we discover the Peach Blossom Spring Grand Canyon?"
Bai Houpu shook his head, "I don't know what happened either."
I'll only know after I go and check out the terrain.
Li Lanzhen said, "There is a cave on the east mountain of Peach Blossom Spring. There is a cave within a cave, and the entrance of the cave within the cave leads to Calabash Valley."
Bai Houpu shook his head. "No, I have never found any caves there leading to a canyon below."
Li Lanzhen was also puzzled, so she asked them.
"I didn't see any land for growing food in Calabash Valley. Were you there just buying food to eat?"
Bai Houpu laughed heartily as he spoke.
"No, there is a small valley below Calabash Valley, where caves are connected one after another. We grow our crops in that valley, and our families live there."
They only came up to Gourd Valley when they were working.
Li Lanzhen suddenly realized that the place they were talking about might be the Valley of Forgetfulness.
Then they were told the general terrain of Forget-Worry Valley, and that the mountain gate was blocked.
Bai Yuanzhi laughed and said, "Auntie, we blocked it off, hoping to return there someday and not wanting anyone else to ruin it."
Li Lanzhen didn't speak at this moment, thinking that she would confirm whether what they were talking about was the Valley of Forgetfulness after she got to Peach Blossom Spring.
Bai Yuanzhi then asked him about Bai Houpu.
"Father, what about the people in the village?"
Bai Houpu tapped the table lightly with his right hand as he spoke.
"I have already spoken with your Aunt Lanzhen. If they are willing, they can sign an agreement and move there with us."
Bai Yuanzhi glanced at Li Lanzhi but did not speak.
He wondered to himself, "Do I need to sign any agreements to stay there?"
If the conditions are too harsh, the villagers probably won't go.
It's so hard for these people to live here!
It would be better to live with them in the past.
He wanted to tell Bai Houpu that after taking them there, they could live in the deep valley where they used to live.
But after thinking about it, he remained silent and waited for Bai Houpu to make the decision.
After eating, clean up the dishes.
The villagers gradually came in.
The villagers didn't eat a proper dinner; they were all very anxious.
Over the years, Bai Houpu gradually became their pillar of support.
They would come to him for advice whenever they had a problem, and the whole family was knowledgeable in medicine.
Whenever any member of the family, adults or children, had a headache or fever, Bai Houpu's family would go to see him and even go up the mountain to collect herbs to treat them.
They never asked for any money. They would give whatever they had at home, whether it was wild vegetables, vegetables, or game they hunted in the mountains. If they didn't have any, it didn't matter. They could give it to them when they had some.
Therefore, the people in the village all respected the Bai family.
They knew Bai Houpu was away, and they saw that he brought back three people.
At the village entrance, Bai Houpu's grandson called one of the young men "uncle".
They knew that Bai Houpu had found his relatives and would definitely leave this remote and impoverished mountain village.
Several families, bowls in hand, ate and chatted, and after discussing it for a while, they came over to ask.
Not daring to arrive too early, they sent their children to watch from the entrance of Bai Houpu's courtyard.
Wait until they've finished collecting their dishes before going home to tell them.
So now, they've come together.
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