"Thank you, Madam!" Aunt Huang, holding the medicinal herbs, bowed repeatedly to Lin Yinan with gratitude.
"Auntie, there's no need to be so polite. These herbs are readily available; it's just a small favor. If you have realgar at home, you can add some to the mosquito-repellent herbs for even better results."
“You can cut these mosquito-repelling plants, dry them, braid them into fire ropes and store them. When needed, you can light them to repel mosquitoes.”
"Okay, okay, when his father goes to the county town to sell things, have him buy some back." Aunt Huang nodded gratefully.
"In that case, we will not disturb you any longer."
Lin Yinan turned and walked out of the courtyard as she spoke.
Aunt Huang chased after him, "Madam, young Master Hu, please have some food before you go back. The food in the kitchen will be ready soon."
Lin Yinan shook her head and pointed to Qianwu, who had come looking for them not far away, saying, "Auntie, there's no need to be so polite! Our meal is ready."
She had barely finished speaking when Qianwu walked up to her.
"Madam, dinner is ready. Please go back and eat."
Hu Shaochao, who was walking at the back, waved to Aunt Huang.
Watching the group walk away, Aunt Huang murmured, "Young Master Hu and his sister are both good people!"
At this moment, her eldest son said, "Mother, that lady looks a lot like the city lord I met in the county town at the end of the year."
"really?"
“Mother, I saw it very clearly at the time, there’s no mistake.”
"Is it really her?"
Aunt Huang immediately knelt down and kowtowed three times in the direction Lin Yinan and the others had left.
"Lord City Lord is truly our savior!"
Her husband helped her up, took the mosquito repellent from her hand, and led her into the house.
"I'll go and light some mosquito repellent. Once the meal is ready, you quickly boil a pot of water for Nizi to wash up; her arms are practically raw from scratching."
"Okay! I'll go right now."
On his way back, Hu Shao followed suit and picked up the mugwort and wormwood from the roadside.
Every time he rested in the village, he was disturbed by mosquitoes and couldn't sleep well.
Looks like I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight.
When he lay down, he couldn't fall asleep no matter what he did. He sighed hundreds of times, and when he turned around, he met Yun Shiyi's deep and sharp eyes.
"I'm sorry! I disturbed you. I'll go to sleep right away." He said, closing his eyes tightly and lying still.
Yun Shiyi crossed her arms over her chest, listening to his heavy breathing.
What are you thinking about?
Hu Shao suddenly opened his eyes and turned to look at him, "Eleventh Brother, why have you been following my brother-in-law?"
After a long silence, just when Hu Shao thought he wouldn't speak, Yun Shiyi slowly opened his mouth.
“My life was saved from the mass grave by Third Master Yun. Anything Third Master Yun wants to do, I will do.”
Hu Shao did not press him on why he was in the mass grave. Everyone has a painful past, just like him.
He rested his hands behind his head, repeatedly pondering Yun Shiyi's words.
His sister saved his life back then!
As the sun rises and sets, and the first rays of dawn break through the window, Lin Yinan wakes up.
She opened her eyes, got dressed, and tiptoed out of the house.
As soon as she stepped out of the house, she was stunned by the scene in the yard.
There was a large pile of freshly cut mugwort, wormwood, and calamus in the yard.
Who is so diligent?
As if guessing what she was thinking, Yun Shiyi's figure gracefully descended from the rooftop.
"These were all cut by Hu Shao alone."
"He didn't sleep all night, he just went to get this cut?" Lin Yinan asked, her face full of questions.
Yun Shiyi's voice was flat and emotionless, "Perhaps it's because I can't sleep."
After saying that, he turned around and carried a bucket of water into the house. His master had warned them that the lady liked cleanliness and did not allow them to approach her while smelling bad.
Lin Yinan looked at the yard full of mosquito-repellent plants. What was Hu Shao trying to do?
Qianxia's voice came from behind, "Madam, I'll go start the fire and cook breakfast."
After a quick wash, Lin Yinan went outside into the courtyard and encountered the guards who had returned from tending the weeds, and Hu Shao carrying a large bundle of mugwort behind them.
Has he gone mad from cutting mugwort?
"Sister, you're up." Hu Shao greeted her with a bright and cheerful expression.
He quickened his pace, placed the mugwort in the yard, took the sickle from his waist, and patted the grass clippings off his clothes.
"Hu Shao, why are you cutting so much mosquito-repellent grass?"
"Sister, teach me that fire rope you mentioned yesterday for repelling mosquitoes. I want to teach the people in the villages down there later," Hu Shao said earnestly.
She found this online when she was in the countryside. The website said that this method of repelling mosquitoes has been passed down from ancient times, which puzzled Lin Yinan.
"They didn't know?"
Hu Shao picked up a sprig of mugwort and smelled it. "I tried it last night, but it wasn't as effective as this."
As he spoke, his face darkened.
"If we had known about this method of repelling mosquitoes earlier, Shouzhu and Erwa might not have died. They were like Nizi, covered in mosquito bites, and then had a high fever that wouldn't go down, and they were burned to death. It's so pitiful that one was five years old and the other was eight."
"Sister, I thought about it last night. I'm not going to Chi'an with you. I'm going to tell all the villagers about this herbal method for repelling mosquitoes."
According to him, the two children who died from mosquito bites must have been infected with dengue fever or malaria.
Lin Yinan's cool expression softened, and she said softly, "Since you want to do it, I support you."
"Come, I'll teach you how to make a match."
Qianwu brought over a small stool at the right moment, "Madam, I want to learn too."
The three sat in the courtyard, and Lin Yinan patiently taught them how to use the fire-making rope step by step.
Qianwu tried to rub it several times without success. Lin Yinan said, "It's best to let these cut mosquito-repellent plants dry in the shade until they are half-dry before coiling them up."
"It's easier to handle after air-drying. When you need it, light it and use the smoke to repel mosquitoes."
After learning how to make fire rope, Hu Shao stopped making the rest and tied them into bundles to hang under the eaves.
Lin Yinan returned to her room and retrieved a handwritten encyclopedia of Chinese herbal medicine from her spatial storage. It contained many common Chinese herbs.
"Take this booklet. If you see any useful medicinal herbs, you can teach the villagers to identify them."
In this era of scarce medical resources, this booklet is extremely useful.
Hu Shao's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Sister, you're so kind!"
"I admire your courage, your fearlessness, and your concern for the villagers. We have all suffered, and our goal is to live a life where we have enough to eat and clothes to wear," Lin Yinan said earnestly, looking at his gradually maturing eyebrows and eyes.
As the two were talking, the village chief and his wife came over with a basket of freshly baked pancakes.
When the village chief's wife saw the porch covered with mugwort, she exclaimed, "Oh, Master Hu, what are you doing cutting so much mugwort and wormwood leaves?"
"This is for repelling mosquitoes," Hu Shao said.
These things are everywhere, the village chief's wife said skeptically, "You really think they can repel mosquitoes?"
Just as Hu Shao was about to speak, Aunt Huang, carrying a basket in one hand and holding Nizi's hand with the other, stepped into the yard.
"Auntie, this stuff is more effective than the herbs we used to pick."
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